IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,361,090
Granted Patent B2
US 12,361,090 · App. 17/566,479 · Granted Jul 15, 2025

Methods and apparatus to identify sponsored media in a document object model

Inventors: Thomas Sturm (Sausalito, CA); Nicholas Naveen Rau (Larkspur, CA); Ryan J. O'Hearn (Oakland, CA); Jeremy Wade Bennett (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
G06F16/986G06Q30/0241G06Q30/0244G06Q30/0277H04L12/14H04L12/1435H04L47/808H04L67/535H04L43/0894
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,361,090
App. No.
17/566,479
Granted
Jul 15, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to identify sponsored media in a Document Object Model. An example method includes determining if a first child node in a document object model is a sponsored media node, including to identify if the first child node is an element node, detecting if the first child node is of a valid element node type, and comparing the first child node to one or more geometric thresholds corresponding to the sponsored media node.

Claims (44)

1. A method comprising:

identifying that a first child node in a document object model is of an element node type;

in response to identifying the first child node is of the element node type, detecting that the first child node is of a valid element node type; and

in response to detecting the first child node is of the valid element node type, comparing the first child node to one or more geometric thresholds corresponding to a sponsored media node; and

determining if the first child node is the sponsored media node based on the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1 , further including processing a sponsored media container of a web browser to build the document object model, wherein the document object model includes at least one of a parent node, a sibling node, or the first child node.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein, in response to determining that the first child node is not the sponsored media node, determining if at least one of a second child node of the first child node or a sibling node of the first child node is the sponsored media node based on the comparison.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting that the first child node is of the valid element node type includes determining that the first child node is not a tag, wherein the tag includes at least one of a tracker, a script, or executable instructions.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the comparing of the first child node to the one or more geometric thresholds includes validating that (i) a dimension of the first child node satisfies a first geometric threshold, and (ii) the dimension of the first child node satisfies a second geometric threshold, wherein the first geometric threshold includes at least one of a width of one pixel or a height of one pixel, and wherein the second geometric threshold includes an industry standard of sponsored media dimensions.

6. The method of claim 1 , further including:

determining to include a user of the document object model in a control group of a sampling pool; and

in response to the determining to include the user in the control group, parsing a lookup table for replacement media that matches a dimension of the first child node and replacing the sponsored media node with the replacement media.

7. The method of claim 1 , further including:

determining to include a user of the document object model in a test group of a sampling pool; and

in response to the determining to include the user in the test group: (i) presenting the user with the sponsored media node, and (ii) surveying the user about questions based on the sponsored media node.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory having stored therein instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

identify that a first child node in a document object model is of an element node type;

in response to identifying that the first child node is of the element node type, detect that the first child node is of a valid element node type;

in response to detecting that the first child node is of the valid element node type, compare the first child node to one or more geometric thresholds corresponding to a sponsored media node; and

determine if the first child node is the sponsored media node based on the comparison.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause, when executed by the processor, the apparatus to process a sponsored media container of a web browser to build the document object model, wherein the document object model includes at least one of a parent node, a sibling node, or the first child node.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further cause, when executed by the processor, the apparatus to, in response to determining that the first child node is not the sponsored media node, determine if at least one of a second child node of the first child node or a sibling node of the first child node is the sponsored media node based on the comparison.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause, when executed by the processor, the apparatus to detect that the first child node is of the valid element node type by determining that the first child node is a tag, wherein the tag includes at least one of a tracker, a script, or executable instructions.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause, when executed by the processor, the apparatus to compare the first child node to the one or more geometric thresholds by validating that a dimension of the first child node satisfies (i) a first geometric threshold and (ii) a second geometric threshold, wherein the first geometric threshold includes at least one of a width of one pixel or a height of one pixel, wherein the second geometric threshold includes an industry standard of sponsored media dimensions.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause, when executed by the processor, the apparatus to:

determine to include a user of the document object model in a control group of sampling pool; and

in response to determining to include the user in the control group, parse a lookup table for replacement media that matches a dimension of the first child node and replace the sponsored media node with the replacement media.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause, when executed by the processor, the apparatus to:

determine to include a user of the document object model in a test group of a sampling pool; and

in response to determining to include the user in the test group: (i) present the user with the sponsored media node, and (ii) survey the user about questions based on the sponsored media node.

15. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause performance of at least:

identifying that a first child node in a document object model is of an element node type;

in response to identifying that the first child node is of the element node type, detecting that the first child node is of a valid element node type;

in response to detecting that the first child node is of the valid element node type, comparing the first child node to one or more geometric thresholds corresponding to a sponsored media node; and

determining if the first child node is the sponsored media node based on the comparison.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause, when executed by the at least one processor, performance of processing a sponsored media container of a web browser to build the document object model, wherein the document object model includes at least one of a parent node, a sibling node, or the first child node.

17. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions further cause, when executed by the at least one processor, performance of, in response to determining that the first child node is not the sponsored media node, determining if at least one of a second child node of the first child node or a sibling node of the first child node is the sponsored media node based on the comparison.

18. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause, when executed by the at least one processor, performance of detecting that the first child node is of the valid element node type by determining that the first child node is a tag, wherein the tag includes at least one of a tracker, a script, or executable instructions.

19. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein comparing the first child node to the one or more geometric thresholds includes validating that a dimension of the first child node (i) satisfies a first geometric threshold and (ii) satisfies a second geometric threshold, wherein the first geometric threshold includes at least one of a width of one pixel or a height of one pixel, and wherein the second geometric threshold includes an industry standard of sponsored media dimensions.

20. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause, when executed by the at least one processor, performance of:

determining to include a user of the document object model in a control group of a sampling pool; and

in response to determining to include the user in the control group, parsing a lookup table for replacement media that matches a dimension of the first child node and replace the sponsored media node with the replacement media.

Assignments (4)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 8, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: ARES CAPITAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063574/0632 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 28, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063561/0381 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 31, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063560/0547 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 14, 2022
From: STURM, THOMAS; RAU, NICHOLAS NAVEEN; O'HEARN, RYAN J.; BENNETT, JEREMY WADE
To: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
Reel/Frame 059255/0248 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 16565448 · Sep 9, 2019
Continuation 14584734 · Dec 29, 2014
Provisional Application 62020028 · Jul 2, 2014
Related Publication 20220124163A1 · Apr 21, 2022
References Cited (55)
US 6108637A · Blumenau · 2000 [cited by applicant]
US 6389467B1 · Eyal · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 6810414B1 · Brittain · 2004 [cited by applicant]
US 8086957B2 · Bauchot et al. · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 8181110B2 · Worthington · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 8234275B2 · Grant et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 8370489B2 · Mazumdar et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 8374935B1 · Lucash · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 8601120B2 · Gao · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 8667015B2 · Jiao et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 8752183B1 · Heiderich et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 8898296B2 · Zeng · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 9292618B2 · Melnyk et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 9665617B1 · Long · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 9699142B1 · Allen · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 9972034B2 · Stergiou · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 10088974B2 · Sinha · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 10140627B2 · Stergiou · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 10409884B2 · Sturm et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10699235B2 · Hauser · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 11349942B2 · Sturm · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20060026114A1 · Gregoire et al. · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 20080139191A1 · Melnyk et al. · 2008 [cited by applicant]
US 20090150217A1 · Luff · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 20100030752A1 · Goldentouch · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20100174774A1 · Kern et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20100306643A1 · Chabot et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20110264644A1 · Grant · 2011 [cited by examiner]
US 20120143675A1 · Aviv et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20120144291A1 · Chang et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20120284801A1 · Goodwin et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20130155463A1 · Jin · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 20130227394A1 · Sazhin et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20130275577A1 · Lim · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 20130276024A1 · Grant · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 20140068411A1 · Ross et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20140278934A1 · Gutierrez · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20150012363A1 · Grant · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20150067476A1 · Song · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20160004781A1 · Sturm et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
KR 20000037250A · 2000 [cited by applicant]
International Searching Authority, “International Search Report and Written Opinion,” issued in connection with International Patent Application No. PCT/US2014/072562, dated Mar. 17, 2015, 11 pages. [cited by applicant]
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Advisory Action,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/584,734, dated May 4, 2018, 7 pages. [cited by applicant]
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Non-Final Office Action,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/584,734, dated Jun. 15, 2018, 27 pages. [cited by applicant]
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Final Office Action,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/584,734, dated Jan. 11, 2019, 29 pages. [cited by applicant]
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Non-Final Office Action,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/584,734, dated Oct. 7, 2016, 18 pages. [cited by applicant]
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Final Office Action,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/584,734, dated Feb. 12, 2018, 27 pages. [cited by applicant]
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Final Office Action,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/584,734, dated Jun. 2, 2017, 21 pages. [cited by applicant]
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Non-Final Office Action,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/584,734, dated Oct. 5, 2017, 23 pages. [cited by applicant]
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Notice of Allowance,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/584,734, dated Apr. 23, 2019, 10 pages. [cited by applicant]
Aspnes, “Depth First Search,” [https://web.archive.org/web/20140730080929/http://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/aspnes/pinewiki/DepthFirstSearch.html], retrieved on Jun. 11, 2018, 10 pages. [cited by applicant]
Greiman, Douglas, “Automatically Detecting Banner Ads in Web Pages,” Stanford University; 2007; <http://cs229.stanford.edu/proj2007/Greiman-AutomaticallyDetectingBannerAdsInWebPages.pdf>, 5 pages. [cited by applicant]
International Bureau, “International Preliminary Report on Patentability,” issued in connection with application No. PCT/US2014/072562, dated Jan. 3, 2017, 7 pages. [cited by applicant]
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Non-Final Office Action,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 16/565,448, dated May 24, 2021, 15 pages. [cited by applicant]
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Notice of Allowance and Fee(s) Due” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 16/565,448, dated Sep. 9, 2021, 8 pages. [cited by applicant]