Methods and apparatus to identify session users with cookie information

• US 9,467,519 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2016
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Duterque, Gilles, Srivastava, Seema Varma, Ion, Cristina
• Primary Examiner(s): Bates, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAHMAN, SM AZIZUR
• Application Number:
  US14/987,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20160119433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 281 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed to identify session users with cookie information. An example method includes identifying a most recently used cookie based on a comparison of timestamps associated with a plurality of cookies, comparing an identifier of the most recently used cookie to a cookie table, the cookie table associating cookies with the plurality of different users, and when the identifier of the most recently used cookie is associated with one of the plurality of different users, associating subsequent usage activity of the computing device with the one of the plurality of different users.

Claims

1. A method to identify a current user of a computing device among a plurality of different users, the method comprising:

identifying, by executing an instruction with a processor, a most recently used cookie based on a comparison of timestamps associated with a plurality of cookies;

comparing, by executing an instruction with the processor, an identifier of the most recently used cookie to a cookie table, the cookie table associating cookies with the plurality of different users; and

when the identifier of the most recently used cookie is associated with one of the plurality of different users, associating, by executing an instruction with the processor, subsequent usage activity of the computing device with the one of the plurality of different users.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein when the identifier of the most recently used cookie is not associated with any of the plurality of different users, refraining from associating the subsequent usage activity of the computing device with any of the plurality of different users.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the subsequent usage activity of the computing device is browsing activity that is not associated with the most recently used cookie.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the associating of the subsequent usage activity occurs until a timeout period expires.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the most recently used cookie is associated with at least one of a social networking service, an email service, or a banking service.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of cookies are from a first storage location associated with a first browser and a second storage location associated with a second browser.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the cookie table is stored on the computing device.

8. An apparatus to identify a current user of a computing device among a plurality of different users, the apparatus comprising:

a cookie manager to;

identify a most recently used cookie based on a comparison of timestamps associated with a plurality of cookies; and

compare an identifier of the most recently used cookie to a cookie table, the cookie table associating cookies with the plurality of different users; and

an activity associator to, when the identifier of the most recently used cookie is associated with one of the plurality of different users, associate subsequent usage activity of the computing device with the one of the plurality of different users, at least one of the cookie manager or the activity associator implemented via a processor.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the activity associator is to, when the identifier of the most recently used cookie is not associated with any of the plurality of different users, refrain from associating the subsequent usage activity of the computing device with any of the plurality of different users.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the subsequent usage activity of the computing device is browsing activity that is not associated with the most recently used cookie.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the activity associator is to associate the subsequent usage activity with the one of the plurality of different users until a timeout period expires.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the most recently used cookie is associated with at least one of a social networking service, an email service, or a banking service.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the plurality of cookies are from a first storage location associated with a first browser and a second storage location associated with a second browser.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the cookie table is stored on the computing device.

15. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising instructions to identify a current user of a computing device among a plurality of different users, the instructions, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

identify a most recently used cookie based on a comparison of timestamps associated with a plurality of cookies;

compare an identifier of the most recently used cookie to a cookie table, the cookie table associating cookies with the plurality of different users; and

when the identifier of the most recently used cookie is associated with one of the plurality of different users, associate subsequent usage activity of the computing device with the one of the plurality of different users.

16. The storage medium as defined in claim 15, further including instructions that cause the machine to, when the identifier of the most recently used cookie is not associated with any of the plurality of different users, refrain from associating the subsequent usage activity of the computing device with any of the plurality of different users.

17. The storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the subsequent usage activity of the computing device is browsing activity that is not associated with the most recently used cookie.

18. The storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the associating of the subsequent usage activity occurs until a timeout period expires.

19. The storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the plurality of cookies are from a first storage location associated with a first browser and a second storage location associated with a second browser.

20. The storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the cookie table is stored on the computing device.