Gathering statistics based on container exchange

• US 9,286,367 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2014
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Estrada, Julio
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Viet
• Assistant Examiner(s): BELCHER, HERMAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/484,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20140379642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/224, 707/748
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 network computing device comprising:

a network connection for communicatively coupling the network computing device to a network of computing devices;

a processor; and

a data storage device storing instructions executable by the processor to;

store a 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;

allow other users to search for the container;

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

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

rank the container stored on the network based at least in part upon the stored statistics for the container relative to stored statistics for other containers stored on the network;

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

synchronize 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 at least in part by updating the statistics to reflect changes in the statistics from a previous communication with the network.

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

3. The network computing device 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 network computing device of claim 1, wherein the statistics include one or more of how often a container was downloaded, how often a container was used, and who used the container.

5. The network computing device of claim 1, wherein the statistics include one or more of top referrers, most popular pages, number of hits, number of page views, number of unique visitors, most popular pages, and current visitor count.

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

store the container created by an author on a network, the container including a container name and a computer file;

allow a user to obtain a persistent copy of the container on a local computing device, the persistent copy of the container copyable to a second local computing device while neither the local computing device nor the second local computing device is in communication with the network;

receive, 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;

track statistics related to distribution of the container, the statistics based at least in part 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;

store the statistics; and

rank the container based at least in part upon the stored statistics for that container relative to stored statistics for other containers.

7. The computer storage device of claim 6, 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.

8. The computer storage device of claim 6, 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.

9. The computer storage device of claim 6, wherein ranking the container relative to other containers is based at least in part 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.

10. A network computing device comprising:

a network connection for communicatively coupling the network computing device to a network of computing devices;

a processor; and

a data storage device storing instructions executable by the processor to;

store a network-accessible container including a computing object;

allow other users to each obtain a local persistent copy of the network-accessible container via the network;

store statistics related to a number of obtained copies of the network-accessible container;

allow modification of the network-accessible container; and

allow synchronization of a local persistent copy with the network-accessible container when a local persistent copy is in communication with the network, wherein synchronizing includes updating the container to reflect modifications to the network-accessible container made after a previous communication with the network.

11. The network computing device of claim 10, wherein the data storage device stores instructions executable by the processor to rank the network-accessible container relative to other network-accessible containers based at least in part on one or more of an aggregate number of downloads, a number of uses, and a greatest increase in the number of downloads.

12. The network computing device of claim 10, wherein the computing object is a media file.

13. The network computing device of claim 10, wherein the network-accessible container is displayed as a graphical representation of a card and statistics related to the network-accessible container are displayed as items on the card.

14. The network computing device of claim 13, 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.

15. The network computing device of claim 10, wherein the statistics include one or more of how often a network-accessible container was downloaded, how often a network-accessible container was used, and who used the network-accessible container.

16. The network computing device of claim 10, 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.

17. The network computing device of claim 10, 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.

18. The network computing device of claim 10, 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.

19. The network computing device of claim 10, 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.

20. The network computing device of claim 10, 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.