Automatic tracking of user progress in a software application

• US 20070061447A1
• Filed: 04/18/2006
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palmsource Incorporated (Access Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Palmsource Incorporated (Access Company Limited)
• Inventors: Bostwick, Ben, Flores, Roger
• Granted Patent: US 7,698,419 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• 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 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/88 Monitoring involving counting

Abstract

A method for automatically tracking application and content usage is disclosed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method first recites the step of accessing an application interface (API) call with a parameter specifying a first portion of content to be measured. For example, the amount of time for which the portion of content is used is measured. Next the method recites, in response to the accessed call, measuring usage for the first portion of content. Then, the method recites continuing to access API calls specifying additional portions of content to be measured until the program making the calls finishes execution. In this fashion, content usage is tracked. Application developers may determine, from the content usage, where users are getting stuck in a game or what segments of an electronic document are being viewed.

Claims

1. A method of automatically tracking content usage comprising the steps of:

a) accessing a first program call having a parameter identifying a first portion of content whose usage is to be measured;

b) in response to said first program call, measuring usage for said first portion of content; and

c) repeating said steps a) and, b) for additional portions of content to be measured, wherein content usage is tracked for a plurality of portions of content identified by a plurality of program calls.

2. A method of automatically tracking content usage as described in claim 1, wherein said portions of content are levels of a game.

3. A method of automatically tracking content usage as described in claim 1, wherein said portions of content are segments in an electronic document.

4. A method of automatically tracking content usage as described in claim 1, wherein:

said step a) comprises the step of;

a1) accessing in said first program call a parameter indicating that usage measurement is to begin for said first portion of content; and

wherein said step b) comprises the steps of;

b1) measuring the amount of time said first portion of content was used; and

b2) accessing in a second program call an indication that usage measurement is to end for said first portion of content.

5. A method of automatically tracking content usage as described in claim 4, wherein said step b2) comprises the step of accessing in said second program call a parameter identifying a new portion of content, wherein measurement of said first portion of content identifier is stopped.

6. A method of automatically tracking content usage as described in claim 1, wherein:

said step a) comprises the step of;

a1) accessing in said first program call a parameter indicating that usage measurement is to begin for said first portion of content; and

wherein said step b) comprises the steps of;

b1) measuring the number of processor cycles elapsed, wherein the amount of time that said first portion of content was used is measured; and

b2) accessing in a second program call an indication that usage measurement is to end for said first portion of content.

7. A method of automatically tracking content usage as described in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

d) accessing in a second program call of said plurality a content usage indicator describing how much of a second portion of content was utilized.

8. A method of automatically tracking content usage as described in claim 7, wherein said content usage indicator describes the percent of said second portion of content was utilized.

9. A method of automatically tracking content usage as described in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

d) storing content usage data for each of said plurality of portions of content;

e) transferring said usage data to a repository; and

f) tabulating and reporting said usage data.

10. A method of automatically tracking content usage as described in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

d) repeating said steps a) through c) for a plurality of devices executing a software program having a plurality of versions;

e) associating a unique identifier with said software program for at least two of said plurality of versions; and

f) transferring said content usage to a repository, wherein said content usage collected on said plurality of devices for said at least two versions of said software program is merged.

11. A-method of automatically tracking software usage, said method comprising the steps of:

a) collecting usage data for a software program having a plurality of versions, said collection taking place on a plurality of electronic devices;

b) associating a unique identifier with said usage data for at least two of said plurality of versions; and

c) transferring said usage data to a repository, wherein said usage data collected on said plurality of devices for said at least two versions of said software program is merged.

12. A method as described in claim 11, wherein said plurality of versions are selected from the group comprising software versions and language versions.

13. A method as described in claim 11, further comprising the step of:

d) reporting said usage information by version.

14. A method as described in claim 11, wherein said usage data describe the amount of content associated with said software program was used during an execution of said program.

15. A method as described in claim 11, wherein said usage data describe information selected from the group consisting of the number of times said software program was executed and the amount of time for which said software program was executed.

16. In a computer system having a processor coupled to a bus, a computer readable medium coupled to said bus and having stored therein a computer program that when executed by said processor causes said computer system to implement a method of automatically tracking content usage, said method comprising the steps of:

a) accessing a call from a software program, said call specifying a first content identifier, said first content identifier identifying content related to said software program whose usage is to be measured;

b) in response to said call, measuring usage for content associated with said first content identifier;

c) until said software program stops execution, repeating said steps a) through b) for a plurality of call specifying a plurality of content identifiers, wherein said content usage is tracked for said plurality of content identifiers; and

d) outputting said content usage.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein said plurality of content identifiers identify information selected from the group consisting of levels of a game, segments in an electronic document, and web pages.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein:

said step a) of said method comprises the step of;

a1) accessing in said call a parameter indicating that usage measurement is to begin for said content identifier; and

wherein said step b) of said method comprises the steps of;

b1) measuring the amount of time that said content identified by said content identifier was used; and

b2) accessing in a further call from said software program an indication that usage measurement is to end for said content identifier.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein said method further comprises the step of:

d) accessing, in a final call from said software program, a content usage indicator for a second content identifier of said plurality, said content usage indicator describing how much of said content related to said second content indicator was utilized during execution of said software program.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein said content usage indicator describes the percent of the content which was utilized for said second content identifier.