TECHNIQUES FOR ASSOCIATING VARIABLE VERSIONS OF A CLUSTER OF DEVICES IDENTIFIED AT DIFFERENT TIMES WITH THE SAME USER BY ASSIGNING CLUSTER IDENTIFIERS

• US 20170134232A1
• Filed: 11/10/2015
• Published: 05/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Palanciuc, Virgil-Artimon, Schuchardt, Edward, Menguy, Charles, Weinstein, David, Fecioru, Mihai Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 10,110,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0859 by keeping history of different configuration generations or by rolling back to previous configuration versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for identifying stable attributes in clusters of devices and naming the clusters of devices using the stable attributes. The stable attribute is selected from data associated with user/household behavior and data associated with each device. Because the stable attribute is associated with the device in the cluster determined to be the most stable, it is a persistent identifier that can be used to identify the user/household over time. Because the stable attribute is determined each time the clusters are determined, resources that would be required to track the user/household over time are saved and the system of tracking users/households is more efficient. Attributes evaluated to determine the stable attribute include IP address, the location of the device, hardware characteristics of the device, the date a CRM profile was created, timestamp of the first or last user authentication, and the number of authentications on that device.

Claims

1. In an environment in which devices are intermittently grouped into clusters, a method for assigning a stable cluster identifier to devices in a cluster, the method comprising:

receiving information about devices in a cluster, wherein the devices were determined to be in the cluster based on determining that the devices are expected to be private devices used by a particular user;

identifying a stable attribute in the information about the devices in the cluster, wherein the stable attribute is identified based on the stable attribute being more likely than another attribute in the information to be present in subsequent cluster device information for the same particular user; and

assigning a cluster identifier to the devices in the cluster based on the stable attribute.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving information about devices in a second version of the cluster;

identifying the stable attribute in the information about the devices in the second version of the cluster; and

assigning the cluster identifier to the devices in the second version of the cluster based on the stable attribute.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising associating behavioral information from interactions on devices of both the cluster and the second version of the cluster with the particular user.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the cluster identifier as metadata for each of the devices of the cluster.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the cluster identifier from a first version of the cluster as metadata for each of the devices of the cluster;

receiving information about devices in a second version of the cluster;

identifying the stable attribute by identifying the cluster identifier from the first version of the cluster; and

assigning the cluster identifier to the devices in the second version of the cluster based on the stable attribute.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information received about the devices in the cluster includes a date each of the devices was first detected and the stable attribute is from a device that was detected first.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the information received about the devices in the cluster includes a number of times a user has been authenticated on each device; and

the stable attribute is from a device detected the most number of times.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the information received about the devices in the cluster includes a date a CRM profile was created on each device; and

the stable attribute is from a device associated with a first-created CRM profile.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein particular user is anonymous.

10. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device communicatively coupled to the processing device,

wherein the processing device is configured to execute instructions included in the memory device to perform operations comprising;

receiving information about devices in a cluster, wherein the devices were determined to be in the cluster based on determining that the devices are expected to be private devices used by a particular user;

identifying a stable attribute in the information about the devices in the cluster, wherein the stable attribute is identified based on the stable attribute being more likely than another attribute in the information to be present in subsequent cluster device information for the same particular user; and

assigning a cluster identifier to the devices in the cluster based on the stable attribute.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions included in the memory device to perform operations are further comprising:

receiving information about devices in a second version of the cluster;

identifying the stable attribute in the information about the devices in the second version of the cluster; and

assigning the cluster identifier to the devices in the second version of the cluster based on the stable attribute.

12. The system of claim 10 further comprising associating behavioral information from interactions on devices of both the cluster and the second version of the cluster with the particular user.

13. The system of claim 10 further comprising storing the cluster identifier as metadata for each of the devices of the cluster.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions included in the memory device to perform operations are further comprising:

storing the stable identifier from a first version of the cluster as metadata for each of the devices of the cluster;

receiving information about devices in a second version of the cluster;

identifying the stable attribute by identifying the cluster identifier from the first version of the cluster; and

assigning the cluster identifier to the devices in the second version of the cluster based on the stable attribute.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the information received about the devices in the cluster includes a date each of the devices was first detected and the stable attribute is from a device that was detected first.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying program code executable by a computer system, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

program code for receiving information about devices in a cluster, wherein the devices were determined to be in the cluster based on determining that the devices are expected to be private devices used by a particular user;

program code for identifying a stable attribute in the information about the devices in the cluster, wherein the stable attribute is identified based on the stable attribute being more likely than another attribute in the information to be present in subsequent cluster device information for the same particular user; and

program code for assigning a cluster identifier to the devices in the cluster based on the stable attribute.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

program code for receiving information about devices in a second version of the cluster;

program code for identifying the stable attribute in the information about the devices in the second version of the cluster; and

program code for assigning the cluster identifier to the devices in the second version of the cluster based on the stable attribute.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 further comprising associating behavioral information from interactions on devices of both the cluster and the second version of the cluster with the particular user.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 further comprising storing the cluster identifier as metadata for each of the devices of the cluster.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 further comprising:

program code for storing the cluster identifier from a first version of the cluster as metadata for each of the devices of the cluster;

program code for receiving information about devices in a second version of the cluster;

program code for identifying the stable attribute by identifying the cluster identifier from the first version of the cluster; and

program code for assigning the cluster identifier to the devices in the second version of the cluster based on the stable attribute.