Method and apparatus for data processing

#The disclosed method and apparatus relate generally to the processing of information received via a network and more particularly to the collection and manipulation of information related to content distributed over networks.

#The world wide web is a platform that has been used to exchange various forms of content including videos, text, music, etc. Often this content is distributed to users and/or computers in an ad-hoc fashion, for example, using e-mail or as files embedded in a web page. Recently, primitive forms of “viral” distribution and/or replication of content have been developed that allow users to more easily spread content to other users than previously known ad-hoc methods. Although these primitive methods are more convenient than distributing content in an ad-hoc fashion, they have many shortcomings. For example, they do not provide for the ability to easily add services related to the content and services, if any exist, cannot be dynamically modified. The spreading of content using ad-hoc methods and/or primitive forms of viral spreading cannot be tracked as a service in a useful and efficient way. Moreover, limitations in the ability to track spreading content and to efficiently process any information that can be tracked also limits the ability to dynamically modify behavior associated with the content. Content also cannot be readily shared with users of different platforms (e.g., personal digital assistant to personal computer).

#Thus, a need exists for efficiently collecting and manipulating information related to content distributed to users and/or computers.

#The disclosed method and apparatus are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, identical or like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

#FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a system configured to handle tracking information received from one or more instances of widgets.

#FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a system having virtual servers for handling tracking information received from one or more instances of widgets.

#A widget container (also can be referred to as a container) is a procedural software framework that contains a widget and/or contains at least one service module that can be associated with the widget. As a procedural software framework, the widget container can be a series of instructions that are executable or interpretable by, for example, a computer processor. The widget and/or service module is “contained” in the widget container when a widget and/or service module is either referenced in a widget container or actually integrated into the procedural software framework of the widget container. The widget and/or service module when being contained in the widget container can be referred to as being wrapped or containerized in the widget container.

#The widget container can be a portable framework that can be embedded in (e.g., referenced using an embed or object tag) and/or accessed from/using, for example, a processor-readable vehicle (e.g., webpage) and/or a content aggregation point. A content aggregation point can be, for example, managed by (e.g., hosted at, served from) and/or executed at the network entity and can be, for example, a desktop, a start page, a wireless application protocol (WAP) gallery, a gallery, a webpage, a processor-readable vehicle, a portal, and/or a directory. The widget can be any type of object such as a static data object (e.g., a text-based object), a media object (e.g., a video, an mp3, or an image), and/or a software object (e.g., a javascript applet, a rich media object) that can be contained (e.g., integrated or referenced) in the widget container. In many embodiments, the widget and/or the service module (or references to the widget and/or service module) can be referred to as components of the widget container.

#The service module (or reference to the service module) contained in the widget container can be a pre-defined and/or customizable (e.g., user-defined) function related to a variety of functions (e.g., tracking, placing) related to the widget container and/or its components. The service module and/or widget can be wrapped in the container, for example, at the time that the widget container is first generated, after the widget container has been generated, and/or dynamically when the widget container is being served. The widget container can be produced using a widget generation engine that can be implemented in hardware and/or software. In some embodiments, the widget generation engine can be controlled using, for example, a user-interface. In some embodiments, the widget container generation engine can be included in a widget container host and/or a widget container creation device. In some embodiments, the widget container can be dynamically modified using dynamic injection (i.e., injecting data into the widget container just before/when the widget container is served).