Uniform resource locator discovery and tracking for managing sponsored data

• US 10,320,882 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2017
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dadlani, Rajendra, Goshgarian, Constance, Dillard, Maria, Wilson, Jeffrey, Sue, Ranny, Balani, Umesh, Cava, Arlene, McBride, Michael, Sharma, Pankaj, Riley, Xavier D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hance, Robert J
• Application Number:
  US15/689,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20190068683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/28 with meter at substation or with calculation of charges at terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0192 Sponsored, subsidised calls via advertising, e.g. calling cards with ads or connecting to special ads, free calling time by purchasing goods
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/236 Assembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. transport stream, by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, e.g. inserting a URL [Uniform Resource Locator] into a video stream, multiplexing software data into a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bit-rate; Assembling of a packetised elementary stream multiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

In one example, the present disclosure describes a device, computer-readable medium, and method for discovering and tracking uniform resource locators (URLs) for the purposes of managing sponsored data. For instance, in one example, a method includes monitoring a request for a stream of data delivered to a user endpoint device via a content distribution network, wherein the stream of data is accessed via a digital content distribution application running on the user endpoint device, discovering a uniform resource locator associated with the stream of data, and updating a list of sponsored uniform resource locators in accordance with the discovering, wherein the sponsored uniform resource locators comprise uniform resource locators that are permitted to be accessed by the digital content distribution application without impacting a data allowance allocated to the user endpoint device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

monitoring a request for a stream of data delivered to a user endpoint device via a content distribution network, wherein the stream of data is accessed via a digital content distribution application running on the user endpoint device;

discovering a first uniform resource locator associated with the stream of data;

updating a list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored in accordance with the discovering, wherein the list of sponsored uniform resource locators comprises uniform resource locators that are permitted to be accessed by the digital content distribution application without impacting a data allowance allocated to the user endpoint device; and

publishing the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored for viewing by a potential sponsor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored is obtained prior to the monitoring.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital content distribution application browses, plays, and navigates digital content delivered via the content distribution network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the digital content distribution application browses, plays, and navigates the digital content in cooperation with a mobile application controller in the content distribution network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovering comprises:

obtaining a complete path of the first uniform resource locator; and

aggregating the first uniform resource locator with a second uniform resource locator, based on the complete path.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second uniform resource locator is also associated with the stream of data.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the second uniform resource locator is included on the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the aggregating comprises:

detecting that the first uniform resource locator and the second uniform resource locator share a longest common path.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the longest common path comprises a common top level domain.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating comprises:

adding the first uniform resource locator to the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored, when the first uniform resource locator is not already present on the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored; and

indicating, on the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored, a time at which the first uniform resource locator was last discovered.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating comprises:

determining that the first uniform resource locator is already present on the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored; and

indicating, on the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored, a time at which the first uniform resource locator was last discovered.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating comprises:

determining that the first uniform resource locator has not been discovered for at least a predefined threshold period of time; and

removing the first uniform resource locator from the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring, the discovering, and the updating are repeated on a continuous basis.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first uniform resource locator is a hypertext transfer protocol over transport layer security uniform resource locator.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first uniform resource locator is a hypertext transfer protocol uniform resource locator.

16. A device, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

monitoring a request for a stream of data delivered to a user endpoint device via a content distribution network, wherein the stream of data is accessed via a digital content distribution application running on the user endpoint device;

discovering a uniform resource locator associated with the stream of data;

updating a list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored in accordance with the discovering, wherein the list of sponsored uniform resource locators comprises uniform resource locators that are permitted to be accessed by the digital content distribution application without impacting a data allowance allocated to the user endpoint device; and

publishing the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored for viewing by a potential sponsor.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the updating comprises:

adding the uniform resource locator to the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored, when the uniform resource locator is not already present on the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored; and

indicating, on the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored, a time at which the first uniform resource locator was last discovered.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

monitoring a request for a stream of data delivered to a user endpoint device via a content distribution network, wherein the stream of data is accessed via a digital content distribution application running on the user endpoint device;

discovering a uniform resource locator associated with the stream of data;

updating a list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored in accordance with the discovering, wherein the list of sponsored uniform resource locators comprises uniform resource locators that are permitted to be accessed by the digital content distribution application without impacting a data allowance allocated to the user endpoint device; and

publishing the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored for viewing by a potential sponsor.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the updating comprises:

adding the uniform resource locator to the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored, when the uniform resource locator is not already present on the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored; and

indicating, on the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored, a time at which the first uniform resource locator was last discovered.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the updating comprises:

determining the uniform resource locator has not been discovered for at least a predefined threshold period of time; and

removing the uniform resource locator from the list of sponsored uniform resource locators that are available to be sponsored.