Bandwidth Constrained Auctions

A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

• selecting eligible content item providers that are eligible to respond to a next content request, each of the eligible content item providers being selected based, at least in part, on a response constraint that specifies a maximum rate at which the content item provider is able to receive content requests;
• determining impression likelihood scores for the eligible content item providers, the impression likelihood score for each of the eligible content item providers specifying a likelihood that a bid received from the eligible content item provider will be a winning bid for the request;
• selecting, as qualified content item providers, a set of the eligible content item providers, each of the qualified content item providers having an impression likelihood score that meets a threshold impression likelihood score;
• receiving the next content request that requests a content item to be provided with an online resource;
• requesting bids from the qualified content item providers in response to the request;
• and
• providing a content item from at least one of the qualified content item providers, the provided content items being selected based, at least in part, on the bids that have been received in response to the request.

A system comprising:

• a user device;
• and
• one or more computers operable to interact with the user device and to perform operations including:
• selecting eligible content item providers that are eligible to respond to a next content request, each of the eligible content item providers being selected based, at least in part, on a response constraint that specifies a maximum rate at which the content item provider is able to receive content requests;
• determining impression likelihood scores for the eligible content item providers, the impression likelihood score for each of the eligible content item providers specifying a likelihood that a bid received from the eligible content item provider will be a winning bid for the request;
• selecting, as qualified content item providers, a set of the eligible content item providers, each of the qualified content item providers having an impression likelihood score that meets a threshold impression likelihood score;
• receiving the next content request that requests a content item to be provided with an online resource;
• requesting bids from the qualified content item providers in response to the request;
• and
• providing a content item from at least one of the qualified content item providers, the provided content items being selected based, at least in part, on the bids that have been received in response to the request.