Methods and apparatus to credit usage of mobile devices

• US 10,356,579 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• 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): Meky, Moustafa M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Islam, S M Z
• Application Number:
  US13/840,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20140280896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,314 Days
• Field of Search: 709224
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to monitor mobile internet usage are disclosed. An example method includes identifying a first application associated with a first request, determining that the first application is operating in a background mode, and crediting the first application as a background application based on determining that the first application is operating in the background mode.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring mobile Internet usage, the method comprising:

identifying, by executing an instruction with a processor, a first application associated with a first request for Internet content, the first request sent at a first time;

identifying, by executing an instruction with the processor, a panelist associated with the first request;

determining, by executing an instruction with the processor, that the first application is operating in a background mode at the first time; and

crediting, with the processor, the first application as presenting the Internet content to the panelist as a background application when the first application is operating in the background mode at the first time.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the determining that the first application is operating in a background mode includes determining that a record for the first application occurs within a time period associated with a foreground execution session of a second application.

3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein determining that the first application is operating in a background mode includes determining that a time between an event and a previous event for the first application is less than an event length threshold.

4. The method as described in claim 1, further including crediting a second application independently of crediting the first application.

5. The method as described in claim 4, wherein the second application is operating in a foreground mode while the first application is operating in the background mode.

6. The method as described in claim 1, further including determining that the first application has stopped running in the background mode, and crediting the first application as a foreground application based on the determining that the first application has stopped running in the background mode.

7. The method as described in claim 6, wherein the determining that the first application has stopped running in the background mode includes determining that an event is associated with a second application, the second application being a privileged application.

8. The method as described in claim 6, wherein the determining that the first application has stopped running in the background mode includes determining that an event includes a second request corresponding to foreground execution of the first application.

9. The method as described in claim 6, wherein the determining that the first application has stopped running in the background mode includes determining that a time between an event and a previous event is greater than an event length threshold.

10. The method as described in claim 6, wherein the determining that the first application has stopped running in the background mode includes determining that an event corresponds to a resource demand that supersedes a resource demand of the first application.

11. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the crediting of the first application as a background application includes crediting a time duration between the first request and a previous event corresponding to a start time of a second application executing in a foreground execution mode.

12. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the crediting of the first application as a background application includes crediting a time duration between the first request and a previous event corresponding to background execution of the first application when the time duration is less than an event length threshold.

13. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the first request is sent to a proxy server.

14. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the first request is a request for media.

15. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the first application is a privileged application that sends requests using a URL designated for background execution or a request type designated for background execution.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

an application identifier to identify a first application associated with a first request for Internet content, the first request sent at a first time;

a user identifier to identify a user associated with the first request;

a background identifier to determine that the first application is operating in a background mode at the first time; and

a background creditor to credit the first application as presenting the Internet content to the user as a background application when the first application is operating in the background mode at the first time.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the background identifier is to determine that the first application is operating in the background mode by determining that a record for the first application occurs concurrently with a foreground execution session of a second application.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the background identifier is to determine that the first application is operating in the background mode by determining that a time between an event and a previous event for the first application is less than an event length threshold.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 16, further including a duration calculator to credit a second application executing in a foreground mode, the duration calculator to credit the second application independently of the background creditor crediting the first application.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the background identifier is to determine that the first application has stopped running in the background mode, and further including a duration calculator to credit the first application as a foreground application by determining that the first application has stopped running in the background mode.

21. The apparatus as described in claim 20, wherein the background identifier is to determine that the first application has stopped running in the background mode by determining that an event is associated with a second application, the second application being a privileged application.

22. The apparatus as described in claim 20, wherein the background identifier is to determine that the first application has stopped running in the background mode by determining that an event includes a second request corresponding to foreground execution of the first application.

23. The apparatus as described in claim 20, wherein the background identifier is to determine that the first application has stopped running in the background mode by determining that a time between an event and a previous event is greater than an event length threshold.

24. The apparatus as described in claim 20, wherein the background identifier is to determine that the first application has stopped running in the background mode by determining that an event corresponds to a resource demand that supersedes a resource demand of the first application.

25. The apparatus as described in claim 16, wherein the background creditor is to credit the first application as a background application by crediting a time duration between the first request and a previous event corresponding to a start time of a second application executing in a foreground execution mode.

26. The apparatus as described in claim 16, wherein the background creditor is to credit the first application as a background application by crediting a time duration between the first request and a previous event corresponding to background execution of the first application when the time duration is less than an event length threshold.

27. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

identify a first application associated with a first request for Internet content, the first request sent at a first time;

identify a panelist associated with the first request;

determine that the first application is operating in a background mode at the first time; and

credit the first application as presenting the Internet content to the panelist as a background application when the first application is operating in the background mode at the first time.

28. The non-transitory storage medium as described in claim 27, wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to determine that the first application is operating in the background mode by determining that a record for the first application occurs within a time period associated with a foreground execution session of a second application.

29. The non-transitory storage medium as described in claim 27, wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to determine that the first application is operating in the background mode by determining that a time between an event and a previous event for the first application is less than an event length threshold.

30. The non-transitory storage medium as described in claim 27, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to credit a second application independently of crediting the first application.

31. The non-transitory storage medium as described in claim 27, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to determine that the first application has stopped running in the background mode, and to credit the first application as a foreground application by determining that the first application has stopped running in the background mode.

32. The non-transitory storage medium as described in claim 31, wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to determine that the first application has stopped running in the background mode by determining that an event is associated with a second application, the second application being a privileged application.

33. The non-transitory storage medium as described in claim 31, wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to determine that the first application has stopped running in the background mode by determining that an event includes a second request corresponding to foreground execution of the first application.

34. The non-transitory storage medium as described in claim 31, wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to determine that the first application has stopped running in the background mode by determining that a time between an event and a previous event is greater than an event length threshold.

35. The non-transitory storage medium as described in claim 31, wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to determine that the first application has stopped running in the background mode by determining that an event corresponds to a resource demand that supersedes a resource demand of the first application.

36. The non-transitory storage medium as described in claim 27, wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to credit the first application as a background application by crediting a time duration between the first request and a previous event corresponding to a start time of a second application executing in a foreground execution mode.

37. The non-transitory storage medium as described in claim 27, wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to credit the first application as a background application by crediting a time duration between the first request and a previous event corresponding to background execution of the first application when the time duration is less than an event length threshold.