Methods, systems, and computer program products for tracking and attributing conversion events.

Abstract

The present invention relates to conversion event tracking and attribution. The present invention enables measuring the impact of marketing events on the distribution and adoption of software products and / or services and attribution of conversion events to the source responsible for the conversion. The present invention further enables targeted traffic / content delivery to users based on accurate tracking and attribution of conversion events. The present invention is implemented by a conversion tracking server configured for network communication with users' terminal devices and, optionally, for network communication with a cloud service server system to implement conversion tracking and attribution.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the tracking and attribution of conversion events. The present invention measures the impact of marketing events on the delivery and adoption of software products and / or services, and enables the attribution of conversion events to the source responsible for that conversion. The present invention further enables the optimization of targeted traffic / content delivery to users based on the accurate tracking and attribution of conversion events.

Background Art

[0002] Advertisements are converted when viewers initiate an action desired by the advertiser, such as purchasing a product, service, or subscription featured in the advertisement, or conducting additional research on a product or service (e.g., visiting the advertiser's or seller's website), or any other action indicating user engagement with the advertisement. Since the goal of an advertising campaign is to generate demand for a product / service offering among consumers, information on whether an advertisement is converted is important for determining whether the advertising campaign has been successful. Further, when a product / service offering is advertised by multiple advertising networks or advertising agencies and the applicable payment model includes paying the advertising network or advertising agency only if the advertisement is successfully converted, it is also important to attribute a successful conversion to the advertising network or advertising agency that caused the conversion.

[0003] To successfully perform conversion tracking and attribution, merchants need to predictably identify each instance where a user interacts with an advertisement, and identify it each time a consumer downloads or purchases or launches an application after viewing the advertisement.

[0004] The situation becomes even more complex when ads are displayed on mobile devices. Figure 1 illustrates the traditional methods by which ad conversions and attributions are achieved for mobile devices.

[0005] As shown in Figure 1, an advertisement 1022 (for example, for a downloadable software application) is displayed on a mobile device 102. The displayed advertisement 1022 includes an embedded link 1024 configured to respond to the user clicking the advertisement by (i) searching for an identifier made available in the iOS® system associated with the mobile device 1022 (such as the "Advertiser Identifier (IDFA)" made available in the iOS® system for Apple Mobile Devices / iPhone®), and (ii) transmitting to the affiliated platform 104, along with information identifying the advertising network or advertising agency or other entity responsible for displaying the advertisement 1022 on the mobile device 102, and information confirming that the advertisement 1022 displayed on the mobile device 102 has been clicked or viewed.

[0006] The affiliated platform 104 can receive this information from the mobile device 102 and record the first conversion event, i.e., that an advertisement 1022 displayed by a specific advertising network or advertising agency was clicked by the user. Subsequently, if the user sees the advertisement 1022 and decides to download the advertised software application 1026 to the mobile device 102, the user can be directed to a download resource 106 or repository (such as Apple's "App Store" platform) and download the advertised software application 1026 to the mobile device 102.

[0007] When a user launches the installed application 1026, the SDK 1028 or other software files / data files / library files within the installed application 1026 (i) retrieve the same identifier (e.g., IDFA) associated with the mobile device 102, and (ii) send the identifier to the affiliated platform 104, along with information confirming that the software application 1026 was launched for the first time on the mobile device 102.

[0008] As shown in Figure 2, by matching two identifiers received at the attribution platform 104, it is possible to confirm that the installation and launch of the software application 1026 on a specific mobile device 102 is a result of an advertisement 1022 displayed on that mobile device 102 by a specific advertising network or advertising agency. As a result, the installation may be attributed to that advertising network or advertising agency, and appropriate credit may be assigned.

[0009] Traditional methods for tracking and attributing conversion events on mobile devices are changing, and there are increasing restrictions on extracting mobile device-related identifiers and transferring such identifiers and other information to third parties. Such restrictions significantly limit the ability to track and properly attribute conversion events involving mobile devices.

[0010] As a solution to enable conversion and attribution tracking, certain operating system vendors (such as Apple) have indicated that software applications with a common publisher or vendor can freely exchange device-specific information with each other. Each (user, vendor) tuple is assigned a random identifier known as an IDFV (see https: / / www.adjust.com / glossary / idfv / ) (vendor identifier), which can be used when both the outgoing and incoming applications are from the same vendor or publisher. This opens up the opportunity for software application publishers to have their own advertising publishing sources (e.g., popular software applications or games published by the developer / publisher) that enable accurate ad tracking measurement. However, even with this solution, the advertiser's potential reach is limited to the user base of the software application or game.

