Methods and apparatus to improve usage crediting in mobile devices

• US 10,257,297 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Papakostas, Achilleas, Cimino, Susan
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph E
• Assistant Examiner(s): McLeod, Marshall M
• Application Number:
  US15/700,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20170374169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 709224, 709223, 709217, 709229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1066 Session management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to identify a first request, from a first device, the first request having a first source port number. Examples disclosed herein determine whether a second request, having a second source port number, is within a threshold number of ports from the first source port number. Examples disclosed herein group the first and the second requests as a first session when the second source port number is within the threshold number of ports from the first source port number, and identify an application associated with the first session when a user agent of the first request matches a first application pattern associated with the first application, the first application pattern including a wildcard in a location corresponding to a numerical value in the user agent.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a means for identifying a first request, from a first device, the first request having a first source port number;

a means for determining whether a second request, having a second source port number, is within a threshold number of ports from the first source port number;

a means for grouping the first and the second requests as a first session when the second source port number is within the threshold number of ports from the first source port number;

a means for determining whether a third request, having a third port number, is at least one of;

(1) within a lower session window from a lower of the first and the second source port number, (2) within an upper session window from a higher of the first and the second source port number, and group the third request in the first session; and

a means for identifying an application associated with the first session.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein when the user agent of the first request does not match an application pattern associated with any application and a uniform resource locator (URL) matches the first application pattern associated with the first application, the means for identifying an application is to identify the application as the first application.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the numerical value corresponds to a version number, an iteration number or a release number.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the first application pattern includes a plurality of wildcards in multiple location corresponding to a plurality of numerical values in the user agent.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, further including a means for crediting the use of the application during the first session.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein requests are not processed on the first device.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein requests are processed at a proxy server intermediate to the first device associated with a panelist generating requests and a media provider providing the media to the first device.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to, at least:

identify a first request having a first source port number, from a device;

determine whether a second request, having a second source port number, is within a threshold number of ports from the first source port number;

group the first and the second requests as a first session when the second source port number is within the threshold number of ports from the first source port number; and

identify an application associated with the first session as a first application when a user agent of the first request matches a first application pattern associated with the first application, the first application pattern including a wildcard in a location corresponding to a numerical value in the user agent.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 8, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to, when the user agent of the first request does not match an application pattern associated with any application and a uniform resource locator (URL) matches the first application pattern associated with the first application, identify the application as the first application.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the numerical value corresponds to a version number, an iteration number or a release number.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the first application pattern includes a plurality of wildcards in multiple locations corresponding to a plurality of numerical values in the user agent.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 8, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to credit use of the application during the first session.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 8, wherein requests are not processed on the device.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 13, wherein requests are processed at a proxy server intermediate to the device associated with a panelist generating requests and a media provider providing the media to the device.

15. A method comprising:

identifying, by executing an instruction with a processor, a first request having a first source port number, from a device;

determining, by executing an instruction with the processor, whether a second request, having a second source port number, is within a threshold number of ports from the first source port number;

grouping, by executing an instruction with the processor, the first and the second requests as a first session when the second source port number is within the threshold number of ports from the first source port number; and

identifying, by executing an instruction with the processor, an application associated with the first session as a first application when a user agent of the first request matches a first application pattern associated with the first application, the first application pattern including a wildcard in a location corresponding to a numerical value in the user agent.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein when the user agent of the first request does not match an application pattern associated with any application and a uniform resource locator (URL) matches the first application pattern associated with the first application, identifying the application as the first application.

17. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the numerical value corresponds to a version number, an iteration number or a release number.

18. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the first application pattern includes a plurality of wildcards in multiple locations corresponding to a plurality of numerical values in the user agent.

19. The method as defined in claim 15, further including crediting use of the application during the first session.

20. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein requests are processed at a proxy server intermediate to the device associated with a panelist generating requests and a media provider providing the media to the device.