Method, computer program product, and system for accounting for variable dimensions of content items when positioning content items in a user interface having slots for displaying content items

US12175525B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Maplebear Inc. · US

Inventors

• Jeffrey Bernard Arnold · Oakland, US
• Rob Donnelly · San Francisco, US
• Sumit Garg · Hudson, US
• Jonathan Gu · San Francisco, US
• Bill Lundberg · Seattle, US
• David Pal · New York, US
• Sharath Rao Karikurve · San Francisco, US
• Peng Qi · Jinan, CN

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 4, 2021
• Grant date: Dec 24, 2024
• Expiry date: Apr 11, 2042

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q30/0627
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

An online concierge system includes sponsored content items in an interface including different slots for displaying content items. A sponsored content item may be displayed in a single slot or in multiple adjacent slots. The online concierge system determines a content score for various sponsored content items indicating a likelihood of a user interacting with a sponsored content item and a position bias for slots in the interface indicating a likelihood of the user interacting with a slot independent of content in the slot. Position biases are different dependent on a number of slots in which a content item is displayed. The online concierge system generates a graph identifying potential placements of sponsored content items in slots by selecting content items in an order according to their content scores. Sponsored content items are positioned in slots according to a path through the graph that has the highest overall expected value.