Methods and devices for recording changes in visual stimuli observed through browser-based interfaces

• US 8,887,055 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2010
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Slingshot Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Schlucktronix LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Crain, Kenneth H., Vanover, William K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Application Number:
  US12/854,092
• Publication Number:
  US 20100306661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 715/733, 715/744, 715/745, 715/760.802, 715/853, 715/863, 709/220, 709/231
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• 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: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

The disclosed technology reconstructs stimuli displayed to a user as they interact with online-content. The technology may provide for a record of selected technical parameters and relevant data that may impact the manner in which online content is displayed, taking into consideration the current browser context. The technology may record events as reported from a browser interface. The events may be recorded in a format and syntax to form a primary index of events and related outcomes which comprise the user'"'"'s interface experience. Events may be detected at the browser interface and identified, categorized, and filtered as to their relevance to visual stimuli. A unique identifier may then be assigned in the form of an alphanumeric string to each relevant event. Selected events may be recorded into a log (along with their categorization), a unique identifier, and the time in which the event occurred.

Claims

1. A system that enables the recording of user-viewable visual stimuli comprising:

a control application configured to, using a processor device, execute code that causes recording of a user-viewable stimulus at a first time, wherein the recording of a user-viewable stimulus at the first time is performed by;

detecting a visual event;

observing visual characteristics of the visual event;

verifying that the visual event involves one or more parameters that change a viewable stimulus; and

recording at least one of the parameters; and

a storage platform, coupled to the processor device, configured to store data from the user-viewable stimulus wherein the stored data is configured to be used to recreate, at a second time different from the first time, at least a portion of the user-viewable stimulus.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a user interaction device coupled to the control application.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the user-viewable stimulus is observable in a browser coupled to the control application.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a browser interface coupled to a server.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a network coupled to the control application.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the storage platform comprises cached memory.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the system is maintained in a mobile device.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the network is the Internet.

9. The system of claim 5 further comprising a host computer coupled to the network, the host computer for communicating with the control application.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising an eye-tracking device coupled to the control application.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the eye-tracking device is enabled to monitor pupil dilation.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein the recorded user-viewable stimulus of the first time is in response to a user interacting with online content.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein the control application is a browser embedded messenger applet.

12. A method of recording a user-viewable stimulus, the method comprising:

recording a user-viewable stimulus at a first time, the recording comprising;

detecting a visual event;

receiving information specifying the detected visual event;

observing one or more visual characteristics of the visual event;

verifying that the visual characteristics involve one or more parameters that affect how the visual event is displayed;

recording at least one of the one or more parameters; and

recreating, at a second time different from the first time, at least a portion of the user-viewable stimulus by;

reading one or more of the recorded parameters; and

reconstructing at least a part of the visual event wherein the visual characteristics corresponding to the recorded parameters are included in the reconstructed part of the visual event.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein at least one of the recorded parameters stores a network address corresponding to of all online content immediately displayed within a browser window.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein at least one of the recorded parameters indicates a two-dimensional offset of online content as the online content is displayed within a browser window.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein verifying that the visual characteristics involve one or more parameters that affect how the visual event is displayed comprises determining that the parameters contain information relevant to a visual change.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein one or more of the parameters contain information relating to a property of at least one browser object, the property being one of:

a horizontal position, a vertical position, a size of a window, and a network address.

20. The method of claim 12 wherein one or more of the parameters contains information from a Document Object Model of web content.

21. The method of claim 12 wherein one or more visual characteristics is one or more of a size and location of a child window within a parent window.

15. A system configured to record browser-viewable visual stimuli comprising:

a control application configured to, using a processor device, record a user-viewable stimulus displayed at a first time, wherein the recording of a user-viewable stimulus at the first time is performed by;

detecting a visual event;

observing visual characteristics of the visual event;

verifying that the visual event involves one or more parameters that change a viewable stimulus; and

recording at least one of the parameters;

a browser object in communication with the control application;

an application that receives messages coupled to the browser object and the control application; and

a web page coupled to the browser object configured to reconstruct, at a second time different from the first time, at least a part of the user-viewable stimulus based on the received messages.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising a computer network for delivering online content to the web page, the network in communication with the web page.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising a component configured to categorize and filter events corresponding to the user-viewable stimulus as to each event'"'"'s relevance to an event being presented to a user.