Rebroadcasting of advertisements in a social network

• US 10,803,490 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2016
• Issued: 10/13/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Reis, Davi De Castro, Figueiredo, Rob
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao, Vincent M
• Application Number:
  US15/095,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20160225032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,646 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method that receives at a server a first request to rebroadcast a first sponsored content item that was displayed on the social network to the first user to a second user. A second request to display at least one sponsored content item to the second user when the second user accesses an electronic document associated with the social network is received at the server. The first sponsored content item is retrieved for rebroadcast from one or more sponsored content items indicated for rebroadcast to the second user. The first sponsored content item is output to the second user of the social network in response to the second request to display and without requiring the second user to select the first sponsored content item for display.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

selecting, by a computer system, a first sponsored content item from among a first plurality of sponsored content items, for presentation on a first web page at a first computing device using an auction process;

providing, by the computer system, the first sponsored content item for receipt by the first computing device at which a first user has logged into a first account with a social network, so as to cause the first computing device to display the first sponsored content item on the first web page concurrently with a first user interface element and a second user interfaced element, wherein the first user can interact with the first user interface element to cause the first computing device to provide a user interface display that includes a list of users that have previously rebroadcast the first sponsored content item, and wherein user interaction with the second user interface element causes a likelihood that the first sponsored content item will be presented to other users of the social network to decrease;

receiving, by the computer system, an indication that the first computing device received first user input to request presentation of the user interface display that includes the list of users that have previously rebroadcast the first sponsored content item, wherein the first user input comprises interaction with the first user interface element;

providing, (i) by the computer system and in response to the computer system receiving the indication that the first computing device received first user input to request presentation of the user interface display, and (ii) to the computing device, indicators that identify the users that have previously rebroadcast the first sponsored content item to facilitate presentation, by the computing device, of the user interface display that includes the list of users that have previously rebroadcast the first sponsored content item;

receiving, by the computer system, an indication that the first computing device received second user input selecting the second user interface element; and

in response to receiving the indication that the first computing device received second user input selecting the second user interface element, decreasing the likelihood that the first sponsored content item will be presented to other users of the social network.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the computer system, a second user that has an acquaintance relationship with the first user in the social network;

identifying, by the computer system, an opportunity to display, at a second computing device, a sponsored content item as part of a second web page that is different than the first web page, wherein the second computing device is a computing device at which the second user has logged into a second account with the social network;

identifying, by the computer system, a plurality of sponsored content items that are eligible for display as the sponsored content item on the second web page, including the first sponsored content item and a second sponsored content item, wherein the first sponsored content item is assigned a first bid that is lower than a second bid that is assigned to the second sponsored content item;

modifying, by the computer system, the first bid that is assigned to the first sponsored content item as a result of the first sponsored content item having been rebroadcast previously by a third user that had an acquaintance relationship in the social network with the second user; and

providing, by the computer system and based on the modified first bid, the first sponsored content item to the second computing device for display as part of the second web page.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computer system, an indication that the first computing device received third user input to rebroadcast the first sponsored content item to cause the first sponsored content item to be eligible for display on a web page that is different than the first web page, wherein the third user input comprises interaction with a third user interface element;

identifying, by the computer system, a second user that has an acquaintance relationship with the first user in the social network;

identifying, by the computer system, an opportunity to display, at a second computing device, a sponsored content item as part of a second web page that is different than the first web page, wherein the second computing device is a computing device at which the second user has logged into a second account with the social network;

identifying, by the computer system, a plurality of sponsored content item that are eligible for display as the sponsored content item on the second web page, including the first sponsored content item and a second sponsored content item, wherein the first sponsored content item is assigned a first big that is lower than a second bid that is assigned to the second sponsored content item;

selecting, by the computer system and in response to identifying the opportunity to display the sponsored content item as part of the second web page, the first sponsored content time from among the plurality of sponsored content items that are eligible for display as the sponsored content item on the second web page, based on the first sponsored content item having been rebroadcast previously by the first user and based on the computer system having identified that the second user has an acquaintance relationship with the first user, even though the first sponsored content item was assigned the first bid that is lower than the second bid that was assigned to the second sponsored content item; and

providing, by the computer system and in response to the computer system selecting first sponsored content item from among the plurality of sponsored content items, based on the first sponsored content item having been rebroadcast previously by the first user, the first sponsored content time for receipt by the second computing device, so as to cause the second computing device to display the first sponsored content time as a sponsored content item on the second web page.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first sponsored content item is displayed on the second computing device as the sponsored content item on the second web page concurrently with a third user interface element, wherein the second user can interact with the third user interface element to initiate a second request to rebroadcast the first sponsored content item.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the computer system selects the first sponsored content item for display as the sponsored content item on the second web page, based on the first sponsored content item having been rebroadcast previously by a user that had an acquaintance relationship in the social network with the second user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the computer system designates the first sponsored content item as being one of the plurality of sponsored content items that are eligible for display by the second computing device as the sponsored content item on the second web page, due to the second user having an acquaintance relationship with the first user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein:

the first sponsored content item is a sponsored content item that is unpaid; and

the second sponsored content item is a sponsored content item that is paid.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the first bid that is assigned to the first sponsored content item is a default bid that is assigned to unpaid sponsored content items.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising receiving, by the computer system and in response to the computer system receiving the indication that the first computing device received the third user input to rebroadcast the first sponsored content item, an indication that the first computing device received additional user input that specified the second user, in distinction to other users of the social network, as a user of the social network to which the first sponsored content item is to be eligible for display.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising determining, by the computer system and in response to receiving the indication that the first computing device received the third user input to rebroadcast the first sponsored content item, that the first sponsored content item is to be eligible for display to the second user without the first user having specified the second user as a user of the social network to which the first sponsored content item is to be eligible for display.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the third user input was received by the first computing device through user interaction with a user interface element that was displayed by the first web page concurrent with the display of the first sponsored content item.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computer system, an indication that the first computing device received third user input to rebroadcast the first sponsored content item to cause the first sponsored content item to be eligible for display on a web page that is different than the first web page, wherein the third user input comprises interaction with a third user interface element, wherein, upon selection of the third user interface element, the first computing device prompts the first user to enter text to be rebroadcast along with the first sponsored content item;

