# US 2017/0228779 A1 · Audience identification and interest determination from targeted topical activity system and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0228779 A1 - Document ID: US20170228779A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/440,236 - Filed: 2017-02-23 - Published: 2017-08-10 - Earliest claimed: 2011-10-12 - Assignees: MarketChorus, Inc. - Applicants: MarketChorus, Inc. - Inventors: Matthew S. Sommer; Stephen Edmonson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170228779A1 ## CPC - G06Q 30/0256: {User search} - G06F 16/951: Indexing; Web crawling techniques - G06F 16/953: Querying, e.g. by the use of web search engines - G06F 16/9535: Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation - G06F 16/9536: Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering - 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 30/0254: {based on statistics} - G06Q 30/0277: {Online advertisement} - H04L 51/52: for supporting social networking services - H04L 67/535: {Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34)} - H04L 51/56: Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM] - 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 - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A system for building sets of user devices communicatively connected to a communications network, having a common or related topical interest in items available via communications over the network by the user devices with an item server. The user devices, respectively, have respective network identifiers and each exhibits related topical activity of particular articles in a subnetwork of the communications network, for example, in a social communications network. A server communicatively connected to the subnetwork detects communicative interactions over the subnetwork of the user devices with the particular articles. The system includes a collector communicatively connected to the communications network for obtaining a group of articles from the server, an identifier communicatively connected to the collector, the identifier determines the particular articles as a subset of the group of articles, a query device communicatively connected to the identifier and the communications network, the query device communicates over the communications network with the subnetwork obtaining the respective network identifiers of the user devices, respectively, interactive with the particular articles through communications over the communications network, a generator communicatively connected to the query device, the generator derives a tag corresponding to the particular articles, and a reporter is communicatively connected to the generator for delivering the respective network identifiers of the user devices, respectively, interactive with the particular articles and the tag. A topical collection of articles serves as a proxy to communications devices having particular interests for use in targeted advertising. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for building sets of user devices communicatively connected to a computer network system, the user devices, respectively, having respective network identifiers and each exhibiting related topical activity of articles in a subnetwork of the computer network system detected by an article server communicatively connected to the computer network system, comprising: a server device communicatively connected to the computer network system; storage communicatively connected to the server device, the storage includes instructions for controlling the server device in: collecting articles available from the article server via communications by the server device with the article server over the computer network system; identifying a subset of the articles collected by the server device from the article server; querying the subnetwork for the respective network identifiers of the user devices corresponding to the subset of the articles, via communications over the computer network system by the server device with the subnetwork; generating tags corresponding to the subset of the articles and the user devices from querying; and reporting the user devices and the tags from generating. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include: delivering a targeted message to the user devices corresponding to the tags. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include: repeating the collecting based on the user devices corresponding to the tags to obtain another subset of the articles. ### Claim 4 A system for building sets of user devices communicatively connected to a communications network, the user devices, respectively, having respective network identifiers and each exhibiting related topical activity of particular articles in a subnetwork of the communications network detected by a server communicatively connected to the subnetwork, the server includes a group of articles, including the particular articles, comprising: a collector communicatively connected to the communications network for obtaining the group of articles from the server; an identifier communicatively connected to the collector, the identifier determines the particular articles as a subset of the group of articles; a query device communicatively connected to the identifier and the communications network, the query device communicates over the communications network with the subnetwork obtaining the respective network identifiers of the user devices, respectively, interactive with the particular articles through communications over the communications network; a generator communicatively connected to the query device, the generator derives a tag corresponding to the particular articles; and a reporter communicatively connected to the generator for delivering the respective network identifiers of the user devices, respectively, interactive with the particular articles and the tag. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, further comprising: an updater communicatively connected to the reporter and the collector, the updater invokes the collector to obtain another group of articles from the server. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the communications network includes a social communications network having a social network server, further comprising: a communications device communicatively connected to the reporter and the communications network, the communications device communicatively accesses the social network server to obtain other respective network identifiers of user devices, respectively, relative to the tag. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, further comprising: a digital advertiser communicatively connected to the reporter and the communications network, the digital advertiser sends a message for delivery to the respective network identifiers of the user devices, respectively, interactive with the particular articles and the tag. ### Claim 8 A method, comprising: collecting a group of articles by a server device communicatively connected to a communications network, from an article server communicatively connected to the communications network; identifying by the server device particular articles as a subset of the group of articles; querying by the server device over the communications network to a social network server of a social communications network subset of the communications network, for respective network identifiers of user devices, respectively, interactive with the particular articles through communications over the communications network; generating by the server device a tag, the tag corresponds to the particular articles; and reporting by the server device the respective network identifiers of the user devices, respectively, interactive with the particular articles and the tag. