Identifying associated systems such as advertising networks

• US 8,086,725 B1
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Liang, Mike Hsin-Ping, Deckel, Johan, Kulkarni, Sanjeev, Kawasaki, Christine I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu
• Assistant Examiner(s): WIDHALM, ANGELA M
• Application Number:
  US11/841,306
• Time in Patent Office: 1,590 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Among other disclosure, a method includes receiving first electronic content configured for displaying a first page in a browser, the first electronic content including a document object model for the first page. Content in the document object model is identified as corresponding to at least one advertisement on the first page, the first page further including page content. Information is extracted from the identified content to be used in identifying an advertising network system that the advertisement links to. An identity of the advertising network system is determined using the extracted information. Second electronic content is generated using the first electronic content and the determined identity of the advertising network system. A second page including the page content of the first page and the advertisement is generated and displayed. On the second page the advertisement is labeled with the determined identity of the advertising network system.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for identifying to a user an advertising network system associated with an advertisement, the method comprising:

receiving first electronic content configured for displaying a first page in a browser, the first electronic content including a document object model for the first page;

identifying content in the document object model as corresponding to at least one advertisement on the first page, the first page further including page content;

extracting information from the identified content to be used in identifying an advertising network system that the advertisement links to, wherein the advertising network system obtains the advertisement for distribution on behalf of an advertiser and distributes the advertisement;

determining an identity of the advertising network system using the extracted information;

generating second electronic content using the first electronic content and the determined identity of the advertising network system;

configuring a second page for display from the second electronic content; and

displaying the second page in the browser, the second page including the page content of the first page and the advertisement, wherein on the second page the advertisement is labeled with a label that is not displayed with the first page, the label including the determined identity of the advertising network system.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the second electronic content to a central reporting server.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

filtering user-identifying data from the second electronic content.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the advertising network system is configured to distribute advertisements on behalf of multiple different advertisers for publication on one or more of the first page and other pages, and wherein the advertising network system obtains the advertisement from one of the advertisers.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein the advertisement as distributed by the advertising network system includes an identity of the advertiser.

4. A computer-implemented method for identifying an associated system to a user, the method comprising:

receiving first electronic content configured for displaying a first page;

identifying at least part of the first electronic content as corresponding to at least one portion of the first page having an associated system that obtains at least the identified part of the first electronic content for distribution on behalf of a content provider and distributes the identified part of the first electronic content;

determining an identity of the associated system using the identified part of the first electronic content; and

displaying a second page in which at least the portion of the first page is displayed and labeled with a label that is not displayed with the first page, the label including the determined identity of the associated system.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the portion of the first page includes an advertisement.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the associated system is an advertising network system that the advertisement links to.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the first electronic content includes a document object model for the first page, and wherein the part is an element of the document object model.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the element is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a link, a tag, a frame, and combinations thereof.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the second page is displayed using second electronic content generated using the first electronic content and the determined identity of the associated system.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the second electronic content is generated by modifying a document object model of the first electronic content.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the second electronic content is generated by generating a new document object model using the document object model of the first electronic content.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising displaying the first page before displaying the second page.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the second page is displayed upon request by a user to whom the first page is displayed.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the second page is generated while the first page is displayed by placing the label including the determined identity on the first page.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the first page is generated using a first canvas in a browser, and wherein the second page is displayed by generating a second canvas in the browser and overwriting the first canvas with the second canvas.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising presenting an identification area listing any associated system detected for the first page.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the identification area is presented using at least one of a pop-up, an information bubble, an iframe, an overlay, or a browser status bar message.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein another portion of the first electronic content corresponding to a page portion is not initially identified as having another associated system, further comprising generating a report for causing contents of the other portion of the first electronic content to be identified as corresponding to the page portion with the other associated system.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein generating the report comprises receiving a selection of the page portion by a user, identifying the other portion of the first electronic content as corresponding to the page portion, and including the identified other portion of the first electronic content in the report.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein generating the report further comprises displaying a document object model of the first page and, upon the user selecting the page portion, displaying the other portion of the first electronic content, wherein the report allows the user to identify the other associated system based on the displayed other portion of the first electronic content by entering an identification of the other associated system.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein multiple associated systems are identified for the first page, further comprising displaying a list on the first page, the list including determined identities for the multiple associated systems.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting the second electronic content to a central reporting server.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising:

filtering user-identifying data from the second electronic content.

24. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, generate on a display device a graphical user interface for identifying an associated system to a user, the graphical user interface comprising:

a page content area presenting content of a page, wherein at least one portion of the page has an associated system that obtains the at least one portion for distribution on behalf of a content provider and distributes the at least one portion; and

a label that the graphical user interface adds to the content of the page in the page content area, the label associated with the portion and indicating the associated system as having been identified for the portion.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the portion of the page is an advertisement and the associated system is an advertising network system that the advertisement links to.

26. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the graphical user interface further includes a selectively displayable area listing any associated system identified for any portion of the page.