Techniques for determining a mobile application download attribution

• US 9,491,223 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2013
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Onavo Mobile Limited (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.))
• Inventors: Tubi, Lior, Tiger, Roi, Priell, Nimrod, Fridman, Eran, Eliashiv, Gadi
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Dhairya A
• Application Number:
  US13/944,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20140237109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 726/4, 726/22, 726/24, 726/25, 709/217, 709/228, 709/224, 455/455, 455/419
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications

Abstract

A proxy server and a method for determining a mobile application download attribution are provided. The method includes identifying an application downloaded from an application repository to a mobile device; analyzing previously logged requests sent from the mobile device to identify a most recent request directed to the application repository from the mobile device; analyzing the identified most recent request to detect a source that causes the application download and at least one identifier of the application; determining the download attribution respective of the source that causes the application download; and generating an application metadata respective of the download attribution and the application identifiers. This is subject to a user'"'"'s privacy, opt-in, or opt-out settings.

Claims

1. A method for determining a mobile application download attribution, comprising:

identifying, by a proxy server, an application download from an application repository to a mobile device, the proxy server configured to receive unencrypted traffic flows between the mobile device and the application repository and to identify the application download in a file sent from the application repository to the mobile device;

analyzing, by the proxy server, previously logged requests sent from the mobile device to identify a most recent request directed to the application repository from the mobile device;

analyzing, by the proxy server, the identified most recent request directed to the application repository to detect a source of the identified most recent request and at least one identifier of the application, the source comprising one of a web advertisement, a landing webpage, or a search query;

determining, by the proxy server, the download attribution respective of the source that causes the application download, the download attribution determined according to whether the application download occurred in response to the identified most recent request directed to the application repository from the detected source; and

generating, by the proxy server, an application metadata respective of the download attribution and the application identifiers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application metadata includes at least one of:

an application name, an application identifier, a type of the downloaded application, a plurality of search queries used for searching the application, a source initiated download, a name of the application repository from which the application was downloaded, and a URL of the repository.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

computing at least one of statistics and actionable metrics based on the determined download attribution.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the application repository hosts a plurality of mobile applications available for download to the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing of previously logged requests to identify the most recent request directed to the application repository, further comprises:

analyzing previously logged requests to identify a request that includes a uniform resource locator (URL) that points to a location in the application repository, wherein the identified request is a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein detecting the source that causes the application download further comprising:

searching for at least one search term included in the HTTP request; and

determining the source to be a search query submitted to the application repository.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein detecting the source that causes the application download further comprising:

determining based on a HTTP Referer value included in the HTTP request the source causing the application download.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for causing one or more processing units to execute the method of claim 1.

9. A method for determining a mobile application download attribution, comprising:

identifying, by a proxy server, a download of an application from an application repository by a mobile device, the proxy server configured to receive traffic flows between the mobile device and the application repository and to identify the download of the application in a file sent from the application repository to the mobile device, wherein communication between the application repository and the mobile device is by means of an encrypted protocol;

retrieving, by the proxy server, previously logged requests sent from the mobile device;

analyzing, by the proxy server, the retrieved requests to identify a most recent request directed to the application repository from the mobile device;

analyzing, by the proxy server, the most recent request directed to the application repository to determine at least an application identifier embedded in the request;

downloading to the proxy server the application using the application identifier;

causing installation of the downloaded application in the proxy server;

gathering information about the downloaded application, by the proxy server, through the installation process, wherein the gathered information includes at least information characterizing the downloaded application; and

determining, by the proxy server, a source attributed to the download of the application to the mobile device based in part on a plurality of explicit search terms identified in the previously logged requests, and according to whether the application download occurred in response to the most recent request directed to the application repository from the source comprising one of a web advertisement, a landing webpage, or a search query.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating an application metadata respective of the download attribution;

the application identifiers; and

computing at least one of statistics and actionable metrics based on the determined download attribution.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the application metadata includes at least one of:

an application name, an application identifier, a type of the downloaded application, a plurality of search queries used for searching the application, a source initiated download, a name of the application repository from which the application was downloaded, and a URL of the repository.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the identifier embedded in the request is at least a URL to a location of the download application in the application repository.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the source attributed to the download of the application further comprises:

searching the application repository using the plurality of explicit search terms;

matching each of the plurality explicit search terms to information associated with search results;

assigning to each match a quality score;

checking whether the quality score reaches a threshold; and

determining the download attribution to be a search query if the quality score reaches or exceeds the threshold;

determining the download attribution to be any one of a web advertisement and a landing page when the quality score does not reach the threshold.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the explicit search queries having a quality score equal to or greater than the threshold is added to the metadata as a search query used for searching the application.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the application repository hosts a plurality of mobile applications available for download to the mobile device.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for causing one or more processing units to execute the method of claim 9.

17. A proxy server configured to determine a mobile application download attribution comprising:

a first interface to an application repository, wherein the first interface is configured to receive responses and files sent from an application repository to a mobile device;

a second interface to the mobile device, wherein the second interface is configured to receive requests sent by the mobile device to the application repository;

a processor;

a memory configured to log requests sent through the second interface, wherein the memory is connected to the processor and further configured to store a plurality of instructions that when executed by the processor configure the proxy server to;

identify an application download from an application repository to a mobile device in a file sent from the application repository to the mobile device;

analyze the previously logged requests sent from the mobile device to identify a most recent request directed to the application repository from the mobile device;

analyze the identified most recent request directed to the application repository to detect a source of the identified most recent request and at least one identifier of the application, the source comprising one of a web advertisement, a landing webpage, or a search query;

determine the download attribution respective of the source that causes the application download, the download attribution determined according to whether the application download occurred in response to the identified most recent request directed to the application repository from the detected source; and

generate an application metadata respective of the download attribution;

the application identifiers.

18. A proxy server configured to determine a mobile application download attribution comprising:

a first interface to an application repository, wherein the first interface is configured to receive responses and files sent from the application repository to a mobile device;

a second interface to the mobile device, wherein the second interface is configured to receive requests sent by the mobile device to the application repository;

a processor;

a memory configured to log requests sent through the second interface, wherein the memory is connected to the processor and further configured to store a plurality of instructions that when executed by the processor configure the proxy server to;

identify a download of an application from the application repository to the mobile device in a file sent from the application repository to the mobile device, wherein communication between the application repository and the mobile device is by means of an encrypted protocol;

retrieve previously logged requests sent from the mobile device;

analyze the retrieved requests to identify a most recent request directed to the application repository from the mobile device;

analyze the most recent request directed to the application repository to determine at least an application identifier embedded in the request;

download to a proxy server the application using the application identifier;

cause installation of the downloaded application in the proxy server;

gather information about the downloaded application through the installation, wherein the gathered information includes at least information characterizing the downloaded application; and

determine a source attributed to the download of the application to the mobile device based in part on a plurality of explicit search terms identified in the previously logged requests, and according to whether the application download occurred in response to the most recent request directed to the application repository from the source comprising one of a web advertisement, a landing webpage, or a search query.