System and Method for Expiring Advertisement Spaces in Syndicated Feeds

Abstract

A system and method for managing advertisements in a syndicated feed is described. One embodiment includes a method for expiring an advertisement space in a feed. This method includes the following actions: receiving a data item associated with a feed from a publisher; determining whether an advertisement space should be associated with the data item; inserting a markup of the advertisement space into the data item; providing the data item for a user; receiving a request from the user to view the advertisement corresponding to the advertisement space and the data item; determining whether the data item is older than a threshold age; providing an advertisement to the user if the data item is not older than a threshold age, wherein the advertisement is viewable in the advertisement space; and providing a blank advertisement to the user if the data item is older than a threshold age.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, by one or more computers, requests from a user device for a content item to populate a content item slot of an electronic content element of a web page;   while content of the electronic content element is less than a threshold age, identifying the content item slot as an unexpired content item slot;   when content of the electronic content element exceeds the threshold age, identifying the content item slot as an expired content item slot;   responding to each of the requests based on a status of the content item slot when the request is received, including:
 providing a blank content item to populate the content item slot without requiring the user device to render the blank content item for the requests that are received when the content item slot is identified as an expired content item slot; and 
 providing a different content item that is selected based on characteristics of the user or user device rather than the blank content item for the requests that are received when the content item slot is identified as an unexpired content item slot. 
   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the content of the electronic content element is included in an original feed provided by a content publisher, and wherein providing a blank content item comprises:
 determining that the content of the electronic content element is not included in a current feed from the content publisher; and   providing the blank content item when i) the content item slot is identified as an expired content item slot, and ii) the content of the electronic content element is not included in a current feed from the content publisher.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user device is an electronic reader. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 receiving second content of a content feed that is provided by a content publisher;   determining that the second content is to be presented in the content item slot; and   inserting a markup of the content item slot into the second content.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein inserting the markup of the content item slot into the second content comprises inserting a pointer to a system that can select the second content from a plurality of content to render in the content item slot. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein determining that the second content is to be presented in the content item slot comprises:
 determining the content publisher of the second content; and   retrieving, from a content item database, content distribution rules for the content publisher.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the content distribution rules for the content publisher are defined by the content publisher. 
     
     
         9 . A system comprising:
 one or more computers including an expiration analyzer module and a content item selector module, the expiration analyzer module being configured to:
 receive requests from a user device for a content item to populate a content item slot of an electronic content element of a web page; 
 while content of the electronic content element is less than a threshold age, identify the content item slot as an unexpired content item slot; and 
 when content of the electronic content element exceeds the threshold age, identify the content item slot as an expired content item slot; and 
   the content item selector module being in communication with the expiration analyzer module, the content item selector module being configured to respond to each of the requests based on a status of the content item slot when the request is received, including:
 provide a blank content item to populate the content item slot without requiring the user device to render the blank content item for the requests that are received when the content item slot is identified as an expired content item slot; and 
 provide a different content item that is selected based on characteristics of the user or user device rather than the blank content item for the requests that are received when the content item slot is identified as an unexpired content item slot. 
   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the content of the electronic content element is included in an original feed provided by a content publisher, and wherein providing a blank content item comprises:
 determining that the content of the electronic content element is not included in a current feed from the content publisher; and   providing the blank content item when i) the content item slot is identified as an expired content item slot, and ii) the content of the electronic content element is not included in a current feed from the content publisher.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the user device is an electronic reader. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 , comprising:
 receiving second content of a content feed that is provided by a content publisher;   determining that the second content is to be presented in the content item slot; and   inserting a markup of the content item slot into the second content.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein inserting the markup of the content item slot into the second content comprises inserting a pointer to a system that can select the second content from a plurality of content to render in the content item slot. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein determining that the second content is to be presented in the content item slot comprises:
 determining the content publisher of the second content; and   retrieving, from a content item database, content distribution rules for the content publisher.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the content distribution rules for the content publisher are defined by the content publisher. 
     
     
         16 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a computing system to perform operations, comprising:
 receiving, by one or more computers, requests from a user device for a content item to populate a content item slot of an electronic content element of a web page;   while content of the electronic content element is less than a threshold age, identifying the content item slot as an unexpired content item slot;   when content of the electronic content element exceeds the threshold age, identifying the content item slot as an expired content item slot;   responding to each of the requests based on a status of the content item slot when the request is received, including:
 providing a blank content item to populate the content item slot without requiring the user device to render the blank content item for the requests that are received when the content item slot is identified as an expired content item slot; and 
 providing a different content item that is selected based on characteristics of the user or user device rather than the blank content item for the requests that are received when the content item slot is identified as an unexpired content item slot. 
   
     
     
         17 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the content of the electronic content element is included in an original feed provided by a content publisher, and wherein providing a blank content item comprises:
 determining that the content of the electronic content element is not included in a current feed from the content publisher; and   providing the blank content item when i) the content item slot is identified as an expired content item slot, and ii) the content of the electronic content element is not included in a current feed from the content publisher.   
     
     
         18 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the user device is an electronic reader. 
     
     
         19 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , comprising:
 receiving second content of a content feed that is provided by a content publisher;   determining that the second content is to be presented in the content item slot; and   inserting a markup of the content item slot into the second content.   
     
     
         20 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 19 , wherein inserting the markup of the content item slot into the second content comprises inserting a pointer to a system that can select the second content from a plurality of content to render in the content item slot. 
     
     
         21 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 19 , wherein determining that the second content is to be presented in the content item slot comprises:
 determining the content publisher of the second content; and   retrieving, from a content item database, content distribution rules for the content publisher defined by the content publisher.