Content request optimization

• US 8,239,491 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2006
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsun, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khan, Aftab Nasir
• Application Number:
  US11/554,419
• Time in Patent Office: 2,108 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/226, 709/205, 709/201, 709/203, 709/200, 709/224, 705/14.67, 705/14.68
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

The occurrence of a request event is monitored during the rendering of a browser page. In response to monitoring the occurrence of the request event, content item request instructions are loaded and executed to generate one or more content item requests based on the content item request instructions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

rendering, in a first thread in a web browser on a client device, a browser page and content item environments in the browser page according to instructions in a source document, the source document including web page content defining the browser page and the content item environments that are rendered in the browser page, and served from a publisher server;

instantiating, from an execution of instructions in the source document in the first thread, a second thread in the web browser, the second thread being separate from the first thread, the instantiation comprising;

generating, in the first thread in response to executing the instruction in the source document, a preliminary content item request for second instructions, the second instructions including instructions that when executed by the web browser cause the web browser to initiate the second thread by starting a timer in the web browser and load content item request instructions in the second thread; and

executing the second instructions to start the timer;

monitoring, in the second thread in the web browser, for an occurrence of a request event, the monitoring comprising monitoring for an expiration of the timer;

loading, in the second thread in the web browser, the content item request instructions in the source document in response to the occurrence of the request event, the content item request instructions being instructions to request content items for each of the content item environments based on the expiration of the timer; and

generating, in the second thread, a content item request for each of the content item environments to a content item server based on the content item request instructions, the content item server being different from the publisher server;

receiving at the client device content items for each of the content item environments in response to the content item requests; and

rendering, in the second thread, the content items in the content item environments of the browser page, the rendering of the content items in the second thread being independent of the rendering of the browser page in the first thread;

wherein the one or more content item requests comprises one or more advertisement requests.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the source document comprises an interpreted document and the content item request instructions comprise Javascript instructions.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein loading, in the second thread, content item request instructions in the source document in response to the occurrence of the request event comprises:

loading the content item request instructions in a head section of the source document.

4. Software stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium in a client device, the software comprising instructions that upon execution by the client device cause the client device to perform the functions of:

rendering, in a first thread in a web browser on a client device, a browser page and content item environments in the browser page from a source document, the source document including web page content defining the browser page and the content item environments that are rendered in the web page, and served from a publisher server;

instantiating, from an execution of instructions in the source document in the first thread, a second thread in the web browser, the second thread being separate from the first thread, the instantiation comprising;

generating, in the first thread and in response to executing the instructions in the source document, a preliminary advertisement request for second instructions, the second instructions including instructions that, when executed by the web browser, cause the web browser to initiate the second thread by starting a timer in the web browser and load the advertisement request script in the second thread; and

executing the second instructions to start the timer;

monitoring, in the second thread in the web browser, for an occurrence of a request event, wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring for an expiration of the timer;

loading, in the second thread in the web browser, the advertisement request script in the source document in response to an occurrence of the request event, the advertisement request instructions being instruction to request advertisements for each of the content item environments, based on the expiration of the timer;

executing, in the second thread, the advertisement request script to generate and transmit an advertisement request for each of the content item environment to a content item server, the content item server being different from the publisher server;

receiving at the client advertisements for each of the content item environments in response to the advertisement requests; and

rendering, in the second thread, the advertisements in the content item environments of the browser page, the rendering of the content items in the second thread being independent of the rendering of the browser page in the first thread.

5. The software of claim 4, comprising further instructions that upon execution by the client device cause the client device to perform the functions of:

loading, in the second thread, the advertisement request script in a head section of the source document.

6. A system, comprising:

a processing device; and

a memory storage device in data communication with the processing device and storing instructions executable by the processing device that upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising;

rendering, in a first thread in a web browser on a client device, a browser page and content item environments in the browser page according to instructions in a source document, the source document including web page content defining the browser page and the content item environments that are rendered in the browser page, and served from a publisher server;

instantiating, from an execution of instructions in the source document in the first thread, a second thread in the web browser, the second thread being separate from the first thread, the instantiation comprising;

generating, in the first thread and in response to executing the instruction in the source document, a preliminary content item request for second instructions, the second instructions including instructions that, when executed by the web browser, cause the web browser to initiate the second thread by starting a timer in the web browser and load the content item request instructions in the second thread starting a timer; and

executing the second instructions to start the timer;

monitoring, in the second thread in the web browser, for an occurrence of a request event wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring for an expiration of the timer;

loading, in the second thread in the web browser, the content item request instructions in the source document in response to the occurrence of the request event, the content item request instructions being instruction to request content items for each of the content item environments, based on the expiration of the timer; and

generating, in the second thread, a content item request for each of the content item environment to a content item server based on the content item request instructions, the content item server being different from the publisher server;

receiving at the client device content items for each of the content item environments in response to the content item requests; and

rendering, in the second thread, the content items in the content item environments of the browser page, the rendering of the content items in the second thread being independent of the rendering of the browser page in the first thread;

wherein the one or more content item requests comprises one or more advertisement requests.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the source document comprises an interpreted document and the content item request instructions comprise Javascript instructions.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein loading, in the second thread, content item request instructions in the source document in response to the occurrence of the request event comprises:

loading the content item request instructions in a head section of the source document.