[0011] Therefore, a new tracking and attribution method is needed that eliminates reliance on existing identification systems (such as IDFA). Furthermore, it is necessary to extend the "common vendor / publisher" relationship, which allows users to be identified via IDFV, to conversions from web browsers to applications. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0012] This invention enables the tracking and attribution of conversion events related to software applications to the sources involved in those conversions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The present invention is a method for tracking network-based electronic advertising conversions, On the conversion tracking server, The software application has started displaying advertisements on the web browser of the terminal device. Source of introduction From there, traffic parameters related to the user click event corresponding to the displayed advertisement are received. In response to receiving a first user input from the terminal device, which initiates network-based distribution of a cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device, A unique identifier is generated that relates to the ongoing network communication session between the terminal device and the conversion tracking server. A first device fingerprint associated with the aforementioned terminal device is generated, The generated first device fingerprint is associated with the generated unique identifier, The generated first device fingerprint, along with the generated unique first identifier, is stored in the device fingerprint database in a searchable format. The aforementioned Source of introduction or the above Source of introduction A first conversion event confirmation message is sent to the entity related to the software application, confirming that the delivery of the cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device has begun. The terminal device receives a second user input from the terminal device to initiate the download of the software application to the terminal device. The software application is downloaded from the application store database to the terminal device. In response to the startup of the runtime instance of the downloaded software application on the terminal device, The terminal device receives a runtime event confirmation message, The terminal device receives terminal device fingerprint data from the aforementioned terminal device. Based on the received terminal device fingerprint data, a second device fingerprint is generated. The second device fingerprint is compared with the device fingerprint data stored in the device fingerprint database. In response to the detection of a positive match between the second device fingerprint and the first device fingerprint, Obtain the unique identifier associated with the first device fingerprint, The aforementioned Source of introduction or the above Source of introduction A second conversion event confirmation message is sent to the entity associated with the downloaded software application to confirm that the runtime instance of the software application has been launched on the terminal device. This provides a network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking method.

[0014] The present invention also relates to a network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking system, Includes a processor-based conversion tracking server, The aforementioned processor conversion tracking server The software application has started displaying advertisements on the web browser of the terminal device. Source of introduction From there, traffic parameters related to the user click event corresponding to the displayed advertisement are received. In response to receiving a first user input from the terminal device, which initiates network-based distribution of a cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device, A unique identifier is generated that relates to the ongoing network communication session between the terminal device and the conversion tracking server. A first device fingerprint associated with the aforementioned terminal device is generated, The generated first device fingerprint is associated with the generated unique identifier, The generated first device fingerprint, along with the generated unique first identifier, is stored in a searchable device fingerprint database. The Source of introduction or the Source of introduction related entity is sent a first conversion event confirmation message to confirm that the delivery of the cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device has started, A second user input to start downloading the software application to the terminal device is received from the terminal device, The software application is downloaded from the application store database to the terminal device, In response to the startup of the runtime instance of the downloaded software application on the terminal device, A runtime event confirmation message is received from the terminal device, Terminal device fingerprint data is received from the terminal device, Based on the received terminal device fingerprint data, a second device fingerprint is generated, The second device fingerprint is compared with the device fingerprint data stored in the device fingerprint database, In response to the detection of a positive match between the second device fingerprint and the first device fingerprint, The unique identifier associated with the first device fingerprint is obtained, The Source of introduction or the Source of introduction related entity is sent a second conversion event confirmation message to confirm the startup of the runtime instance of the downloaded software application on the terminal device. A network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking system is provided.

