CONTENT DISTRIBUTION TRACKING THROUGH WIRELESS MESH NETWORKS

• US 20140056179A1
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Published: 02/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo AD Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bill, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,300,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/256
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/085 Retrieval of network configuration; Tracking network configuration history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/122 by minimising distances, e.g. by selecting a route with minimum of number of hops
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/20 Hop count for routing purposes, e.g. TTL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/36 Backward learning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A distribution of a content selection being distributed throughout a wireless mesh network may be tracked. A wireless device in the wireless mesh network enables the content selection to be exchanged. Wireless devices then exchange the content, and a network topology is recorded in response. Finally, the network topology is reported to a reporting agent.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A method of adjusting a wireless network, the method comprising the following operations performed by at least one processor:

detecting a transaction on the wireless network involving at least one wireless device;

recording transaction data including a total number of network hops involved in the transaction;

analyzing the recorded transaction data to determine a maximum span; and

adjusting the wireless network based on the determined maximum span to thereby optimize transactions on the wireless network.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the determined maximum span represents the maximum number of hops between any two wireless devices in the wireless network.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein adjusting the wireless network comprises partitioning the wireless network into smaller networks to reduce the maximum span of the network.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the transaction data is recorded locally to the at least one wireless device.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising reporting the locally recorded transaction data to a remote content provider.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the transaction data includes a description of the transaction between the at least one wireless device and another wireless device.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the transaction data includes a recording of bandwidth utilization across one or more links in the wireless network.

29. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

depicting the transaction on a user interface, the user interface including a map of the wireless network displaying details of the transaction based on the recorded transaction data.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein a user can select at least one wireless device on the user interface to display a list of transaction in which the at least one wireless device was involved.

31. A tangibly embodied non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method for adjusting a wireless network, the method comprising:

receiving recorded transaction data including a total number of network hops involved in the transaction;

analyzing the recorded transaction data to determine a maximum span; and

adjusting the wireless network based on the determined maximum span to thereby optimize transactions on the wireless network.

32. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the determined maximum span represents the maximum number of hops between any two wireless devices in the wireless network.

33. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 32, wherein the instructions executed by the at least one processor further cause the at least one processor to adjust the wireless network by partitioning the wireless network into smaller networks to reduce the maximum span of the network.

34. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the transaction data is recorded locally to at least one wireless device.

35. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the instructions executed by the at least one processor further cause the at least one processor to receive the locally recorded transaction data from the at least one wireless device.

36. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the transaction data includes a description of the transaction between a first wireless device and a second wireless device.

37. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the transaction data includes a recording of bandwidth utilization across one or more links in the wireless network.

38. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the instructions executed by the at least one processor further cause the at least one processor to:

depict the transaction on a user interface, the user interface including a map of the wireless network displaying details of the transaction based on the recorded transaction data.

39. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 38, wherein a user can select at least one wireless device on the user interface to display a list of transaction in which the at least one wireless device was involved.

40. An apparatus comprising:

a storage medium storing instructions; and

at least one processor executing the stored instructions to;

receive recorded transaction data including a total number of network hops involved in the transaction;

analyze the recorded transaction data to determine a maximum span; and

adjust the wireless network based on the determined maximum span to thereby optimize transactions on the wireless network.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the recorded transaction data is analyzed to determine a maximum span of the network, representing the maximum number of hops between any two wireless devices in the wireless network.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the at least one processor further executes the stored instructions to adjust the wireless network by partitioning the wireless network into smaller networks to reduce the maximum span of the network.

43. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the transaction data is recorded locally to at least one wireless device.