USE OF BROWSER HISTORY FILE TO DETERMINE WEB SITE REACH

• US 20090063656A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, LLC
• Inventors: Blumenau, Trevor I., Harkness, David H., Bhatia, Manish
• Granted Patent: US 8,862,712 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• 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 and apparatus for using a browser history file to determine web site reach are disclosed. An example method includes accessing Web site access history information stored at a client computer, accessing a user setting corresponding to a duration of time for retention of the Web site access history information, and sending the Web site access history information and the user setting to a collection computer different from the client computer.

Claims

1. A method of metering Web site reach, the method comprising:

accessing Web site access history information stored at a client computer;

accessing a user setting corresponding to a duration of time for retention of the Web site access history information; and

sending the Web site access history information and the user setting to a collection computer different from the client computer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a data collection application from a server computer to the client computer and copying the Web site access history information through execution of the data collection application on the client computer.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising transmitting the Web site access history information to the collecting computer.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising storing in the collecting computer the Web site access history information from the client computer together with Web site access history information from other computers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing Web site access history information, accessing the user setting, and sending the Website access history information and the user setting to the collection computer are performed by a meter located at a metered computer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing in the collecting computer the Web site access history information from the client computer together with Web site access history information from a second computer different from the client computer and different from the collection computer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the Web site access history information is stored by a browser.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user setting is a setting of the browser.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein accessing the Web site access history information stored at the client computer, accessing the user setting corresponding to the duration of time for retention of the Web site access history information, and sending the Web site access history information and the user setting to the collection computer different from the client computer are performed by an application different than the browser.

10. A method of metering Web site reach, the method comprising:

monitoring a Web site browser at the first computer to determine when the Web site browser stores Web site access history information in a history file;

intercepting the Web site access history information when it is determined that the Web site access history information is being stored in the history file; and

communicating the intercepted Web site access history information to a second computer.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting a data collection application from a second computer to the first computer, and collecting the Web site access history information through execution of the data collection application on the first computer.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing in the second computer the Web site access history information from the first computer together with Web site access history information from a third computer networked to the first computer.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein monitoring the Web site browser at the first computer to determine when the Web site browser stores Web site access history information in the history file and intercepting the Web site access history information when it is determined that the Web site access history information is being stored in the history file are performed by a meter located at the first computer.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting a data collection application from a second computer to the first computer, and collecting the Web site access history information through execution of the data collection application on the first computer.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing in the second computer the Web site access history information from the first computer together with Web site access history information from a third computer.

16. A machine readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to:

access Web site access history information stored at a client computer;

access a user setting corresponding to a duration of time for retention of the Web site access history information; and

transmit the Web site access history information and the user setting to a central facility.

17. The machine readable medium as defined in claim 16, wherein a data collection application comprising the instructions is received from a server computer.

18. The machine readable medium as defined in claim 16, wherein the central facility is to store the Web site access history information together with Web site access history information from a second client computer.

19. The machine readable medium as defined in claim 16, wherein the Web site access history information is stored by a browser application executed by the client computer.

20. The machine readable medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the user setting is a setting of the browser application.

21. The machine readable medium as defined in claim 20, wherein the program code is a part of an application different than the browser application.