Unblockable Ad Serving via Publisher-Side Segmentation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Online advertising revenue for publishers is disrupted by ad blockers, which block ads across all publisher sites using a single ad server, leading to blanket blockage and loss of revenue, despite some ad servers providing valuable content.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows publishers to host a module and server-side script on their web server, generating random file paths and ad slot identifiers to bypass ad blockers, ensuring ads are delivered through the publisher's domain, avoiding fixed rule sets and blocking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single ad server is used to serve ads across multiple publisher sites, then ad serving efficiency is improved, but ad blockers can easily block ads on all publisher sites by adding the ad server domain to their blacklist
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the ad serving function by deploying individual ad serving modules on each publisher's web server rather than using a single centralized ad server. Each module operates independently on its host domain, so ad blockers cannot block all ads by blacklisting one domain. This segmentation maintains ad serving efficiency while preventing blanket blockage across multiple publisher sites.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where the publisher's own web server acts as the mediator for ad serving. Instead of ads being served directly from an external ad server domain that can be blocked, the ad serving module runs on the publisher's domain, using the publisher's server as an intermediary to deliver ads. This eliminates the vulnerability to ad blocker blacklisting while maintaining efficient ad delivery.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If ad blockers are installed to block disruptive ads, then user experience is improved, but legitimate ads from ad serving companies are also blocked causing revenue loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making ad serving domain-specific to each publisher's website. Each publisher's ad serving module operates only on that publisher's domain with unique identifiers and configurations. This allows ad blockers to potentially block specific disruptive ad instances without affecting all ads across all publishers, as each ad serving instance has localized characteristics that can be individually controlled.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If ad serving company domains are added to ad blocker blacklist, then ads from that company are blocked, but all other ads from the same ad serving company across different publisher sites are also blocked
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting ad serving into separate modules on each publisher's domain, the patent ensures that ad blockers must create separate blocking rules for each publisher site rather than blocking a single ad serving company domain. This segmentation limits the adaptability of ad blockers to achieve widespread blocking while maintaining the ability to block specific problematic instances.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional ad serving model where external ad servers serve ads to multiple publishers. Instead, each publisher hosts their own ad serving module, reversing the direction of control. This inversion makes it difficult for ad blockers to achieve broad coverage by blacklisting a single domain, as each publisher's ad serving operates from a different domain context.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a system and process of delivering online media content files to websites which are not capable of being blocked. The system and process provides a publisher with a sub-domain name that is pointed to an IP provided by an ad server and ask publisher to update his DNS records. Concurrently, the system delivers the user a script on the newly suggested sub domain that publisher inserts in HEAD tag of web pages where it is determined that the unblockable ads are to be displayed.