System and method for rewarding application installs

• US 9,189,801 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2011
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tapjoy, Inc. (Unity Software, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tapjoy, Inc. (Unity Software, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lewis, Benjamin, Linden, Lee, McCarthy, Stephen, Johns, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Coppola, Jacob C.
• Application Number:
  US13/106,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20120035990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

In a system and method for monitoring application installations, a reference to download an application is transmitted to a client device. Communication between the client device and an application server providing the application downloadable by the client device is facilitated. Execution of the application by the client device is detected, and a determination of the installation history of the application on the client device is performed. Reward data is associated with the client device for a first installation of the application on the client device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

transmitting a referral offer to install an application to a client device in exchange for a reward;

detecting, by at least one processor, a selection of the referral offer;

facilitating communication between the client device and an application server to download the application to the client device;

detecting, by at least one processor, an execution of the application by the client device, wherein the detecting of the execution of the application comprises receiving a ping from the application executing on the client device upon the execution of the application;

in response to detecting the execution of the application by the client device, determining the client device clicked to the application within a predetermined amount of time, wherein the client device clicked to the application prior to downloading the application;

determining fulfillment of the referral offer based at least in part on the determination that client device clicked to the application within the predetermined amount of time; and

in response to determining the fulfillment of the referral offer, associating reward data corresponding to the reward with at least one of the client device and an account associated with a user of the client device for a first installation of the application on the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the referral offer comprises a download link to download the application to the device, and the method further comprising storing information indicating that the client device accessed the referral offer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a credit from an advertiser, the credit being in an advertiser account, wherein a portion of the credit is to be paid for every new application installation;

storing financial transaction data corresponding to the associated reward data;

debiting the advertiser account to account for the first installation of the application; and

crediting a publisher account to account for the first installation of the application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward data is one of a virtual currency amount and a virtual good.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting fraudulent application installation activity, comprising:

monitoring multiple installations of the application using one of an Internet Protocol address, a unique device identifier of the client device, and an application identifier corresponding to the application.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

re-directing a user operating the client device to an application event in the application;

monitoring interaction of the user with the application event; and

providing the user with a reward for the user interaction with the application event.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, based on the detecting of the execution of the application, determining an installation history of the application on the client device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining of the installation history of the application comprises searching a stored click table using a unique device identifier of the client device and an application identifier corresponding to the application.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, based on a determination that the stored click table contains a record having the unique device identifier and the application identifier, determining that the application is not a first installation.

10. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

transmitting a referral offer to install an application to a client device in exchange for a reward;

detecting, by the at least one processor, a selection of the referral offer;

facilitating communication between the client device and an application server to download the application to the client device;

detecting, by the at least one processor, an execution of the application by the client device, wherein the detecting of the execution of the application comprises receiving a ping from the application executing on the client device upon the execution of the application;

in response to detecting the execution of the application by the client device, determining the client device clicked to the application within a predetermined amount of time, wherein the client device clicked to the application prior to downloading the application;

determining fulfillment of the referral offer based at least in part on the determination that client device clicked to the application within the predetermined amount of time; and

in response to determining the fulfillment of the referral offer, associating reward data corresponding to the reward with at least one of the client device and an account associated with a user of the client device for a first installation of the application on the client device.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the referral offer comprises a download link to download the application to the device, and the method further comprising storing information indicating that the client device accessed the referral offer.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a credit from an advertiser, the credit being in an advertiser account, wherein a portion of the credit is to be paid for every new application installation;

storing financial transaction data corresponding to the associated reward data;

debiting the advertiser account to account for the first installation of the application; and

crediting a publisher account to account for the first installation of the application.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the reward data is one of a virtual currency amount and a virtual good.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise detecting fraudulent application installation activity, comprising:

monitoring multiple installations of the application using one of an Internet Protocol address, a unique device identifier of the client device, and an application identifier corresponding to the application.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

re-directing a user operating the client device to an application event in the application;

monitoring interaction of the user with the application event; and

providing the user with a reward for the user interaction with the application event.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise, based on the detecting of the execution of the application, determining an installation history of the application on the client device.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the determining of the installation history of the application comprises searching a stored click table using a unique device identifier of the client device and an application identifier corresponding to the application.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein based on a determination that the stored click table contains a record having the unique device identifier and the application identifier, determining that the application is not a first installation.