Method and system for estimating usage of computer resources

• US 6,230,204 B1
• Filed: 12/19/1997
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mei California, Inc. (Micron Technology, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Micro Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Fleming, Hoyt A. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US08/994,836
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229, 709/218, 709/226, 709/224, 705/10, 380/49, 345/327, 379/92.01
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3414 Workload generation, e.g. scripts, playback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3447 Performance evaluation by modeling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet

Abstract

A system for estimating the total usage of computer system resources by all users with access to those resources, performed in such a way that desired demographic information is available and computer users are not deterred from using the resource by the usage estimation techniques. The system selects a computer system resource of interest, receives demographic information on various computer users with access to the resource, uses the demographic information to select some of the computer users to be a representative sample of all computer users with access to the resource, loads a copy of a monitoring program onto each of the computer systems used by the selected users, executes the loaded copies of the monitoring program so that usage of various computer system resources by the selected users is recorded, transfers the recorded information to a central analyzing facility, estimates the total usage of the computer system resource of interest by all the users based on the usage of the representative sample users, and rates the resource relative to other resources based on a resource characteristic that depends on the amount of usage. In one embodiment, the computer system resource of interest is a computer document or a computer website on the World Wide Web, and the document or website includes advertising information that is displayed when the resource is accessed and used. In this embodiment, the document or website is rated on the basis of its ability to attract computer users with demographic information of interest.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for estimating usage of a specified computer resource that is used by multiple users, the method comprising:

identifying a first group of users using computers having access to the specified computer resource;

receiving demographic information about the first group of users;

selecting some of the first group of users to be a second group of users that is an approximately representative sample of the first group of users based on the received demographic information;

for each user of the second group of users,

identifying a user'"'"'s computer used by the user of the second group; and

notifying the user'"'"'s computer to initiate monitoring of usage of the specified computer resource by the user of the second group and to send information about the monitored usage by the user of the second group to the computer system; and

estimating the total usage of the specified computer resource by the first group of users based on the information about the monitored usage by the second group of users and the received demographic information about the first group of users.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the specified computer resource is a document.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein usage of the document by a user includes displaying of advertising information to the user and wherein monitoring usage of the document by the user includes monitoring interactions of the user with the displayed advertising information, so that the estimated total usage of the document can be used to determine an appropriate fee for displaying the advertising information when the document is used.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the monitored usage is viewing of the document.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the document is a computer webpage.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein notifying the user'"'"'s computer includes providing a copy of a monitoring component to the user'"'"'s computer, wherein the provided monitoring component copy monitors usage of the specified computer resource by the selected user and sends information about the monitored usage to the computer system.

7. A computer-based method for estimating total usage of a computer resource by a group of client computer systems with access to the computer resource, the method comprising:

identifying a first subset of the group of client computer systems that is an approximately representative sample of the group of client computer systems;

for each client computer system of the first subset,

initiating execution of a monitoring program on the client computer system; and

under control of the executing monitoring program, collecting information about usage of the computer resource by the client computer system; and

estimating the total usage of the computer resource by the group of client computer systems based on the collected information.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein initiating execution of a monitoring program includes loading a copy of the monitoring program onto the client computer system prior to execution.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein each executing monitoring program controls the collection of information about usage of a plurality of computer system resources.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein usage of the computer resource by the first subset of the group of client computer systems is at the direction of users, wherein the first subset of the group of client computer systems is identified based on demographic information describing the users, and wherein the estimating of the total usage of the computer resource is based on the demographic information.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the computer resource is a computer document that is accessible to computer systems via a computer network.

12. A method for estimating total usage of a computer resource that is used by multiple users, the method comprising:

selecting a computer resource;

identifying a first group of users with access to the selected computer resource;

selecting a second group of users as an approximately representative sample of the first group of users based on information describing the first group of users;

for each user of the second group of users,

initiating execution of a monitoring component on a computer used by the user of the second group; and

under control of the executing monitoring component, monitoring usage of the selected computer resource by the user of the second group; and

under control of an analyzing component,

receiving information related to the monitored usage of the selected computer resource by the second group of users; and

estimating usage of the selected computer resource by other users of the first group who are not users of the second group based on the received monitored usage information and the information describing the first group of users.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein information about usage of a second resource is received, and including the step of rating the usage of the selected computer resource relative to the usage of the second resource based on the estimated usage information for the selected computer resource and the received usage information for the second resource.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the selected computer resource is a computer document, wherein the usage of the selected computer resource includes interactive usage, wherein the usage of the second resource does not include interactive usage, and wherein the usage rating of the computer document reflects the interactive usage.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein usage of the selected computer resource by a user of the second group prompts availability of additional information to the user of the second group, wherein the monitoring includes monitoring interactions of the user of the second group with the additional information, and wherein the estimated usage includes estimates of interactions with the additional information by other users of the first group who are not users of the second group.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the additional information is advertising information for a product other than the selected computer resource and wherein the interactions with the additional information include viewing the additional information, and including the step of determining based on the estimated usage an appropriate fee for making information available when the selected computer resource is used.

