How Software Automatically Picks the Best Way to Send Job Ads
A system that uses data analytics to choose the most effective communication channel for sending job advertisements to specific people and tracks the resulting referrals.
Original patent title: “Method and system for channel optimization”
A system that uses data analytics to choose the most effective communication channel for sending job advertisements to specific people and tracks the resulting referrals. Granted to Jobvite Inc in 2017 with 5 claims and 2 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This system acts as a smart matchmaker for job postings. It looks at a job and a potential candidate, then analyzes data to decide which platform—like email, social media, or messaging—will most likely result in that person applying. The system generates a unique URL for every message, which allows it to track exactly where a lead came from. If a person shares a job link and someone else applies through it, the system automatically credits the original sharer for the referral, even if the applicant applied for a different job than the one originally sent.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover manual selection of communication channels by human recruiters.
- Does not cover job boards that do not use unique tracking URLs for referral attribution.
- Does not cover systems that lack a mechanism for tracking referral paths between multiple users.
- Does not cover general advertising optimization that is not specifically tied to job referral tracking.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The system doesn't just track the original message; it tracks the referral chain. It can credit a recruiter for a hire even if the candidate applied for a different job than the one originally sent, provided the link was shared within a specific 'look-back' period.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Jobvite's automated social recruiting platform
Applicant tracking systems with referral bonus automation
Internal employee referral portals
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent addresses the 'black box' of recruitment marketing. By automating the selection of communication channels and providing a rigorous way to track referrals, it helps companies quantify the return on investment for their hiring efforts. It formalizes the process of social recruiting, turning informal word-of-mouth into a trackable, data-driven business metric.
Filed
June 24, 2011
Granted
November 7, 2017
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Jobvite, now part of the Talroo/Nexxt ecosystem, continues to build on these automated recruitment workflows. Other major players in the human capital management software space, such as Workday and Greenhouse, utilize similar logic for tracking referral sources and optimizing candidate outreach.
Market impact
This patent helped standardize the use of 'smart links' in recruitment software, moving the industry away from manual spreadsheets toward automated referral tracking. It enabled the growth of 'social recruiting' as a measurable performance channel, allowing companies to treat job referrals with the same analytical rigor as traditional sales leads.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This system acts as a smart matchmaker for job postings. It looks at a job and a potential candidate, then analyzes data to decide which platform—like email, social media, or messaging—will most likely result in that person applying. The system generates a unique URL for every message, which allows it to track exactly where a lead came from. If a person shares a job link and someone else applies through it, the system automatically credits the original sharer for the referral, even if the applicant applied for a different job than the one originally sent.
The clever bit
The system doesn't just track the original message; it tracks the referral chain. It can credit a recruiter for a hire even if the candidate applied for a different job than the one originally sent, provided the link was shared within a specific 'look-back' period.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover manual selection of communication channels by human recruiters.
- Does not cover job boards that do not use unique tracking URLs for referral attribution.
- Does not cover systems that lack a mechanism for tracking referral paths between multiple users.
- Does not cover general advertising optimization that is not specifically tied to job referral tracking.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
10/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
3/20
Moderate scope
Recency
10/20
Granted 5–10 years ago
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$34K – $108K
Midpoint $67K · 5.0 yr remaining · industry ×1.6
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
5 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Hyder, A., Aggarwal, V., Ali, S. M., Chen, C., & Chu, K. W. (2017). How Software Automatically Picks the Best Way to Send Job Ads (U.S. Patent No. 9,811,783). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9811783/uber-surge-pricing
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Software Automatically Picks the Best Way to Send Job Ads cover?
A system that uses data analytics to choose the most effective communication channel for sending job advertisements to specific people and tracks the resulting referrals.
Who owns patent US 9811783?
Jobvite Inc owns this patent, granted in 2017.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on November 7, 2037, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 9811783 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 2 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent addresses the 'black box' of recruitment marketing. By automating the selection of communication channels and providing a rigorous way to track referrals, it helps companies quantify the return on investment for their hiring efforts. It formalizes the process of social recruiting, turning informal word-of-mouth into a trackable, data-driven business metric.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover manual selection of communication channels by human recruiters.
Patent monitoring