Methods and apparatus to distinguish between parent and child webpage accesses and/or browser tabs in focus

• US 9,332,056 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2013
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Ross, Scott, Dervaux, Vianney, Low, Binlay
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacobs, Lashonda
• Application Number:
  US13/953,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20140019589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 related to network traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to distinguish between parent and child webpage accesses and/or browser tabs in focus are disclosed. An example implementation includes identifying an HTTP request; retrieving Page Info data from a browser; electronically detecting if the Page Info data and the HTTP request identify a same Internet resource; electronically classifying the HTTP request as a parent call when the Page Info data and the HTTP request identify the same Internet resource; and electronically classifying the HTTP request as a child call when the Page Info data and the HTTP request identify different Internet resources.

Claims

1. A method to identify a window in a browser, the method comprising:

identifying, by executing a first instruction with a processor, a first HTTP call associated with the browser on a monitored device;

identifying, by executing a second instruction with the processor, a second HTTP call, the first and second HTTP calls occurring between consecutive user actions on the monitored device;

in response to identifying at least one of the first HTTP call or the second HTTP call, requesting, by executing a third instruction with the processor, Page Info data from the browser; and

determining, by executing a fourth instruction with the processor, that (1) the first HTTP call is a parent call if a first universal resource locator (URL) of the first HTTP call matches a second universal resource locator of the Page Info data of the browser, and (2) that the second HTTP call is a child call based on a detected status of the browser.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the detected status of the browser is an application focus status.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the detected status of the browser is a status of an active tab of the browser.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, further including monitoring user interaction associated with the monitored device.

5. A tangible machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

identify a first HTTP call associated with a browser on a monitored device;

identify a second HTTP call, the first and second HTTP calls occurring between consecutive user actions on the monitored device;

in response to identifying at least one of the first HTTP call or the second HTTP call, obtain Page Info data from the browser; and

determine that (1) the first HTTP call is a parent call if a first universal resource locator of the first HTTP call matches a second universal resource locator (URL) of the Page Info data of the browser, and (2) that the second HTTP call is a child call based on a detected status of the browser.

6. The tangible machine-readable storage medium as defined in claim 5 wherein the detected status of the browser is an application focus status.

7. The tangible machine-readable storage medium as defined in claim 5 wherein the detected status of the browser is a status of an active tab of the browser.

8. The tangible machine-readable storage medium as defined in claim 5 wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to monitor user interaction associated with the monitored device.

9. A method to identify a window in a browser, the method comprising:

identifying, using a processor, a first HTTP call associated with the browser on a monitored device;

identifying, using the processor, a second HTTP call, the first and second HTTP calls occurring between consecutive user actions on the monitored device;

determining, using the processor, that (1) the first HTTP call is a parent call if a first universal resource locator (URL) of the first HTTP call matches a second universal resource locator of Page Info data of the browser, and (2) that the second HTTP call is a child call based on a detected status of the browser; and

crediting the first URL as having been presented to the user of the monitored device when the first HTTP call is the parent call.

10. A method to identify a window in a browser the method comprising:

identifying, using a processor, a first HTTP call associated with the browser on a monitored device;

identifying, using the processor, a second HTTP call, the first and second HTTP calls occurring between consecutive user actions on the monitored device;

determining, using the processor, that (1) the first HTTP call is a parent call if a first universal resource locator (URL) of the first HTTP call matches a second universal resource locator of Page Info data of the browser, and (2) that the second HTTP call is a child call based on a detected status of the browser; and

crediting the first URL with an exposure time corresponding to a time difference between a first timestamp of the first HTTP call and a second timestamp of a third HTTP call, wherein the first HTTP call is a first parent call and the third HTTP call is a second parent call.

11. A tangible machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

identify a first HTTP call associated with a browser on a monitored device;

identify a second HTTP call, the first and second HTTP calls occurring between consecutive user actions on the monitored device; and

determine that (1) the first HTTP call is a parent call if a first universal resource locator of the first HTTP call matches a second universal resource locator (URL) of Page Info data of the browser, and (2) that the second HTTP call is a child call based on a detected status of the browser; and

credit the first URL as having been presented to the user of the monitored device when the first HTTP call is the parent call.

12. A tangible machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

identify a first HTTP call associated with a browser on a monitored device;

identify a second HTTP call, the first and second HTTP calls occurring between consecutive user actions on the monitored device; and

determine that (1) the first HTTP call is a parent call if a first universal resource locator of the first HTTP call matches a second universal resource locator (URL) of Page Info data of the browser, and (2) that the second HTTP call is a child call based on a detected status of the browser; and

credit the first URL with an exposure time corresponding to a time difference between a first timestamp of the first HTTP call and a second timestamp of a third HTTP call, wherein the first HTTP call is a first parent call and the third HTTP call is a second parent call.