Network User Usage Profiling
First Claim
1. A method for generating a network usage profile defining at least an estimation of a set of customer devices available for use in communicating with a customer-side network node located at a customer side of an access network, the set of customer devices comprising a set of active devices currently in operative communication with the customer-side network node and a set of inactive devices not currently in operative communication with the customer-side network node, the method comprising:
- receiving device data from the set of active devices currently in operative communication with the customer-side network node;
processing the device data to determine an active devices profile comprising a device type for each of the set of active devices, wherein processing the device data comprises parsing a device type indicator from at least one of a browser type, a user-agent, or a data protocol, the device type indicator being parsed from the device data and estimating the device type as a function of the browser type;
receiving a timestamp temporally relating to the device data received in the receiving device data step;
receiving a node identifier identifying the customer-side network node;
associating the timestamp and the node identifier with the active devices profile to generate a current devices-by-node record, the current devices-by-node record defining the set of active devices communicatively coupled with the customer-side network node identified by the node identifier at the time identified by the timestamp;
logging the current devices-by-node record in a devices-by-node log, the devices-by-node log comprising a plurality of devices-by-node records generated over a time duration;
analyzing the devices-by-node log to generate a devices-by-node profile as a function of the plurality of devices-by-node records generated over at least a portion of the time duration, the devices-by-node profile defining at least an estimation of the set of customer devices available for use in communicating with the customer-side network node during the at least a portion of the time duration, wherein the network usage profile comprises the devices-by-node profile;
receiving a customer account profile comprising account information relating to a customer associated with the customer-side network node; and
associating the customer account profile with the devices-by-node profile to generate a devices-by-customer profile, the devices-by-customer profile defining the set of customer devices available for use by the customer in communicating with the customer-side network node during the at least a portion of the time duration, wherein the network usage profile further comprises the devices-by-customer profile.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods, systems, devices, and software are disclosed for generating a network usage profile. Certain embodiments of the network usage profile include a devices-by-node profile, indicating the set of customer devices available for use in communicating with a customer-side network node located at a customer side of an access network over a period of time, where some of the customer devices are not in operative communication with the customer-side network node during a portion of that time. Other embodiments associate the network usage profile with customer information to generate device-by-customer profiles. Still other embodiments associate the network usage profile with network traffic information to generate traffic-by-device profiles. Even other embodiments associate the multiple sources and types of information to generate traffic-by-customer profiles and/or traffic-by-device-by-customer profiles. Any of the profiles may then be accessed by one or more parties for use in affecting various network services, including targeting content delivery.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method for generating a network usage profile defining at least an estimation of a set of customer devices available for use in communicating with a customer-side network node located at a customer side of an access network, the set of customer devices comprising a set of active devices currently in operative communication with the customer-side network node and a set of inactive devices not currently in operative communication with the customer-side network node, the method comprising:
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receiving device data from the set of active devices currently in operative communication with the customer-side network node; processing the device data to determine an active devices profile comprising a device type for each of the set of active devices, wherein processing the device data comprises parsing a device type indicator from at least one of a browser type, a user-agent, or a data protocol, the device type indicator being parsed from the device data and estimating the device type as a function of the browser type; receiving a timestamp temporally relating to the device data received in the receiving device data step; receiving a node identifier identifying the customer-side network node; associating the timestamp and the node identifier with the active devices profile to generate a current devices-by-node record, the current devices-by-node record defining the set of active devices communicatively coupled with the customer-side network node identified by the node identifier at the time identified by the timestamp; logging the current devices-by-node record in a devices-by-node log, the devices-by-node log comprising a plurality of devices-by-node records generated over a time duration; analyzing the devices-by-node log to generate a devices-by-node profile as a function of the plurality of devices-by-node records generated over at least a portion of the time duration, the devices-by-node profile defining at least an estimation of the set of customer devices available for use in communicating with the customer-side network node during the at least a portion of the time duration, wherein the network usage profile comprises the devices-by-node profile; receiving a customer account profile comprising account information relating to a customer associated with the customer-side network node; and associating the customer account profile with the devices-by-node profile to generate a devices-by-customer profile, the devices-by-customer profile defining the set of customer devices available for use by the customer in communicating with the customer-side network node during the at least a portion of the time duration, wherein the network usage profile further comprises the devices-by-customer profile. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A network usage profile handling system for use in a network comprising a plurality of customer-side network nodes, each respective customer-side network node being associated with a customer and communicatively coupled with an access network by which the customer receives access to network services provided by a network service provider, each customer being further associated with a set of customer devices available for use in communicating with the respective customer-side network node, the set of customer devices comprising a set of active devices currently in operative communication with the respective customer-side network node and a set of inactive devices not currently in operative communication with the respective customer-side network node, the system comprising:
