Internet-Connected Household Identification Using IP Stability Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems struggle to accurately identify households for online measurement and dynamic content delivery due to the dynamic and shared nature of IP addresses, leading to inefficiencies in measuring exposure and delivering targeted content.
Innovation Solution
A system that evaluates IP addresses based on criteria such as belonging to residential ISPs, device activity levels, and IP assignment age to determine if an IP address belongs to a household, using regional internet registries and monitoring activity patterns to ensure stability and uniqueness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If IP addresses are used to identify households for online measurement, then content delivery can be targeted and measured, but identification accuracy deteriorates due to the dynamic and shared nature of IP addresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the identification process into multiple evaluation criteria rather than relying on a single IP address. It divides the household identification into: (1) IP address evaluation based on multiple factors, (2) device activity monitoring, (3) IP assignment age verification, and (4) regional internet registry validation. This segmentation allows the system to compensate for the instability of individual IP addresses by using a composite assessment approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces regional internet registries as intermediary entities to validate and verify IP address assignments. These registries act as mediators between the IP address system and household identification, providing an additional layer of verification that helps distinguish between stable household IPs and transient or shared IPs. The intermediary validation process enhances reliability without sacrificing measurement precision.
2Measurement precision
If multiple criteria are evaluated to determine household status, then identification precision is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary actions by pre-establishing evaluation thresholds and criteria for each identification factor before actual household identification occurs. The system pre-defines what constitutes a stable IP address, acceptable device activity ranges, and minimum IP assignment ages. This preliminary setup reduces runtime complexity by avoiding dynamic threshold calculations during the identification process, allowing the system to simply compare actual values against pre-determined standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of evaluation from simple binary decisions to multi-factor continuous assessment. Instead of treating IP address identification as a single yes/no determination, it introduces multiple adjustable parameters including IP assignment duration, device activity frequency, and registry validation status. By making these parameters adjustable and interrelated, the system achieves high precision while managing complexity through standardized evaluation frameworks.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system provide the ability to identify an internet connected household (ICH). An Internet Protocol (IP) address is received at an Internet entity. Determinations are made regarding whether device activity from the IP address does not exceed a defined activity threshold and/or whether an IP assignment age for the IP address is greater than a defined threshold age. Based on the determinations, the IP address can be identified as belonging to an ICH or not. GPS coordinates are received from a device using the GPS. A physical address is identified based on the GPS. The IP address is then mapped to the physical address.