# US 2014/0194208 A1 · Systems and methods to identify candidates for targeted advertising in an online social gaming environment > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0194208 A1 - Document ID: US20140194208A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/738,469 - Filed: 2013-01-10 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-10 - Assignees: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC - Inventors: Steven John Splaine; Clayton S. Long - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140194208A1 ## CPC - G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising - G06Q 10/42: Determination of affinities or common interests between users - G06Q 10/44: Identification of trends within social networks, e.g. identification of trending topics - G06Q 10/46: Determination of level of influence of users within social networking services - G06Q 10/48: using social graphs - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Systems and methods to identify candidates for targeted advertising in an online social gaming environment are disclosed. Example methods include generating a network graph representative of relationships between users associated with an online social gaming environment, the relationships based on connections between the users. Example methods also include collecting first social gaming data corresponding to participation by a first user and a second user in the online social gaming environment during a first period of time. The example methods further include calculating a first degree of influence of the first user of the online social gaming environment on the second user of the online social gaming environment, the first degree of influence based on the first social gaming data. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: generating a network graph representative of relationships between users associated with an online social gaming environment, the relationships based on connections between the users; collecting first social gaming data corresponding to participation by a first user and a second user in the online social gaming environment during a first period of time; and calculating a first degree of influence of the first user of the online social gaming environment on the second user of the online social gaming environment, the first degree of influence based on the first social gaming data. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: predicting a behavior of the second user based on the first degree of influence of the first user on the second users; comparing the predicted behavior of the second user to second social gaming data corresponding to participation by the second user in the online social gaming environment during a second period of time after the first period of time; and updating the first degree of influence of the first user on the second user based on the comparison. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising analyzing the network graph to identify the first user as a candidate for targeted advertising when the first degree of influence is above a threshold. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating a sub-network graph representative of relationships between a group of users, the group of users corresponding to a portion of the users associated with the online social gaming environment having a same characteristic determined from the first social gaming data, wherein the portion of the users includes the first user and the second user, and wherein the characteristic is associated with the targeted advertising; and analyzing the sub-network graph to identify the first user as a candidate for targeted advertising when the first degree of influence is above a threshold. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first social gaming data includes a historical timeline of transactions, at least some of the transactions corresponding to a purchase of a game, a purchase of a virtual product associated with a game, or a purchase of a real product associated with a game. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first social gaming data includes at least one of a duration of the relationship between the first user and the second user, a game preference, an interaction between the first user and the second user, a purchase of a real product associated with a game, a group with which the first or second user is associated, a primary group with which the first or second user is associated, a geographic location of the first user or the second user, an amount of time online, a last date online, or a frequency of time online. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first social gaming data includes at least one of a game played, a game purchased, a type of game played, a type of game purchased, a frequency of game play, an amount of time of game play, a game most frequently played with another user, or a time of day of game play. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first social gaming data includes an overlap of game play with another user. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first social gaming data includes a purchase of a virtual product associated with a game. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first degree of influence of the first user on the second user is based on an amount of the social gaming data associated with the first user that corresponds to the social gaming data associated with the second user. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein different types of the social gaming data are weighted differently when calculating the first degree of influence of the first user on the second user. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the online social gaming environment corresponds to one of a social networking website or a dedicated social gaming network. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first degree of influence of the first user on the second user is different than a second degree of influence of the second user on the first user. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: calculating a second degree of influence of the first user of the online social gaming environment on a third user of the online social gaming environment; and calculating a combined degree of influence for the first user based on the first degree of influence of the first user and the second degree of influence of the first user. ### Claim 15 A system comprising: a network graph generator to generate a network graph representative of relationships between users associated with an online social gaming environment, the relationships based on connections between the users; an analyzer to determine a first degree of influence of a first user in the online social gaming environment on a second user in the online social gaming environment, the analyzer to determine the first degree of influence based on first social gaming data corresponding to participation by the first user and the second user in the online social gaming environment during a first period of time. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, further comprising: a prediction model generator to predict a behavior of the second user based on the first degree of influence of the first user on the second user; and wherein the analyzer is further to: compare the predicted behavior of the second user to second social gaming data corresponding to participation by the second user in the online social gaming environment during a second period of time after the first period of time; and update the first degree of influence of the first user on the second user based on the comparison. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, further comprising a target identifier to identify the first user as a candidate for targeted advertising when the first degree of influence is above a threshold. ### Claim at position 18 18-28. (canceled) ### Claim 29 A tangible machine readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least: generate a network graph representative of relationships between users associated with an online social gaming environment, the relationships based on connections between the users; collect first social gaming data corresponding to participation by a first user and a second user in the online social gaming environment during a first period of time; and calculate a first degree of influence of the first user of the online social gaming environment on the second user of the online social gaming environment, the first degree of influence based on the first social gaming data. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The storage medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to: predict a behavior of the second user based on the first degree of influence of the first user on the second users; compare the predicted behavior of the second user to second social gaming data corresponding to participation by the second user in the online social gaming environment during a second period of time after the first period of time; and update the first degree of influence of the first user on the second user based on the comparison. ### Claim 31 (depends on 29) The storage medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to analyze the network graph to identify the first user as a candidate for targeted advertising when the first degree of influence is above a threshold. ### Claim at position 22 32-42. (canceled)