Assigning scores to electronic communications with extensions

• US 9,858,594 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Sai-Ming, Kantak, Darshan, Lahaie, Sebastien
• Primary Examiner(s): Sittner, Matthew T
• Application Number:
  US14/319,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20150379569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Various technologies pertaining to conducting auctions for display of electronic communications in display positions are described herein. An electronic communication has a predefined format, and further has an optional extension to the predefined format. The electronic communication participates in an auction, where an auction system takes the extension into consideration when computing a rank score for the electronic communication. Further, the auction system takes historic servings of the electronic communication, with the extension, to client computing devices into account when computing the rank score.

Claims

1. A method executed by a processor of a computing device, the method comprising:

receiving an indication that a client computing device has requested content;

responsive to receiving the indication, computing a score for an electronic communication, the score computed based upon;

the electronic communication comprising an extension to a predefined format; and

an externality score that is indicative of;

a number of times that the electronic communication has historically been presented on client computing devices, wherein the externality score is computed as a function of;

for each impression of the electronic communication at client computing devices over a defined time range;

 

a position of the electronic communication on a web page;

 

a type of the extension from amongst a plurality of possible types of extensions; and

 

a layout of the extension from amongst a plurality of possible layouts of extensions;

selecting the electronic communication from several potential electronic communications based upon the score; and

responsive to selecting the electronic communication, transmitting the electronic communication for display with the content on the client computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, the electronic communication is an electronic advertisement.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication that the client computing device has requested content comprises receiving a query transmitted to a search engine by the client computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication that the client computing device has requested content comprises receiving an indication that the client computing device has requested a page from a content server.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing the externality score.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the electronic communication is an electronic advertisement, the method further comprising:

computing a cost per click for the advertisement, the price computed based upon the externality score.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the externality score is additionally computed based upon weights corresponding to the type of the extension.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the weights additionally correspond to the position.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the weights additionally correspond to the layout.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication is an advertisement, the method further comprising:

receiving a bid for presenting the advertisement; and

computing the score based upon the bid.

12. The method of claim 1, the extension being at least one of a link extension, a map extension, a media extension, or a telephone extension, the link extension comprises a plurality of links to respective sub-pages of a domain corresponding to the electronic communication, the map extension comprises data indicative of a geographic location corresponding to the electronic communication, the media extension comprises at least one of an image or a video, and the telephone extension comprises a telephone number corresponding to the electronic communication.

10. The method of 1, wherein the score is additionally based upon a tunable parameter, the tunable parameter defines an influence of the externality score on the score.

13. A computing system comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising;

receiving an indication that a client computing device has requested content;

responsive to receiving the indication, computing a score for an electronic communication, the score computed based upon;

the electronic communication comprising an extension to a predefined format; and

an externality score that is indicative of;

a number of times that the electronic communication has historically been presented on client computing devices, wherein the externality score is computed as a function of;

for each impression of the electronic communication at client computing devices over a defined time range;

 

a position of the electronic communication on a web page;

 

a type of the extension from amongst a plurality of possible types of extensions; and

 

a layout of the extension from amongst a plurality of possible layouts of extensions;

selecting the electronic communication from several potential electronic communications based upon the score; and

responsive to selecting the electronic communication, transmitting the electronic communication for display with the content on the client computing device.

14. The computing system of claim 13, the electronic communication is an electronic advertisement.

15. The computing system of claim 13, wherein receiving the indication that the client computing device has requested content comprises receiving a query transmitted to a search engine by the client computing device.

16. The computing system of claim 13, wherein receiving the indication that the client computing device has requested content comprises receiving an indication that the client computing device has requested a page from a content server.

17. The computing system of claim 13, the acts further comprising computing the externality score.

18. The computing system of claim 17, wherein the electronic communication is an electronic advertisement, the method further comprising:

computing a cost per click for the advertisement, the price computed based upon the externality score.

19. The computing system of claim 17, wherein the externality score is additionally computed based upon weights corresponding to the type of the extension.

20. A server computing device that is in network communication with a client computing device, the server computing device comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising;

receiving an indication that the client computing device has requested content;

responsive to receiving the indication, computing a score for an electronic communication, the score computed based upon;

the electronic communication comprising an extension to a predefined format; and

an externality score that is indicative of;

a number of times that the electronic communication has historically been presented on client computing devices, wherein the externality score is computed as a function of;

for each impression of the electronic communication at client computing devices over a defined time range;

 

a position of the electronic communication on a web page;

 

a type of the extension from amongst a plurality of possible types of extensions; and

 

a layout of the extension from amongst a plurality of possible layouts of extensions;

selecting the electronic communication from several potential electronic communications based upon the score; and

responsive to selecting the electronic communication, transmitting the electronic communication for display with the content on the client computing device.