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising: updating the group of articles by the server device communicating over the communications network with the article server. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising: communicating by the server device communicatively connected to a social network server of a social communications network, to obtain other respective network identifiers of other user devices, respectively, interactive with the particular articles and the tag. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: digitally advertising by the server device via communications over the communications network to the respective network identifiers of the user devices, respectively, interactive with the particular articles and the tag. ### Claim 12 A system for ascertaining topics of items of interaction by user devices communicatively connected to a computer network system, the user devices, respectively, having respective network identifiers, comprising: a processing device communicatively connected to the computer network system; storage communicatively connected to the processing device, the storage includes instructions for controlling the processing device in: receiving the respective network identifiers of the user devices, respectively; identifying by the processing device via communications over the computer network system a set of the user devices active with items available from an item server communicatively connected to the computer network system; analyzing the items of interaction by the user devices, respectively, for each of the user devices, respectively, and for all of the user devices; delivering topics of the items of interaction by the user devices, respectively, for each of the user devices, respectively, and for all of the user devices. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions further include: segmenting the user devices, respectively, for each of the user devices, respectively, and for all of the user devices, to yield respective network identifiers for the user devices, respectively, for delivery by the processing device of an advertisement over the communications to the user devices, respectively, at the respective network identifiers. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions further include: determining other user devices via communications of the processing device over the computer network system to the other user devices, for the topics as proxy. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions further include: providing a digital ad via the computer network system by the processing device to the user devices, respectively, from segmenting, at the respective network identifiers for the user devices, respectively, from segmenting. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions further include: providing a digital ad via the computer network system by the processing device to the other user devices. ### Claim 17 A system for ascertaining topical items of interaction by user devices communicatively connected to a communications network, the user devices, respectively, having respective network identifiers on the communications network, the topical items correspond to at least one particular article accessible by the user devices, respectively, from a server communicatively connected to the communications network, comprising: a receiver for obtaining the respective network identifiers of the user devices, respectively; an iterator communicatively connected to the receiver, the iterator determines a subset of the user devices, respectively, interacting with the at least one particular article via communications of the user devices with the server over the communications network; an analyzer communicatively connected to the iterator, the analyzer derives at least one topical item of the at least one particular article, for each user device of the subset and for all of the user devices of the subset; and a reporter communicatively connected to the analyzer for delivering the at least one topical item and the respective network identifiers of the user devices of the subset corresponding to the at least one topical item, for each user device of the subset and for all of the user devices of the subset. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, further comprising: a segmenter communicatively connected to the reporter, the segmenter analyzes the at least one topical item and the user devices of the subset for targeted advertising. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, further comprising: a digital advertiser communicatively connected to the segmenter for communicating with the subset of the user devices corresponding to the at least one topical item. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, further comprising: a proxy device communicatively connected to the reporter and the communications network, the proxy device searches the communications network in respect of the at least one topical item for another at least one particular article. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The system of claim 20, further comprising: a digital advertiser communicatively connected to the proxy device for communicating with the subset of the user devices in respect of at least one topical item of the other at least one particular article. ### Claim 22 A method, comprising: receiving by a processing device communicatively connected to a communications network, respective network identifiers of a group of user devices, respectively, communicatively connected to the communications network; iterating by the processing device a subset of the user devices, respectively, interacting with at least one particular article, by detecting from a social network server communicatively connected to the communications network the subset of the user devices interacting with the at least one particular article via communications of the user devices with the social network server over the communications network; analyzing by the processing device the at least one particular article and the subset of the user devices to obtain at least one topical item of the at least one particular article, for each user device of the subset and for all of the user devices of the subset; and reporting by the processing device the at least one topical item and the respective network identifiers of the user devices of the subset corresponding to the at least one topical item, for each user device of the subset and for all of the user devices of the subset. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, further comprising: segmenting by the processing device the at least one topical item and the user devices of the subset for targeted advertising. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, further comprising: providing a digital ad via the communications network by the processing device to the user devices, respectively, from segmenting, at the respective network identifiers for the user devices, respectively, from segmenting. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, further comprising: determining other user devices via communications of the processing device over the computer network system to the other user devices, for the at least one topical item as proxy. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The method of claim 25, further comprising: providing a digital ad via the computer network system by the processing device to the other user devices.