Patent Publication Number: US-2015081441-A1

Title: Dynamic Determination of Number of Served Media Content

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of, and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/291,149, filed on Nov. 8, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Many search engine web pages include sponsored results or other advertisements on a search engine results page. These advertisements can be a major source of revenue for a search engine provider. Typically, the search engine matches advertisements to a given user query and displays the advertisements along with search results on the search engine results page. The advertisements commonly appear above the non-paid search results, or organic search results, as well as down the right-hand side of the search results page. 
     Because publishers are commonly paid on a per-click basis, the number and location of advertisements can affect publisher revenue and advertiser budgets along with the relevancy of the advertisement to a user&#39;s query. However, even if an advertisement is highly relevant, publishers cannot increase their revenue if the advertisements are not seen by a user because, for example, the user&#39;s web browser is resized to allow another program window to be shown on his or her display. In addition, advertiser budgets can be wasted if advertisements are served in situations where there is no user viewing the advertisement (e.g., a click bot using a script to request advertisements). 
     SUMMARY 
     This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     Various embodiments pertain to serving a number of advertisements in view of browser information and a user&#39;s interaction with a web page containing the advertisements. In at least some embodiments, information regarding the size of a user interface (e.g., window) in which the browser renders the web page, visibility of the browser user interface, or status of the browser can be obtained and utilized to determine a number of slots available for advertisements. In some embodiments, a page script can be used to obtain information regarding the size of a browser user interface in which the browser renders the web page, visibility of the browser user interface, or status of the browser. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter, it is believed that the embodiments will be better understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying figures, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an illustration of an example environment in accordance with one or more embodiments; 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate various example search engine results pages in accordance with one or more embodiments; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an example process in accordance with one or more embodiments; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates another example process in accordance with one or more embodiments; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an example process including multiple devices in accordance with one or more embodiments; and 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an example system that can be utilized to implement one or more embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Overview 
     Many search engines return one or more sponsored search results or advertisements along with one or more non-paid or organic search results in response to a user query. Advertisements can be displayed above and/or to the side of the non-paid search results. Because advertisements displayed to the side of non-paid search results generally receive fewer clicks from users than advertisements displayed above non-paid search results, search engine publishers can generate more revenue by selling more slots to display advertisements above the non-paid search results. However, because advertisements displayed above non-paid search results push those non-paid search results down in the list, users have to scroll down the page to access the non-paid search results, which can result in user frustration that can sometimes lead a user to use a competing search engine. 
     Various embodiments pertain to serving a number of advertisements in view of browser information and a user&#39;s interaction with the web page containing the advertisements. In various embodiments, information regarding the size of a browser user interface in which a browser renders the web page, visibility of the browser user interface, or status of the browser can be obtained and utilized to determine a number of slots available for advertisements. For example, if a browser is being used to render a web page on a screen of a mobile device, fewer advertisements can be served compared to when the same web page is rendered by a browser on a desktop monitor. In some embodiments, page script (e.g., JavaScript®) can be used to obtain information regarding the size of a browser user interface in which the browser renders the web page, visibility of the browser user interface, or status of the browser. For example, a page script executed on a client device can provide information regarding the dimensions of a browser user interface, whether or not the browser user interface is visible, and/or whether the browser is active (e.g., not overlapped by other program windows). This information can be used to determine a number of advertising slots available on the web page. 
     In the discussion that follows, a section entitled “Example Operating Environment” describes an operating environment in accordance with one or more embodiments. Next, a section entitled “Example Embodiments” describes various embodiments that enable a number of advertisement slots to be determined and presented as part of a search engine results page. Finally, a section entitled “Example System” discusses an example system that can be used to implement one or more embodiments. 
     Consider, now, an example operating environment in accordance with one or more embodiments. 
     Example Operating Environment 
       FIG. 1  is an illustration of an example environment  100  in accordance with one or more embodiments. Environment  100  includes a client device  102  communicatively coupled to a search engine server  104  through network  106 . 
     Client device  102  can include one or more processors  108  and computer-readable storage media  110 . Client device  102  can be embodied as any suitable computing device such as, by way of example and not limitation, a desktop computer, a portable computer, a netbook, a handheld computer such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cell phone, and the like. 
     Computer-readable storage media  110  includes one or more software applications, which can include a software executable module in the form of a web browser  112 . Browser  112  can receive content from and send content to other servers, such as search engine server  104 , via network  106 , such as the Internet. Such content can include any suitable type of content that can be received from and sent to websites hosted by servers. In various embodiments, browser  112  is configured to send a user query to a search engine  114  and cause a search engine results page (SERP) received from the search engine server  104  be displayed to a user via client device  102 . 
