Detecting content and user response to content

• US 9,578,118 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: comScore, Inc.
• Original Assignee: comScore, Inc.
• Inventors: Brown, Michael A., Huang, Xinyu, Grant, Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bunjob
• Application Number:
  US14/633,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20150172401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A first set of data including a first tracking identifier for a first webpage component and a destination address for the first webpage component is accessed. A second set of data that includes an address for retrieving a second webpage component, is accessed. The address includes a second tracking identifier. Whether the second tracking identifier is the same as the first tracking identifier is determined. The second webpage component is associated with the destination address when the second tracking identifier is the same as the first tracking identifier.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from tracking instructions executing on a panel of computers, a first set of data related to user interaction with a first set of webpage components, wherein the first set of data comprises a first set of source addresses for retrieving the first set of webpage components and a first set of destination addresses identifying websites to which computers in the panel were directed after a user of the computer interacted with one of the first set of webpage components, and wherein each of the first set of webpage components comprises an advertisement;

accessing, from the first set of data by one or more computers, a first source address for retrieving a first webpage component presented by a first computer in the panel, the first source address for retrieving the first webpage component including a first tracking identifier, wherein the first source address for retrieving the first webpage component is an address that directly results in retrieval of the first webpage component;

extracting, by the one or more computers, the first tracking identifier from the first source address for retrieving the first webpage component; and

storing, in a dictionary by the one or more computers, an association between the first tracking identifier and a first destination address to which the first computer in the panel was directed after a user of the first computer interacted with the first webpage component, the dictionary storing multiple associations between tracking identifiers and destination addresses.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from instructions executing on the panel of computers, a second set of data related to a second set of webpage components presented by the panel of computers and not interacted with by any users, wherein the second set of data comprises a second set of source addresses for retrieving the second set of webpage components, and wherein each of the second set of webpage components comprises an advertisement;

accessing, from the second set of data by the one or more computers, a second source address for retrieving a second webpage component presented by a second computer in the panel and not interacted with by any user of the panel of computers, the second source address for retrieving the second webpage component including a second tracking identifier, wherein the second source address for retrieving the second webpage component is an address that directly results in retrieval of the second webpage component;

extracting, by the one or more computers, the second tracking identifier from the second source address included in the accessed second set of data;

determining, by the one or more computers, that the second tracking identifier matches a tracking identifier stored in the dictionary; and

storing, by the one or more computers, an association between the second webpage component that was not interacted with by any user of the panel of computers and a destination address associated with the matching tracking identifier stored in the dictionary.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering the received first set of data related to user interaction with the first set of webpage components by determining that a subset of the received first set of data is valid, wherein the accessed first source address is included in the subset of the received first set of data determined to be valid.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining that a subset of the received first set of data is valid comprises:

determining, for one or more of the first set of webpage components, a number of times users of the panel of computers interacted with the one of the first set of webpage component;

comparing the determined number of times users of the panel of computers interacted with the one of the first set of webpage component to a predetermined threshold of interactions; and

designating data in the received first set of data associated with the one of the first set of webpage component is valid when the determined number of times users of the panel of computers interacted with the one of the first set of webpage component exceeds the predetermined threshold of interactions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein storing, in the dictionary, the association between the first tracking identifier and the first destination address to which the first computer in the panel was directed after the user of the first computer interacted with the first webpage component comprises:

accessing information associated with multiple requests and responses resulting from the user of the first computer'"'"'s interaction with the first webpage component, wherein the multiple requests and responses comprise one or more requests by the first computer to one or more intermediate resources associated with the user of the first computer'"'"'s interaction with the first webpage component, one or more responses from the one or more intermediate resources that cause the first computer to be redirected to one or more other resources, a request to a destination server for a destination webpage associated with the first destination address as a result of one of the redirections of the first computer, and a response from the destination server that includes the destination webpage, and

determining that the request to the destination server for the destination webpage associated with the first destination address ultimately resulted from the user of the first computer'"'"'s interaction with the first webpage component; and

based on the determination that the request to the destination server for the destination webpage associated with the first destination address ultimately resulted from the user of the first computer'"'"'s interaction with the first webpage component, associating the first webpage component with the first destination address.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from tracking instructions executing on a panel of computers, a first set of data related to user interaction with a first set of webpage components, wherein the first set of data comprises a first set of source addresses for retrieving the first set of webpage components and a first set of destination addresses identifying websites to which computers in the panel were directed after a user of the computer interacted with one of the first set of webpage components, and wherein each of the first set of webpage components comprises an advertisement;

accessing, from the first set of data, a first source address for retrieving a first webpage component presented by a first computer in the panel, the first source address for retrieving the first webpage component including a first tracking identifier, wherein the first source address for retrieving the first webpage component is an address that directly results in retrieval of the first webpage component;

extracting the first tracking identifier from the first source address for retrieving the first webpage component; and

storing, in a dictionary, an association between the first tracking identifier and a first destination address to which the first computer in the panel was directed after a user of the first computer interacted with the first webpage component, the dictionary storing multiple associations between tracking identifiers and destination addresses.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from instructions executing on the panel of computers, a second set of data related to a second set of webpage components presented by the panel of computers and not interacted with by any users, wherein the second set of data comprises a second set of source addresses for retrieving the second set of webpage components, and wherein each of the second set of webpage components comprises an advertisement;

accessing, from the second set of data, a second source address for retrieving a second webpage component presented by a second computer in the panel and not interacted with by any user of the panel of computers, the second source address for retrieving the second webpage component including a second tracking identifier, wherein the second source address for retrieving the second webpage component is an address that directly results in retrieval of the second webpage component;

extracting the second tracking identifier from the second source address included in the accessed second set of data;

determining that the second tracking identifier matches a tracking identifier stored in the dictionary; and

storing an association between the second webpage component that was not interacted with by any user of the panel of computers and a destination address associated with the matching tracking identifier stored in the dictionary.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising filtering the received first set of data related to user interaction with the first set of webpage components by determining that a subset of the received first set of data is valid, wherein the accessed first source address is included in the subset of the received first set of data determined to be valid.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions causing the one or more processors to perform the operation of determining that a subset of the received first set of data is valid comprise instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

determining, for one or more of the first set of webpage components, a number of times users of the panel of computers interacted with the one of the first set of webpage component;

comparing the determined number of times users of the panel of computers interacted with the one of the first set of webpage component to a predetermined threshold of interactions; and

designating data in the received first set of data associated with the one of the first set of webpage component is valid when the determined number of times users of the panel of computers interacted with the one of the first set of webpage component exceeds the predetermined threshold of interactions.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions causing the one or more processors to perform the operation of storing, in the dictionary, the association between the first tracking identifier and the first destination address to which the first computer in the panel was directed after the user of the first computer interacted with the first webpage component comprise instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

accessing information associated with multiple requests and responses resulting from the user of the first computer'"'"'s interaction with the first webpage component, wherein the multiple requests and responses comprise one or more requests by the first computer to one or more intermediate resources associated with the user of the first computer'"'"'s interaction with the first webpage component, one or more responses from the one or more intermediate resources that cause the first computer to be redirected to one or more other resources, a request to a destination server for a destination webpage associated with the first destination address as a result of one of the redirections of the first computer, and a response from the destination server that includes the destination webpage;

determining that the request to the destination server for the destination webpage associated with the first destination address ultimately resulted from the user of the first computer'"'"'s interaction with the first webpage component; and

based on the determination that the request to the destination server for the destination webpage associated with the first destination address ultimately resulted from the user of the first computer'"'"'s interaction with the first webpage component, associating the first webpage component with the first destination address.