[0015] The present invention is also a computer program product for tracking electronic advertising conversions in a network-based manner, Including a non-temporary computer-readable medium containing computer-readable program code, The computer-readable program code includes instructions, The aforementioned instruction is, The software application has started displaying advertisements on the web browser of the terminal device. Source of introduction From there, traffic parameters related to the user click event corresponding to the displayed advertisement are received. In response to receiving a first user input from the terminal device, which initiates network-based distribution of a cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device, A unique identifier is generated that relates to the ongoing network communication session between the terminal device and the conversion tracking server. A first device fingerprint associated with the aforementioned terminal device is generated, The generated first device fingerprint is associated with the generated unique identifier, The generated first device fingerprint, along with the generated unique first identifier, is stored in a searchable device fingerprint database. The aforementioned Source of introduction or the above Source of introduction A first conversion event confirmation message is sent to the entity related to the software application, confirming that the delivery of the cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device has begun. The terminal device receives a second user input from the terminal device to initiate the download of the software application to the terminal device. The software application is downloaded from the application store database to the terminal device. In response to the startup of the runtime instance of the downloaded software application on the terminal device, The terminal device receives a runtime event confirmation message, The terminal device receives terminal device fingerprint data from the aforementioned terminal device. Based on the received terminal device fingerprint data, a second device fingerprint is generated. The second device fingerprint is compared with the device fingerprint data stored in the device fingerprint database. In response to the detection of a positive match between the second device fingerprint and the first device fingerprint, Obtain the unique identifier associated with the first device fingerprint, The aforementioned Source of introduction or the above Source of introduction A second conversion event confirmation message is sent to the entity associated with the downloaded software application to confirm that the runtime instance of the software application has been launched on the terminal device. We provide computer program products. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a conventional solution previously used for tracking and attributing software application conversion events within mobile devices. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows a conventional solution previously used for tracking and attributing software application conversion events within mobile devices. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an exemplary configuration of a cloud-based software service system according to the teachings of the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the method steps involved in tracking and attributing conversion events related to software applications, according to the teachings of the present invention. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows the system environment configured for carrying out the present invention. [Figure 6]Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating method steps included in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, involving tracking and attribution of conversion events related to a software application. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an exemplary system for carrying out the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] This invention enables the tracking and attribution of conversion events related to software applications to the sources involved in those conversions. Furthermore, this invention enables the optimization of targeted traffic / content delivery to users based on accurate tracking and attribution of conversion events.

[0018] To implement the solution of the present invention, the present invention may rely, in particular, on a cloud-based software service system, which is briefly described in relation to Figure 3.

[0019] A cloud-based software service environment involves remotely located hardware devices that run software applications and stream software application output data to client devices such as mobile devices or other terminal devices.

[0020] In Figure 3, the system environment 300 comprises one or more client devices 302 (for example, a laptop 302a, a desktop 302b, a mobile device 302c, and / or a set-top box 302d) that interface with the cloud service server system 306 via a data network or a communication network such as the Internet (not shown). The cloud service server system 306 may comprise (or be combined with) multiple separate or distinct hardware systems, each configured to provision, instantiate, and run separate instances of one or more software applications. As a result, the cloud service server system 306 may utilize multiple separate or distinct hardware systems to run software instance #1 (306a), software instance #2 (306b), ~ software instance #n (306c) simultaneously, and thus video and / or audio data from each of these software instances 306a~306c may be streamed to one or more requesting client devices 302a~302d.

[0021] For example: ● The client device 302a can request the cloud service server system 306 to execute the first software application in a cloud-based manner, and the cloud service server system 306 can respond by (i) instantiating a first instance of the first software application to run on the first hardware system, and (ii) streaming video and / or audio data from the first instance of the first software application to the client device 302a. ● The client device 302b may request the cloud service server system 306 to run a second software application (which may be the same as the first software application or may have a different software application) on the cloud, and the cloud service server system 306 may respond by (i) instantiating a second instance of the second software application to run on the second hardware system, and (ii) streaming video and / or audio data from the second instance of the second software application to the client device 302a. ● The client device 302c may request the cloud service server system 306 to run a cloud-based version of the nth software application (which may be the same as or different from either the first or second software application), and the cloud service server system 306 may respond by (i) instantiating and running the nth instance of the nth software application on the nth hardware system, and (ii) streaming video and / or audio data from the n instances of the nth software application to the client device 302c.

[0022] The cloud service server system 306 can have multiple hardware systems, each of which is configured as follows: ● Enables the installation of a software application (intended to be made available to client devices via a cloud service) on top of it. ● Instantiates the requested instance of the software application to provide cloud-based software services to client devices in response to receiving a request to run an instance of the software application on top of it. ● Streams video output data and / or audio output data from an instance of a software application running on a software instance processing hardware system to a client device. ● Receives user input or control commands from client devices to control instances of software applications running on the software instance processing hardware system. ● Controls instances of software applications running on the software instance processing hardware system based on user input or control commands received from client devices.

[0023] The cloud service server system 306 may have multiple software instance processing hardware systems #1 to #n (306a, 306b, 306c), each configured to install and run software applications (such as game applications). When an instance of a software application runs on one of the underlying software instance processing hardware systems, software application output data (e.g., game software application, video and audio gameplay data) is streamed from such software instance processing hardware system to a client device, where it is rendered for display and / or audio playback. A user operating a receiving client device provides software application inputs using the client device's interface controls, which are streamed to the running software instance processing hardware system and used as control inputs for the instance of the software application running on the running software instance processing hardware system.

