Support applications for rich media publishing

• US 8,122,051 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2008
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Pictures Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Pictures Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Spring, Leslie, Hollenbeck, Todd, Hjelming, James Andreas, Hsiu, Galvin Karan, Hamoui, Omar, Peña, Jose Armando
• Primary Examiner(s): Ortiz, Belix M
• Application Number:
  US12/030,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20080183760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 707/732, 707/770, 709/224
• US Class Current: 707/770
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2885 Hierarchically arranged intermediate devices, e.g. for hierarchical caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/956 Hierarchical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/966 Distributed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 : Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Identifying a source of user referral for a media publishing website includes: storing a referring URL in a cookie variable; retrieving the referring URL from the cookie variable during a registration process to enter the media publishing website; dynamically customizing a home page of the media publishing website according to the referring URL; and adding a distinction between original and current session referrals.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying a source of user referral for a media publishing website comprising;

storing a referring URL in a cookie variable;

retrieving the referring URL from the cookie variable during confirmation of a registration process to enter the media publishing website through a landing page;

passing the referring URL into a query string associated with an image request on the landing page to identify the source of user referral for the media publishing website;

dynamically customizing the landing page of the media publishing website according to the query string associated with the image request on the landing page which identifies the source of user referral; and

distinguishing between original and current session referrals using the query string and the source of user referral to determine whether the referring URL contributed to user awareness only or was responsible for conversion of that awareness.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein passing the referring URL into a query string includes appending a variable containing the referring URL to the query string.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the query string includes a 1×

1 pixel gif that is loaded on the landing page.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding a distinction between original and current session referrals,

wherein the distinction is used to ascertain whether the referring URL contributed to user awareness only or was responsible for conversion of that awareness.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically customizing the landing page comprises

using a repository filter to modify the landing page.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein using the repository filter comprises

receiving the image request with extra Uniform Resource Identifier parameters indicating that images of the landing page must undergo transformation.

5. A system for a media publishing website, comprising:

means for identifying a source of user referral for a media publishing website comprising;

means for storing a referring URL in a cookie variable;

means for retrieving the referring URL from the cookie variable during confirmation of a registration process to enter the media publishing website through a landing page;

means for passing the referral URL into a query string associated with an image request on the landing page to identify the source of user referral for the media publishing website;

means for dynamically customizing the landing page of the media publishing website according to the query string associated with the image request on the landing page which identifies the source of user referral; and

means for distinguishing between original and current session referrals using the query string and the source of user referral to determine whether the referring URL contributed to user awareness only or was responsible for conversion of that awareness.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein means for passing the referring URL into a query string includes

means for appending a variable containing the referring URL to the query string.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the query string includes a 1×

1 pixel gif that is loaded on the landing page.