Tracking and tracing user activity with application media packages

• US 8,346,887 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DoDots Licensing Solutions LLC (Strategic Intellectual Solutions, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Mainstream Scientific, LLC (Innovation Management Sciences, LLC)
• Inventors: Medrano, Anthony, Gabbay, Lynn, Kembel, Jeremy, Kembel, Geoffrey, Wobbrock, Jake, Russell, John, Wallin, Mark, Kim, Daniel, Devulkar, Sridhar, Kembel, George Andrew, Bella, Joseph, Kembel, John Albert, Malloy, Scot
• Primary Examiner(s): Nooristany, Sulaiman
• Application Number:
  US11/932,456
• Time in Patent Office: 1,889 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/221 Parsing markup language streams streaming G06F40/149
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A software component for tracking and tracing the access and display of Internet content employs an Application Media Package. That package includes a definition for rendering a graphical user interface and a URL pointing to Internet content that may be presented within said user interface. An application media viewer manages the collection, organization, sharing, and rendering of a plurality of such software components. Because Application Media Packages are used in groups and often for relatively long periods of time, the present invention may collect real-time multidimensional use statistics that over time becomes a valuable multi-dimensional user behavior profiling database. A server collects use statistics from its Application Media Viewer that runs on client computers or cell phones for example, and manages and tracks Application Media Package and Viewer downloads, access to an Application Media Package library, etc.

Claims

1. A client computing device configured to access content over a network, said client computing device comprising:

electronic storage configured to store a single markup language file, the single markup language file comprising an application media package template associated with an application media package, the application media package template having therein a definition of a graphical user interface within which content in a web browser-readable language may be presented on a display associated with the client computing device, wherein the graphical user interface prevents manual user specification of a uniform resource locator through the graphical user interface; and

one or more processors configured to execute one or more computer program modules, the one or more computer program modules being configured to access the application media package defined by the application media package template, wherein accessing the application media package defined by the application media package template results in;

transmission, over the network to an application media package server, a request for the application media package template;

reception, from the application media package server over the network, of the single markup language file including the application media package template wherein reception of the single markup language file is responsive to reception of a user login on the client computing device;

storage of the single markup language file to the electronic storage;

presentation, on the display, of the graphical user interface defined by the application media package template;

transmission, to a uniform resource locator over the network according to the TCP/IP protocol, of a content request for content to be displayed in the graphical user interface defined by the application media package template, the uniform resource locator being specified by the application media package template, wherein the uniform resource locator points to a content server that serves content in a markup language;

reception, over the network according to the TCP/IP protocol, of content in the markup language transmitted in response to the content request; and

presentation, on the display in the graphical user interface defined by the application media package, of the received content;

wherein the one or more computer program modules are further configured to determine and record to the electronic storage selected details associated with the accessing of the application media package;

wherein the one or more computer program modules are further configured to determine and record to the electronic storage selected details associated with the accessing and presenting of said requested content; and

wherein the computer program modules are further configured to provide, over the network to an application media package server, the stored details associated with the accessing of the application media package and the stored details associated with the accessing and presenting of said requested content.

2. The client computing device of claim 1, wherein said selected details associated with the accessing of the application media package include one or more of date of accessing the application media package, URL of an application media package server from which the application media package template was retrieved by the client computing device, other application media packages contemporaneously accessed on the client computing device, duration of the access to the application media package, or modifications made to the application media package subsequent to it being accessed.

3. The client computing device of claim 1, wherein said selected details associated with the accessing and presenting of said requested content include one or more of date of accessing the requested content, other content contemporaneously accessed over the network, duration of the access to the requested content, or modifications made to the requested content subsequent to it being accessed.

4. The client computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer program modules are further configured such that the request is transmitted to the application media package server according to the TCP/IP protocol.

5. The client computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer program modules are further configured such that the single markup language file is received from the application media package server over the network according to the TCP/IP protocol.

6. The client computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer program modules are further configured such that transmission of the request for the application media package template is responsive to reception of a user selection of the application media package at the client computing device.

7. The client computing device of claim 6, wherein the one or more computer program modules are further configured such that reception of the user selection of the application media package is accomplished via a graphical user interface of a web browser application.

8. The client computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer program modules are further configured such that the accessing of the application media package on the client computing device is performed responsive to reception of a user login on the client computing device.

9. The client computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer program modules are further configured such that the accessing of the application media package on the client is performed responsive to start-up of the client computing device.

10. A computer-implemented method of accessing content over a network, the method being implemented in a client computing device having electronic storage and one or more processors configured to execute one or more computer program modules, the method comprising:

transmitting, over the network to an application media package server, a request for a markup language file comprising an application media package template associated with an application media package, the application media package template having therein a definition of a graphical user interface within which content in a web browser-readable language may be presented on a display associated with the client computing device, wherein the graphical user interface prevents manual user specification of a uniform resource locator through the graphical user interface;

receiving, from the application media package server over the network, the markup language file including the application media package template, wherein reception of the single markup language file is responsive to reception of a user login on the client computing device;

storing, to the electronic storage, the markup language file including the application media package template;

accessing the application media package defined by the application media package template, wherein accessing the application media package defined by the application media package template results in;

presentation, on the display, of the graphical user interface defined by the application media package template;

transmission, to a uniform resource locator over the network according to the TCP/IP protocol, of a content request for content to be displayed in the graphical user interface defined by the application media package template, the uniform resource locator being specified by the application media package template, wherein the uniform resource locator points to a content server that serves content in a markup language;

reception, over the network according to the TCP/IP protocol, of content transmitted in response to the content request; and

presentation, on the display in the graphical user interface defined by the application media package, of the received content;

determining and recording to the electronic storage selected details associated with the accessing of the application media package;

determining and recording to the electronic storage selected details associated with the accessing and presenting of the requested content; and

providing, over the network to an application media package server, the stored details associated with the accessing of the application media package and the stored details associated with the accessing and presenting of said requested content.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said selected details associated with the accessing of the application media package include one or more of date of accessing the application media, URL of an application media package server from which the application media package template was retrieved by the client computing device, other application media packages contemporaneously accessed on the client computing device, duration of the access to the application media package, or modifications made to the application media package subsequent to it being accessed.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said selected details associated with the accessing and presenting of said requested content include one or more of date of accessing the requested content, other content contemporaneously accessed over the network, duration of the access to the requested content, or modifications made to the requested content subsequent to it being accessed.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the request is transmitted to the application media package server according to the TCP/IP protocol.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the single markup language file is received from the application media package server over the network according to the TCP/IP protocol.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving a user selection of the application media package via a user interface associated with the client computing device, and wherein transmission of the request for the application media package template is responsive to reception of the received user selection.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the user selection of the application media package is received via a graphical user interface of a web browser application presented on the display associated with the client computing device.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving, at the client computing device, a user login, and wherein the accessing of the application media package on the client computing device is performed responsive to reception of the user login.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the accessing of the application media package on the client is performed responsive to start-up of the client computing device.