Prior art — US Patent 11949962

An analysis of prior art cited against US Patent 11,949,962 reveals several key references that address the concept of cross-platform advertising. The '962 patent, with a priority date of August 3, 2011, claims a specific method for measuring ad effectiveness by linking a television set-top box (STB) to a "secondary" online device (OD2) via a "primary" online device (OD1) that serves as a location proxy.

The most relevant prior art references teach the broader concepts of linking TV and online devices within a household to measure ad effectiveness or to target ads, but they do not appear to explicitly disclose the specific two-step proxy location method that is central to the claims of the '962 patent.

Analysis of Key Prior Art References

Below is an analysis of the most relevant prior art cited in the patent's file history. This analysis focuses on the potential for anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102, which requires a single prior art reference to disclose each and every element of a claimed invention.

1. US Patent Application Publication No. US 2008/0271087 A1

Full Citation: US 2008/0271087 A1, "Methods and systems for cross-platform advertising effectiveness." Assignee: Google Inc.
Date: Published October 30, 2008. This publication predates the priority date of US 11,949,962.
Brief Description: This reference discloses a system for measuring the effectiveness of advertising campaigns across different platforms, such as television and the internet. The core idea is to identify a user exposed to an ad on TV and then monitor that user's subsequent online actions (e.g., web searches or site visits). The system links a user's devices, such as a set-top box and a computer, by identifying them as belonging to the same household, potentially by detecting that they share a common public IP address from a home router. The system then correlates TV ad exposure to online "conversion events."
Potential Anticipation of Claim(s):
- This reference teaches the fundamental concept of linking TV ad views to subsequent online actions on an associated device to measure effectiveness, which covers several elements of claim 1 of the '962 patent.
- However, the '087 publication does not appear to disclose the specific method of association claimed in the '962 patent: using a primary online device (OD1) to establish a proxy location for the STB, and then linking a secondary online device (OD2) to that STB based on OD2's presence at the proxy location. The '087 publication teaches a more direct association of all devices within a household (e.g., all devices on a LAN).
- Conclusion: Because it does not explicitly disclose the two-step proxy association method, US 2008/0271087 A1 is unlikely to anticipate claim 1 of the '962 patent under 35 U.S.C. § 102. It is, however, a highly relevant reference for an obviousness analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103.

2. US Patent Application Publication No. US 2009/0172728 A1

Full Citation: US 2009/0172728 A1, "Measuring effectiveness of television advertisements based on subsequent online behavior." Assignee: AlmondNet, Inc. (the parent company of Intent IQ, LLC).
Date: Published July 2, 2009. This publication also predates the priority date of US 11,949,962.
Brief Description: This publication, from the same inventive entity as the '962 patent, describes a system where an online device (e.g., a computer) is associated with a user's STB. This association can be made by a service provider (ISP/TVP) that serves both devices to the same subscriber. After a TV ad is shown on the STB, the system monitors the associated online device for related activities, such as visiting an advertiser's website, to measure the ad's impact.
Potential Anticipation of Claim(s):
- This reference is foundational to the '962 patent and discloses the core method of associating an STB with an online device and tracking post-viewing online activity to measure ad effectiveness.
- Similar to the '087 Google reference, it does not appear to disclose the specific two-step, multi-device association method using one online device as a location proxy for another. The methods of association described are more direct, such as using common subscriber account information. The '962 patent appears to claim an improvement upon this earlier work by introducing a more complex method for building a household device graph when such direct information is unavailable.
- Conclusion: This reference is very close but likely does not anticipate the claims of US 11,949,962 under § 102 because it is missing the specific proxy-based association limitation.

3. US Patent No. 8,549,581 B2 (based on Pub. No. US 2009/0299843 A1)

Full Citation: US 8,549,581 B2, "Method and system for directing targeted advertising to a television." Assignee: AlmondNet, Inc.
Date: Published as application US 2009/0299843 A1 on December 3, 2009. This publication predates the priority date of US 11,949,962.
Brief Description: This patent focuses on targeting TV ads based on a user's online behavior. It discloses associating one or more online devices with a television or STB, often by detecting a shared IP address on a local area network (LAN). An online user profile is built from these devices and used to select relevant ads for delivery to the television.
Potential Anticipation of Claim(s):
- This reference strongly teaches the association of multiple online devices with an STB based on a shared network location, which embodies the concept of "nearness."
- However, its primary focus is on ad targeting, not the subsequent measurement of ad effectiveness by tracking online conversions after a TV ad is viewed.
- Furthermore, it does not explicitly describe the two-step proxy association method of the '962 patent. It describes identifying a group of co-located devices more directly.
- Conclusion: This reference fails to anticipate claim 1 under § 102 because it does not teach all the steps of the claimed ad effectiveness measurement method and lacks the specific proxy-based device association technique.