Systems and methods for providing anonymized user profile data

US8966649B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Experian Marketing Solutions, LLC · US

Inventors

• Brian Stack · Irvine, US
• Andrew Lientz · Culver City, US
• Simon Chamberlain · Albert Park, AU
• Yacine Abdous · Torrance, US
• Ray Kahn · Aliso Viejo, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 23, 2014
• Grant date: Feb 24, 2015
• Expiry date: Jan 23, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q2220/10
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Embodiments facilitate confidential and secure sharing of anonymous user profile data to improve the delivery of customized content. Embodiments of the invention provide a data appliance to an entity such as a business to convert profile data about the business's customers into anonymous identifiers. A similar data appliance is provided to a content provider in one embodiment to generate identifiers for its user profile data. Because the anonymous identifiers are generated with the same anonymization method, identical identifiers are likely generated from profile data of the same users. Therefore, the identifiers can be used to anonymously match the customers of the business to the users of the content provider. Therefore, data can be shared to improve customized content such as advertisements that the business wishes to place with the content provider without requiring the business to disclose customer data in an unencrypted form, and any non-matched data can remain confidential.