Patents by Inventor R. Preston McAfee

R. Preston McAfee has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20100082402
    Abstract: Disclosed are apparatus and methods for pricing on-line advertisement inventory. In one embodiment, a method for pricing on-line advertisement inventory includes (i) providing a model for determining a value of an individual impression as a function of its user target attributes based on historical bookings for a plurality of impressions, wherein each impression corresponds to a plurality of user target attributes for which an on-line advertisement can be displayed, (ii) receiving a request for a price of a new product, and (iii) determining the price of the new product based on the average of individual impression values that are determined by using the model on a plurality of user target attributes of a plurality of individual impressions that serve the new product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Publication date: April 1, 2010
    Applicant: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventors: Darshan V. Kantak, Jack Z. Xie, Michael A. Schwarz, R. Preston McAfee, Sai-Ming Li
  • Publication number: 20100082503
    Abstract: Disclosed are apparatus and methods for apparatus and methods for pricing on-line advertisement inventory. In one embodiment, a method for pricing on-line advertisement inventory includes (i) receiving a request for a price of a new product, wherein the new product includes a plurality of specified characteristics of a type of on-line advertisement display, (ii) providing a sample of new impressions that are predicted to be delivered for such new product, (iii) for each new impression, determining which bookings could be served by such new impression so as to define a set of overlapping bookings, (iv) determining the price of each new impression based on a weighted average of a plurality of prices of such each new impression's corresponding overlapping bookings, (v) determining the price of the new product based on an average of the prices of the new impressions, and (vi) returning the price of the new product for use in a booking negotiation with a potential buyer of such new product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Publication date: April 1, 2010
    Applicant: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventors: Darshan V. Kantak, Sai-Ming Li, Michael A. Schwarz, R. Preston McAfee, Jack Z. Xie
  • Patent number: 7689627
    Abstract: A method which may allow a user to create more than one online identity in a Web browser, and associate each online identity with one type of intended online activity. The user may be able to switch to a different online identity without logging out from his/her computer or Web browser. The invention may help users to evade websites' tracking and targeting functions and protect users' privacy. Since each online identity may be associated with only a part of a user's browsing history, it is difficult for websites to collect all information about the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventor: R. Preston McAfee
  • Publication number: 20100076894
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for acquiring and distributing a plurality of advertising impressions. The method and system includes determining a number of advertisement impressions requested to satisfy a plurality of advertisement contracts under management in an electronic advertisement system. The method and system includes bidding, in an bid exchange, for a plurality of advertisement impressions to win the number of advertisement impressions requested, the bidding using a randomized exchange purchasing strategy for the placement of a plurality of bids in the bid exchange, the bidding performed using a decentralized implementation. And the method and system includes, upon acquisition of advertisement impressions from the exchange, allocating the advertisement impressions proportionally to each of the plurality of advertisement contracts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2008
    Publication date: March 25, 2010
    Applicant: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventor: R. Preston McAfee
  • Publication number: 20100057639
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provides for methods, systems and computer program products for utilizing time measurement in advertising pricing. The method according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises identifying one or more advertisements that are to be displayed in conjunction with one or more web documents. The one or more web documents are displayed in conjunction with the one or more advertisements and a time period the one or more advertisements are displayed is monitored. A monetary value for display of the one or more advertisements is determined on the basis of the time period the one or more advertisements are displayed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2008
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventors: Michael Schwarz, R. Preston McAfee
  • Publication number: 20090240577
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for sharing data using an exchange procedure in a network. In one example, the method includes receiving an opportunity from an auction to place an ad on a webpage, receiving valuable data from a data source, wherein the data source includes at least two databases of at least two entities, calculating a bid for the opportunity based on the valuable data, selecting a desired ad based on the valuable data, and sending the bid and the desired ad to the auction, wherein the valuable data of each particularly entity remains substantially unrevealed to others outside the particular entity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2008
    Publication date: September 24, 2009
    Inventor: R. Preston McAfee
  • Publication number: 20090222550
    Abstract: A method to determine user attentiveness to an information item included in a web page comprising: displaying an image representing a first web page that includes a first information item to a first individuals; determining a baseline time that represents a typical amount of time that respective first individuals look at the first information item; sending a first web page over a network to first user devices; and sending a second web page over a network to second user devices; wherein the second web page appears substantially the same as the first web page except with a second information item instead of the first information item; obtaining first time measurements of an amount of time that first users of the first user devices typically spend looking at the first web page; obtaining second time measurements of an amount of time that respective second users of the second user devices typically spend looking at the second web page; determining a comparative time measure that is indicative of a difference in t
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2008
    Publication date: September 3, 2009
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: R. Preston McAfee, Michael Schwarz
  • Publication number: 20090100066
    Abstract: A method which may allow a user to create more than one online identity in a Web browser, and associate each online identity with one type of intended online activity. The user may be able to switch to a different online identity without logging out from his/her computer or Web browser. The invention may help users to evade websites' tracking and targeting functions and protect users' privacy. Since each online identity may be associated with only a part of a user's browsing history, it is difficult for websites to collect all information about the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2007
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Applicant: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventor: R. Preston McAfee
  • Publication number: 20090070873
    Abstract: A system is described for providing safe web based interactions. The system may include a memory, an interface, and a processor. The memory may store a request and a web page. The interface may be operative to communicate with a user and a third party server. The processor may be operatively connected to the memory and the interface and may receive a request from the user for a web page provided by the third party server. The processor may retrieve the web page and determine if malicious data is associated with the web page. If malicious data is determined to be associated with the web page the processor may disable the malicious data. The processor may modify the web page so that subsequent interactions with the web page are redirected to the processor, through the interface. The processor may provide the web page to the user, via the interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2007
    Publication date: March 12, 2009
    Applicant: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventors: R. Preston McAfee, David M. Pennock
  • Patent number: 6718312
    Abstract: A method and system for dynamic combinatorial auctions employing bid composition restrictions is disclosed. Three exemplary types of bid composition restrictions, which may be applied either singly or in combination, are disclosed: non-additive activity restrictions, subset restrictions, and superset restrictions. These restrictions produce more efficient auction outcomes by placing extra constraints on bidders who specify larger combinations in their bids, thereby penalizing attempts at strategic bidding without ruling out genuine attempts to avoid an exposure problem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: Market Design Group, Inc.
    Inventors: R. Preston McAfee, Paul Milgrom