TRACKING REMOTE BROWSER CRASHES VIA COOKIES

• US 20100257255A1
• Filed: 04/03/2009
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Phillips, Derek J., Kroeger, Robert J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,745,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

The methods track abnormal events on mobile client devices, such as web application crashes, and use that information to associate the abnormal events with device characteristics. A first method executes on mobile client devices. When a web application starts, the method looks for a crash indicator cookie in persistent memory. If the cookie does not exist, the method creates and stores it. If the cookie already exists, the method collects information about the client device, such as device type, browser type, and operating system, and sends the information to a web server. The web application deletes the cookie when the application terminates normally. A second method executes on a web server. This method receives information from client devices relating to abnormal events for web applications. The information includes device characteristics of each client device. This method stores the information and associates a pattern of abnormal events with device characteristics.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for tracking activity on mobile devices, performed at a mobile client device with a persistent memory and a web browser configured to execute on the mobile client device, comprising:

initiating startup of a client web application within a browser on the mobile client device, including;

determining whether a crash indicator cookie for the client web application exists in persistent memory;

when the crash indicator cookie does not exist in the persistent memory;

creating the crash indicator cookie, and

storing the crash indicator cookie in the persistent memory;

when the crash indicator cookie does exist in the persistent memory;

collecting information about the mobile client device and the browser, and

sending the information to a remote web server in a message that indicates the occurrence of an abnormal event; and

deleting the crash indicator cookie when the client web application terminates normally.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the message includes a count indicating a number of abnormal events that have occurred since a prior communication to the remote web server.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

during execution of the client web application, writing information to the crash indicator cookie, wherein the information characterizes a current operation performed by the client web application.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

during execution of the client web application, writing information to the crash indicator cookie, wherein the information characterizes a service provided by the web browser.

5. A computer-implemented method for tracking activity on mobile devices, performed at a mobile client device with a persistent memory and a web browser configured to execute on the mobile client device, comprising:

initiating startup of a client web application within a browser on the mobile client device, including;

determining whether a crash indicator cookie for the client web application exists in persistent memory;

when the crash indicator cookie does not exist in the persistent memory;

creating the crash indicator cookie, wherein the crash indicator cookie includes a status indicator set to a first status value, and

storing the crash indicator cookie in the persistent memory;

when the crash indicator cookie does exist in the persistent memory and the status indicator of the crash indicator cookie is set to the first status value;

collecting information about the mobile client device and the browser, and

sending the information to a remote web server in a message that indicates the occurrence of an abnormal event;

when the crash indicator cookie does exist in the persistent memory and the status indicator of the crash indicator cookie is set to a second status value;

updating the value of the status indicator in the crash indicator cookie to the first status value;

updating the value of the status indicator in the crash indicator cookie to the second status value when the client web application terminates normally, wherein the second status value is distinct from the first status value.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the message includes a count indicating a number of abnormal events that have occurred since a prior communication to the remote web server.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

during execution of the client web application, writing information to the crash indicator cookie, wherein the information characterizes a current operation performed by the client web application.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

during execution of the client web application, writing information to the crash indicator cookie, wherein the information characterizes a service provided by the web browser.

9. A computer-implemented method for identifying a pattern of abnormal browser events on mobile devices, performed at a server, comprising:

receiving information from a plurality of mobile client devices relating to abnormal events for a web application executing on the mobile client devices, wherein the information includes a plurality of device characteristics of each mobile client device, including device type and browser type;

storing the information in an event log;

identifying a pattern of abnormal events based on the information in the event log; and

associating the pattern abnormal events with one or more device characteristics stored in the event log.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 wherein the device characteristics comprise data about hardware components of each mobile client device.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 wherein the device characteristics comprise data about software running on each mobile client device.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 wherein the device characteristics comprise data about the browser running on each mobile client device.

13. A mobile client device, comprising:

a display;

one or more processors;

memory, including both volatile memory and persistent memory; and

a browser program and a client web application program, wherein the browser program and the client web application program are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the browser program and the client web application program including instructions for;

initiating startup of the client web application program within the browser program on the mobile client device, including;

determining whether a crash indicator cookie for the client web application program exists in persistent memory;

when the crash indicator cookie does not exist in the persistent memory;

creating the crash indicator cookie, and

storing the crash indicator cookie in the persistent memory;

when the crash indicator cookie does exist in the persistent memory;

collecting information about the mobile client device and the browser program, and

sending the information to a remote web server in a message that indicates the occurrence of an abnormal event; and

deleting the crash indicator cookie when the client web application program terminates normally.

14. The mobile client device of claim 13, wherein the message includes a count indicating a number of abnormal events that have occurred since a prior communication to the remote web server.

15. The mobile client device of claim 13, further comprising:

instructions for writing information to the crash indicator cookie during execution of the client web application program, wherein the information characterizes a current operation performed by the client web application program.

16. The mobile client device of claim 13, further comprising:

instructions for writing information to the crash indicator cookie during execution of the client web application, wherein the information characterizes a service provided by the browser program.