[0024] Each software instance processing hardware system within the cloud service server system 306 may comprise any data processing system including a central processing unit (CPU), a server, or any component thereof having the capability to execute software applications, or a mobile communication device or any component thereof having the capability to execute software applications, or an ARM (Advanced RISC Machine) processor / RISC (Reduces Instruction Set Computing) processor / mobile device processor, or any such processor, and any hardware component having the capability to execute software applications. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing method steps involved in tracking and attributing software application-related conversion events according to the teachings of the present invention. Figure 5 shows a system environment in which the method of Figure 4 can be implemented.

[0025] As shown in Figure 4, the embodiment of the present invention allows the user of a mobile device / other terminal device 502 to... Source of introduction This can be initiated when you start viewing advertisements for a software application by interacting with it. Source of introduction This consists of a software application on a mobile device / terminal device 502 that displays in-app advertisements, or a website or web page on which advertisements are displayed. Source of introduction It can be equipped with.

[0026] The displayed advertisement includes underlying code or embedded links configured to respond to the user clicking, tapping, or otherwise interacting with the displayed advertisement by redirecting the browser via a web browser on a mobile device / terminal device to a web page associated with the advertised software application or the publisher of the software application (e.g., a landing web page). The web page may be hosted by a conversion tracking server 504 configured to implement the teachings of the present invention. In one embodiment, when the displayed advertisement is clicked, Source of introduction It retrieves traffic parameters related to the click event and sends them to the conversion tracking server 504 where the landing webpage 404 is implemented. Examples of traffic parameters include the campaign ID related to the clicked ad, Source of introduction Related to Source of introduction It may include ID.

[0027] Upon being redirected to the landing webpage, the user of the mobile device / terminal device 502 is presented with the option to interact with a cloud-based instance of the advertised software application. In response to receiving appropriate user input / click events (for example, by clicking the “Play Online” button), the conversion tracking server 504 instantiates a cloud-implemented instance of the software application and thus begins delivering the cloud-based software experience to the mobile device / terminal device 502 through the cloud service server system 506 (for example, in the manner briefly described in relation to Figure 3 above).

[0028] In response to the initiation of an instruction to instantiate and deliver a cloud implementation instance of a software application to a mobile device / terminal device 502, the conversion tracking server 504: ● Generate a unique identifier (for example, an identifier named "web_idfv") associated with the ongoing communication session between the mobile device / terminal device 502 and the conversion tracking server 504. ● Mobile device / terminal device 502 and / or Source of introduction Based on the data received, a first device fingerprint associated with the mobile device / terminal device 502 is generated. The first device fingerprint may be generated using any one or more available methods, and in a particular embodiment, it may be generated based on one or more of the following: device name (i.e., name of the mobile device / terminal device), device type, device operating system (OS) version, device IP information, network carrier providing network services to the mobile device / terminal device, etc., to identify a successful application installation and form a digital fingerprint ID that matches a defined device attribution. ● Associate the first device fingerprint with a unique identifier, and store both, along with the association between the two, in a searchable database. ● Optionally, associate at least one of the following with a unique identifier and / or first device fingerprint: (i) information confirming that the user / mobile device / mobile terminal 502 has initiated delivery of a cloud implementation instance of a software application, and (ii) data identifying an ongoing communication session between the mobile device / terminal device 502 and the conversion tracking server 504. ● The first conversion event confirmation message confirms that the user / mobile device / mobile terminal 502 has started delivering the cloud implementation instance of the software application. Source of introduction (or Source of introduction Related to or Source of introduction The first conversion event confirmation message is sent to the entity identified by [the entity]. Source of introductionAttribution to or credit to: In one embodiment, the first conversion event confirmation message may include, or be accompanied by, data identifying an ongoing communication session between the mobile device / terminal device 502 and the conversion tracking server 504.

[0029] Subsequently, in response to the user providing instructions for a local download of the software application to the mobile device / terminal device 502 (for example, by clicking the “Downloading” button), the user / mobile device / terminal device 502 can download the advertised software application, which is directed to a download resource or repository (such as Apple’s “App Store” platform), onto the mobile device / terminal device 502.

