Pre-loaded native application tracking service

• US 10,643,234 B1
• Filed: 07/18/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Dennis, Drew T., Stone, M. Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Refai, Sam
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robinson, Kyle G
• Application Number:
  US15/653,345
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A mobile communication device is disclosed. The device comprises a processor, a memory, a display, an input device, and a tracking client pre-loaded native application stored in the memory and referenced by a uniform resource identifier (URI). When executed by the processor the client application receives a tracking identity of a mobile advertisement from another application installed on the device sent based on the URI associated with the client application. In response to receiving the tracking identity of the mobile advertisement, the client application stores a log of a click input associated with the mobile advertisement, and in response to receiving the tracking identity of the mobile application, transmits a click message to an application store. The application further establishes a reliable communication connection to an event tracking server and transmits the log of the click input via the reliable communication connection to the event tracking server.

Claims

1. A method of communicating events generated by a mobile communication device, comprising:

receiving a mobile advertisement by a mobile communication device, where the ad comprises a creative content associated with a mobile application, a uniform resource identifier (URI), and a tracking identity associated with the mobile application, where the URI references an event tracking client application that is installed as a pre-loaded native application on the mobile communication device and that executes on the mobile communication device;

presenting the creative content on a display of the mobile communication device;

receiving a click input to the creative content by the mobile communication device;

providing the tracking identity to the event tracking client application;

storing a log of the click input by the event tracking client application, where the log comprises the tracking identity;

transmitting a click message to an application store by the event tracking client application, where the click message comprises a uniform resource identifier (URI) identifying content associated with the mobile application stored by the application store;

establishing a reliable communication connection to an event tracking server by the event tracking client application;

transmitting the log of the click input by the event tracking client application via the reliable communication connection to the event tracking server;

receiving the log of the click input by the event tracking server;

accessing information in a data store by the event tracking server based on the tracking identity of the log of the click input, where the accessed information identifies a reference to a server; and

transmitting a notification of the click input and the tracking identity by the event tracking server to the server associated with the reference identified in the accessed information,

whereby the event of a click through on the mobile advertisement is communicated from the mobile communication device to stakeholders in a distribution chain of the mobile application and the mobile communication device is enabled to access information about the mobile application from the application store.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessed information in the data store identifies a plurality of references to servers and the event tracking server transmits a notification of the click input and the tracking identity to each of the servers associated with the references identified in the accessed information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining by the event tracking client application that a mobile application has been installed;

storing by the event tracking client application a log of the installation of the mobile application comprising a second tracking identity;

transmitting the log of the installation of the mobile application by the event tracking client application to the event tracking server; and

transmitting a notification of the installation of the mobile application by the event tracking server where the notification comprises the second tracking identity.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining by the event tracking server that the tracking identity and the second tracking identity are the same;

determining by the event tracking server an elapsed time between the time of the log of the click input and the log of the installation of the mobile application;

determining that the elapsed time is less than a predefined attribution time threshold; and

based on the elapsed time being less than the predefined attribution time threshold, transmitting a notification of attribution by the event tracking server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein installation of the event tracking client application as a pre-loaded native application comprises installation of the event tracking client application on the mobile communication device during manufacturing and comprises operating system access privileges greater than the privileges granted to user installed mobile applications.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device is one of a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a media player, a wearable computer, a headset computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or a notebook computer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication connection comprises the event tracking server sending one of an ACK or a NACK message response to the event tracking client application in response to receiving the log of the click input by the event tracking server.

8. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory memory;

a display;

an input device; and

a tracking client pre-loaded native application stored in the non-transitory memory and referenced by a uniform resource identifier (URI) that, when executed by the processor;

receives a tracking identity of a mobile advertisement presented on the display from another application installed on the mobile communication device sent based on the URI associated with the tracking client pre-loaded native application;

in response to receiving the tracking identity of the mobile advertisement, stores a log of a click input associated with the mobile advertisement;

in response to receiving the tracking identity of the mobile application, transmits a click message to an application store, where the click message comprises a uniform resource identifier (URI) identifying content associated with the mobile application stored by the application store;

establishes a communication connection to an event tracking server; and

transmits the log of the click input via the communication connection to the event tracking server.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 8, wherein the mobile communication device is one of a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a media player, a wearable computer, a headset computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or a notebook computer.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 8, wherein the application further determines that a mobile application has been installed;

stores a log of the installation of the mobile application comprising a second tracking identity; and

transmits the log of the installation of the mobile application to the event tracking server.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 8, further comprising the another application different from the tracking client application stored in the non-transitory memory that, when executed by the processor:

receives the mobile advertisement comprising a creative content of the advertisement, the tracking identity, and the URI,

causes the presentation of the creative content on the display, and

sends the tracking identity to the tracking client application.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 11, where the another application different from the tracking client application is one of a web browser application, a mobile gaming application, or a social networking application.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 8, wherein the communication connection comprises the tracking client application determining that a NACK message is received from the event tracking server and transmitting the log of the click input to the event tracking server again.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 8, wherein the communication connection comprises the tracking client application determining a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value over at least a portion of the log of the click input and transmitting the CRC value with the log of the click input to the event tracking server.

15. A method of communicating events generated by a mobile communication device, comprising:

receiving a mobile advertisement by a mobile communication device, where the ad comprises a creative content associated with a mobile application, a uniform resource identifier (URI), and a tracking identity associated with the mobile application, where the URI references an event tracking client application that is installed on the mobile communication device and that executes on the mobile communication device;

presenting the creative content on a display of the mobile communication device;

receiving a click input to the creative content by the mobile communication device;

providing the tracking identity to the event tracking client application;

storing a log of the click input by the event tracking client application, where the log comprises the tracking identity;

transmitting a click message to an application store by the event tracking client application, where the click message comprises a uniform resource identifier (URI) identifying content associated with the mobile application stored by the application store;

establishing a communication connection to an event tracking server by the event tracking client application; and

transmitting the log of the click input by the event tracking client application via the communication connection to the event tracking server.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the mobile communication device is one of a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a media player, a wearable computer, a headset computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or a notebook computer.

17. The method of claim 15, where the event tracking client application establishes the communication connection at least in part over one of a wireless communication link provided according to a long term evolution (LTE), a code division multiple access (CDMA), a global system for mobile communications (GSM), or a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) wireless communication protocol.

18. The method of claim 15, where the event tracking client application establishes the communication connection at least in part over one of a WiFi communication link.

19. The method of claim 15, where the tracking identity is provided to the event tracking client application by another application executing on the mobile communication device based on the URI.

20. The method of claim 19, where the another application is one of a web browser application, a mobile gaming application, and a mobile social networking application.