US 8,713,428 B2 · Content display monitor

Abstract

The invention can enable monitoring of the display of content by a computer system. Moreover, the invention can enable monitoring of the displayed content to produce monitoring information from which conclusions may be deduced regarding the observation of the displayed content by an observer. The invention can also enable monitoring of the display at a content display site of content that is provided by a content provider site over a network to the content display site. Additionally, the invention can enable the expeditious provision of updated and/or tailored content over a network from a content provider site to a content display site so that the content provider's current and appropriately tailored content is always displayed at the content display site. Aspects of the invention related to transfer of content over a network are generally applicable to any type of network. However, it is contemplated that the invention can be particularly useful with a computer network, including private computer networks (e.g., America Online™) and public computer networks (e.g., the Internet). In particular, the invention can be advantageously used with computer networks or portions of computer networks over which video and/or audio content are transferred from one network site to another network site for observation, such as the World Wide Web portion of the Internet.

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims23

Dependent claims

A method to monitor display of web page content, the method comprising:

receiving from an unregistered client a request for a web page at a first server, wherein the unregistered client is not registered with the first server;
and
transferring a file for constructing the web page from the first server to the unregistered client, the file including:
(1) at least one computer executable monitoring instruction that when executed by the unregistered client causes detecting of display of content included with the web page;
and
(2) at least one computer executable transfer instruction, that when executed by the unregistered client causes transferring of monitoring information generated by the at least one computer executable monitoring instruction to a second server which did not transfer the file and which is different from the first server;
wherein the at least one computer executable monitoring instruction is embedded within the file.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description14,779 words

Summary5,087 words

#1. Field of the Invention

#This invention relates to monitoring the display and observation of content by a computer system. The invention also relates to monitoring the display and observation at a content display site of content that is provided by a content provider site over a network to the content display site. The invention further relates to the provision of updated and/or tailored content from a content provider site to a content display site so that the content provider's current content is always displayed at the content display site.

#2. Related Art

Brief description of the drawings8 figures

#FIGS. 1A and 1B are simplified diagrams of a network illustrating operation of a previous system for monitoring requests for content over the World Wide Web.

#FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D are simplified diagrams of a network illustrating operation of a previous system for enabling retrieval of updated and/or tailored secondary content for use in primary content provided over the network.

#FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C are simplified diagrams of a network illustrating operation of one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description9,429 words

#The invention includes several aspects related to the display of content to an observer. For example, the invention can enable monitoring of the display of content by a computer system. In particular, the invention can enable monitoring of the displayed content in a manner that provides monitoring information from which aspects of the user's observation of the content can be gleaned. The invention can also enable monitoring of the display and—using the aforementioned capability—the observation at a content display site of content that is provided by a content provider site over a network to the content display site. Additionally, the invention can enable the expeditious provision of updated and/or tailored content over a network from a content provider site to a content display site so that the content provider's current and appropriately tailored content is always displayed at the content display site.

#Herein, “content” refers generally to any sensory images (or data used to produce those sensory images) displayed by a device with which the invention is used. “Observation” refers to the perception of content by an observer. Typically, the content will be visual or aural images produced by the device; observation of such content thus consists of viewing or listening, as appropriate, to the produced images.

#Certain aspects of the invention relate to the monitoring of content obtained from, or provision of content over, a network. “Content provider site” refers to a device that is part of the network and that can provide content to another device that is part of the network. “Content display site” refers to a device that is part of the network and that can receive and display content from another device that is part of the network. It is contemplated that the invention can be particularly useful with a computer network that operates in this way. “Computer network” includes any collection of interconnected computer systems. “Computer system” refers to a device or collection of devices which depend upon a computational device (e.g., a general or special purpose processor) for at least some aspects of their operation. In particular, as used herein, a “computer system” can include any type of display device, including a conventional computer display monitor, a television, or one or more audio speakers.

Facts

Application

11/618,233Filed 29 Dec 2006 · division

Priority

3 Sep 1996

Published

US 2007/0106792 A110 May 2007

Granted

29 Apr 2014

Term ended

11 Nov 2018

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 799 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification16 codes

G06F 11/34
Monitoring: recording or statistical evaluation of computer activity, e.g. of down time, of input/output operation ; Recording or statistical…
G06F 16/9577
Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation: optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
G06F 40/103
Text processing: formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents
G06F 40/106
Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents: display of layout of documents; Previewing

Family

Application08/707,279Parent of this continuation · filed 3 Sep 1996

Application09/490,495Parent of this division · filed 25 Jan 2000

US 6,108,637 AParent of this continuation · filed 22 Aug 2000

US 2007/0106792 A1Pre-grant publication · published 10 May 2007

US 7,386,476 B1Parent of this division

Application09/490,495Parent of this continuation

US 2004/0078292 A1Published application

US 7,386,473 B2Related patent

US 8,713,428 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

3 Sep 1996Priority claimedParent application 08/707,279
29 Dec 2006Application filedUS 11/618,233
10 May 2007PublishedUS 2007/0106792 A1
30 Jul 2007Assigned to Nuweb (Aka Pacific Web)assignment of assignor's interest
30 Jul 2007Assigned to Nielsen Media Research, Inc., Internet Profiles Corporationassignment of assignor's interest
30 Jul 2007Assigned to Nielsen Media Research, Inc., A Delaware Corporationassignment of assignor's interest
30 Jul 2007Assigned to Netratings, Inc.assignment of assignor's interest
13 Aug 2009Assigned to Nielsen Company (US), LLC, the, A Delaware Limited Liability Companymerger
13 Aug 2009Assigned to Nielsen Company (US), LLC, the, A Delaware Limited Liability Companyassignment of assignor's interest
9 Jan 2012Assigned to Comscore, Inc.assignment of assignor's interest
30 Sep 2013Assigned to Bank of America, N.A., AS Administrative Agentnotice of grant of security interest in patents
11 Mar 2014Assigned to Comscore, Inc.corrective assignment to correct the assignor: the nielsen company, and replace with the correct assignor: the nielsen company (us) llc. previously recorded on reel 027503 frame 0879. assignor(s) hereby confirms the assignor: the nielsen company assignee: comscore, inc. 11950 democracy drive suite 600 reston, virginia 20190.
29 Apr 2014GrantedUS 8,713,428 B2
12 Jan 2018Assigned to Comscore, Inc.termination and release of security interest in patents
16 Jan 2018Assigned to Starboard Value and Opportunity Master Fund Ltd.assignment for security - patents
11 Nov 2018Term endedEstimated, includes 799 days of adjustment
25 Mar 2021Assigned to Comscore, Inc., Rentrak Corporation, Proximic, LLCrelease of security interest in patents
6 May 2021Assigned to Bank of America, N.A., AS Administrative Agentnotice of grant of security interest in patents
6 Jun 2022Assigned to Comscore, Inc., Rentrak Corporation, Proximic, LLCcorrective assignment to correct the missing assignment page 1 and 22 omitted patents previously recorded at reel: 056547 frame: 0526. assignor(s) hereby confirms the release of security interest.
16 Jan 2025Assigned to Comscore, Inc.release of security interest

Content display monitor

Life of this patent

Content display monitor

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims23

Description14,779 words

Drawings

Classification16 codes

Life of this patent

Description14,779 words