Centralized dispatching of application analytics

• US 10,331,539 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2017
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Cotugno, James Joseph, Rhodes, Neil Campbell
• Primary Examiner(s): Chou, Alan S
• Application Number:
  US15/469,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20170199805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 709222
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2268 Logging of test results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3604 Software analysis for verifying properties of programs byte-code verification G06F9/44589
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3612 by runtime analysis performance monitoring G06F11/3466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44594 Unloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A method may include, in a computing device comprising at least one processor and a memory, generating at least one information beacon from each of a plurality of applications installed on the computing device. Each information beacon may include application analytics data associated with a corresponding application while the corresponding application is running on the computing device. The at least one information beacon from each of the plurality of applications may be stored in a common location in the computing device. The stored at least one information beacon may be dispatched from each of the plurality of applications to a network device communicatively coupled to the computing device. The generating may be triggered by beacon generation code implemented in each of the plurality of applications installed on the computing device.

Claims

1. An analysis server that manages collection and transmission of information beacons across a plurality of applications to reduce power consumption of a mobile computing device, comprising:

a memory configured to store a beacon database;

a communication subsystem configured to communicatively couple the analysis server and the mobile computing device;

an application analytics processor configured to;

transmit, to the mobile computing device using the communication subsystem, a command that causes the mobile computing device to initiate beacon collection in accordance with a beacon dispatch policy that specifies a pre-determined interval at which beacons are to be transmitted from the mobile computing device to the analysis server, wherein a beacon service executed by the mobile computing device implements the beacon dispatch policy;

receive, from the mobile computing device, at the pre-determined interval, and using the communication subsystem, all of a plurality of information beacons generated by one or more applications executed by the mobile computing device since a previous plurality of information beacons were last transmitted to the analysis server rather than receiving each respective information beacon from the plurality of information beacons at respective times when the respective information beacons were generated thereby reducing a number of transmissions required to transmit the plurality of information beacons and reducing the power consumption, the plurality of information beacons having been generated since the previous plurality of information beacons were last transmitted to the analysis server, wherein each information beacon from the plurality of information beacons includes data indicating one or more of which part of an application was being used, a user'"'"'s interaction with the application, a result achieved while the application was running, experimentation information, or timing information related to the application, and wherein transmission of the plurality of information beacons is managed by the beacon service in accordance with the beacon dispatch policy;

store, in the beacon database, the plurality of information beacons; and

generate, based on the plurality of information beacons stored in the beacon database, at least one analytics report specifying usage of the one or more applications that generated the plurality of information beacons.

2. The analysis server of claim 1, wherein the beacon dispatch policy further specifies whether the mobile computing device is to do one or more of compress the plurality of information beacons or decrypt the plurality of information beacons prior to transmitting the plurality of information beacons to the analysis server.

3. The analysis server of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of information beacons received by the application analytics processor are compressed, and

wherein the application analytics processor is further configured to decompress the plurality of information beacons prior to generating the at least one analytics report.

4. The analysis server of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of information beacons received by the application analytics processor are encrypted, and

wherein the application analytics processor is further configured to decrypt the plurality of information beacons prior to generating the at least one analytics report.

5. The analysis server of claim 1, wherein the application analytics processor is further configured to cause mobile computing device to transmit the plurality of information beacons to the analysis server concurrently with another communication between the analysis server and the mobile computing device.

6. The analysis server of claim 1, wherein the application analytics processor is further configured to cause beacons to be received by the analysis server concurrently with an existence of a particular type of network connection.

7. The analysis server of claim 6, wherein the particular type of network connection comprises a Wi-Fi®

connection.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer code for controlling a processor of an analysis server to cause the processor to:

transmit, to a mobile computing device, a command that causes the mobile computing device to initiate beacon collection in accordance with a beacon dispatch policy that specifies a pre-determined interval at which beacons are to be transmitted from the mobile computing device to the analysis server, wherein a beacon service executed by the mobile computing device implements the beacon dispatch policy;

receive, from the mobile computing device, at the pre-determined interval, all of a plurality of information beacons generated by one or more applications executed by the mobile computing device since a previous plurality of information beacons were last transmitted to the analysis server rather than receiving each respective information beacon from the plurality of information beacons at respective times when the respective information beacons were generated thereby reducing a number of transmissions required to transmit the plurality of information beacons and reducing the power consumption, the plurality of information beacons having been generated since the previous plurality of information beacons were last transmitted to the analysis server, wherein each information beacon from the plurality of information beacons includes data indicating one or more of which part of an application was being used, a user'"'"'s interaction with the application, a result achieved while the application was running, experimentation information, or timing information related to the application, and wherein transmission of the plurality of information beacons is managed by the beacon service in accordance with the beacon dispatch policy;

store, in a beacon database of the analysis server, the plurality of information beacons; and

generate, based on the plurality of information beacons stored in the beacon database, at least one analytics report specifying usage of the one or more applications that generated the plurality of information beacons.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the beacon dispatch policy further specifies whether the mobile computing device is to do one or more of compress the plurality of information beacons or decrypt the plurality of information beacons prior to transmitting the plurality of information beacons to the analysis server.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8,

wherein the plurality of information beacons received by the application analytics processor are compressed, and

wherein the application analytics processor is further configured to decompress the plurality of information beacons prior to generating the at least one analytics report.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8,

wherein the plurality of information beacons received by the application analytics processor are encrypted, and

wherein the application analytics processor is further configured to decrypt the plurality of information beacons prior to generating the at least one analytics report.

12. A method for managing collection and transmission of information beacons across a plurality of applications to reduce power consumption of a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

transmitting, from a computing system and to the mobile computing device, a command that causes the mobile computing device to initiate beacon collection in accordance with a beacon dispatch policy that specifies a pre-determined interval at which beacons are to be transmitted from the mobile computing device to the analysis server, wherein a beacon service executed by the mobile computing device implements the beacon dispatch policy;

receiving, by the computing system and from the mobile computing device at the pre-determined interval, all of a plurality of information beacons generated by one or more applications executed by the mobile computing device since a previous plurality of information beacons were last transmitted to the analysis server rather than receiving each respective information beacon from the plurality of information beacons at respective times when the respective information beacons were generated thereby reducing a number of transmissions required to transmit the plurality of information beacons and reducing the power consumption, the plurality of information beacons having been generated since the previous plurality of information beacons were last transmitted to the analysis server, wherein each information beacon from the plurality of information beacons includes data indicating one or more of which part of an application was being used, a user'"'"'s interaction with the application, a result achieved while the application was running, experimentation information, or timing information related to the application, and wherein transmission of the plurality of information beacons is managed by the beacon service in accordance with the beacon dispatch policy;

storing, in a beacon database of the computing system, the plurality of information beacons; and

generating, by the computing system and based on the plurality of information beacons stored in the beacon database, at least one analytics report specifying usage of the one or more applications that generated the plurality of information beacons.

13. The method of claim 12,

wherein the dispatch further specifies whether the mobile computing device is to do one or more of compress the plurality of information beacons or the decrypt plurality of information beacons prior to transmitting the plurality of information beacons to the analysis server.

14. The method of claim 12,

wherein the plurality of information beacons received by the application analytics processor are compressed, and

wherein the application analytics processor is further configured to decompress the plurality of information beacons prior to generating the at least one analytics report.

15. The method of claim 12,

wherein the plurality of information beacons received by the application analytics processor are encrypted, and

wherein the application analytics processor is further configured to decrypt the plurality of information beacons prior to generating the at least one analytics report.