Targeted Television Advertisements Based On Online Behavior
Patent No. US11564015 (titled "Targeted Television Advertisements Based On Online Behavior") was filed by Intent Iq Llc on Apr 6, 2022.
What is this patent about?
’015 is related to the field of targeted advertising, specifically delivering television advertisements based on a user's online behavior. The problem addressed is how to target TV ads based on a user's internet activity without relying on personally identifiable information (PII) , which raises privacy concerns and can be difficult to obtain across different media.
The underlying idea behind ’015 is to leverage the fact that multiple devices within a household or small business often share a common IP address when accessing the internet through a single modem or router. By associating the IP address of a set-top box (STB) with the IP address used by other devices during online activity, the system can infer a relationship between those devices and target TV ads based on the online behavior observed from those other devices, all without needing to know the actual identity of the user.
The claims of ’015 focus on a computer system that creates an electronic database of associations between device identifiers. These associations are determined by analyzing stored data about Internet access, including device identifiers, IP addresses, and timestamps. The key is that the system identifies devices that have accessed the Internet via a common IP address within a certain timeframe, establishing a link without using PII. The system then uses these associations to trigger actions on one device based on profile information from another associated device.
In practice, the system works by having a central server collect data about devices accessing the internet, noting their IP addresses and timestamps. When a set-top box connects to the internet, its IP address is recorded. If other devices are observed using the same IP address around the same time, they are linked in the database. Later, if one of those devices exhibits online behavior that triggers a targeted ad, that ad can be automatically delivered to the associated set-top box. This allows for cross-device targeting without ever needing to know the user's name or other sensitive information.
’015 differentiates itself from prior approaches by avoiding the use of PII. Traditional methods often rely on linking online behavior to specific individuals through personal data, which raises privacy concerns. By using the common IP address as a proxy for a household or small business, the system can infer relationships between devices without needing to identify the users. This approach allows for targeted advertising while respecting user privacy and avoiding the complexities of managing and securing PII. The system also uses device identifiers to ensure ads are delivered to the correct STB, even with dynamic IP addresses.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the mid-2000s when ’015 was filed, set-top boxes were commonly used to deliver television content, and technologies like DSL and cable modems were widely adopted for providing broadband internet access. At a time when online advertising was becoming increasingly sophisticated, systems commonly relied on IP addresses and cookies to track user behavior, but hardware or software constraints made cross-media targeting without personally identifiable information non-trivial.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner approved the application because the prior art failed to teach or fairly disclose a computer system comprising at least one hardware server computer, wherein the computer system is programmed and connected to perform a method of using common IP addresses to identify associations among multiple electronic devices and using an identified association to cause cross-device action.
Claims
This patent contains 26 claims, with independent claims 1 and 14. The independent claims are directed to a computer system and a tangible data storage medium, respectively, both configured to identify associations among electronic devices using common IP addresses and to cause cross-device actions based on these associations. The dependent claims generally elaborate on and refine the specifics of the method, system, and storage medium described in the independent claims.
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Date
Description
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US11564015
- Application Number
- US17714965
- Filing Date
- Apr 6, 2022
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Apr 17, 2027
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents