METHODS AND APPARATUS TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PARENT AND CHILD WEBPAGE ACCESSES AND/OR BROWSER TABS IN FOCUS

• US 20140019589A1
• Filed: 07/29/2013
• Published: 01/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Ross, Scott, Dervaux, Vianney, Low, Binlay
• Granted Patent: US 9,332,056 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 related to network traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to distinguish between parent and child webpage accesses and/or browser tabs in focus are disclosed. An example implementation includes identifying an HTTP request; retrieving Page Info data from a browser; electronically detecting if the Page Info data and the HTTP request identify a same Internet resource; electronically classifying the HTTP request as a parent call when the Page Info data and the HTTP request identify the same Internet resource; and electronically classifying the HTTP request as a child call when the Page Info data and the HTTP request identify different Internet resources.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method to identify a windows in a browser, the method comprising:

identifying, using a processor, a first HTTP call in a browser window on a monitored device;

identifying, using a processor, a second HTTP call, the first and second HTTP calls occurring between consecutive user actions on the monitored device; and

determining, using the processor, that (1) the first HTTP call is a parent call if a first universal resource locator of the first HTTP call matches a second universal resource locator of Page Info data of the browser, and (2) that the second HTTP call is a child call based on a detected status of the browser window.

3. The method as described in claim 2, wherein the detected status of the browser window is an application focus status.

4. The method as described in claim 2, wherein the detected status of the browser window is a status of an active tab of the browser.

5. The method as described in claim 2, further comprising determining that the first HTTP call is the parent call when the URL matches a locator of the Page Info.

6. The method as described in claim 2, further comprising monitoring user interaction associated with the monitored device.

7. A tangible machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

identify a first HTTP call in a browser window on a monitored device;

identify a second HTTP call, the first and second HTTP calls occurring between consecutive user actions on the monitored device; and

determine that (1) the first HTTP call is a parent call if a first universal resource locator of the first HTTP call matches a second universal resource locator of Page Info data of the browser, and (2) that the second HTTP call is a child call based on a detected status of the browser window.

8. The machine-readable medium as described in claim 7, wherein the detected status of the browser window is an application focus status.

9. The machine-readable medium as described in claim 7, wherein the detected status of the browser window is a status of an active tab of the browser.

10. The machine-readable medium as described in claim 9, further comprising instructions which, when executed, cause the machine to determine that the first HTTP call is the parent call when the URL matches a locator of the Page Info.

11. The machine-readable medium as described in claim 7, further comprising instructions which, when executed, cause the machine to monitor user interaction associated with the monitored device.

12. A method to monitor Internet usage, the method comprising:

identifying a first event as a first parent call when first Page Info data retrieved from a browser identifies a same Internet resource as an identified request originated from the browser, the first event having a first timestamp;

identifying a second event, the second event being at least one of a second parent call or a non-browser event, the second event having a second timestamp;

determining a time difference between the first timestamp and the second timestamp; and

crediting the first event with a duration of exposure based on the time difference.

13. The method as described in claim 12, wherein the second event is the second parent call, and further comprising crediting the first event with the duration of exposure only when the first parent call and second parent call are associated with a same tab of the browser.

14. The method as described in claim 12, further comprising crediting the first event in association with a universal resource locator of the first event.

15. The method as described in claim 14, wherein the universal resource locator of the first event is retrieved from the Page Info data.

16. The method as described in claim 14, wherein the universal resource locator of the first event is retrieved from the request.

17. The method as described in claim 12, further comprising transmitting crediting information to a central facility, the crediting information including the duration of exposure credited to the first event.