Patent Application
20100257175
Embodiments relate to the field of associating one or more events, and more specifically to joining events from one or more streams of events.
Web pages may, under circumstances, track a variety of events. For example, a computing apparatus such as a computing apparatus programmed to perform one or more ad-server functions, may transmit one or more advertisements to one or more application programs, such as web browsers, at one or more times. In this example, a computing apparatus, such as a computing apparatus programmed to perform one or more tracking functions, may be operable to track information relating to serving of advertisements as one or more events. In addition, one or more other events may likewise be tracked, such as a time at which an advertisement is displayed to a user, a time at which a user clicks on an advertisement, a time at which a user makes a purchase related to a served or displayed advertisement. Under some circumstances, this may lead to a large quantity of information relating to the various events that may be tracked. Accordingly, solutions for managing or organizing such information may be desirable or advantageous.
Subject matter is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. Claimed subject matter, however, both as to organization and method of operation, together with objects, features, and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference of the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which:
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures, components or circuits that would be known by one of ordinary skill have not been described in detail so as not to obscure claimed subject matter.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of claimed subject matter. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in one or more embodiments.
In at least one embodiment, one or more computing platforms, such as one or more special purpose computing apparatuses, may be involved in one or more aspects of transmitting a web page for display to a user. For example, a user may request a web page using one or more application programs, such as a web browser. In response to such a request, one or more computing apparatuses, such as one or more special purpose computing apparatuses programmed to perform one or more server functions, may transmit signals over an electronic communication network representative of one or more files to the web browser for eventual display to a user. For example, a computing apparatus, such as a special purpose computing apparatus programmed to perform one or more server functions, may transmit one or more signals representing a file via a communication adaptor and a communication network to the web browser corresponding to a particular web page requested by the user, such as a news or entertainment article. In this example, another computing apparatus, such as a special purpose computing apparatus programmed to perform one or more ad server functions, may transmit one or more signals representing a file to the web browser corresponding to one or more advertisements that may be displayed to the user along with the requested web page. In this example, one or more computing apparatuses may keep track of information or events relating to the above transmission. For example, a computing apparatus may track a transmission or serving event relating to a time at which the one or more advertisements were transmitted or served to the web browser. In addition, a computing apparatus may also track a display or user impression event. As used herein a user impression event may refer to an event associated with a time at which the one or more advertisements are displayed to the user via a web browser or other application program, for example. For further example, a computing apparatus may track a selection event. As used herein a selection event may refer to an event associated with a time at which a user may have selected at least one of the one or more advertisements or other files, such as by a user selecting an image or link with one or more input devices, if such a user selection occurs. For yet another example, a computing apparatus may track a conversion event. As used herein a conversion event may refer to an event associated with a time at which a user may have made a purchase relating to at least one of the one or more advertisements, if such a purchase occurs. In addition, a computing apparatus may also track one or more user interactions with the one or more advertisements, such as mouse movements or clicks by a user interacting with an at least in part interactive advertisement, such as a multimedia advertisement, for example. It should, however, be noted that these are merely illustrative examples of events that may be tracked and that claimed subject matter is not limited to the examples provided.
In at least one embodiment, a computing platform and/or special purpose computing apparatus may perform one or more actions relating to the various tracked events. For example, a computing platform and/or special purpose computing apparatus may receive a log file of such events from another computing apparatus and form a file based at least in part on a stream of signals representative of a particular type of event from such a log file. A stream in this example may be one or more signals received by a computing apparatus, wherein the received one or more signals may be associated with a particular type of event. For example, a computing apparatus may receive a stream of one or more signals corresponding to user selection events via a communication network and a communication adaptor. In addition, a stream of events may be one or more signals representative of one or more events received via a communication adaptor and stored in a memory device, such as a memory buffer, queue, storage media, and/or the like. In addition, the stream of events may be one or more signals representative of one or more events and may be received by, and operated on by, one or more processors programmed with one or more instructions to perform one or more function on such signals. In one particular embodiment, such a formed file may comprise formatted uncompressed data and may be stored as one or more uncompressed data files, such as stored in a memory device associated with the computing platform and/or special purpose computing apparatus. For example, while forming a file from signals representative of the stream of events, such as a formatted file including signals representative of various information associated with particular events, such as a time of a particular event, an advertisement associated with a particular event, a user associated with a particular event, a web site associated with a particular event, and/or the like, a computing platform and/or special purpose computing apparatus may also form an index corresponding to that formatted file. In a particular embodiment, the formed index may be stored as one or more signals in a memory device associated with the computing platform and/or special purpose computing apparatus. In addition, signals representative of such an index file may be stored at least partially in compliance with one or more data-base standards, such as in compliance with Berkeley DB standard, for example. In this example, the index may include information relating to one or more events associated with the file, such as one or more pointers to information associated with a particular event. For example, an index file may include one or more signal representative of a location within the formatted file of information associated with a particular event. In an embodiment, a computing platform and/or special purpose computing apparatus may form a formatted file and index file for respective events, such as advertisement serving events; advertisement viewing events, user selection events, user interaction events, user conversion events, and/or the like. In addition, a computing platform and/or special purpose computing apparatus may join signals representing one or more events from respective signals representing streams of events based at least in part on respective formed index files in conjunction with respective formed formatted files. The term join as used herein may refer to a process by which one or more signals corresponding to aspects of an event may be associated with one another. Joining may likewise include forming a signal at least in part representing such an association and may also include transmitting such a signal via a communication adaptor and a network and/or storing such a signal in a storage medium. For example, a join action may be one or more actions in compliance with one or more data-base standards, such as the Berkeley DB standard mentioned above. Event as used herein may refer to one or more things that may occur at one or more times or within one or more time ranges. For example, an event may refer to one or more signals of a particular type being transmitted, received, stored, and/or the like. It should, however, be noted that these are merely illustrative examples relating to joining events and that claimed subject matter is not limited in this regard.
