System and method for tracking syndication of internet content

• US 8,386,387 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nytell Software LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Utrom Processing Co LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Johnson, Bradley G., Assaad, Simon A., Carson, David V.
• Primary Examiner(s): JABR, FADEY S
• Application Number:
  US11/963,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20090164271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 705/58, 715/760, 709/203, 709/219, 709/223, 726/4, 726/9
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70

Abstract

A method and system for syndicating content via a plurality of publication venues is provided. In one embodiment the method includes storing in a memory a plurality of videos; storing a content identifier (ID) for each of the plurality of videos; storing a syndication ID for each of the plurality of publication venues, wherein at least some of the plurality of publications venues act as a referring venue for other publication venues; and storing information sufficient to identify the referring venue for the other publication venues. The method may further comprise receiving a syndication request for a first video from a requester, wherein the request includes a first content ID for the first video and a first syndication ID; generating code that includes the first content ID and a second syndication ID; associating the first content ID, the first syndication ID and the second syndication ID in a memory; and providing the code to the requester.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a host server from a web server, a request for a syndication code for content stored at the host server;

determining, at the host server, a content identifier from the request;

determining, at the host server, a parent syndication identifier from the request, wherein the parent syndication identifier is associated with a second web server at which the web server generated the request;

generating, at the host server, a unique syndication identifier that represents a combination of an identifier of the content and an identifier of the web server;

generating, at the host server, the syndication code comprising the unique syndication identifier, a link to the content, and a syndication request link that, when activated, generates a second request for a second syndication code for the content, the second request comprising the unique syndication identifier;

transmitting the syndication code from the host server to the web server; and

storing, in a content database at the host server, the unique syndication identifier and the content identifier, wherein the unique syndication identifier is associated with the content identifier in the content database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the host server, the second request for the second syndication code for the content from a third web server and, in response, generating the second syndication code.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, in the content database at the host server, the parent syndication identifier, wherein the parent syndication identifier is associated with the unique syndication identifier and the content identifier in the content database.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, at the host server, a number of syndication identifiers associated with the parent syndication identifier.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining, at the host server, a ranking of the parent syndication identifier among a plurality of parent syndication identifiers based on the number of syndication identifiers associated with the parent syndication identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, at the host server, a web server address from the request.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising storing, in the content database at the host server, the web server address, wherein the web server address is associated with the unique syndication identifier and the content identifier in the content database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the link to the content, when activated, automatically presents the content.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, at the host server, a number of transmissions of the content resulting from requests for the content generated by activating the syndication code at the web server.

10. A host server comprising:

a memory comprising a content database and content; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor configured to;

receive a request by a web server for a syndication code for the content;

determine a content identifier from the request;

determine a parent syndication identifier from the request, wherein the parent syndication identifier is associated with a second web server at which the web server generated the request;

generate a unique syndication identifier that represents a combination of an identifier of the content and an identifier of the web server;

generate the syndication code comprising the unique syndication identifier, a link to the content, and a syndication request link that, when activated, generates a second request for a second syndication code for the content, the second request comprising the unique syndication identifier;

transmit the syndication code to the web server; and

store, in the content database, the unique syndication identifier and the content identifier, wherein the unique syndication identifier is associated with the content identifier in the content database.

11. The host server of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to receive the second request for the second syndication code for the content from a third web server and, in response, generate the second syndication code.

12. The host server of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to store, in the content database, the unique syndication identifier, the content identifier, and a second unique syndication identifier generated by the processor that represents combination of the identifier of the content and an identifier of the third web server, wherein the second unique syndication identifier is associated with the unique syndication identifier and the content identifier in the content database.

13. The host server of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a number of transmissions of the content resulting from requests for the content generated by activating the second syndication code at the third web server.

14. The host server of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a number of transmissions of the content resulting from requests for the content generated by activating the syndication code at the web server.

15. The host server of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a number of syndication identifiers associated with the unique syndication identifier in the content database.

16. The host server of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a request by a user device to present the content at the user device, and, responsive to receiving the request to present the content, transmit the content to the user device.

17. The host server of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to store, in the content database, an indication of each transmission of the content from the host server.

18. The host server of claim 10, wherein the content is at least one of video content, image content, audio content, text content, graphical content, or animated content.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, the computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving a request for a syndication code for content from a web server;

instructions for determining a content identifier from the request;

instructions for determining a parent syndication identifier from the request, wherein the parent syndication identifier is associated with a second web server at which the web server generated the request;

instructions for generating a unique syndication identifier that represents a combination of an identifier of the content and an identifier of the web server;

instructions for generating the syndication code comprising the unique syndication identifier, a link to the content, and a syndication request link that, when activated, generates a second request for a second syndication code for the content, the second request comprising the unique syndication identifier;

instructions for transmitting the syndication code to the web server;

instructions for storing, in a content database, the unique syndication identifier and the content identifier; and

instructions for associating the unique syndication identifier with the content identifier in the content database.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for receiving, from a user device, a request to present the content at the user device, and, responsive to receiving the request to present the content, transmitting the content to the user device.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for storing, in the content database, at least one of a time at which the request to present the content was received, a date on which the request to present the content was received, an address of the user device, or a second syndication identifier associated with a third web server at which the second syndication code is configured that, upon activation, generated the request to present the content.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the unique syndication identifier comprises a domain name associated with the web server.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for storing, in the content database, at least one of a time at which the syndication code was generated, a date on which the syndication code was generated, or an address of the web server.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for determining syndication identifiers associated with the unique syndication identifier.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for transmitting, to the web server, a request for additional information.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for determining that the request for a syndication code for the content is to be granted.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for generating a syndication tree indicating a relationship between each of a plurality of web servers to which syndication codes have been transmitted.