Advertising content timeout methods in multiple-source advertising systems

• US 20070150341A1
• Filed: 03/28/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Zia, Aftab, Eranti, Vijay, Bhamidipati, Venkata, Sobotka, David
• Application Number:
  US11/390,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150341A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.530
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for ensuring timely receipt of advertisements in response to an advertisement request. In one embodiment, a method includes identifying a base request from an advertisement requester; identifying a total response time allowed to process the base request, wherein the total response time allowed includes a preprocessing period before the base request is sent to an advertisement supplier; a fetch period to send the request to the advertisement supplier and receive advertisements from the advertisement supplier; and a postprocessing period to process the advertisements obtained from the advertisement supplier and send the advertisements to the advertisement requester; and monitoring the processing of the base request to determine whether the advertisements are received and sent to the advertisement requester within the total response time allowed.

Claims

1. In a computer system, a method for ensuring timely receipt of advertisements in response to an advertisement request, the method comprising:

identifying a base request from an advertisement requester;

identifying a total response time allowed to process the base request, wherein the total response time allowed comprises;

a preprocessing period before the base request is sent to an advertisement supplier;

a fetch period to send the request to the advertisement supplier and receive advertisements from the advertisement supplier; and

a postprocessing period to process the advertisements obtained from the advertisement supplier and send the advertisements to the advertisement requester; and

monitoring the processing of the base request to determine whether the advertisements are received and sent to the advertisement requester within the total response time allowed.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein during the fetch period to send the request to the advertisement supplier and receive advertisements from the advertisement supplier, the method comprises:

identifying a first fetching period;

sending the first request to the first advertisement supplier;

monitoring to determine whether the desired number of advertisements from the first advertisement supplier are received within the first fetching period;

if the desired number of advertisements are not received within the first fetching period, performing a backfill mechanism to supply the desired number of advertisements.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein during the preprocessing period before the base request is sent to an advertisement supplier, the method comprises:

identifying a base request from an advertisement requester;

identifying a first keyword associated with the base request; and

dynamically altering the base request with the first keyword to form an altered request.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein identifying a first keyword associated with the base request comprises identifying the first keyword based on at least one of:

the content of the base request based on at least one of;

identifying search terms in the base request;

crawling the content of a URL identified in the base request;

or

identifying content in a content, category or hint parameter included with the base request;

or

factors that may or may not be related to the content of the base request based on at least one of;

synonyms to content in the base request;

relevancy to the content of the base request;

current popular keywords for a given day;

historically popular keywords for a given day;

the time of day;

the time of week;

or

the context of the base request based on at least one of;

identifying trends;

identifying system requirements of a user;

identifying the time and date of the base request;

identifying past user search history;

or

identifying user demographics.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein identifying a first keyword associated with the base request comprises identifying a user response history associated with the first keyword based on at least one of:

click-through-rate (CTR) of advertisements obtained using the first keyword;

cost-per-click (CPC) of advertisements obtained using the first keyword;

ad response percentage (ARP) of advertisements obtained using the first keyword;

call response ratio of advertisements obtained using the first keyword;

or

views of advertisements obtained using the first keyword.

6. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein identifying the first keyword to be used to dynamically alter the base request comprises at least one of:

performing the identifying of the first keyword on a periodic or non-periodic basis;

assigning a usage weight to the first keyword indicating the percentage of times that the first keyword should be used to dynamically alter the base request;

or

generating an optimized profile identifying at least the first advertisement supplier and the first keyword to be used to dynamically alter the base request.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising tracking user response to the advertisements.

8. A system configured to process advertisement requests and return advertisements to an advertisement requester, the system comprising:

a routing system communicating with an advertisement requester and an advertisement supplier, the routing system configured to;

identify a base request from an advertisement requester;

send the base request to an advertisement supplier;

receive advertisements from the advertisement supplier in response to the base request; and

send the advertisements to the advertisement requester; and

a clocking module configured to;

identify a total response time allowed to process the base request, wherein the total response time allowed comprises;

a preprocessing period before the base request is sent to an advertisement supplier;

a fetch period to send the request to the advertisement supplier and receive advertisements from the advertisement supplier; and

a postprocessing period to process the advertisements obtained from the advertisement supplier and send the advertisement to the advertisement requester; and

monitor the processing of the base request to determine whether the advertisements are received and sent to the advertisement requester within the total response time allowed.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein during the fetch period to send the request to the advertisement supplier and receive advertisements from the advertisement supplier, the method comprises:

identifying a first fetching period;

sending the first request to the first advertisement supplier;

monitoring to determine whether the desired number of advertisements from the first advertisement supplier are received within the first fetching period; and

if the desired number of advertisements are not received within the first fetching period, performing a backfill mechanism to supply the desired number of advertisements.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein sending the base request to an advertisement supplier further comprises:

identifying a first keyword associated with the base request; and

dynamically altering the base request with the first keyword to form an altered request.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein identifying a first keyword associated with the base request comprises identifying the first keyword based on at least one of:

the content of the base request based on at least one of;

identifying search terms in the base request;

crawling the content of a URL identified in the base request;

or

identifying content in a content, category or hint parameter included with the base request;

or

factors that may or may not be related to the content of the base request based on at least one of;

synonyms to content in the base request;

relevancy to the content of the base request;

current popular keywords for a given day;

historically popular keywords for a given day;

the time of day;

the time of week;

or

the context of the base request based on at least one of;

identifying trends;

identifying system requirements of a user;

identifying the time and date of the base request;

identifying past user search history;

or

identifying user demographics.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein identifying a first keyword associated with the base request comprises identifying a user response history associated with the first keyword based on at least one of:

click-through-rate (CTR) of advertisements obtained using the first keyword;

cost-per-click (CPC) of advertisements obtained using the first keyword;

ad response percentage (ARP) of advertisements obtained using the first keyword;

call response ratio of advertisements obtained using the first keyword;

or

views of advertisements obtained using the first keyword.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein identifying the first keyword to be used to dynamically alter the base request comprises at least one of:

performing the identifying of the first keyword on a periodic or non-periodic basis;

assigning a usage weight to the first keyword indicating the percentage of times that the first keyword should be used to dynamically alter the base request;

or

generating an optimized profile identifying at least the first advertisement supplier and the first keyword to be used to dynamically alter the base request.

14. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the routing system is further configured to track user response to the advertisements.