Patent Application Titled “System And Method For Targeting Audiences For Health Behavior Modification Using Digital Advertisements” Published Online (USPTO 20200019995)

2020 FEB 05 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Daily Marketing News -- According to news reporting originating from Washington, D.C., by NewsRx journalists, a patent application by the inventors Krishnan, Mahesh (McLean, VA); Krishnan, Akshay (McLean, VA); Krishnan, Anjali (McLean, VA), filed on July 11, 2018, was made available online on January 16, 2020.

No assignee for this patent application has been made.

Reporters obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Internet Marketers have successfully used digital and social media platforms to influence individual purchasing and other decisions. This has now extended to the use of micro and nano targeted ads (targeting very small segments of individuals or one individual) used to drive consumer behavior towards purchasing a particular good or service or other related application.

“The emerging field of digital therapeutics uses stand-alone digital applications to deliver similar content, with the intent of having the same impact on health outcomes as pharmaceuticals. Examples here include Virta and Omada. One barrier to entry to using such products is both the initial need to download an application to your pc or mobile device, and then to use the new application on a daily basis.

“However, large social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and others overcome this challenge by offering embedded content in the form of advertising as part of their platform accessed by millions of users at least once and often many times a day.

“So as to reduce the complexity and length of the Detailed Specification, and to fully establish the state of the art in certain areas of technology, Applicants herein expressly incorporate by reference all the following materials identified in the paragraph below.

“’The Surprising power of Online Experiments’, Harvard Business Review, Ron Kohavi and Stefan Thomke, September-October 2017 issue, https://hbr.org/2017/09/the-surprising-power-of-online-experiments

“Applicants believe that the material incorporated above is ‘non-essential’ in accordance with 37 CFR 1.57, because it is referred to for purposes of indicating the background of the invention or illustrating the state of the art. However, if the Examiner believes that any of the above-incorporated material constitutes ‘essential material’ within the meaning of 37 CFR 1.57©(14)-(3), Applicants will amend the specification to expressly recite the essential material that is incorporated by reference as allowed by the applicable rules.”

In addition to obtaining background information on this patent application, NewsRx editors also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent application: “However, the use of these micro and nano targeted behavioral advertising campaigns for use to positively influence consumer behavior towards improved healthcare related outcomes has not been described. By combining traditional social media based indicators with healthcare specific data, customized behavioral modification campaigns can be created with targeted content meant to, optimize the chances of success of a given behavioral change. Thus resulting in a passive delivery of a behavioral campaign every time the patient encounters an ad on the internet or in a social media platform. Example of such changes may include but are not limited to exercise regimens, weight loss, smoking cessation, health nutrition, or medication adherence.

“The present invention uses micro and nano segmentation to create targeted digital content in the form of segment specific static ads, pictures, carousel, mobile new feeds, video, canvas and other ad types. For example, if the motivation for a health change in an individual is for the sake of their family, specific images or video from social media may be effective in tying the rationale for the change to the messaging. This content can then be delivered via static ads, in carousels or other media options. The content is targeted to a specific user using conventional and unconventional social media targeting systems to assist with the creation of custom campaign delivered over social media for the purposes of influencing positive health behavior. Data such as including browsing history, social media posts, Interests, Gender, Relationship Status, Educational Status, Age, Location, Language as well, as riser specific medical and non medical data sources including but not limited to demographics, medical history, treatments, credit score data and report information etc. will be used with a machine learning algorithm to create digital patient phenotypes or cohorts and associate them with the probability that a given digital media campaign will be maximally affect to influence individuals in that cohort to affect the desired behavior change. Examples may include what graphic elements are included in the digital materials, the frequency of delivering that content, the channels used etc.

“The present invention also uses digital media platforms to conduct A/B testing for a delivered content to given cohort, and then leverages the variables of click through rates, engagement, for continuous feedback through a machine learning platform to continuously optimize the digital health marketing campaign for those patients in the cohort.

“The present invention creates custom audiences for the purposes of disease management. The types of disease management include but are not limited to: behavior modification with regards to diet, exercise, smoking cessation, and medication adherence. Given the behavioral inputs that will positively influence this change vary by individual patient circumstance and social situation, the above mentioned data will be used in a continuous feedback loop to improve micro (the patient cohorts mentioned above) and nano (at an individual patient level) targeting of the digital content delivered to those specific users via social media. For example, for weight loss of exercise, family images could be used to motivate the user to initiate or maintain a diet or smoking cessation campaign.

“All of the above features of the present invention will be in compliance with the contemporary and legacy versions of the Health insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), including but not limited to the ability of targeted individuals to opt in to a given health related behavior campaign. Aspects of disease management currently authorized under HIPAA would also be a feature.

“The present invention further includes the ability to monitor cohorts of patients and users to determine the efficacy of various disease management campaigns by associating the delivery and interaction with the campaign with a desired health outcome. For example, associating the interaction between the digital application and weight loss for a given cohort.