     Search engine  114  resides on computer-readable storage media  116  of search engine server  104 . In addition to computer-readable storage media  116 , search engine server  104  also includes one or more processors  118  configured to execute the software modules, e.g., search engine  114 , residing on computer-readable storage media  116 . In various embodiments, search engine  114  receives and processes a user query and returns a listing of web search results corresponding to the query. The listing of web results can be presented, for example, as a listing of hyperlinks that, when a user selects one of the hyperlinks, redirects the user&#39;s browser to the resultant web page, which can be hosted on an additional server connected to the network  106 . 
     In addition to a listing of web results corresponding to the query, the search engine  114  can also return one or more advertisements to be displayed as part of the SERP. The advertisements can be displayed, for example, above the listing of web results in an area sometimes referred to as a “mainline”, or to the side of the web results in an area sometimes referred to as a “sidebar”, and can be selected to correspond to the user query processed by the search engine  114 . The advertisements are sometimes referred to as “sponsored search results”, while the non-paid web results are sometimes referred to as “organic search results”. 
     Non-paid results can be selected by the search engine using any suitable technique. For example, a search engine can use automated search technology that selects and ranks web pages based on output from various mathematical search algorithms. The search algorithms can search databases using various criteria, such as keyword relevance, keyword similarity, and keyword synonyms. Other search engines can use information manually input by staff members charged with reviewing web page information. Other techniques can also be employed. 
     Advertisements or sponsored search results can be provided to the search engine server  104  by one or more advertisement servers  120 . Advertisement server  120  can include one or more processors  122  and one or more computer-readable storage media  124 , on which advertisement database  126  resides. Advertisement database  126  stores one or more advertisements provided by one or more advertisers and can transmit the advertisements through network  106  to the search engine server  104  for inclusion in the SERP. Each advertisement can be stored with one or more keywords and/or a bid for each keyword. When an advertisement or sponsored search result stored in the database is presented to a user and is selected by the user, the advertiser pays based on the amount of the bid to the search engine publisher. 
     The sponsored search results are selected and assigned a slot on the SERP by ad placement module  128  on search engine server  104 . In addition to assigning sponsored search results to available sponsored search result slots on the SERP, ad placement module  128  can determine a total number of sponsored search result slots on the SERP, manage advertiser bids for sponsored search results, and perform other functions related to advertisement placement. 
     The computer-readable storage media included in each device or server can include, by way of example and not limitation, all forms of volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage media that are typically associated with a computing device. Such media can include ROM, RAM, flash memory, hard disk, removable media and the like. One specific example of a computing device is shown and described below in  FIG. 6 . 
     Generally, any of the functions described herein can be implemented using software, firmware, hardware (e.g., fixed logic circuitry) or a combination of these implementations. The terms “module,” “functionality” and “logic” as used herein generally represent software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof. In the case of a software implementation, the module, functionality, or logic represent program code that performs specified tasks when executed on a processor (e.g., CPU or CPUs). The program code can be stored in one or more computer-readable memory devices. The features of the user interface techniques described below are platform-independent, meaning that the techniques may be implemented on a variety of commercial computing platforms having a variety of processors. 
     Environment  100  is referenced by the following description of various embodiments in which advertisements can be served in view of browser information and a user&#39;s interaction with a web page containing the advertisements. 
     Example Embodiments 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate two example views  200   a  and  200   b  of a web browser user interface displayed on a device. Taken together, the two views  200   a  and  200   b  illustrate but one example in which advertisements can be dynamically served. 
       FIG. 2A  illustrates a web browser user interface  202   a  that is maximized within the viewing area  204   a  of a display. Web browser user interface  202   a  displays a search engine results page that includes a number of organic search results  206   a,  a number of advertisements  208   a  provided above the organic search results, and a number of advertisements  210   a  provided to the side of the organic search results. Each of the advertisements  208   a  and  210   a  is presented in one of a number of advertisement slots. In various embodiments, the number of total advertisement slots, the number of advertisement slots above the organic search results, and the number of advertisement slots along the side of the organic search results can vary depending on factors including, by way of example and not limitation, the size of a browser user interface in which the browser renders the web page, visibility of the browser user interface, or status of the browser (e.g., whether the browser user interface is on top or is overlapped by another window). Additionally, factors such as a number of advertisements relevant to a query for search results, the popularity of the query, a location from which the query was transmitted, and a user&#39;s browsing history can be considered when determining how many advertisement slots are available. 
