Abstract: An improved system and method for efficiently evaluating complex Boolean expressions is provided. Leaf nodes of Boolean expression trees for objects represented by Boolean expressions of attribute-value pairs may be assigned a positional identifier that indicates the position of a node in the Boolean expression tree. The positional identifiers of each object may be indexed by attribute-value pairs of the leaf nodes of the Boolean expression trees in an inverted index. Given an input set of attribute-value pairs, a list of positional identifiers for leaf nodes of virtual Boolean expression trees may be found in the index matching the attribute-value pairs of the input set. The list of positional identifiers of leaf nodes may be sorted in order by positional identifier for each contract. An expression evaluator may then verify whether a virtual Boolean expression tree for each contract is satisfied by the list of positional identifiers.

Abstract: A method for automatic matching of contracts to inventory using a fixed-length complex predicate representation. An item of inventory is described as a Boolean expression, which is converted into a multi-level, alternating AND/OR impression tree representation with leaf nodes representing conjuncts. Processing the conjuncts of the tree through a contract index results in retrieving a set of candidate contracts that match the at least some but not necessarily all impression tree leaf node predicates. Next, an AND/OR contract tree representation is constructed with each contract tree leaf node having a label representing a projection onto a discrete set of ordered symbols. Contracts with projections that cover the entire range of discrete set of ordered symbols are deemed to satisfy the item of inventory.

Abstract: A method for automatic matching of contracts to inventory using a fixed-length complex predicate representation. An item of inventory is described as a Boolean expression, which is converted into a multi-level, alternating AND/OR impression tree representation with leaf nodes representing conjuncts. Processing the conjuncts of the tree through a contract index results in retrieving a set of candidate contracts that match the at least some but not necessarily all impression tree leaf node predicates. Next, an AND/OR contract tree representation is constructed with each contract tree leaf node having a label representing a projection onto a discrete set of ordered symbols. Contracts with projections that cover the entire range of discrete set of ordered symbols are deemed to satisfy the item of inventory.

Abstract: A method for automatic matching of contracts to inventory using a fixed-length complex predicate representation. An item of inventory is described as a Boolean expression, which is converted into a multi-level, alternating AND/OR impression tree representation with leaf nodes representing conjuncts. Processing the conjuncts of the tree through a contract index results in retrieving a set of candidate contracts that match the at least some but not necessarily all impression tree leaf node predicates. Next, an AND/OR contract tree representation is constructed with each contract tree leaf node having a label representing a projection onto a discrete set of ordered symbols. Contracts with projections that cover the entire range of discrete set of ordered symbols are deemed to satisfy the item of inventory.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system to forecast a supply of online advertising demand contracts having day parting targets. The system may receive an online advertising demand contract having a flight duration and a day parting target. The received online advertising demand contract may be processed by converting the day parting target into an hour-of-week day parting target vector. If a first day of the flight duration would generate a conflict in view of the hour-of-week day parting target vector, then the system may generate a new first day contract for the first day of the flight duration.

Abstract: The system includes a query engine and an advertisement engine. The query engine is configured to receive a query from the user. The advertisement engine generates advertisement results corresponding to the query. The advertisement results are selected from entries in an advertisement database, where the entries include predicate values corresponding to a domain. The advertisement engine generates a diverse advertisement result that is a subset of the database entries that match the query. The diversity result varies at least one predicate by selecting entries for the list that include a proportional representation of each available predicate value in the database that matches the query.

Abstract: A computer implemented system produces an optimization graph in an online advertising system. The system presents at a computer, a supply of advertising inventory and advertising demand contracts, where each advertising inventory is presented as a supply node and each advertising demand contract is presented as a demand node. The system processes the supply of advertising inventory and the advertising demand contracts. For example, the system partitions the supply nodes into supply partitions and determines whether each supply node is eligible for each demand node. In addition, the system determines the number of eligible supply nodes to be drawn from each supply partition for each demand node.

Abstract: A system and method for deriving user intent from a query. The system includes a query engine, and an advertisement engine. The query engine receives a query from the user. The query engine analyzes the query to determine a query intent that is matched to a domain. The query may be further analyzed to derive predicate values based on the query and the domain hierarchy. The domain and associated information may then be matched to a list of advertisements. The advertisement may be assigned an ad match score based on a correlation between the query information and various listing information provided in the advertisement.

Abstract: An improved system and method for forecasting an inventory of online advertisement impressions by sampling in a map-reduce framework is provided. In a map-reduce framework, samples of visitor profiles may be collected and matched to targeting profiles for displaying advertisements by distributed sample mappers. Sets of samples of visitor profiles matched to the targeting profiles may be mapped and distributed to reducer servers for integrating the samples collected by sample mappers into a reduction sample set for each targeting profile. Each reducer server may aggregate a count of samples of visitor profiles matched to a targeting profile, and the sets of samples of visitor profiles matched to a targeting profile may be integrated into a reduction sample set for each targeting profile. The sample reducers may forecast a targeting profile inventory for each targeting profile and output the targeting profile inventory with a reduction sample set of visitor profiles.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide for methods, systems and computer program products for utilizing a lattice structure in an advertisement serving system. The method according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises storing one or more advertisement contracts in a lattice structure. A request for one or more advertisements that satisfy one or more constraints is then received and within the lattice structure, a lowest level of one or more pools of advertisement contracts satisfying the one ore more constraints is located. A set of advertisement contracts is generated, wherein the set of advertisement contracts comprise one or more advertisement contracts from lowest level of the lattice structure. The method further comprises adding to the set of advertisement contracts advertisement contracts from the pools of advertisement contracts that are parent to the pools of contracts in the lowest level of the lattice structure.

