System providing sponsored content

• US 9,900,666 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2014
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Reilly, Craig P., Yacobellis, Robert H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saint Cyr, Jean D
• Application Number:
  US14/505,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20150026717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system receives an indication of selection of an item in a broadcast segment from an end device. A broadcast segment is identified by the selection and a broadcast segment schedule. An item ID is determined using the identified broadcast segment and the broadcast segment schedule, and a corresponding sponsor of the item is determined using the item ID and the identified broadcast segment. An anonymized message, including the item ID and a request for information, is sent to the corresponding sponsor. A reply is received from the corresponding sponsor, and forwarded to an end user contact.

Claims

1. A method for providing sponsored content to an end device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computer system operating independent of the end device, an indication that an interaction with an item presented within a broadcast segment occurred during presentation of the broadcast segment at the end device;

in response to receiving the indication, identifying, by the computer system and using a timestamp and a broadcast channel specified by the indication, a sponsor of a broadcast segment that was being presented at the time of the interaction;

generating, by the computer system, an anonymized message that includes an item ID corresponding to the item that received the interaction at the end device, a temporary user address that conceals an identity of an end user of the end device, and has a specified validity period, wherein the specified validity period indicates an amount of time the temporary user address is a valid address for communicating with the end user about the item that received the interaction;

requesting, by the computer system and from the sponsor, additional information about the item;

receiving, by the computer system, a reply from the sponsor, wherein the reply includes the additional information about the item;

determining, by the computer system, whether the validity period for the anonymized message is still valid when the reply is received from the sponsor; and

processing, by the computer system, the reply from the sponsor based on the determination, including;

discarding, by the computing system, the reply when the reply is received after the validity period of the anonymized message has expired; and

forwarding, by the computer system, the reply to the end device when the reply is received during the validity period of the anonymized message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an anonymized message comprises generating an anonymized message that includes the item ID and an anonymous temporary address of the end user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the anonymous temporary address of the end user conceals an identify of the end user from the sponsor of the reply.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an indication that an interaction occurred comprises receiving an indication that includes a location of the item on a screen of the end device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein identifying a sponsor of the broadcast segment comprises identifying the sponsor based at least in part on the location of the item on the screen.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the reply from the sponsor is valid based on the reply being received within a specified amount of time, wherein forwarding the reply to the end user comprises forwarding the reply to an anonymous address corresponding to the end user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining that the reply from the sponsor is valid is further based on a total number of replies received from the sponsor within a given time period.

8. A system, comprising:

a data storage device storing a broadcast segment schedule; and

one or more computers that interact with the data storage device and execute instructions that cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by a computer system operating independent of an end device, an indication that an interaction with an item presented within a broadcast segment occurred during presentation of the broadcast segment at the end device;

in response to receiving the indication, identifying, by the computer system and using a timestamp and a broadcast channel specified by the indication, a sponsor of a broadcast segment that was being presented at the time of the interaction;

generating, by the computer system, an anonymized message that includes an item ID corresponding to the item that received the interaction at the end device, a temporary user address that conceals an identity of an end user of the end device, and has a specified validity period, wherein the specified validity period indicates an amount of time the temporary user address is a valid address for communicating with the end user about the item that received the interaction;

requesting, by the computer system and from the sponsor, additional information about the item;

receiving, by the computer system, a reply from the sponsor, wherein the reply includes the additional information about the item;

determining, by the computer system, whether the validity period for the anonymized message is still valid when the reply is received from the sponsor; and

processing, by the computer system, the reply from the sponsor based on the determination, including;

discarding, by the computing system, the reply when the reply is received after the validity period of the anonymized message has expired; and

forwarding, by the computer system, the reply to the end device when the reply is received during the validity period of the anonymized message.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein generating an anonymized message comprises generating an anonymized message that includes the item ID and an anonymous temporary address of the end user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the anonymous temporary address of the end user conceals an identify of the end user from the sponsor of the reply.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein receiving an indication that an interaction occurred comprises receiving an indication that includes a location of the item on a screen of the end device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein identifying a sponsor of the broadcast segment comprises identifying the sponsor based at least in part on the location of the item on the screen.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the instructions cause the one or more computers to perform operations further comprising determining that the reply from the sponsor is valid based on the reply being received within a specified amount of time; and

forwarding the reply to the end user comprises forwarding the reply to an anonymous address corresponding to the end user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein determining that the reply from the sponsor is valid is further based on a total number of replies received from the sponsor within a given time period.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that upon execution by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a computer system operating independent of an end device, an indication that an interaction with an item presented within a broadcast segment occurred during presentation of the broadcast segment at the end device;

in response to receiving the indication, identifying, by the computer system and using a timestamp and a broadcast channel specified by the indication, a sponsor of a broadcast segment that was being presented at the time of the interaction;

generating, by the computer system, an anonymized message that includes an item ID corresponding to the item that received the interaction at the end device, a temporary user address that conceals an identity of an end user of the end device, and has a specified validity period, wherein the specified validity period indicates an amount of time the temporary user address is a valid address for communicating with the end user about the item that received the interaction;

requesting, by the computer system and from the sponsor, additional information about the item;

receiving, by the computer system, a reply from the sponsor, wherein the reply includes the additional information about the item;

determining, by the computer system, whether the validity period for the anonymized message is still valid when the reply is received from the sponsor; and

processing, by the computer system, the reply from the sponsor based on the determination, including;

discarding, by the computing system, the reply when the reply is received after the validity period of the anonymized message has expired; and

forwarding, by the computer system, the reply to the end device when the reply is received during the validity period of the anonymized message.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein generating an anonymized message comprises generating an anonymized message that includes the item ID and an anonymous temporary address of the end user.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the anonymous temporary address of the end user conceals an identify of the end user from the sponsor of the reply.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein receiving an indication that an interaction occurred comprises receiving an indication that includes a location of the item on a screen of the end device.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein identifying a sponsor of the broadcast segment comprises identifying the sponsor based at least in part on the location of the item on the screen.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

the instructions cause the one or more computers to perform operations further comprising determining that the reply from the sponsor is valid based on the reply being received within a specified amount of time; and

forwarding the reply to the end user comprises forwarding the reply to an anonymous address corresponding to the end user.