       FIG. 2B  illustrates a web browser user interface  202   b  within the viewing area  204   b  of a display. Like web browser user interface  202   a,  web browser user interface  202   b  displays a search engine results page that includes a number of organic search results  206   b  and a number of advertisements  208   b  provided above the organic search results. However, because web browser user interface  202   b  is not maximized, such as so that the user could also view a user interface  212  within the viewing area  204   b,  if the search engine results page shown in web browser user interface  202   b  includes a number of advertisements provided to the side of the organic search results, they will not be visible in view  200   b.  According to various embodiments, when a scenario such as that shown in  FIG. 2B  is detected, search engine server can provide a fewer number of advertisement slots in comparison to the number of advertisement slots provided in  FIG. 2A . 
       FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of an example process  300  for determining a number of advertisement slots in accordance with one or more embodiments. The method can be implemented in connection with any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof. In at least some embodiments, the method can be implemented in software. 
     Block  302  receives a user query. This can be done in any suitable way. For example, a search engine server can receive a user-entered query through a network connection, such as the Internet. 
     Block  304  ascertains information regarding a browser. For example, the search engine server can provide a page script, such as JavaScript® (JavaScript® is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation), to be executed by a browser on a client device. The page script can store information regarding the browser as a cookie on the client device. In various embodiments, a cookie, such as a session cookie, can include information such as the height of the browser user interface, the width of the browser user interface, the point of origin for a corner of the browser user interface (e.g., a location of the top-left corner of the browser user interface), status of the browser (e.g., whether the browser user interface is on top or is overlapped by another program), visible area of the browser user interface, an indication as to the visibility of the browser user interface, and the like. Other information can be included in the cookie (or other types of cookies) as well. For example, information regarding past queries, user credentials (e.g., a username and password), and user preferences can be stored by one or more cookies on the user device. In various embodiments, cookies can be used to provide tailored or personalized web pages to a user&#39;s web browser. Information stored in the cookies can be provided to the search engine server along with or subsequent to the user query. For example, the page script can automatically send the cookie to the search engine server via the network connection. 
     In other embodiments, information regarding a browser can be ascertained from information included with the user query. For example, information extracted from a raw hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) header or user agent string can give information on a browser version or other information in accordance with the protocol. 
     Block  306  determines a number of advertisement slots available. This can be done in any suitable way. Various factors can be considered when determining a number of advertisements to display on a SERP. For example, the number of advertisement slots can be correlated to the height and width of the browser user interface, the top-left origin of the browser user interface, whether the browser user interface is visible or not, or browser status information (e.g., whether the browser user interface is on top or is overlapped by another program). In various embodiments, the number of advertisement slots can be correlated to an area of the browser or display, or a calculated area of browser visible when the browser user interface is overlapped by another program. For example, if the browser user interface is not on top, e.g., the browser user interface is overlapped by another program user interface or is otherwise not visible, block  306  can determine that zero advertisement slots are available. 
     As an example, a search engine server can correlate a number of advertisements to the visible area of the browser user interface in square inches, such as through the use of a look up table or other appropriate method. For instance, when the visible area of the browser user interface is less than or equal to two square inches (e.g., the browser user interface may not be visible or the height and/or width of the browser user interface were not returned), no advertisements are delivered; when the visible area of the browser user interface is between two and eight square inches (e.g., the browser user interface is likely to be on a mobile device), one advertisement is delivered; when the visible area of the browser user interface is between eight and thirty-two square inches (e.g., the browser user interface is not maximized), three advertisements are delivered; and when the visible area of the browser user interface is greater than thirty-two square inches (e.g., the browser user interface is maximized on a desktop display), eight advertisements are delivered. The numbers for both area and the number of advertisements to be displayed are provided merely as examples, and can vary depending on the particular embodiment. Additionally, other factors can additionally be taken into account to determine a number of advertisement slots available. For example, after the area or other browser information is utilized to provide a first number of advertisement slots, that number can be further adjusted up or down depending on user preference or history of interaction with advertisements or based on the user query. 
     In various embodiments, the search engine server can determine that no advertisements should be served in a particular location relative to the organic search results. For example, if information regarding the browser indicates that a browser user interface has a width below a particular threshold, the search engine server can determine that no advertisements should be served along the side of the organic search results because a user is unlikely to scroll to the side to view the advertisements. 