receiving text to be rebroadcast along with the first sponsored content item from the first user; and

rebroadcasting, in response to the user interaction with the third user interface element, the first sponsored content item along with the text to be rebroadcast along with the first sponsored content item.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by at least one programmable processor, cause performance of operations that comprise:

providing, by the computer system, the first sponsored content item for receipt by the first computing device at which a first user has logged into a first account with a social network, so as to cause the first computing device to display the first sponsored content item on the first web page concurrently with a first user interface element and a second user interfaced element, wherein the first user can interact with the first user interface element to cause the first computing device to provide a user interface display that includes a list of users that have previously rebroadcast the first sponsored content item, and wherein user interaction with the second user interface element causes a likelihood that the first sponsored content item will be presented to other users of the social network to decrease;

receiving, by the computer system, an indication that the first computing device received first user input to request presentation of the user interface display that includes the list of users that have previously rebroadcast the first sponsored content item, wherein the first user input comprises interaction with the first user interface element;

providing, (i) by the computer system and in response to the computer system receiving the indication that the first computing device received first user input to request presentation of the user interface display, and (ii) to the computing device, indicators that identify the users that have previously rebroadcast the first sponsored content item to facilitate presentation, by the computing device, of the user interface display that includes the list of users that have previously rebroadcast the first sponsored content item;

receiving, by the computer system, an indication that the first computing device received second user input selecting the second user interface element; and

in response to receiving the indication that the first computing device received second user input selecting the second user interface element, decreasing the likelihood that the first sponsored content item will be presented to other users of the social network.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the computer system, an indication that the first computing device received third user input to rebroadcast the first sponsored content item to cause the first sponsored content item to be eligible for display on a web page that is different than the first web page, wherein the third user input comprises interaction with a third user interface element;

identifying, by the computer system, a second user that has an acquaintance relationship with the first user in the social network;

identifying, by the computer system, an opportunity to display, at a second computing device, a sponsored content item as part of a second web page that is different than the first web page, wherein the second computing device is a computing device at which the second user has logged into a second account with the social network;

identifying, by the computer system, a plurality of sponsored content items that are eligible for display as the sponsored content item on the second web page, including the first sponsored content item and a second sponsored content item, wherein the first sponsored content item is assigned a first bid that is lower than a second bid that is assigned to the second sponsored content item;

selecting, by the computer system and in response to identifying the opportunity to display the sponsored content item as part of the second web page, the first sponsored content item from among the plurality of sponsored content items that are eligible for display as the sponsored content item on the second web page, based on the first sponsored content item having been rebroadcast previously by the first user and based on the computer system having identified that the second user has an acquaintance relationship with the first user, even though the first sponsored content item was assigned the first bid that is lower than the second bid that was assigned to the second sponsored content item; and

providing, by the computer system and in response to the computer system selecting the first sponsored content item from among the plurality of sponsored content items, based on the first sponsored content item having been rebroadcast previously by the first user, the first sponsored content item for receipt by the second computing device, so as to cause the second computing device to display the first sponsored content item as the sponsored content item on the second web page.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the first sponsored content item is displayed on the second computing device as the sponsored content item on the second web page concurrently with a third user interface element, wherein the second user can interact with the third user interface element to initiate a second request to rebroadcast the first sponsored content item.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

modifying, by the computer system, the first bid that is assigned to the first sponsored content item as a result of the first sponsored content item having been rebroadcast previously by a user that had an acquaintance relationship in the social network with the second user.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the computer system selects the first sponsored content item for display as the sponsored content item on the second web page, based on the first sponsored content item having been rebroadcast previously by a user that had an acquaintance relationship in the social network with the second user.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the computer system designates the first sponsored content item as being one of the plurality of sponsored content items that are eligible for display by the second computing device as the sponsored content item on the second web page, due to the second user having an acquaintance relationship with the first user.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein:

the first sponsored content item is a sponsored content item that is unpaid; and

the second sponsored content item is a sponsored content item that is paid.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the first bid that is assigned to the first sponsored content item is a default bid that is assigned to unpaid sponsored content items.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise receiving, by the computer system and in response to the computer system receiving the indication that the first computing device received the third user input to rebroadcast the first sponsored content item, an indication that the first computing device received additional user input that specified the second user, in distinction to other users of the social network, as a user of the social network to which the first sponsored content item is to be eligible for display.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise determining, by the computer system and in response to receiving the indication that the first computing device received the third user input to rebroadcast the first sponsored content item, that the first sponsored content item is to be eligible for display to the second user without the first user having specified the second user as a user of the social network to which the first sponsored content item is to be eligible for display.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the third user input was received by the first computing device through user interaction with a user interface element that was displayed by the first web page concurrent with the display of the first sponsored content item.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

receiving, by the computer system, an indication that the first computing device received third user input to rebroadcast the first sponsored content item to cause the first sponsored content item to be eligible for display on a web page that is different than the first web page, wherein the third user input comprises interaction with a third user interface element, wherein, upon selection of the third user interface element, the first computing device prompts the first user to enter text to be rebroadcast along with the first sponsored content item;

receiving text to be rebroadcast along with the first sponsored content item from the first user; and

rebroadcasting, in response to the user interaction with the third user interface element, the first sponsored content item along with the text to be rebroadcast along with the first sponsored content item.