Gathering statistics based on container exchange

• US 8,838,729 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Estrada, Julio
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Viet
• Assistant Examiner(s): BELCHER, HERMAN A
• Application Number:
  US11/771,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20090006577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,636 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/217, 709/219, 707/748
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• 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

Abstract

A method of tracking statistics related to a container of data is disclosed. A container created by an author may be stored on a network. Other users aside from the author may be permitted to search for containers. The other users may be permitted to obtain a copy of a selected container and statistics related to a number of copies of the container obtained may be stored.

Claims

1. A method of tracking statistics related to a container of data on a computing device, the computing device comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions for performing the method, the method comprising:

storing the container created by an author on a network, the container including at least a media object, a container name different from a name of the media object, and an identification of the author;

allowing other users to search for the container;

allowing the other users to each obtain a local persistent copy of the container stored on the network;

storing statistics related to at least a number of copies of the container obtained;

ranking the container stored on the network based upon the stored statistics for that container relative to stored statistics for other containers stored on the network;

allowing the author to modify the container stored on the network; and

synchronizing each local persistent copy of the container with the container stored on the network when each local persistent copy of the container is in communication with the network, wherein synchronizing includes updating the statistics to reflect changes in the statistics from a previous communication with the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the container is displayed as a graphical representation of a card and statistics related to the container are displayed on the graphical representation of the card as items on the card.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein additional statistics related to the card are displayed when the card is displayed in a web browser compared to statistics displayed when the card is displayed on a portable device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the statistics further comprise a determination selected from a group comprising:

how often a container was downloaded;

how often a container was used; and

who used the container.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the statistics further comprise a determination selected from a group comprising:

top referrers, most popular pages, number of hits, number of page views, number of unique visitors, most popular pages, and current visitor count.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the statistics further comprise determinations selected from a group comprising:

where visitors entered the network, which paths were taken to access the network, and which path was taken to exit the network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the statistics further comprise a determination selected from a group comprising:

most frequent referring sites, most frequent referring search engines, and most frequently used keywords used to locate the network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the statistics further comprise calculations selected from a group comprising:

an average time a user stays on the network and a return frequency for a user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the statistics further comprise a determination selected from a group comprising:

physical locations that accessed the network, a language of users that accessed the network, and operating systems that accessed the network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein ranking the container stored on the network relative to other containers stored on the network is based on statistics for the container and the other containers selected from a group comprising:

an aggregate number of downloads, number of uses, and greatest increase in the number of downloads.

11. A computer storage device storing computer executable instructions for tracking statistics related to a container of data, the computer executable instructions executable for:

storing the container created by an author on a network, the container including a container name and a media file;

allowing a user to search for the container;

allowing the user to obtain a persistent copy of the container on a local computing device;

allowing the user to copy the persistent copy of the container to a second local computing device while neither the local computing device nor the second local computing device are in communication with the network;

receiving, when one or more of the local computing device and the second local computing device are in communication with the network, a signal indicating the persistent copy was copied to the second local computing device;

tracking statistics related to distribution of the container, the statistics based on transfer of the container via the network and on the signal indicating the persistent copy was copied to the second local computing device, the statistics related to a number of copies of the container obtained and frequency of distribution of the container;

storing the statistics; and

ranking the container based upon the stored statistics for that container relative to stored statistics for other containers.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 11, further comprising computer executable instructions for displaying a graphical representation of a card and displaying statistics related to the container as items on the card.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the statistics further comprise a determination selected from a group comprising:

how often a container was downloaded;

how often a container was used;

who used the container;

who are top referrers to the container;

how many views a container had; and

how many visitors reviewed the container.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein ranking the container relative to other containers is based on statistics for the container and the other containers selected from a group comprising:

an aggregate number of transfers, number of uses, and greatest increase in the number of transfers.

15. A computer system comprising a processor configured to execute computer executable instructions and a memory configured to store computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:

storing a container created by an author on a network, the container including a rating and a number of times the container has been copied;

allowing a user to search for the container;

allowing the user to obtain a persistent copy of the container on a local computing device;

allowing the user to copy the persistent copy of the container to a second local computing device while neither the local computing device nor the second local computing device are in communication with the network;

allowing the author to modify the container; and

synchronizing the persistent copy of the container on the local computing device when the local computing device is in communication with the network, the synchronizing including updating the number of times the container has been copied responsive to a notation stored at the local computing device indicating that a transfer was made between the local computing device and the second local computing device;

synchronizing the persistent copy of the container on the second local computing device when the second local computing device is in communication with the network;

tracking an amount and frequency of distributions of copies of the container;

storing statistics related to a number of copies of the container obtained and the frequency of distributing the container; and

ranking the container based upon the stored statistics for that container relative to stored statistics for other containers.

16. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising computer executable instructions for displaying a graphical representation of a card and displaying statistics related to the container as items on the card.

17. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising computer executable instructions for gathering statistics of distribution of the container when a computing device with the container is in communication with the network or when a computing device that distributed the container is in communication with the network.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the statistics further comprise determinations selected from a group comprising:

how often a container was downloaded;

how often a container was used;

who used the container;

who are top referrers to the container;

how many views a container had; and

how many visitors reviewed the container.