     Once the number of advertisement slots available is determined, block  308  selects the advertisements to be displayed. This can be done in any suitable way. The search engine server can select, for example, the top three revenue generators associated with a keyword, top bidders, or the like. An amount of expected revenue can be estimated based on how much revenue has been received when the advertisement was previously displayed or the past amount of revenue generated by the advertisement. As another example, advertisements can be selected according to an assigned rank. The search engine server or another entity can assign each advertisement a ranking based on information such as an estimated click-through rate, a bid, or an amount of advertiser budget available. The search engine server can select a number of advertisements to be displayed in a corresponding number of advertisement slots. For example, the number of advertisements to be displayed can be less than or equal to the number of advertisement slots available. 
     Block  310  delivers the advertisements for display as part of the SERF. This can be done in any suitable way. For example, the search engine server can transmit the advertisements with or separate from the organic search results to be displayed. 
     Process  300  can be implemented in a variety of embodiments to determine a number of slots in which advertisements can be provided to a user. However, in various embodiments, browser information may not be provided, or information is provided that can suggest that a query has been generated by a program, such as a click bot, rather than an actual user. 
       FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of an example process  400  for determining that no advertisements should be served in accordance with one or more embodiments. The method can be implemented in connection with any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof. In at least some embodiments, the method can be implemented in software. 
     Block  402  receives a user query. This can be done in any suitable way. For example, a search engine server can receive a user-entered query through a network connection, such as the Internet. 
     Block  404  attempts to ascertain information regarding a browser. For example, the search engine server can provide a page script, such as JavaScript® (JavaScript® is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation), to be executed by a browser on a client device. 
     Block  406  determines an error has occurred. This can be done in any suitable way. In various embodiments, an error is determined to have occurred responsive to the attempt to ascertain information resulting in a null response. For example, the search engine server may find no information or information suggesting that a browser is not being utilized, and may conclude that there has been an error. The error may result from various scenarios. For example, a client device can prevent the page script from being executed, or the page script can return incomplete information regarding the browser. Incomplete information regarding the browser can be returned, for instance, when a program or click bot “pretends” to use a browser and allows the page script to be executed, but the page script is unable to determine browser-dependent information, such as the height and width of the browser user interface, the top-left origin of the browser user interface, whether the browser user interface is visible or not, or browser status information (e.g., whether the browser user interface is on top or is overlapped by another program user interface). In other embodiments, the search engine server can determine that at least one of the values provided to represent information regarding the browser is a false value. 
     Responsive to determining an error has occurred, block  408  determines that no advertisements will be served. This can be done in any suitable way. For example, the search engine server can return a search engine results page containing organic search results without including advertisements. In some embodiments, a limited number of advertisements are served rather than none. By serving a limited number or no advertisements when information regarding a browser is not available or provided, the search engine server can preserve the advertiser&#39;s budget for instances in which it is more likely that a user, rather than a click bot, for example, is viewing, and clicking, on the advertisement. In other words, likelihood that a click is attributed to a program rather than an interested consumer can be reduced and an advertiser can see a greater return on investment. 
     While  FIGS. 3 and 4  describe processes with respect to one device, for example, a search engine server, various aspects of one or more embodiments can further be described with reference to a process including multiple devices, such as a search engine server and a client device. 
       FIG. 5  is a flow diagram of an example process  500  for determining a number of advertisement slots in accordance with one or more embodiments. The process can be performed in connection with any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof In the illustrated example, some steps of the process are illustrated as being performed by a “Browser,” while other steps of the process are illustrated as being performed by a “Server.” In at least some embodiments, the process can be performed by a suitably-configured web browser, such as the one described above. 
     Block  502  transmits a user query. This can be performed in any suitable way. For example, a user can input a query into a search engine web page displayed via a browser user interface on the user&#39;s device, and the query can be transmitted via a network, such as the Internet. 
     Block  504  receives the user query. This can be done in any suitable way. For example, a search engine server can receive the query via the network. 
     Block  506  ascertains information regarding the browser. This can be done in any suitable way, examples of which are provided above and below. For example, block  508  can transmit information regarding the browser via the network. 
     Block  508  can transmit information regarding the browser in any suitable way. For example, responsive to executing a page script (e.g., JavaScript®) received from the search engine server, the browser can store information in a cookie to be detected by the search engine server. As another example, the page script can cause the browser to automatically transmit the information to the search engine server without the need for the search engine server to detect the cookie. 
     Responsive to ascertaining information regarding the browser in block  506 , block  510  determines the number of advertisement slots available. This can be performed in any suitable way, examples of which are provided above and below. For example, the search engine server can determine a number of advertisement slots available above organic search results on a search engine results page and to a side of the organic search. In various embodiments, when block  506  ascertains information indicative of the user query being received from a program, such as a click bot, such as when no browser information is received or a value to be ascertained is null, block  510  can determine that zero advertisement slots are available. In some embodiments, block  510  determines that a limited number (e.g., one or two) of advertisement slots are available rather than zero. In some embodiments, once block  510  determines a number of advertisement slots based on the browser information, the number of advertisement slots can be further adjusted, such as according to the user query received. For example, based on the browser information, block  510  can determine that four advertisement slots are available. If the user query is a query that is not popular or has only a few advertisements related to it, the number of advertisement slots can be reduced to three. 