“The present invention will be able to be ‘prescribed’ by a healthcare professional, insurance plan, or via self referral by the patient in the same way medications are prescribed today.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A system for targeting audiences for health behavior modification using digital advertisements, comprising: a program targeting users who enroll in the program; the program determining and customizing social media advertising parameters for that user through a logic engine; the program creating a customized HIPAA compliant microtargeted health campaign that takes 3 different forms: a. the first form is an advertising manager that uses A/B testing to further customize advertisements for the user; b. the second form is an artificial intelligence enabled chatbot; c. the third form is a survey engine, which sends questions about behavior modification to the user via social media.

“2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: The program utilizing the techniques of population health management to aggregate patient data across multiple health information technology resources and compile an analysis of that data into a single, actionable patient record; the program using this single, actionable patient record to keep track of advertising campaigns, analyze the feedback from those campaigns, and create an increasingly more accurate HIPAA compliant microtargeted health campaign for the user.

“3. The system of claim 1, further comprising: the program utilizing the friends of the user on social media to help reinforce health behavior modification; the program suggesting information to the friends of the user on social media in a synchronized manner with the campaign, such as at the same time that the campaign is sending out the suggested information.

“4. The system of claim 1, further comprising: the program utilizing micro and nano targeted digital advertisements in the form of static ads, picture, carousel, mobile new feeds, video, canvas and other ad types; the advertisements being based on social media targeting systems including browsing history, social media posts, interests, Gender, Relationship Status, Educational Status, Age, Location, and Language.

“5. The system of claim 1, further comprising: the program collecting feedback from the user’s engagement with the content; the program feeding that feedback through a machine learning algorithm to allow for continuous refinement of targeting and content delivery of the digital advertisements to maximize the chances of the desired behavioral change.

“6. A method for targeting audiences for health behavior modification using digital advertisements, comprising: a program targeting users who enroll in the program; the program determining and customizing social media advertising parameters for that user through a logic engine; the program creating a customized HIPAA compliant microtargeted health campaign that takes 3 different forms: a. the first form is an advertising manager that uses AM testing to further customize advertisements for the user; b. the second form is an artificial intelligence enabled chatbot; c. the third form is a survey engine, which sends questions about behavior modification to the user via social media.

“7. The method of claim 6, farther comprising: the program utilizing the techniques of population health management to aggregate patient data across multiple health information technology resources and compile an analysis of that data into a single, actionable patient record; the program using this single, actionable patient record to keep track of advertising campaigns, analyze the feedback from those campaigns, and create an increasingly more accurate HIPAA compliant microtargeted health campaign for the user.

“8. The method of claim 6, further comprising: the program utilizing the friends of the user on social media to help reinforce health behavior modification; the program suggesting information to the friends of the user on social media in a synchronized manner with the campaign, such as at the same time that the campaign is sending out the suggested information.

“9. The method of claim 6, further comprising: the program utilizing micro and nano targeted digital advertisements in the form of static ads, picture, carousel, mobile new feeds, video, canvas and other ad types; the advertisements being based on social media targeting systems including browsing history, social media posts, Interests, Gender, Relationship Status, Educational Status, Age, Location, and Language;

“10. The method of claim 6, further comprising: the program collecting feedback from the user’s engagement with the content; the program feeding that feedback through a machine learning algorithm to allow for continuous refinement of targeting and content delivery of the digital advertisements to maximize the chances of the desired behavioral change.

“11. A method for targeting audiences for health behavior modification using digital advertisements, comprising: a program targeting users who enroll in the program; the program determining and customizing social media advertising parameters for that user through a logic engine; the program creating a customized country-specific individual health data transmission and storage regulation compliant health campaign that takes 3 different forms: a. the first form is an advertising manager that uses A/B testing to further customize advertisements for the user; b. the second form is an artificial intelligence enabled chatbot; c. the third form is a survey engine, which sends questions about behavior modification to the user via social media; the program utilizing the techniques of population health management to aggregate patient data across multiple health information technology resources and compile an analysis of that data into a single, actionable patient record; the program using this single, actionable patient record to keep track of advertising campaigns, analyze the feedback from those campaigns, and create an increasingly more accurate HIPAA compliant microtargeted health campaign for the user; the program utilizing the friends of the user on social media to help reinforce health behavior modification; the program suggesting information to the friends of the user on social media in a synchronized manner with the campaign, such as at the same time that the campaign is sending out the suggested information; the program utilizing micro and nano targeted digital advertisements in the form of static ads, picture, carousel, mobile new feeds, video, canvas and other ad types; the advertisements being based on social media targeting systems including browsing history, social media posts, Interests, Gender, Relationship Status, Educational Status, Age, Location, and Language.

“12. The method of claim I 1, further comprising: the advertising manager that is the first form of the health campaign of the program also includes machine learning to limber customize advertisements for the user; the program collecting feedback from the user’s engagement with the content; the program feeding that feedback through a machine learning algorithm to allow for continuous refinement of targeting and content delivery of the digital advertisements to maximize the chances of the desired behavioral change.”

For more information, see this patent application: Krishnan, Mahesh; Krishnan, Akshay; Krishnan, Anjali. System And Method For Targeting Audiences For Health Behavior Modification Using Digital Advertisements. Filed July 11, 2018 and posted January 16, 2020. Patent URL: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220200019995%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20200019995&RS=DN/20200019995

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