Network Traffic Behavioral Profiling for Ad Targeting

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing advertising delivery methods fail to accurately capture ongoing buying intent and personal interests of users, leading to wastage of advertising spend due to limited tracking capabilities and reliance on cookie-based behavioral networks.

Innovation Solution

A system that monitors communication traffic to collect and analyze behavioral information, maintaining a subscriber's profile to deliver targeted electronic content, such as advertisements, through a Deep Packet Inspection module and behavioral analyzer, enabling precise matching of content with user behavior.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If cookie-based behavioral networks are used to track user behavior, then advertisement targeting is enabled, but tracking accuracy deteriorates when users disable cookies or visit portals outside the ad network

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetracking accuracyVSAvoidnetwork coverage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary component (behavioral tracking module) that operates at the network level between users and ad networks. This intermediary continuously monitors and collects behavioral data from all traffic passing through it, serving as a mediator that captures user behavior regardless of cookie status or portal affiliation, thereby resolving the contradiction between tracking reliability and network adaptability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a universal behavioral tracking mechanism that functions across all types of traffic and portals simultaneously. By collecting behavioral data from diverse sources (different portals, services, and user interactions) through a single network infrastructure, the system achieves both wide network coverage and consistent tracking accuracy across varying conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of manufacture

If limited portal communities are used for behavioral tracking, then ad network implementation is simplified, but tracking effectiveness deteriorates due to incomplete user behavior data

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvead network implementationVSAvoidbehavioral assessment accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the behavioral tracking function from the portal community structure. Instead of requiring entire portals to participate in an ad network, the system segments tracking into individual user behavior events collected at the network level. This allows simplified implementation without sacrificing measurement precision, as each user's behavior is tracked independently across all portals they visit

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system transitions from tracking at the portal level (horizontal dimension) to tracking at the network traffic level (vertical dimension). By adding this new dimensional approach to behavioral collection, the system achieves comprehensive behavioral assessment without requiring extensive portal community participation, thus maintaining ease of implementation while improving measurement precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Measurement precision

If search context or content context is used for advertisement delivery, then advertisement relevance to immediate query is improved, but capture of ongoing buying intent and personal interests deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadvertisement context relevanceVSAvoidongoing buying intent capture

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by continuously collecting and analyzing user behavioral data over time before advertisement delivery is needed. This ongoing behavioral profiling captures buying intent and personal interests in advance, so when advertisement delivery occurs, both immediate context relevance and ongoing user interests are accurately matched

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback loops that continuously monitor user interactions with advertisements and content, feeding this information back into the behavioral profile. This feedback mechanism ensures that the system not only captures initial buying intent but also continuously updates understanding of evolving user interests, maintaining both context relevance and temporal accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS8041806B2Targeted electronic content delivery control systems and methods

Publication Date: 2011.10.18 WSOU INVESTMENTS LLC

AI summary

Targeted electronic content delivery control systems and methods are disclosed. All communication traffic exchanged with a communication network subscriber over an access communication link that enables the subscriber to access electronic content is monitored, and behavioral information indicative of behavior of the subscriber in using the access communication link is collected from the monitored communication traffic. A behavioral profile of the subscriber is maintained based on the behavioral information. Delivery of targeted electronic content to the subscriber for presentation with electronic content accessed by the subscriber is controlled based on the behavioral profile.