Reliability metrics for real-time auctions

Abstract

A method includes receiving identification information with a first electronic device and via a network, wherein the identification information is unique to a particular user device accessing webpage content, determining whether the identification information matches an identifier of a plurality of identifiers stored in a memory associated with the first electronic device, generating a reliability metric based on the determining, and providing the reliability metric to a second electronic device different from the first electronic device via the network. In such methods, the reliability metric is accessible by at least one bidder during a real-time auction associated with the webpage content.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, with a first electronic device associated with a service provider and via a network, a request comprising identification information, the identification information indicating:
 a user device accessing webpage content; and 
 a location identifier indicative of a geographic location; 
   determining, by the first electronic device, whether the identification information matches one or more identifiers, the one or more identifiers including at least a location envelope associated with the user device and determined by the first electronic device;
 generating a real-time reliability metric based on the identification information and the one or more identifiers, wherein the real-time reliability metric is indicative of a validity of the identification information; and 
 providing the real-time reliability metric to a second electronic device different from the first electronic device via the network, wherein the real-time reliability metric is accessible by at least one bidder during a real-time auction associated with the webpage content. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first electronic device comprises at least a server associated with the service provider and further configured to:
 associate the one or more identifiers with the user device accessing the webpage content; and   provide network access to the user device based on the one or more identifiers.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identification information is received from a third electronic device associated with a publisher of the webpage content while the webpage content is accessed on the user device. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the real-time reliability metric is further based on one or more indications of validity associated with one or more prior determinations as to whether additional identification information matched respective identifiers of the one or more identifiers stored in a memory associated with the first electronic device. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining, by the first electronic device, the location envelope associated with the user device comprises:
 capturing, by the first electronic device, a plurality of location identifiers;   determining, based at least on the plurality of location identifiers, the location envelope comprising a central location and a travel radius associated with the user device.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the real-time reliability metric further comprises:
 comparing the location identifier to the location envelope;   associating a first value with a publisher if the location identifier is within the location envelope;   associating a second value with the publisher less than the first value if the location identifier is outside of the location envelope; and   generating a cumulative score based on the first value or the second value.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the real-time reliability metric further comprises:
 determining a cumulative score, indicative of the validity, based on a plurality of previous determinations as to whether one or more prior location identifiers received by the first electronic device are within the location envelope unique, wherein the one or more prior location identifiers are indicative of one or more prior geographic locations where the user device accessed the webpage content.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identification information further comprises an identification code associated with the user device; and
 wherein generating the real-time reliability metric further comprises:   determining a first cumulative score indicating the validity of the identification code associated with the user device;   determining a second cumulative score indicating the validity of the location identifier; and   generating, based at least on a weighted average of the first cumulative score and the second cumulative score, the real-time reliability metric.   
     
     
         9 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, with a first electronic device associated with a service provider, a request comprising a location identifier associated with a user device;   determining, by the first electronic device, whether the location identifier matches a location envelope, the location envelope associated with the user device;   generating, based on the location identifier and the location envelope, a real-time reliability metric comprising a cumulative score indicative of a validity of the location identifier; and   providing the real-time reliability metric to at least one bidder during a real-time auction hosted by an exchange.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein determining whether the location identifier matches the location envelope comprises:
 determining, by the first electronic device and based at least in part on a data store, a plurality of location identifiers associated with the user device;   generating, based at least on the plurality of location identifiers, the location envelope encompassing one or more distances between a central location and one or more geographic locations associated with the user device; and   storing, by the first electronic device and in the data store, the location identifier associated with the user device.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the location envelope is defined by a travel radius between the central location and a most frequent furthest geographic location associated with the user device; and
 wherein the central location is a home location or a typical resting location associated with the user device.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the request received by the first electronic device is associated with a publisher; and
 wherein generating the real-time reliability metric further comprises:
 associating a first value with a publisher if the location identifier is within the location envelope; 
 associating a second value with the publisher less than the first value if the location identifier is outside of the location envelope; and 
 generating the cumulative score based on the first value or the second value. 
   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the request received by the first electronic device is associated with a publisher; and
 wherein generating the real-time reliability metric further comprises:
 associating a first value with a publisher if the location identifier is within the location envelope; 
 associating a second value with the publisher less than the first value if the location identifier is outside of the location envelope; 
 storing the first value and the second value in a data store associated with the first electronic device, the data store comprising a plurality of first values and a plurality of second values associated with the publisher; 
 generating the cumulative score based at least on the plurality of first values and the plurality of second values. 
   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein receiving a request comprising a location identifier associated with a user device comprises:
 receiving, via a network and from the exchange, a first electronic file comprising identification information associated with a publisher; and   extracting the identification information and the location identifier from the first electronic file.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein generating a real-time reliability metric further comprises generating a second electronic file including at least the real-time reliability metric; and
 wherein providing the real-time reliability metric to at least one bidder during the real-time auction hosted by the exchange comprises at least one of:
 permitting, via the network and in response to the request, the second electronic file to be accessible to at least one bidder during the real-time auction; or 
 transferring, via the network and in response to the request, the second electronic file to the exchange. 
   
     
     
         16 . A first electronic device, comprising:
 a processor; and   memory operably connected to the processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including:
 receiving, via a network, a location identifier indicative of a geographic location of a user device; 
 determining whether the location identifier matches a location envelope stored in the memory; 
 generating a real-time reliability metric based at least on the location identifier and the location envelope, wherein the real-time reliability metric is indicative of a validity of the location identifier; and 
 providing the real-time reliability metric to a second electronic device different from the first electronic device via the network, wherein the real-time reliability metric is accessible by at least one bidder during a real-time auction associated with webpage content. 
   
     
     
         17 . The first electronic device of  claim 16 , wherein the location identifier is received from a publisher of webpage content; and
 wherein the real-time reliability metric comprises a cumulative score indicative of a validity of the location identifier provided by the publisher.   
     
     
         18 . The first electronic device of  claim 16 , wherein generating the real-time reliability metric comprises:
 associating a first value with a publisher if the location identifier is within the location envelope;   associating a second value with the publisher less than the first value if the location identifier is outside of the location envelope; and   generating a cumulative score based on the first value or the second value.   
     
     
         19 . The first electronic device of  claim 16 , wherein determining whether the location identifier matches the location envelope comprises:
 determining, by the first electronic device and based at least on the memory, a plurality of location identifiers associated with the user device;   generating, based at least on the plurality of location identifiers, the location envelope encompassing one or more distances between a central location and one or more geographic locations associated with the user device; and   storing, by the first electronic device and in the memory, the location identifier associated with the user device.   
     
     
         20 . The first electronic device of  claim 16 , wherein generating the real-time reliability metric further comprises:
 receiving, from a publisher, an identification code associated with the user device;   determining whether the identification code matches a user device identifier;   associating a first value with a publisher if the identification code matches the user device identifier;   associating a second value with the publisher less than the first value if the identification code does not match the user device identifier; and
 generating a cumulative score based at least in part on the first value or the second value.