[0030] When a user launches a downloaded application on their mobile device / terminal device 502 (i.e., starts a runtime instance of the downloaded application), the SDK or other software files / data files / library files within the installed app send the conversion tracking server 504 (i) a launch event (or runtime event) confirmation message (confirming that the software application is running or launched on the mobile device / terminal device 502), and (ii) mobile device / terminal device fingerprint data that can be used to generate a device fingerprint (e.g., device name, type, OS version, IP, carrier, etc.). It will be understood that the fingerprint data of the mobile device / terminal device 502 does not need to be explicitly sent, and instead can be extracted by the conversion tracking server 504 from one or more data messages sent from the mobile device / terminal device 502 to the conversion tracking server 504.

[0031] Upon receiving a startup event confirmation message, the conversion tracking server 504 will respond: ● Generate a second device fingerprint based on device fingerprint data received from the mobile device / terminal device 502, compare the second device fingerprint with one or more device fingerprints previously stored in the database (including comparing it with a first device fingerprint stored in the database), or ● The device fingerprint data received from the mobile device / terminal device 502 is compared with device fingerprint data extracted from one or more device fingerprints previously stored in the database (including fingerprint data extracted from the first device fingerprint stored in the database). ● In response to the identification of a device fingerprint (e.g., first device fingerprint) that matches the device fingerprint data received from the mobile device / terminal device 502 and stored in the database associated with the conversion tracking server 504, the system checks for an identifier (e.g., the identifier "web_idfv") associated with the matched device fingerprint (e.g., first device fingerprint) and / or data that identifies the communication session in which the matched device fingerprint (e.g., first device fingerprint) was generated. ● Source of introduction (or Source of introduction Related to or Source of introduction A second conversion event confirmation message is sent to the entity identified by (i) confirming that the user / mobile device / terminal device 502 has installed / launched / executed the downloaded version of the software application on the user's mobile device / terminal device 502, and (ii) providing information about the communication session through which the matched device fingerprint (e.g., the first device fingerprint) was generated. ● Source of introduction (or Source of introductionThe entity identified by can receive this second conversion event confirmation message and correlate the second conversion event message with the previously received first conversion message by matching the communication session information sent with each of the two messages, thereby confirming that the installation / launch of the downloaded application led to the landing page associated with the software application / software publisher. Source of introduction Initial Mobile Device / Terminal Device 502 introduction This allows for proper attribution / crediting for downloading / installing / launching software applications on mobile devices / terminals.

[0032] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating method steps included in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, involving tracking and attribution of conversion events related to a software application. As shown in Figure 6: ● The virtual application developer owns the website KingOfRPG.com and its subdomains. ● The application developer will release a game application called King of RPG. ● Users acquired through paid, direct, or organic traffic can first experience the mobile game in a browser (PC or mobile) on a subdomain of KingOfRPG.com via a cloud service-based instance of the mobile game. ● When a user chooses to experience a game online, they are marked as "converted," and this information can be sent back to the advertiser network if the user was acquired through a paid channel. ● If the user wishes, they can continue their journey by downloading a mobile application on their iOS® or Android® device. For this purpose, the conversion tracking server generates a random identifier named web_idfv(trademark) and connects to this web user in a unique tracking link generated for the user. ● Once the application is installed and opened for the first time on a mobile device, the application can link the mobile device to users who have experienced the game on its website. This is done using a probabilistic fingerprinting method.

[0033] Optionally, a unique identifier generated by the conversion tracking server (e.g., named "web_idfv") allows user state in a software application / mobile game during the web experience (i.e., in a cloud service-based instance of the game) to be seamlessly propagated to the mobile device. For sensitive information, since probabilistic fingerprinting is not 100% accurate, users can choose to sign in on both the web and mobile devices. Information derived from user behavior on the mobile device (such as tutorial completion rates, payments to application developers, or other interest events) can be used to optimize the original web acquisition channel.

[0034] The above-described invention offers several advantages.

[0035] Conversion event tracking and attribution information related to user behavior on mobile devices (such as tutorial completion rates, payments to application developers, or other interest events) can be used to optimize the original web acquisition channel and improve the targeted delivery of content to users.

[0036] The present invention further enables optimized funnel-shaped conversion. By allowing users to experience a software application / game by first interacting with a cloud-based instance of the software application / game before committing to a large-scale application download, the chances of users converting into loyal users are increased, which typically translate into better usage, retention, and payment metrics, thereby further improving the targeted delivery of content to users.

