Privacy enhanced application usage monitoring
AssigneeSap SE
InventorTejram Jagannath Sonwane
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems, methods, and computer media for monitoring software application usage are provided herein. Using a local, time-interval-based approach, valuable information can be obtained for application providers without collecting or exposing user's personal data. Application usage data for a user is recorded and stored locally, on a client device, in conjunction with time intervals of different duration. After new application usage is recorded, it can be determined, based on comparison with the stored application usage data, if an application usage update is needed. The update can be generated by and sent from the client device to a remote application management system, and the remote system can perform analytics and improve the application as a result.
Claims17
A method, comprising:
- at a client device associated with a user of an application:
- recording application usage data for the user on a current day in a current month;
- comparing the application usage data to stored usage data in a usage tracking data store local to the client device, wherein the comparing comprises determining if the stored usage data includes application usage data for the user from a plurality of different time intervals, the plurality of different time intervals including the current day;
- upon determining that the stored usage data does not include application usage data for the user for the current day:
- generating an application usage update indicating usage for the current day, wherein the application usage update does not include a unique user identifier for the user, and
- updating the stored usage data to reflect the recorded application usage data;
- and
- transmitting the application usage update to a remote application management system.
One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions for monitoring application usage, the monitoring comprising:
- maintaining a usage tracking data store on a client device associated with a user of an application, the usage tracking data store configured to record application usage for the user during time intervals of different duration;
- recording application usage data for the user for a current day;
- comparing the recorded application usage data to stored usage data in the usage tracking data store for the current day and at least one other time interval, where the other time interval is one of a current week, a current month, a current quarter, or a current year;
- upon determining that the usage tracking data store contains usage data for the other time interval but does not contain usage data for the current day, generating an application usage update, the application usage update indicating usage for the current day but not indicating usage for the other time interval for which the usage tracking data store contains usage data, wherein the application usage update does not contain a unique user identifier for the user;
- and
- providing the application usage update to a remote application management system.
A method of monitoring application usage, the method comprising:
- maintaining a usage tracking data store on a client device associated with a user of an application, the usage tracking data store configured to record application usage for the user during time intervals of different duration;
- recording application usage data for the user for a current day;
- comparing the recorded application usage data to stored usage data in the usage tracking data store for the current day and at least one other time interval, where the other time interval is one of a current week, a current month, a current quarter, or a current year;
- upon determining that the usage tracking data store contains usage data for the other time interval but does not contain usage data for the current day, generating an application usage update, the application usage update indicating usage for the current day but not indicating usage for the other time interval for which the usage tracking data store contains usage data, wherein the application usage update does not contain a unique user identifier for the user;
- and
- providing the application usage update to a remote application management system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.