US 11,636,508 B2Granted

Systems and methods for control of event rates for segmented online campaigns

AssigneeYahoo Ad Tech LLC

InventorsNiklas Karlsson, Qian Sang, Jiaxing Guo

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Abstract

Allocating bids for providing content within a segmented campaign is controlled to ensure that an event rate associated with the provided content meets or exceeds a threshold rate. A campaign-level event rate, associated with the provided content, is estimated and provided as a feedback signal. This feedback signal is employed to dynamically update bid allocations for each of the segments, which in turn varies the number or rate of provided impressions and events. Such feedback enables the control of the campaign-level rate and ensures that the campaign-level rate meets or exceeds the rate threshold. To control these rates, the number of total impressions, as well as the number of associated events, is temporally sampled across the campaign segments. Based on the number of impressions and events, the campaign-level event rate is estimated and employed as the feedback signal. Updating the bid allocations may be based on the Beta Distribution.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method comprising:

determine a control signal based on a comparison between a rate threshold and a campaign-level rate-estimate signal that corresponds to a probability that content previously provided in an online campaign is associated with an event;
segmenting the online campaign into a plurality of campaign segments comprising a first campaign segment and a second campaign segment;
determine one or more allocation signals comprising:
(i) a first allocation signal, for the first campaign segment, indicative of a first probability of participating in bidding to provide subsequent content in the online campaign for the first campaign segment;
and
(ii) a second allocation signal, for the second campaign segment, indicative of a second probability of participating in bidding to provide the subsequent content in the online campaign for the second campaign segment, wherein the second probability is different than the first probability;
updating the one or more allocation signals to generate one or more updated bid allocation signals based on the control signal and a function that provides a continuous relationship between the control signal and each of the one or more allocation signals, wherein generating the one or more updated bid allocation signals comprises:
(i) updating the first allocation signal by employing a continuous function, corresponding to a relationship between of the control signal, one or more shape parameters, one or more configuration parameters, and a first segment-level rate-estimate signal for the first campaign segment, to generate a first updated bid allocation signal, for the first campaign segment, indicative of a first updated probability of participating in bidding to provide the subsequent content in the online campaign;
and
(ii) updating the second allocation signal by employing the continuous function, corresponding to a relationship between the control signal, the one or more shape parameters, the one or more configuration parameters, and a second segment-level rate-estimate signal for the second campaign segment, to generate a second updated bid allocation signal, for the second campaign segment, indicative of a second updated probability of participating in bidding to provide subsequent content in the online campaign;
and
providing the subsequent content in the online campaign based on the one or more updated bid allocation signals,
wherein at least one of the determining the one or more allocation signals or the updating the one or more allocation signals is based on a ratio of:
an incomplete beta function based upon (i) time, (ii) a first shape parameter and (iii) a second shape parameter;
to
a second beta function of (i) the first shape parameter, for an actuator configuration parameter, of the control signal and (ii) the second shape parameter, for the actuator configuration parameter, of the control signal.

13 more elements

One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having instructions embodied thereon which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

update a control signal to generate an updated control signal based on a difference between a feedback signal and a rate threshold that corresponds to a minimum event rate for an online campaign, wherein the feedback signal is generated in response to previous content provided in the online campaign that includes a plurality of segments;
update a plurality of allocation signals based on the updated control signal, a plurality of segment-level rate-estimate signals, one or more shape parameters, one or more configuration parameters, and a function that provides a continuous relationship between each of the plurality of segment-level rate-estimate signals and a corresponding allocation signal of the plurality of allocation signals, wherein each of the plurality of allocation signals and the corresponding segment-level rate-estimate signal of the plurality of segment-level rate-estimate signals corresponds to a campaign segment of the plurality of segments, wherein the plurality of allocation signals comprises:
(i) a first allocation signal, for a first campaign segment, indicative of a first probability of participating in bidding to provide subsequent content in the online campaign for the first campaign segment;
and
(ii) a second allocation signal, for a second campaign segment, indicative of a second probability of participating in bidding to provide the subsequent content in the online campaign for the second campaign segment, wherein the second probability is different than the first probability;
and
in response to updating the plurality of allocation signals, bid for the subsequent content in the online campaign such that an event rate associated with providing at least a portion of the subsequent content is greater than or equal to the minimum event rate for the online campaign,
wherein the updating the plurality of allocation signals is based on a ratio of:
an incomplete beta function based upon (i) time, (ii) a first shape parameter and (iii) a second shape parameter;
to
a second beta function of (i) the first shape parameter, for an actuator configuration parameter, of the updated control signal and (ii) the second shape parameter, for the actuator configuration parameter, of the updated control signal.

8 more elements

A control system, comprising:

a rate controller;
a rate actuator;
a rate estimator;
one or more processors;
and
memory, coupled with the one or more processors, having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to:
employ the rate controller to receive a rate threshold signal;
employ the rate controller to iteratively update a control signal based on the rate threshold signal and a campaign-level rate-estimate signal that corresponds to an event rate for previous content provided in an online campaign;
provide the control signal to the rate actuator;
employ the rate actuator to iteratively update a plurality of allocation signals to generate iteratively updated allocation signals based on the control signal and at least one of one or more shape parameters or one or more configuration parameters, wherein the plurality of allocation signals comprises:
a first allocation signal, for a first campaign segment, indicative of a first probability of participating in bidding to provide subsequent content in the online campaign for the first campaign segment;
and
a second allocation signal, for a second campaign segment, indicative of a second probability of participating in bidding to provide the subsequent content in the online campaign for the second campaign segment, wherein the second probability is different than the first probability;
employ the rate actuator to actuate providing bids for subsequent content in the online campaign based on the iteratively updated allocation signals;
employ the rate estimator to iteratively update the campaign-level rate-estimate signal based on one or more impression signals generated in response to providing the bids for the subsequent content in the online campaign;
and
provide the campaign-level rate-estimate signal to the rate controller,
wherein the updating the plurality of allocation signals is based on a ratio of:
an incomplete beta function based upon (i) time, (ii) a first shape parameter and (iii) a second shape parameter;
to
a second beta function of (i) the first shape parameter, for an actuator configuration parameter, of the control signal and (ii) the second shape parameter, for the actuator configuration parameter, of the control signal.

18 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.