# US 2015/0178281 A1 · Determining whether a user has seen a content item > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2015/0178281 A1 - Document ID: US20150178281A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/136,304 - Filed: 2013-12-20 - Published: 2015-06-25 - Earliest claimed: 2013-12-20 - Assignees: Google Inc. - Applicants: Google Inc. - Inventors: David Steiner; Mehul Agarwal; Imad Jureidini - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20150178281A1 ## CPC - G06F 16/9577: {Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Embodiments of the invention determine whether a user has seen a content item based on at least two factors: a measure of the area of a content item that has been displayed on a screen of the user's device and a length of time that the content item has been displayed on the screen of the user's device. The area of a content item that has been displayed is detected, and the length of time that the content item has been displayed is detected. An aggregate score for the content item is determined based at least in part on the detected area and the detected length of time. Responsive to the aggregate score exceeding a threshold, it is determined that the content item has been seen by the user. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-implemented method of determining whether a user has seen a content item, the method comprising: detecting an area of the content item that has been displayed; detecting a length of time that the content item has been displayed; determining an aggregate score for the content item based at least in part on the detected area and the detected length of time; and responsive to the aggregate score exceeding a threshold, determining the content item has been seen by the user. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein detecting an area of the content item that has been displayed comprises detecting a percentage of pixels of a card containing the content item that has been displayed. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a length of time that the content item has been displayed comprises detecting an elapsed time from when at least a threshold percentage of pixels of a card containing the content item has been displayed to when fewer than a threshold percentage of pixels of a card containing the content item are still displayed. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a length of time that the content item has been displayed comprises detecting an elapsed time during which the user's screen is covered by a card containing the content item. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining an aggregate score for the content item based at least in part on the detected area and the detected length of time comprises combining a first score based on the detected area with a second score based on the detected length of time to calculate the aggregate score. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: responsive to the same content item not having been determined to be previously seen within a short period of time, incrementing a count of seen content items. ### Claim 7 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions for determining whether a user has seen a content item, the instructions executable to perform steps comprising: detecting an area of the content item that has been displayed; detecting a length of time that the content item has been displayed; determining an aggregate score for the content item based at least in part on the detected area and the detected length of time; and responsive to the aggregate score exceeding a threshold, determining the content item has been seen by the user. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The medium of claim 7, wherein detecting an area of the content item that has been displayed comprises detecting a percentage of pixels of a card containing the content item that has been displayed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The medium of claim 7, wherein detecting a length of time that the content item has been displayed comprises detecting an elapsed time from when at least a threshold percentage of pixels of a card containing the content item has been displayed to when fewer than a threshold percentage of pixels of a card containing the content item are still displayed. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The medium of claim 7, wherein detecting a length of time that the content item has been displayed comprises detecting an elapsed time during which the user's screen is covered by a card containing the content item. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The medium of claim 7, wherein determining an aggregate score for the content item based at least in part on the detected area and the detected length of time comprises combining a first score based on the detected area with a second score based on the detected length of time to calculate the aggregate score. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The medium of claim 7, the instructions executable to further perform: responsive to the same content item not having been determined to be previously seen within a short period of time, incrementing a count of seen content items. ### Claim 13 A system for determining whether a user has seen a content item, the system comprising: a processor configured to execute modules; and a memory storing the modules, the modules comprising: an area displayed detection module configured to detect an area of the content item that has been displayed; a time displayed detection module configured to detect a length of time that the content item has been displayed; and a score aggregator configured to determine an aggregate score for the content item based at least in part on the detected area and the detected length of time, wherein responsive to the aggregate score exceeding a threshold, the content item is determined to have been seen by the user. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the area displayed detection module is further configured to detect a percentage of pixels of a card containing the content item that has been displayed. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the time displayed detection module is further configured to detect an elapsed time from when at least a threshold percentage of pixels of a card containing the content item has been displayed to when fewer than a threshold percentage of pixels of a card containing the content item are still displayed. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the time displayed detection module is further configured to detect an elapsed time during which the user's screen is covered by a card containing the content item. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the score aggregator is further configured to combine a first score based on the detected area with a second score based on the detected length of time to calculate the aggregate score. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, the modules further comprising: a filter configured to remove an instance of the content item being determined to be seen by the user responsive to the same content item having already been determined to have been seen within a short threshold measure of time.