Conditional bids in an auction
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- identifying, by one or more processors, a placement opportunity for content to be presented on a user device, a user of the user device being characterized as being included in one or more groups in which each group is defined by the user having a respective attribute value for a respective attribute type;
providing a bid request to a plurality of content sponsors, the bid request including characteristic information, wherein the characteristic information comprises a plurality of attributes types that each identifies a type of information known to a serving system about the user without specifying a known attribute value that is known about the user;
receiving bids from the content sponsors including one or more conditional bids that each establish a price to be used in an auction for the placement opportunity, wherein each of the one or more conditional bids is for presentation to a user who has a particular attribute value for a particular attribute type;
evaluating the received bids from the content sponsors in view of the known attribute value including using conditional bids that have been received from the content sponsors that have provided a bid for the known attribute value in the auction to determine a winning content item and a winning bid of a winning content sponsor for placement in the placement opportunity;
providing the winning content item for placement in the placement opportunity based on the evaluating; and
providing, to the winning content sponsor, billing information for auctions in which the winning content sponsor participated without revealing any attribute values received for winning bids.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods, systems, and apparatus include computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium for providing content. A method includes: identifying a placement opportunity for content for a user device characterized as being included in a group in which the group is defined by a user having a specific attribute; providing a bid request to content sponsors, the bid request including characteristic information that identifies information known to a serving system about the user without specifying the attribute that is associated with the user; receiving conditional bids conditioned on the user having a specific attribute from the content sponsors that establish a price to be used in an auction for the placement opportunity; evaluating the received bids in view of the attribute associated with the user including using received bids in the auction to determine a content item for the placement opportunity; and providing a content item for the placement opportunity.
11 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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identifying, by one or more processors, a placement opportunity for content to be presented on a user device, a user of the user device being characterized as being included in one or more groups in which each group is defined by the user having a respective attribute value for a respective attribute type; providing a bid request to a plurality of content sponsors, the bid request including characteristic information, wherein the characteristic information comprises a plurality of attributes types that each identifies a type of information known to a serving system about the user without specifying a known attribute value that is known about the user; receiving bids from the content sponsors including one or more conditional bids that each establish a price to be used in an auction for the placement opportunity, wherein each of the one or more conditional bids is for presentation to a user who has a particular attribute value for a particular attribute type; evaluating the received bids from the content sponsors in view of the known attribute value including using conditional bids that have been received from the content sponsors that have provided a bid for the known attribute value in the auction to determine a winning content item and a winning bid of a winning content sponsor for placement in the placement opportunity; providing the winning content item for placement in the placement opportunity based on the evaluating; and providing, to the winning content sponsor, billing information for auctions in which the winning content sponsor participated without revealing any attribute values received for winning bids. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage device and comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
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identify, by one or more processors, a placement opportunity for content to be presented on a user device, a user of the user device being characterized as being included in one or more groups in which each group is defined by the user having a respective attribute value for a respective attribute type; provide a bid request to a plurality of content sponsors, the bid request including characteristic information, wherein the characteristic information comprises a plurality of attributes types that each identifies a type of information known to a serving system about the user without specifying a known attribute value that is known about the user; receive bids from the content sponsors including one or more conditional bids that each establish a price to be used in an auction for the placement opportunity, wherein each of the one or more conditional bids is for presentation to a user who has a particular attribute value for a particular attribute type; evaluate the received bids from the content sponsors in view of the known attribute value including using conditional bids that have been received from the content sponsors that have provided a bid for the known attribute value in the auction to determine a winning content item and a winning bid of a winning content sponsor for placement in the placement opportunity; provide the winning content item for placement in the placement opportunity based on the evaluating; and provide, to the winning content sponsor, billing information for auctions in which the winning content sponsor participated without revealing any attribute values received for winning bids. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A system comprising:
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one or more processors; and one or more memory elements including instructions that when executed cause the one or more processors to; identify, by one or more processors, a placement opportunity for content to be presented on a user device, a user of the user device being characterized as being included in one or more groups in which each group is defined by the user having a respective attribute value for a respective attribute type; provide a bid request to a plurality of content sponsors, the bid request including characteristic information, wherein the characteristic information comprises a plurality of attributes types that each identifies a type of information known to a serving system about the user without specifying a known attribute value that is known about the user; receive bids from the content sponsors including one or more conditional bids that each establish a price to be used in an auction for the placement opportunity, wherein each of the one or more conditional bids is for presentation to a user who has a particular attribute value for a particular attribute type; evaluate the received bids from the content sponsors in view of the known attribute value including using conditional bids that have been received from the content sponsors that have provided a bid for the known attribute value in the auction to determine a winning content item and a winning bid of a winning content sponsor for placement in the placement opportunity; provide the winning content item for placement in the placement opportunity based on the evaluating; and provide, to the winning content sponsor, billing information for auctions in which the winning content sponsor participated without revealing any attribute values received for winning bids. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification