Determining attention data using DNS information

• US 7,949,724 B1
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schachter, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US11/966,205
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Generally, the present invention provides for monitoring user Internet activity based on DNS information. The invention includes accessing a plurality of query logs from a plurality of DNS servers and retrieving a plurality of DNS requests from the query logs. The DNS requests are requests from a various computing devices that have requested web content from web servers indicated by IP addresses. The invention further includes processing the DNS requests to determine Internet-based activity information by the plurality of computing devices that requested the web content and determining attention data based on the activity information. The attention data indicates web search trends based on the corresponding IP addresses accessed by the requesting computing devices.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring user Internet activity based on domain name system (“

DNS”

) information, the method comprising;

accessing one or more query logs from one or more DNS servers of an internet service provider, the one or more query logs including one or more DNS requests;

retrieving the one or more DNS requests from the query logs, where a given DNS requests is from a computing device requesting web content from a web server indicated by an internet protocol (“

IP”

) address;

translating the DNS requests into processable information comprising a table maintained by the internet service provider indicating a type of content associated with a corresponding IP address;

processing the translated DNS requests to determine Internet-based activity information of the computing device that requested the web content on the basis of the type of content associated with the corresponding IP address;

determining attention data based on the activity information, where the attention data indicates web activity trends of the computing device on the basis of the corresponding IP address accessed by the computing device and the type of content associated with the IP address;

providing the attention data from the internet service provider to a search engine processing device;

incorporating the attention data provided by the internet service provider with one or more existing criteria used by the search engine processing device to determine search result relevancy; and

updating search engine result operations using the attention data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attention data indicates how many times the IP address is accessed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more DNS servers is a root server.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising:

providing at least one DNS server that provides DNS operations for the internet service provider; and

storing the DNS requests in a local query log associated with the at least one hosted DNS server.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising:

hosting at least one DNS server for the internet service provider; and

storing the DNS requests in a local query log associated with the at least one hosted DNS server.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving information describing DNS request from at least one of;

the DNS server, a network upon which the DNS request is transmitted, and the computing device.

7. Non-transitory computer readable media storing program code that when executed by a computer causes the computer to perform a method for monitoring user Internet activity based on domain name system (“

DNS”

) information, the method comprising;

accessing one or more query logs from one or more DNS servers of an internet service provider, the one or more query logs including one or more DNS requests;

retrieving the one or more DNS requests from the query logs, where a given DNS requests is from a computing device requesting web content from a web server indicated by an internet protocol (“

IP”

) address;

translating the DNS requests into processable information comprising a table maintained by the internet service provider indicating a type of content associated with a corresponding IP address;

processing the translated DNS requests to determine Internet-based activity information of the computing device that requested the web content on the basis of the type of content associated with the corresponding IP address;

determining attention data based on the activity information, where the attention data indicates web activity trends of the computing device on the basis of the corresponding IP address accessed by the computing device and the type of content associated with the IP address;

providing the attention data from the internet service provider to a search engine processing device;

incorporating the attention data provided by the internet service provider with one or more existing criteria used by the search engine processing device to determine search result relevancy; and

updating search engine result operations using the attention data.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the attention data indicates how many times the IP address is accessed.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7 comprises:

providing at least one DNS server that provides DNS operations for the internet service provider; and

storing the DNS requests in a local query log associated with the at least one hosted DNS server.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 7 further comprising:

hosting at least one DNS server for the internet service provider; and

storing the DNS requests in a local query log associated with the at least one hosted DNS server.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 7 further comprising:

retrieving information describing DNS request from at least one of;

the DNS server, a network upon which the DNS request is transmitted, and the computing device.

12. An apparatus for monitoring user Internet activity based on domain name system (“

DNS”

) information, the apparatus comprising;

a memory device having executable instructions stored therein; and

a processing device, in response to the executable instructions, operative to;

access one or more query logs from one or more DNS servers of an internet service provider, the one or more query logs including one or more DNS requests;

retrieve the one or more DNS requests from the query logs, where a given DNS request is from a computing device requesting web content from a web server indicated by an internet protocol (IP) address;

translate the DNS requests into processable information comprising a table maintained by the internet service provider indicating a type of content associated with a corresponding IP address;

process the translated DNS requests to determine Internet-based activity information of the computing device that requested the web content on the basis of the type of content associated with the corresponding IP address;

determine attention data on the basis of the activity information, where the attention data indicates web activity trends of the computing device based on the corresponding IP address accessed by the requesting computing device and the type of content associated with the IP address;

provide the attention data from the internet service provider to a search engine processing device;

incorporate the attention data provided by the internet service provider with one or more existing criteria used by the search engine processing device to determine search result relevancy; and

update search engine result operations using the attention data.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein attention data indicates how many times the IP address is accessed.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, the processing device in response to executable instructions is operative to:

provide at least one DNS server operations for the internet service provider; and

store the DNS requests in a local query log associated with the at least one hosted DNS server.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, the processing device in response to executable instructions is operative to:

host at least one DNS server for the internet service provider; and

store the DNS requests in a local query log associated with the at least one hosted DNS server.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, the processing device in respond to executable instruction is operative to:

retrieve information describing DNS request from at least one of;

the DNS server, a network upon which the DNS request is transmitted, and the computing device.