Detecting content and user response to content

• US 7,996,519 B1
• Filed: 08/21/2007
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: comScore, Inc., comScore Networks, Inc. (comScore, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: comScore, Inc.
• Inventors: Huang, Xinyu, Brown, Michael, Grant, Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US11/842,860
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A position of a cursor on a display is tracked. It is detected that the cursor is in an area of the display that includes a component of a webpage. It is determined whether the component matches a designated type of component, and details of the component are stored in response to determining that the component matches a designated type of component. A user input that selects the component is detected, and details of the component are accessed in response to detecting the user input. The details of the component are sent to a collection server.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

executing instructions on one or more processing devices that cause the one or more processing devices to perform the following operations;

tracking a position of a cursor on a display;

detecting that the cursor is in an area of the display that includes a component of a webpage;

determining, before detecting a user input that selects the component, whether the component matches a designated type of component;

storing, before detecting the user input that selects the component, details of the component in response to determining that the component matches a designated type of component, wherein storing the details of the component includes storing the details in a first buffer;

detecting the user input that selects the component;

in response to detecting the user input, sending a request for data to an intermediate website associated with the selected component;

receiving a response from the intermediate website that includes a redirection to a destination website;

in response to receiving the redirection to the destination website, sending a request for data to the destination website;

receiving a response from the destination website in response to the request sent to the destination website;

accessing the details of the component in response to detecting the user input, wherein accessing the details of the component includes copying the details from the first buffer to a second buffer;

sending the details of the component and information associated with the request sent to the destination website and the response from the destination website to a collection server, wherein sending the details of the component to the collection server includes accessing the details of the component from the second buffer and sending the accessed details to the collection server; and

sending the information associated with the request sent to the destination website and the response from the destination website to the collection server in association with the details of the component in the second buffer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a single buffer includes the first buffer and the second buffer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the response from the intermediate website is a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) status code 200.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the operations further comprise clearing the first buffer in response to determining that the component is not of interest.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the component matches a designated type of component comprises determining whether the component is included in the webpage using a designated type of HTML tag.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the component matches a designated type of component comprises determining whether the component is associated with a designated URL.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the component comprises at least one of an advertising image or a text line.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the details of the component includes at least one of the following:

a URL associated with the component, dimensions of the component, a unique identifier associated with the component, or an address.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program, the program comprising one or more code segments configured to perform the following when executed:

track a position of a cursor on a display;

detect that the cursor is in an area of the display that includes a component of a webpage;

determine, before detecting a user input that selects the component, whether the component matches a designated type of component;

store, before detecting the user input that selects the component, details of the component in response to determining that the component matches a designated type of component, wherein storing the details of the component includes storing the details in a first buffer;

detect the user input that selects the component;

in response to detecting the user input, send a request for data to an intermediate website associated with the selected component;

receive a response from the intermediate website that includes a redirection to a destination website;

in response to receiving the redirection to the destination website, send a request for data to the destination website;

receive a response from the destination website in response to the request sent to the destination website;

access the details of the component in response to detecting the user input, wherein accessing the details of the component includes copying the details from the first buffer to a second buffer;

send the details of the component and information associated with the request sent to the destination website and the response from the destination website to a collection server, wherein sending the details of the component to the collection server includes accessing the details of the component from the second buffer and sending the accessed details to the collection server; and

send the information associated with the request sent to the destination website and the response from the destination website to the collection server in association with the details of the component in the second buffer.

10. The medium of claim 9, wherein a single buffer includes the first buffer and the second buffer.

11. The medium of claim 9 wherein the response from the intermediate website is a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) status code 200.

12. The medium of claim 9 further comprising code segments configured to, when executed, clear the first buffer in response to determining that the component is not of interest.

13. The medium of claim 9 wherein the code segment configured to, when executed, determine whether the component matches a designated type of component determines whether the component is included in the webpage using a designated type of HTML tag.

14. The medium of claim 9 wherein the code segment configured to, when executed, determine whether the component matches a designated type of component determines whether the component is associated with a designated URL.

15. The medium of claim 9 wherein the component comprises at least one of an advertising image or a text line.

16. The medium of claim 9 wherein the details of the component includes at least one of the following:

a URL associated with the component, dimensions of the component, a unique identifier associated with the component, or an address.

17. An apparatus comprising:

means for tracking a position of a cursor on a display;

means for detecting that the cursor is in an area of the display that includes a component of a webpage;

means for determining, before detecting a user input that selects the component, whether the component matches a designated type of component;

means for storing, before detecting the user input that selects the component, details of the component in response to determining that the component matches a designated type of component, wherein storing the details of the component includes storing the details in a first buffer;

means for detecting the user input that selects the component;

means for, in response to detecting the user input, sending a request for data to an intermediate website associated with the selected component;

means for receiving a response from the intermediate website that includes a redirection to a destination website;

means for, in response to receiving the redirection to the destination website, sending a request for data to the destination website;

means for receiving a response from the destination website in response to the request sent to the destination website;

means for accessing the details of the component in response to detecting the user input, wherein accessing the details of the component includes copying the details from the first buffer to a second buffer;

means for sending the details of the component and information associated with the request sent to the destination website and the response from the destination website to a collection server, wherein sending the details of the component to the collection server includes accessing the details of the component from the second buffer and sending the accessed details to the collection server; and

means for sending the information associated with the request sent to the destination website and the response from the destination website to the collection server in association with the details of the component in the second buffer.