In an embodiment, apparatus 204 may likewise track one or more other types of events. For example, apparatus 204 may track information relating to advertisement display events. In this example, apparatus 204 may receive a stream of signals corresponding to advertisement display events. For example, computing apparatus 208 may transmit a signal to apparatus 204 via network 209 if an advertisement has been displayed to a user view a web browser or other application program. In this particular embodiment, apparatus 204 may form one or more signals representing an index to such advertisement display events, such as in response to receiving a stream of signals corresponding to these events or a log file corresponding to those events. In addition, apparatus 204 may form a formatted file corresponding to such received events. For example, the formatted file may include one or more signals corresponding to such events. Such signals may represent information associated with the events, such as a web page associated with a particular event, a user associated with a particular event, a particular advertisement associated with a particular event, a time or time range associated with a particular event, and/or the like. In an embodiment, the formed index file may include signals representing information associated with particular events. For example, the formed index may include one or more signals indicating a location within the formatted file where signals corresponding to a particular event are located. Likewise, apparatus 206 may perform similar actions with regard stored, received, or transmitted signals representing other types of events, such as user click events, user conversion events, user interaction events, and/or the like. It should however, be noted that these are merely illustrative examples relating to indexing events and that claimed subject matter is not limited in this regard.
With regard to
In addition, a computing platform and/or special purpose computing apparatus may join one or more different types of events. In an embodiment, a computing platform and/or special purpose computing apparatus may join such events based on one or more factors, such as a time of the events, a time range of the events, a relationship between the events, and/or the like. For example, a computing platform and/or special purpose computing apparatus may join an advertisement serving event for a particular user with an advertisement viewing event, a user click event, a user interaction event, a user conversion event, and/or the like, for a particular user. In this example, a computing platform and/or special purpose computing apparatus may join such event by generating and storing in a memory device one or more signals that at least in part indicate an association between such events. For example, a computing platform and/or special purpose computing apparatus may form a signal indicative of a relationship between a particular advertisement serving event and a particular advertisement viewing event. In this example, a computing platform and/or special purpose computing apparatus may also store the generated signal, such as in a memory device associated with the computing platform and/or special purpose computing apparatus.
Some portions of the detailed description above are presented in terms of algorithms or symbolic representations of operations on binary digital signals stored within a memory of a specific apparatus or special purpose computing device or platform. In the context of this particular specification, the term specific apparatus, specific purpose computing apparatus, and/or the like includes a general purpose computer once it is programmed to perform particular functions pursuant to instructions from program software. Algorithmic descriptions or symbolic representations are examples of techniques used by those of ordinary skill in the signal processing or related arts to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, is considered to be a self-consistent sequence of operations or similar signal processing leading to a desired result. In this context, operations or processing involve physical manipulation of physical quantities. Typically, although not necessarily, such quantities may take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared or otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to such signals as bits, data, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, numerals and/or the like. It should be understood, however, that all of these or similar terms are to be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout this specification discussions utilizing terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining” and/or the like refer to actions or processes of a specific apparatus, such as a special purpose computer, special purpose computing apparatus, or a similar special purpose electronic computing device. In the context of this specification, therefore, a special purpose computer or a similar special purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals, typically represented as physical electronic or magnetic quantities within memories, registers, or other information storage devices, transmission devices, or display devices of the special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device.
In the preceding description, various aspects of claimed subject matter have been described. For purposes of explanation, specific numbers, systems or configurations were set forth to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. However, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that claimed subject matter may be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, features that would be understood by one of ordinary skill were omitted or simplified so as not to obscure claimed subject matter. While certain features have been illustrated or described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes or equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications or changes as fall within the true spirit of claimed subject matter.
