Tracking digital content objects

• US 9,183,543 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2011
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Prolifiq Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Prolifiq Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Huynh, Anh, Huynh, Hemingway, Wong, Isabella, Farnsworth, Jeffrey Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): BIAGINI, CHRISTOPHER D
• Application Number:
  US13/032,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20110208821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,722 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Embodiments include methods, apparatus, and systems associated with tracking display of digital content objects, and in particular digital content objects in delivered electronic messages. Digital content objects may be identified and associated with a digital content item. Digital content objects may be presented together in digital container. Different presentation layers containing one or more digital containers may be defined and transmitted in electronic messages. A digital content object tracking system may identify delivered and displayed digital content objects, and associate the display with digital content objects contained therein. The digital content object tracking system may compare displays or activations of one or more digital content objects with reference to co-displayed digital content objects. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method for tracking displays of digital content objects, the method comprising;

receiving, by a computer-implemented tracking system, one or more indications that one or more containers comprising one or more digital content objects associated with a digital content item have been displayed as parts of one or more electronic messages, wherein the digital content objects are associated with respective categories, the digital content objects being associated with the respective categories prior to display of the one or more electronic messages; and

selectively updating, by the computer-implemented tracking system, a counting record associated with the digital content item to reflect the one or more containers having been displayed, the updating based at least in part on whether the one or more digital content objects were associated prior to display with categories that indicate that the digital content item has been displayed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

constructing, by the computer-implemented tracking system, the one or more electronic messages; and

transmitting, by the computer-implemented tracking system, the one or more constructed electronic messages to a receiving device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein constructing the one or more electronic messages comprises constructing one or more presentation layers for a set of digital content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a first electronic message and a second electronic message of the one or more electronic messages include respective digital containers comprising different respective categories of digital content objects.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining, by the computer-implemented tracking system, whether displays of selected digital content objects are associated with greater or fewer displays of other digital content objects.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein constructing the one or more electronic messages comprises:

constructing, by the computer-implemented tracking system, a first electronic message comprising a first digital container, the first digital container comprising a first digital content object;

constructing, by the computer-implemented tracking system, a second electronic message comprising a second digital container, the second digital container comprising a second digital content object, wherein both the first and the second digital content objects may be activated to cause a third digital content object to be displayed; and

transmitting, by the computer-implemented tracking system, the first and second electronic messages; and

wherein receiving one or more indications that one or more containers comprising one or more digital content objects have been displayed comprises receiving, by the computer-implemented tracking system, indications that the first and second electronic messages have been displayed.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining, by the computer-implemented tracking system, whether display of the third digital content object is associated more often with display of the first digital content object or the second digital content object.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more digital content objects comprise one or more of text data, image data, video data, or audio data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital container comprises a markup language page.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving one or more indications that one or more containers comprising one or more digital content objects have been displayed as parts of an electronic message comprises receiving, by the computer-implemented tracking system, an indication that the markup language page has been displayed to a recipient of the one or more electronic messages.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a first set of at least a first digital content object associated with the digital content item is associated with a first category indicating that the digital content item has been displayed; and

updating the counting record associated with the digital content item comprises updating, by the computer-implemented tracking system, the counting record for the digital content item based on a receipt of an indication that one of the digital content objects in the first category has been displayed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the first set of at least at least a second digital content object is associated with a second category that does not indicate that the digital content item has been displayed; and

the computer-implemented tracking system does not update a counting record for the digital content item based on a receipt of an indication that one of the digital content objects associated with the second category, but which is not associated with the first category, has been displayed.

13. A system for tracking displays of digital content objects, the system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

a content repository configured, in response to operation by the one or more computer processors, to maintain information describing one or more digital containers comprising one or more digital content objects; and

a counter configured, in response to operation by the one or more computer processors, to;

receive an indication that one or more digital containers comprising one or more digital content objects associated with a digital content item have been displayed to a recipient of an electronic message, wherein the one or more digital content objects are associated with respective categories, the digital content objects being associated with the respective categories prior to display of the one or more electronic messages; and

increase a counting record associated with the digital content item which are associated with the displayed digital container based, at least in part, on whether the one or more digital content objects were associated prior to display with categories that indicate that the digital content item has been displayed.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a message constructor configured, in response to operation by the one or more computer processors, to:

construct electronic messages comprising digital containers; and

transmit the constructed electronic messages to one or more receiving devices.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the counter is further configured, in response to operation by the one or more computer processors, to determine whether displays of selected digital content objects are associated with greater or fewer displays of other digital content objects.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the message constructor is further configured, in response to operation by the one or more computer processors, to:

construct a first electronic message comprising a first digital container, the first digital container comprising a first digital content object; and

construct a second electronic message comprising a second digital container, the second digital container comprising a second digital content object, wherein both the first and the second digital content objects may be activated to cause a third digital content object to be displayed; and

wherein the counter is further configured, in response to operation by the one or more computer processors, to determine whether display of the third digital content object is associated more often with display of the first digital content object or the second digital content object.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the content repository is configured to maintain, in response to operation by the one or more computer processors, for respective digital containers, respective counting records which indicate one or more tracked digital content objects contained in the respective digital containers.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the respective digital content objects comprise one or more of text data, image data, video data, or audio data.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the content repository is further configured to maintain information describing the digital content item; and

at least one digital content object associated with the digital content item is associated with a first category indicating that the digital content item has been displayed.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the counter is further configured, in response to operation by the one or more computer processors, to not increase the counting record for the digital content item based on a receipt of an indication that an other displayed digital content object associated with the digital content item is associated with a second category that does not indicate that the digital content item has been displayed.

21. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium; and

a plurality of computer-executable instructions stored on the tangible computer-readable medium, wherein the computer-executable instructions, if executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform operations for tracking display of digital content objects, the operations comprising;

constructing a first electronic message comprising a first digital container comprising one or more digital content objects;

transmitting the first electronic message;

receiving an indication that the one or more digital content objects associated with a digital content item from the first digital container have been displayed, wherein the digital content objects are associated with respective categories, the digital content objects being associated with the respective categories prior to display of the one or more electronic messages; and

selectively updating a counting record associated with the digital content item to reflect the one or more containers having been displayed, the updating based at least in part on whether the one or more digital content objects were associated prior to display with categories that indicate that the digital content item has been displayed.

22. The article of claim 21, wherein:

the first digital container comprises a first digital content object; and

the operations further comprise;

constructing a second electronic message comprising a second digital container comprising a second digital content object, wherein both the first and the second digital content objects may be activated to cause a third digital content object to be displayed;

transmitting the second electronic message;

receiving indications that the first and second messages have been displayed; and

determining whether display of the third digital content object is associated more often with display of the first digital content object or the second digital content object.

23. The article of claim 21, wherein the digital content objects comprise one or more of text data, image data, video data, or audio data.

24. The article of claim 21, wherein:

a first set of at least a first digital content object associated with the digital content item is associated with a first category indicating that the digital content item has been displayed; and

the operations for updating the counting record associated with the digital content item comprise operations for updating the counting record for the digital content item based on a receipt of an indication that one of the digital content objects in the first category has been displayed.

25. The article of claim 24 wherein:

at least a second digital content object is associated with a second category that does not indicate that the digital content item has been displayed; and

operations for updating the counting record associated with the digital content item comprise operations for the computer-implemented tracking system not updating the counting record for the digital content item based on a receipt of an indication that one of the digital content objects associated with the second category, but which is not associated with the first category, has been displayed.