Abstract: A method for indexing advertising contracts for rapid retrieval and matching in order to match only the top N satisfying contracts to advertising slots. Descriptions of advertising contracts include logical predicates indicating weighted applicability to a particular demographic. Descriptions of advertising slots also contain logical predicates indicating weighted applicability to particular demographics, thus matches are performed on the basis of a weighed score of intersecting demographics. Disclosed are structure and techniques for receiving a set of contracts with weighted predicates, preparing a data structure index of the set of contracts, receiving an advertising slot with weighted predicates, and retrieving from the data structure only the top N weighted score contracts that satisfy a match to the advertising slot predicates.

Abstract: A method for determining a price of a contract for booking advertising space in a networked environment includes receiving, via a web server, a request to book a number of impressions from available impression inventory, where each impression corresponds to the delivery of an advertisement to a browser. The method also includes assembling user samples that represent a total amount of impression inventory, where each user sample represents a number of internet users, calculating a value associated with each piece of remaining impression inventory of the total impression inventory, and evaluating the value of all remaining impression inventory before and after allocation to a contract by maximizing and equation subject to a set of constraints. The base price for the contract corresponds to the difference between the value of the inventory before and after allocation.

Abstract: A method for allocating inventory in a networked environment includes receiving a request to purchase a number of display impressions, the request including targeting parameters and a frequency constraint corresponding to a maximum number of times the advertisement can be displayed to a user. The method also includes allocating the requested number of display impressions across a set of user samples, where the number of impressions allocated to any one user sample in the set of user samples is constrained by the frequency constraint. Allocation information that defines how the impressions are allocated among the user samples is stored to a user sample database.

Abstract: A method for indexing advertising contracts for rapid retrieval and matching in order to match satisfying contracts to advertising slots. The descriptions of the advertising contracts include logical predicates indicating applicability to a particular demographic. Also, the descriptions of advertising slots contain logical predicates indicating applicability to a particular demographic, thus matches can be performed using at least matches on the basis of intersecting demographics. The disclosure contains structure and techniques for receiving a set of contracts with predicates, preparing a data structure index of the set of contracts, receiving an advertising slot with predicates, and structure and techniques for retrieving from the data structure contracts that satisfy a match to the advertising slot predicates.

Abstract: A method and system for allocating inventory in an Internet environment is provided. A method employed by the system may include generating several inventory pools, where each inventory pool represents a number of impressions deliverable to different groups of users characterized by attributes. Impressions deliverable to users represented by each inventory pool may be allocated to each inventory pool. Impressions that correspond to multiple pools may be distributed between the multiple pools. The inventory pools may be stored to a database. Afterwards, and order may be received. The order may include parameters that define an audience and a number of impressions. The number of impressions in the order may be allocated from pools in the database.

Abstract: A method and system for allocating inventory in an Internet environment is provided. A method employed by the system may include generating multiple top-tier inventory pools and bottom-tier inventory pools that represent impression inventory. Each top-tier pool may represent the combined number of impressions represented by one or more bottom-tier pools. Each top-tier and bottom-tier inventory pool may represent a number of impressions deliverable to users characterized by attributes. Top-tier and bottom-tier inventory pools may be stored to a database. An order for booking impression from the plurality of inventory pools may be received. The order may include parameters that define an audience and a number of impressions. The impressions order may be allocated from top-tier inventory pools when the impressions ordered are entirely represented by top-tier inventory pools. Otherwise the impressions are allocated from bottom-tier inventory pools.

Abstract: A method and system for allocating inventory in an Internet environment is provided. A method employed by the system may include generating an inventory pool that represents a number of impressions deliverable to all users, then determining, from multiple past orders for booking impressions, a hierarchy of parameters utilized to target users and a number of impressions deliverable to users characterized by the parameters. The inventory pool may then be partitioned into multiple inventory pools according to the hierarchy, where each inventory pool represents a number of impressions deliverable to users characterized by parameters associated with the inventory pool. The hierarchy of pools may then be stored to a database.

Abstract: A method and system for allocating inventory in an Internet environment is provided. A method employed by the system may include generating samples of representatives that represent impression inventory, where each sample represents a number of users to which impressions are deliverable. An order may be received. The order may include a number of impressions to book and target audience information. A cushion of impressions needed to guarantee delivery of the number of impressions ordered may be determined. The number of impressions ordered plus the cushion may be allocated from the samples. A contract including the target audience information, the number of impressions, and the cushion may be stored to a database.

Abstract: An advertisement impression distribution system includes a data processing system operable to generate an allocation plan for serving advertisement impressions. The allocation plan allocates a first portion of advertisement impressions to satisfy guaranteed demand and a second portion of advertisement impressions to satisfy non-guaranteed demand. The data processing system includes an optimizer, the optimizer to establish a relationship between the first portion of advertisement impressions and the second portion of advertisement impressions. The relationship defines a range of possible proportions of allocation of the first portion of advertisement impressions and the second portion of advertisement impressions.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to systems and methods for identifying compatible advertisement contracts to satisfy an advertisement opportunity. The systems and methods include receiving a number of attribute values associated with a user accessing a network-based location. The systems and methods include sorting an index of lists for a plurality of advertisement contracts on the basis of a number of contract term values. The systems and methods include traversing the index of lists to return a set advertisement contracts compatible with the number of attribute values associated with the user. The systems and methods include selecting a given advertisement contract from the set of advertisement contracts compatible with the number of attribute values associated with the user. The systems and methods include presenting an advertisement associated with the given advertisement contract on a display viewable by the user accessing the network-based location.