Conversion tracking of a user across multiple devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9881301-B2
Application number	US-201213563580-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2012
Priority date	Apr 27, 2012
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, and including a method for conversion tracking. The method comprises anonymously linking plural identifiers, each identifier associated with a user and specific requesting source. Anonymously linking includes linking different identifiers associated with different requesting sources used by the user to access content. Anonymously linking includes linking the different identifiers using an identifier that does not include any personally identifiable information, and storing impression, click and interaction data for the user in association with respective identifiers. The method further comprises determining that an impression of content to the user has occurred on one of the two different requesting sources and that an interaction, associated with the impression, has been recorded on another of the two different requesting sources, and linking the impression and/or click with the interaction, including charging a sponsor associated with the impression and/or click.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors, a first login request from a first user device, the first login request including a login identifier (ID);
retrieving, by the one or more processors, an entry from a user login information table based on the login ID, and obtaining a seed from the retrieved entry;
transmitting, by the one or more processors, the retrieved seed to the first user device;
receiving, by the one or more processors, a first public key from the first user device based on the transmitted seed;
storing, by the one or more processors in the user login information table, the first public key and the login ID;
receiving, by the one or more processors, a second login request from a second user device that is different from the first user device, the second login request including the login ID;
retrieving, by the one or more processors, the entry from the user login information table based on the login ID, and obtaining the seed from the retrieved entry;
transmitting, by the one or more processors, the retrieved seed to the second user device;
receiving, by the one or more processors, a second public key from the second user device based on the transmitted seed, the second public key being different from the first public key;
updating, by the one or more processors, the entry in the user login information table, by storing the second public key in the entry in association with the stored login ID and first public key;
sending, by the one or more processors, the first public key to the second user device;
receiving, by the one or more processors and from the second user device, a secret key and a second anonymous device identifier in response to sending the first public key;
storing, by the one or more processors in an anonymous identifier table, the secret key and the second anonymous device identifier;
receiving, by the one or more processors, a third login request from the first user device, the third login request including the login ID;
retrieving, by the one or more processors, the entry from the user login information table based on the login ID;
retrieving, by the one or more processors, the second public key from the retrieved entry;
sending, by the one or more processors, the second public key to the first user device;
receiving, by the one or more processors and from the first user device, the secret key and a first anonymous device identifier;
storing, by the one or more processors in the anonymous identifier table, the first anonymous device identifier in association with the secret key and the second anonymous device identifier;
receiving, by the one or more processors from the first user device, impression data associated with a content item and including the first anonymous device identifier and a first time;
storing, by the one or more processors, the impression data in association with the first anonymous device identifier;
receiving, by the one or more processors from the second user device, interaction data associated with the content item and including the second anonymous device identifier and a second time;
storing, by the one or more processors, the interaction data in association with the second anonymous device identifier;
determining, by the one or more processors, that the impression data corresponds to the interaction data by determining that the stored secret key of the first anonymous identifier received with the impression data matches the stored secret key of the second anonymous identifier received with the interaction data in the anonymous identifier table;
calculating, by the one or more processors, a time difference between the first time of the stored impression data and the second time of the stored interaction data;
determining, by the one or more processors, that the time difference between the first time of the stored impression data and the second time of the interaction data is within a threshold conversion time among one or more impressions and one or more interactions;
identifying, by the one or more processors, a conversion based on determination that the impression data corresponds to the interaction data and based on determination that the time difference between the first time of the stored impression data and the second time of the interaction data is within the threshold conversion time among one or more impressions and one or more interactions; and
charging, by the one or more processors and based on the identified conversion, a sponsor associated with the content item.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the first user device and the second user device is a non-mobile computing device and the other one of the first user device and the second user device is a mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified conversion is an action associated with the content item, the action comprising one or more of a purchase, filling out a form, enrolling in a service, traversing to a threshold depth in a website, spending a threshold amount of time on the website, walking into a store, paying using a mobile wallet within the store, using a barcode scanner to scan a product, making a phone call, searching for the product in a browser, and following the product on a social network.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
crediting a publisher associated with an impression identified by the impression data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the content item is an advertisement and an interaction identified in the interaction data is a survey.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first user device and the second user device comprise one or more of: a mobile device including a smart phone, a laptop computer, a tablet, a desktop device, a set-top box, a television, a browser, an application on a mobile device, and a stand-alone application.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein storing the first anonymous device identifier in association with the secret key and the second anonymous device identifier includes anonymous device linking using a Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein storing the first anonymous device identifier in association with the secret key and the second anonymous device identifier includes linking the first anonymous device identifier and the second anonymous device identifier by applying a one-way encoding function that prevents backward identification of the user to a key received from the first user device or the second user device to generate a hashed key, wherein each of the first user device and the second user device is configured to generate the key, and wherein the one-way encoding function is a one-way hash function using a secret key, the secret key being generated from a seed that is unique to the user.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:
receiving, by the one or more processors, a first login request from a first user device, the first login request including a login identifier (ID);
retrieving, by the one or more processors, an entry from a user login information table based on the login ID, and obtaining a seed from the retrieved entry;
transmitting, by the one or more processors, the retrieved seed to the first user device;
receiving, by the one or more processors, a first public key from the first user device based on the transmitted seed;
storing, by the one or more processors in the user login information table, the first public key and the login ID;
receiving, by the one or more processors, a second login request from a second user device that is different from the first us

Assignees

• Rajkumar Nareshkumar
• Ramachandran Vinod Kumar
• Google Llc

Inventors

• Rajkumar Nareshkumar
• Ramachandran Vinod Kumar

Classifications

• G06Q30/0255 Primary

  based on user history · CPC title

• G06Q20/383 Primary

  Anonymous user system · CPC title

• G06F7/00

  Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled (logic circuits H03K19/00) · CPC title

• G06Q30/02

  Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising · CPC title

• H04L9/0861

  Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords · CPC title