Network resource monitoring and measurement system and method

• US 7,953,791 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2008
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: comScore, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Jarrett, Andrew Lawrence, Or Sim, Lim, Cheong, Yee Han, Petit, Matthew James, Eustace, Anthony Roger, Bey, Shefik
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THUONG
• Application Number:
  US12/100,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20080256235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/224, 709/225, 370/232, 370/233, 370/234, 370/252, 370/253, 370/468, 715/736, 715/738, 455/404, 455/405, 455/406
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5628 Testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5636 Monitoring or policing, e.g. compliance with allocated rate, corrective actions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

A method and system for analysing and measuring multiple sources of data over a communications network (18) so as to ascertain information or usage of one or more resources, such as resource servers (2). A data collection and processing means (20) collects and processes the data sources which are forwarded to a reporting server (34) as a combined data source made available to interested parties.

Claims

1. A method of measuring usage of internet resources, the method comprising:

receiving a request for an internet resource at a proxy server from a user'"'"'s browser;

transmitting the request from the proxy server to a resource server that serves the internet resource;

receiving the internet resource at the proxy server from the resource server;

inserting, using a processor, computer executable measurement instructions to monitor usage of the internet resource at a user location into the internet resource at the proxy server;

transmitting the internet resource including the computer executable measurement instructions from the proxy server to the user'"'"'s browser;

receiving measurement data from the computer executable measurement instructions at a data collection server;

combining the measurement data with second measurement data collected from second computer executable measurement instructions included in the internet resource stored at the resource server; and

comparing the measurement data and the second measurement data to determine a weighting factor for the measurement data that compensates for a difference between the measurement data and the second measurement data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving measurement data from the computer executable measurement instructions at a data collection server; and

identifying the user at the data collection server via an identification sent with the measurement data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the identification is a cookie.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer executable measurement instructions are computer executable instructions embedded in an HTML page.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving third measurement data for a second internet resource from the computer executable measurement instructions;

determining a total number of accesses of the second internet resource by applying the weighting factor to the third measurement data.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising instructing the user to configure the user'"'"'s browser to utilize the proxy server.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising transmitting to the user a software program to configure the user'"'"'s browser to utilize the proxy server.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising sending a request to the user to participate in a program for providing monitoring information.

9. The method as defined in claim 8, further comprising:

in response to the request, receiving the user'"'"'s agreement to participate in the program; and

in response to the agreement, providing instructions for configuring the user'"'"'s browser to utilize the proxy server.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the instructions are software instructions.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

receive a request for an internet resource at a proxy server from a user'"'"'s browser;

transmit the request from the proxy server to a resource server that serves the internet resource;

receive the internet resource at the proxy server from the resource server;

insert computer executable measurement instructions to monitor usage of the internet resource at a user location into the internet resource at the proxy server;

transmit the internet resource including the computer executable measurement instructions from the proxy server to the user'"'"'s browser;

receive measurement data from the computer executable measurement instructions at a data collection server;

combine the measurement data with second measurement data collected from second computer executable measurement instructions included in the internet resource stored at the resource server; and

compare the measurement data and the second measurement data to determine a weighting factor for the measurement data that compensates for a difference between the measurement data and the second measurement data.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to at least:

receive measurement data from the computer executable measurement instructions at a data collection server; and

identify the user at the data collection server via an identification sent with the measurement data.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer executable measurement instructions are computer executable instructions embedded in an HTML page.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as defined in claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to at least:

receive third measurement data for a second internet resource from the computer executable measurement instructions;

determine a total number of accesses of the second internet resource by applying the weighting factor to the third measurement data.