Cross-Device User Identification via Universal Profile
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Internet-based advertising techniques fail to optimally target and deliver content across multiple devices used by the same user, such as smartphones, tablets, and televisions, due to the lack of efficient systems that can leverage unique data assets from telecommunications and fixed mobile convergence networks.
Innovation Solution
A system that identifies a user across multiple communication devices by receiving and analyzing data on web page visits, location, application use patterns, and user profiles, creating a universal profile to select and transmit relevant sponsored content to the user's devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional Internet-based advertising techniques are used, then advertising delivery is simple, but ad relevance and conversion rates deteriorate across multiple devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a third-party service provider as an intermediary that collects data from multiple communication devices, analyzes usage patterns, and delivers targeted advertising. This mediator resolves the contradiction by centralizing the complex data collection and analysis functions, allowing individual devices to remain simple while achieving high ad relevance through coordinated multi-device tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a universal profile that functions across multiple different communication devices (mobile phones, tablets, computers, televisions). This universal profile serves as a multi-functional identifier that enables consistent ad targeting regardless of the specific device used, resolving the contradiction by making the identification system adaptable to various device types without increasing individual device complexity.
2Measurement precision
If user data is collected across multiple devices, then ad targeting accuracy improves, but user privacy protection worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a virtual copy or representation of user behavior patterns across devices without collecting or storing actual personally identifiable information. The universal profile captures behavioral patterns and preferences as abstracted data models, enabling accurate user identification and ad targeting while avoiding direct intrusion into user privacy by working with patterns rather than raw personal data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the necessary behavioral pattern information from device data, separating the useful identification signals from unnecessary personal details. By taking out only the essential usage patterns (device switching behavior, content consumption patterns, temporal patterns) while leaving behind identifiable personal information, the system achieves measurement precision without proportionally increasing privacy intrusion.
3Productivity
If a universal profile is created for multi-device tracking, then cross-device advertising effectiveness improves, but data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary data collection and pattern analysis in the background, continuously updating the universal profile as users interact with devices. This preliminary action occurs automatically without requiring real-time processing delays, allowing the profile to be ready for immediate use when advertising decisions need to be made, thus improving conversion rates without significant processing time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The universal profile is maintained continuously through ongoing data collection and pattern recognition, rather than being built periodically from scratch. This continuous action allows the system to immediately leverage existing profile data for advertising decisions, eliminating the time loss that would result from periodic reprocessing and maintaining high productivity throughout operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for identifying a same user of multiple communication devices is configured to perform the steps of: (a) receiving first data relating to a first device operated by a user; (b) receiving second data relating to a second device operated by a user; (c) determining that the user of the first device is the user of the second device based on identifying that the first data is substantially the same as the second data; and (d) selecting and transmitting a sponsored content to the second device for display thereon, wherein the sponsored content has a relevance to the first and second data and/or a user characteristic datum associated with the user.