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a node data aggregator module adapted to generate a set of current devices-by-node records, each of the set of current devices-by-node records being associated with a respective customer-side network node and generated by; receiving device data from the set of active devices currently in operative communication with the respective customer-side network node; processing the device data to determine an active devices profile comprising a device type for each of the set of active devices currently in operative communication with the respective customer-side network node, wherein processing the device data comprises parsing a device type indicator from at least one of a browser type, a user-agent, or a data protocol, the device type indicator being parsed from the device data and estimating the device type as a function of the browser type; receiving a timestamp temporally relating to the device data; receiving a node identifier identifying the respective customer-side network node; and associating the timestamp and the node identifier with the active devices profile to generate a current devices-by-node record, defining the set of active devices in operative communication with the respective customer-side network node identified by the node identifier at the time identified by the timestamp; a usage profile data store, adapted to store a devices-by-node log comprising a plurality of devices-by-node records generated over a time duration, the set of current devices-by-node records being some of the plurality of devices-by-node records; and a usage profile module, communicatively coupled with the usage profile data store and adapted to generate a network usage profile by analyzing the devices-by-node log to generate devices-by-node profiles for each of the plurality of customer-side network nodes as a function of the plurality of devices-by-node records generated over at least a portion of the time duration, the devices-by-node profiles defining at least an estimation of the set of customer devices available for use in communicating with each of the customer-side network nodes during the at least a portion of the time duration, wherein the network usage profile comprises the devices-by-node profiles; a customer account profile data store adapted to store account information relating to a customer associated with the customer-side network node; and a customer account profile module adapted to associated the customer account profile with the devices-by-node profile to generate a devices-by-customer profile, the devices-by-customer profile defining the set of customer devices available for use by the customer in communicating with the customer-side network node during the at least a portion of the time duration, wherein the network usage profile further comprises the devices-by-customer profile.
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29. An apparatus comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for generating a network usage profile defining at least an estimation of a set of customer devices available for use in communicating with a customer-side network node located at a customer side of an access network, the set of customer devices comprising a set of active devices currently in operative communication with the customer-side network node and a set of inactive devices not currently in operative communication with the customer-side network node, the computer-readable program including instructions for providing the controlled access to the network characteristic data in accordance with the following:
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receiving device data from the set of active devices currently in operative communication with the customer-side network node; processing the device data to determine an active devices profile comprising a device type for each of the set of active devices, wherein processing the device data comprises parsing a device type indicator from at least one of a browser type, a user-agent, or a data protocol, the device type indicator being parsed from the device data and estimating the device type as a function of the browser type; receiving a timestamp temporally relating to the device data received in the receiving device data step; receiving a node identifier identifying the customer-side network node; associating the timestamp and the node identifier with the active devices profile to generate a current devices-by-node record, the current devices-by-node record defining the set of active devices communicatively coupled with the customer-side network node identified by the node identifier at the time identified by the timestamp; logging the current devices-by-node record in a devices-by-node log, the devices-by-node log comprising a plurality of devices-by-node records generated over a time duration; analyzing the devices-by-node log to generate a devices-by-node profile as a function of the plurality of devices-by-node records generated over at least a portion of the time duration, the devices-by-node profile defining at least an estimation of the set of customer devices available for use in communicating with the customer-side network node during the at least a portion of the time duration, wherein the network usage profile comprises the devices-by-node profile; receiving a customer account profile comprising account information relating to a customer associated with the customer-side network node; and associating the customer account profile with the devices-by-node profile to generate a devices-by-customer profile, the devices-by-customer profile defining the set of customer devices available for use by the customer in communicating with the customer-side network node during the at least a portion of the time duration, wherein the network usage profile further comprises the devices-by-customer profile.
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Specification