17. A computer system for estimating total usage of a computer resource that is used by a group of computer systems, comprising:

a monitoring component that executes on a member computer system of the group of computer systems and monitors usage of a specified computer resource by the member computer system; and

an analyzer component that identifies a subset of the group of computer systems with access to the specified computer resource, that initiates execution of a monitoring component on each of the computer systems of the subset, that receives monitored usage information from the computer systems of the subset, and that estimates total usage of the specified computer resource by the group of computer systems based on the received monitored usage information of the subset.

18. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the identified computer systems of the subset use a plurality of computer system resources, wherein the analyzer component loads the monitoring component onto each identified computer system prior to the initiating of execution, and wherein each monitoring component executing on each identified computer system monitors usage by the identified computer system of a plurality of computer system resources and sends information about the monitored usage to the analyzer component.

19. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the identified computer systems of the subset use the specified computer resource at the direction of users, wherein the analyzer component receives demographic information about the users and selects some of the users as an approximately representative sample of the group of computer systems based on the received user information, and wherein the analyzer component estimates the total usage of the specified computer resource by the group of computer systems by using monitored usage information received only from the subset of identified computer systems with selected users.

20. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the specified computer resource is a computer document that is accessible to other computer systems via a computer network.

21. A computer system for estimating usage of a computer resource that is used by multiple users, comprising:

a monitoring component that executes on a computer and monitors usage of a computer resource by a user of the computer; and

an analyzer component that selects a computer resource, that receives information about a plurality of users with access to the selected computer resource, that uses the received user information to select a subset of the plurality of users as an approximately representative sample of the plurality of users, that for each user of the subset initiates execution of a monitoring component on a computer used by the user of the subset, that receives monitored usage information from executing monitoring components, and that uses the received monitored usage information and the received user information to estimate usage of the selected computer resource by other users of the plurality of users who are not users of the subset.

22. The computer system of claim 21 wherein the analyzer component receives information about usage of a second resource, wherein the usage of the second resource is of a different type than the usage of the selected computer resource, and wherein the analyzer component rates the usage of the selected computer resource relative to the usage of the second resource based on the estimated usage information for the selected computer resource and the received usage information for the second resource.

23. The computer system of claim 22 wherein the selected computer resource is a computer document, wherein the type of usage of the selected computer resource includes interactive usage, and wherein the type of usage of the second resource includes only viewing.

24. The computer system of claim 21 wherein usage of a computer resource by a user prompts a display to the user of information unrelated to the computer resource, wherein the monitoring includes monitoring interactions of the user with the displayed information, and wherein the estimated usage includes estimates of interactions with information whose display was prompted by the usage of the selected computer resource.

25. The computer system of claim 24 wherein the displayed information is advertising information for a product other than the selected computer resource and wherein the estimated interactions are used to determine an appropriate fee for displaying information upon usage of the selected computer resource.

26. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to estimate total usage of a computer resource that is used by a plurality of computer systems, by:

identifying a subset of client computer systems with access to a computer resource, the subset being an approximately representative sample of the plurality of computer systems;

for each of the identified client computer systems of the subset,

initiating execution of a monitoring program on the identified client computer system; and

under control of the executing monitoring program, monitoring usage of the computer resource by the identified client computer system; and

estimating the total usage of the computer resource by the plurality of client computer systems based on the monitored usage information of the subset.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein at least some of the subset of identified computer systems use a plurality of computer system resources, wherein the initiating execution includes loading a copy of the monitoring program onto the identified computer system and initiating execution of the loaded copy, and wherein each loaded monitoring program copy executing on the at least some of the subset monitors usage by the system of a plurality of computer system resources and sends information about the monitored usage to the computer system.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 26 wherein at least some of the subset of identified computer systems use the computer resource at the direction of users, wherein demographic information about the users is received and some of the users are selected based on the received user information, and wherein the estimating uses monitored usage information only from the identified computer systems with selected users.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the computer resource is a computer documents that is accessible to computer systems vis a computer network.

30. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to estimate total usage of a computer resource that is used by multiple users, by:

selecting a computer resource;

identifying a first group of users with access to the selected computer resource;

selecting a second group of users as an approximately representative sample of the first group of users based on information describing the first group of users;

for each user of the second group of users,

initiating execution of a monitoring component on a computer used by the user of the second group; and

under control of the executing monitoring component, monitoring usage of computer resources by the user of the second group; and

under control of an analyzing component,

receiving information related to the monitored usage of computer resources by the second group of users; and

estimating the total usage of the selected computer resource by the first group of users based on the received monitored usage information and the information describing the first group of users.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 30 wherein information about usage of a second resource is received, wherein the usage of the second resource is of a different type than the usage of the selected computer resource, and including the step of rating the usage of the selected computer resource relative to the usage of the second resource based on the estimated usage information for the selected computer resource and the received usage information for the second resource.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein the selected computer resource is a computer document, wherein the type of usage of the selected computer resource includes interactive usage, and wherein the type of usage of the second resource does not include interactive usage.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 30 wherein usage of the selected computer resource by a user of the second group prompts availability of additional information to the user of the second group, wherein the monitoring includes monitoring interactions of the user of the second group with the additional information, and wherein the estimated usage includes estimates of interactions with the additional information whose availability was prompted by the usage of the selected computer resource.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33 wherein the available information is advertising information for a product other than the selected computer resource and wherein the interactions with the available information include viewing the information, whereby the estimated interactions can be used to determine an appropriate fee for making information available upon usage of the selected computer resource.