     Block  512  selects advertisements to be displayed. The number of advertisements to be selected can be less than or equal to the number of advertisement slots determined to be available in block  510 . The selection of advertisements can be performed in any suitable way. For example, the search engine server can search a database of available advertisements that relate to the user query, and select advertisements based on a revenue history for the advertisements, bids entered by the advertisers, or the like. It is to be understood and appreciated that additional factors for selecting advertisements can be utilized, depending on the particular embodiment. 
     Block  514  delivers advertisements, if any, for display. This can be done in any suitable way. For example, the advertisements can be transmitted via the network with a listing of web results for display. 
     Block  516  receives advertisements. This can be performed in any suitable way. For example, the browser can receive advertisements for display with a search engine results page and can cause the page to be displayed to a user. In various embodiments, the browser receives the advertisements along with a listing of web results corresponding to the query transmitted in block  502 . 
     In some embodiments, when no browser information is received, when a value to be ascertained is null, or when block  510  otherwise determines that zero advertisement slots are available, blocks  512 ,  514 , and  516  are not performed. 
     Having described various processes for determining a number of advertising slots to be included on a search engine results page, consider the following description of an example system that can be used to implement one or more embodiments. 
     Example System 
       FIG. 6  illustrates various components of an example device  600  that can practice the embodiments described above. In one or more embodiments, device  600  can be implemented as a server, such as search engine server  104  in  FIG. 1 . 
     Device  600  includes input device  602  that may include Internet Protocol (IP) input devices as well as other input devices, such as a keyboard. Device  600  further includes communication interface  604  that can be implemented as any one or more of a wireless interface, any type of network interface, and as any other type of communication interface. A network interface provides a connection between device  600  and a communication network by which other electronic and computing devices can communicate data with device  600 . A wireless interface can enable device  600  to operate as a mobile device for wireless communications. 
     Device  600  also includes one or more processors  606  (e.g., any of microprocessors, controllers, and the like) which process various computer-executable instructions to control the operation of device  600  and to communicate with other electronic devices. Device  600  can be implemented with computer-readable media  608 , such as one or more memory components, examples of which include random access memory (RAM) and non-volatile memory (e.g., any one or more of a read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.). A disk storage device may be implemented as any type of magnetic or optical storage device, such as a hard disk drive, a recordable and/or rewriteable compact disc (CD), any type of a digital versatile disc (DVD), and the like. 
     Computer-readable media  608  provides data storage to store content and data  610 , as well as device executable modules and any other types of information and/or data related to operational aspects of device  600 . One such configuration of a computer-readable medium is signal bearing medium and thus is configured to transmit the instructions (e.g., as a carrier wave) to the hardware of the computing device, such as via the network  106 . The computer-readable medium may also be configured as a computer-readable storage medium and thus is not a signal bearing medium. Examples of a computer-readable storage medium include a random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), an optical disc, flash memory, hard disk memory, and other memory devices that may use magnetic, optical, and other techniques to store instructions and other data. The storage type computer-readable media are explicitly defined herein to exclude propagated data signals. 
     An operating system  612  can be maintained as a computer executable module with the computer-readable media  608  and executed on processor  606 . Device executable modules can also include a search engine module  614  which can include an ad placement module  616  that operates as described above and below. Ad placement module  616  can be, for example, ad placement module  128 . 
     Device  600  also includes an audio and/or video input/output  618  that provides audio and/or video data to an audio rendering and/or display system  620 . The audio rendering and/or display system  620  can be implemented as integrated component(s) of the example device  600 , and can include any components that process, display, and/or otherwise render audio, video, and image data. 
     As before, the blocks may be representative of modules that are configured to provide represented functionality. Further, any of the functions described herein can be implemented using software, firmware (e.g., fixed logic circuitry), manual processing, or a combination of these implementations. The terms “module,” “functionality,” and “logic” as used herein generally represent software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof. In the case of a software implementation, the module, functionality, or logic represents program code that performs specified tasks when executed on a processor (e.g., CPU or CPUs). The program code can be stored in one or more computer-readable storage devices. The features of the techniques described above are platform-independent, meaning that the techniques may be implemented on a variety of commercial computing platforms having a variety of processors. 
     While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, embodiments should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.