System and method for providing context-based third-party content

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016277516-A1
Application number	US-201514662188-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 18, 2015
Priority date	Mar 18, 2015
Publication date	Sep 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods of the present disclosure can provide an improved user experience on client devices selecting to receive context-based third-party content by reducing the number of third-party content items presented for display on such client devices. A data processing system can be configured to employ an auction mechanism with selection criterion thresholds (such as minimum bid values) that result, when used in auctions, in enforcing a limit on the amount of third-party content presented for display on client devices that have selected to receive context-based third-party content. The selection criterion thresholds can result, when used in auctions, in enforcing minimum revenues for publishers. The selection criterion thresholds can be determined offline based on historical statistical parameters.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of providing third-party content, comprising:
determining, by a data processing system including at least one processor, at least one statistical parameter associated with a distribution of a selection criterion for a publisher group and a device group, the publisher group including one or more publishers and the device group including one or more client computer devices that have selected to receive context-based third-party content; obtaining, by the data processing system, an indication of a limit of an amount of third-party content for display to a client computer device in the device group; obtaining, by the data processing system, a minimum publisher revenue value for a publisher in the publisher group; determining, by the data processing system, a selection criterion threshold value based on the at least one statistical parameter associated with the distribution of the selection criterion, the limit of the amount of third-party content for display to the client computer device and the minimum publisher revenue value for the publisher; receiving, by the data processing system, one or more bids for providing third-party content for display on the client computer device with content associated with the publisher, each bid associated with a respective third-party content item; determining, by the data processing system, a bidding score for each third-party content item associated with a respective bid; determining, by the data processing system, that at least one of the one or more bidding scores exceeds or is equal to the selection criterion threshold value; and selecting, by the data processing system, a third-party content item associated with a bidding score exceeding or equal to the selection criterion threshold value as a candidate for display to the client computer device with the other content associated with the publisher.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more bids include one or more first bids associated with a first auction, the one or more third-party content items include one or more first third-party content items and the one or more bidding scores include one or more first bidding scores, the method comprising:
receiving, by the data processing system, one or more second bids associated with a second auction, for providing other third-party content for display on the client computer device with other content associated with the publisher, each second bid associated with a respective second third-party content item; determining, by the data processing system, a second bidding score for each second third-party content item; determining, by the data processing system, that none of the one or more second bidding scores exceeds or is equal to the selection criterion threshold value; and providing, by the data processing system, none of the one or more second content items for display on the client computer device with the other content associated with the publisher.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the selection criterion threshold value includes a minimum bid value client device-publisher.

4 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
determining a plurality of statistical parameters associated with distributions of the selection criterion for a plurality of group pairs, each group pair includes a publisher group and a device group; and determining selection criterion threshold values for a plurality of client device-publisher pairs associated with the plurality of group pairs based on the plurality of statistical parameters, a plurality of minimum publisher revenue values for publishers in the publisher groups and limits on amounts of third-party content for display to client computer devices in the device groups.

5 . The method of claim 4 , comprising:
determining the plurality of selection criterion threshold values for the plurality of client device-publisher pairs by computing estimates of the selection criterion threshold values and iteratively:
identifying publishers for which expected revenues are below the respective minimum publisher revenue values;
adjusting the estimates of the selection criterion threshold values for client device-publisher pairs associated with the identified publishers, the adjusted estimates causing the expected publisher revenues for the identified publishers to exceed the respective minimum publisher revenue values; and
re-computing the selection criterion threshold values for client device-publisher pairs not associated with previously identified publishers.

6 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
maximizing weighted averages of economic efficiency for third-party content providers and publisher revenues.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one statistical parameter includes a representation of a probability density function of the selection criterion.

8 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
obtaining, by the data processing system, data associated with previous bids made in association with the device group and the publisher group; and computing the at least one statistical parameter based on the data associated with the previous bids.

9 . A data processing system comprising:
a memory storing computer code instructions; and a processor configured, upon executing the computer code instructions, to:
determine at least one statistical parameter associated with a distribution of a selection criterion for a publisher group and a device group, the publisher group including one or more publishers and the device group including one or more client computer devices that have selected to receive context-based third-party content;
obtain an indication of a limit of an amount of third-party content for display to a client computer device in the device group;
obtain a minimum publisher revenue value for a publisher in the publisher group;
determine a selection criterion threshold value based on the at least one statistical parameter associated with the distribution of the selection criterion, the limit of the amount of third-party content for display to the client computer device and the minimum publisher revenue value for the publisher;
receive one or more bids for providing third-party content for display on the client computer device with content associated with the publisher, each bid associated with a respective third-party content item;
determine a bidding score for each third-party content item associated with a respective bid;
determine that at least one of the one or more bidding scores exceeds or is equal to the selection criterion threshold value; and
select a third-party content item associated with a bidding score exceeding or equal to the selection criterion threshold value as a candidate for display to the client computer device with the other content associated with the publisher.

10 . The data processing system of claim 9 , wherein the selection criterion threshold value includes a minimum bid value.

11 . The data processing system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more bids include one or more first bids associated with a first auction, the one or more third-party content items include one or more first third-party content items and the one or more bidding scores include one or more first bidding scores, the processor is further configured to:
receive one or more second bids, associated with a second auction, for providing other third-party content for display on the client computer device with other content associated with the publisher, each second bid associated with a respective second third-party content item; determine a second bidding score for each second third-party content item; determine that none of the one or mo

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Hummel Patrick
• Varian Hal Ronald

Classifications

• G06Q30/0251 Primary

  Targeted advertisements · CPC title

• H04L67/06

  specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP] · CPC title

• H04L67/20 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06Q30/0277

  Online advertisement · CPC title

• G06Q30/0275

  Auctions · CPC title