Content exposure attribution based on renderings of related content across multiple devices

Abstract

A method of an attribution server is disclosed. The method includes determining that one or more request(s) is received through the computer network from a first device based on accessing first data related to renderings of a first content on the first device, and determining rendering of a second content on a second device based on accessing second data related to renderings of content on the second device. The method also includes determining that the first content and the second content are related, determining likely association of the first device and the second device with a same user, and determining that the same user is likely to have rendered the second content on the second device based on exposure thereof to the first content on the first device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of an attribution server comprising:
 determining that at least one request is received through a computer network from a first device based on accessing first data related to renderings of a first content on the first device, the first data comprising data related to the at least one request, and the at least one request being made in response to one of: a request for the first content on the first device and the first content being rendered on the first device;   determining rendering of a second content on a second device based on accessing second data related to renderings of content on the second device;   determining that the first content and the second content are related based on identifiers thereof;   determining likely association of the first device and the second device with a same user based on determining at least one of: a public network identifier shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data, mapping between device identifiers thereof through at least one of: the first data and the second data, and a third party server, a mutually visible base station signal, another mutually visible signal, a postal address identifier, a geolocation, and a discovery service available through the computer network to determine presence of the first device and the second device on a same private network of the computer network; and   determining that the same user is likely to have rendered the second content on the second device based on exposure thereof to the first content on the first device in accordance with additionally determining that the rendering of the second content on the second device and the at least one request from the first device are separated in time within a threshold value thereof, the determined relation between the first content and the second content, and the determined likely association of the first device and the second device with the same user.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first data is logged at a first server of a network data provider,   the second data is logged at a second server of a content identification (ID) data provider, and   the attribution server is communicatively coupled to the first server and the second server through the computer network.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first content comprises at least one of an advertisement, a promotion, and a piece of content which is one of: broadcast, streamed, downloaded, and executed, and   the second content comprises at least one of: a TV show, a movie, a TV channel, a radio program, a game, and another piece of content which is one of: broadcast, streamed, downloaded and executed.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 executing, in a constrained environment within a security sandbox, a sandboxed application on the first device; and   rendering the first content through the sandboxed application.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein at least one of:
 at least two of: the attribution server, the first server and the second server are the same device, and   the first device and the second device are the same device.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising obtaining at least a portion of the second data accessed by the attribution server using at least one of: an audio automatic content recognition (ACR), a video ACR, audio watermarks, video watermarks, an embedded metadata, and a channel change data correlated against a TV schedule. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one request is a network request comprising at least one of: a public Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first device, a cookie, and a requested resource. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the public network identifier shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data is a public IP address shared between the first device and the second device at any time within a predefined time range. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising verifying association of the first device and the second device with the same user when the same user one of: explicitly pairs the first device and the second device and pairs the first device and the second device using at least one of: a user name and a short code. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the determination of whether the first device and the second device are likely associated with the same user occurs after the at least one request from the first device and the rendering of the second content on the second device. 
     
     
         11 . A method of an attribution server comprising:
 determining that at least one request is received through a computer network from a first device based on accessing first data related to renderings of a first content on the first device, the first data comprising data related to the at least one request, and the at least one request being made in response to one of: a request for the first content on the first device and the first content being rendered on the first device;   determining rendering of a second content on a second device based on accessing second data related to renderings of content on the second device;   determining that the first content and the second content are related based on identifiers thereof;   determining likely association of the first device and the second device with a same user based on determining at least one of: a public network identifier shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data, mapping between device identifiers thereof through at least one of: the first data and the second data, and a third party server, a mutually visible base station signal, another mutually visible signal, a postal address identifier, a geolocation, and a discovery service available through the computer network to determine presence of the first device and the second device on a same private network of the computer network; and   determining that the same user is likely to have originated the at least one request from the first device based on exposure thereof to the second content on the second device in accordance with additionally determining that the rendering of the second content on the second device and the at least one request from the first device are separated in time within a threshold value thereof, the determined relation between the first content and the second content, and the determined likely association of the first device and the second device with the same user.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the first data is logged at a first server of a site data provider,   the second data is logged at a second server of a content ID data provider, and   the attribution server is communicatively coupled to the first server and the second server through the computer network.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the first content comprises at least one of a web site, a mobile application, and a desktop application, and   the second content comprises at least one of a TV show, a movie, a TV channel, a radio program, a game, and another piece of content that is one of broadcast, streamed, downloaded and executed.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , comprising:
 executing, in a constrained environment within a security sandbox, a sandboxed application on the first device; and   rendering the first content through the sandboxed application.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of:
 at least two of: the attribution server, the first server and the second server are the same device, and   the first device and the second device are the same device.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , comprising obtaining at least a portion of the second data accessed by the attribution server using at least one of: an audio ACR, a video ACR, audio watermarks, video watermarks, an embedded metadata, and a channel change data correlated against a TV schedule. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one request is a network request comprising at least one of: a public IP address of the first device, a cookie, and a requested resource. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the public network identifier shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data is a public IP address shared between the first device and the second device at any time within a predefined time range. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising verifying association of the first device and the second device with the same user when the same user one of: explicitly pairs the first device and the second device and pairs the first device and the second device using at least one of: a user name and a short code. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the determination of whether the first device and the second device are likely associated with the same user occurs after the at least one request from the first device and the rendering of the second content on the second device. 
     
     
         21 . A method of an attribution server communicatively coupled to a server of a content ID data provider through a computer network, comprising:
 determining that at least one request is received through the computer network from a first device based on accessing first data related to renderings of a first content logged at the server, the first data comprising data related to the at least one request, and the at least one request being made in response to one of: a request for the first content on the first device and the first content being rendered on the first device;   determining rendering of a second content on a second device based on accessing second data logged at the server, the second data related to renderings of content on the second device;   determining that the first content and the second content are related based on identifiers thereof;   determining likely association of the first device and the second device with a same user based on determining at least one of: a public network identifier shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data, mapping between device identifiers thereof through at least one of: the first data and the second data, and a third party server, a mutually visible base station signal, another mutually visible signal, a postal address identifier, a geolocation, and a discovery service available through the computer network to determine presence of the first device and the second device on a same private network of the computer network; and   determining that the same user is likely to have rendered the second content on the second device after exposure thereof to the first content on the first device in accordance with additionally determining that the rendering of the second content on the second device and the at least one request from the first device are separated in time within a threshold value thereof, the determined relation between the first content and the second content, and the determined likely association of the first device and the second device with the same user.