[0037] In addition, by redirecting users to a webpage where they can first interact with a cloud instance of a software application / game, the present invention allows internet-based / web-based / browser-based advertising to continue to be optimized in a way that would otherwise be impossible if the advertising led directly to application downloads on mobile devices. This is particularly likely to be implemented in the near future in light of anticipated limitations regarding the extraction of identifiers associated with mobile devices and the transfer of such identifiers and other information to third parties (e.g., affiliated platforms).

[0038] In an exemplary embodiment of the method, the present invention is a network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking method, On the conversion tracking server, The software application has started displaying advertisements on the web browser of the terminal device. Source of introduction From there, traffic parameters related to the user click event corresponding to the displayed advertisement are received. In response to receiving a first user input from the terminal device, which initiates network-based distribution of a cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device, A unique identifier is generated that relates to the ongoing network communication session between the terminal device and the conversion tracking server. A first device fingerprint associated with the aforementioned terminal device is generated, The generated first device fingerprint is associated with the generated unique identifier, The generated first device fingerprint, along with the generated unique first identifier, is stored in the device fingerprint database in a searchable format. The aforementioned Source of introduction or the above Source of introduction A first conversion event confirmation message is sent to the entity related to the software application, confirming that the delivery of the cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device has begun. The terminal device receives a second user input from the terminal device to initiate the download of the software application to the terminal device. The software application is downloaded from the application store database to the terminal device. In response to the startup of the runtime instance of the downloaded software application on the terminal device, The terminal device receives a runtime event confirmation message, The terminal device receives terminal device fingerprint data from the aforementioned terminal device. Based on the received terminal device fingerprint data, a second device fingerprint is generated. The second device fingerprint is compared with the device fingerprint data stored in the device fingerprint database. In response to the detection of a positive match between the second device fingerprint and the first device fingerprint, Obtain the unique identifier associated with the first device fingerprint, The aforementioned Source of introduction or the above Source of introductionA second conversion event confirmation message is sent to the entity associated with the downloaded software application to confirm that the runtime instance of the software application has been launched on the terminal device. Includes network-based e-advertising conversion tracking methods.

[0039] In one embodiment of this method, the first conversion event confirmation message and the second conversion event confirmation message Source of introduction or Source of introduction The associated entity correlates both conversion event confirmation messages, and the launch of the runtime instance of the software application downloaded on the terminal device Source of introduction This makes it possible to determine that it is caused by [the specified factor].

[0040] In another embodiment of the method, in response to the detection of a positive match between the second device fingerprint and the first device fingerprint, the conversion tracking server further provides information about the network communication session in which the first device fingerprint was generated. Source of introduction or Source of introduction Send to the entity associated with it.

[0041] In a particular embodiment of the method, the traffic parameters associated with the user click event corresponding to the displayed ad are the campaign ID associated with the displayed ad, Source of introduction Associated Source of introduction Includes one or more of the IDs.

[0042] In an exemplary embodiment of this method, the delivery of a cloud implementation instance of a software application to a terminal device is implemented by a cloud service server system.

[0043] In one embodiment of this method, the first device fingerprint or terminal device fingerprint data received from the terminal device by the conversion tracking server includes one or more of the following: terminal device name, terminal device type, terminal device operating system (OS) version, terminal device IP information, and network carrier information associated with the terminal device.

[0044] In a specific embodiment of this method, the first conversion event confirmation message Source of introduction or Source of introduction Sending to entities related to this includes sending data that identifies an ongoing network communication session between the terminal device and the conversion tracking server.

[0045] Furthermore, the present invention is a network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking system, Includes a processor-based conversion tracking server, The aforementioned processor conversion tracking server The software application has started displaying advertisements on the web browser of the terminal device. Source of introduction From there, traffic parameters related to the user click event corresponding to the displayed advertisement are received. In response to receiving a first user input from the terminal device, which initiates network-based distribution of a cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device, A unique identifier is generated that relates to the ongoing network communication session between the terminal device and the conversion tracking server. A first device fingerprint associated with the aforementioned terminal device is generated, The generated first device fingerprint is associated with the generated unique identifier, The generated first device fingerprint, along with the generated unique first identifier, is stored in a searchable device fingerprint database. The aforementioned Source of introduction or the above Source of introduction A first conversion event confirmation message is sent to the entity related to the software application, confirming that the delivery of the cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device has begun. The terminal device receives a second user input from the terminal device to initiate the download of the software application to the terminal device. The software application is downloaded from the application store database to the terminal device. In response to the startup of the runtime instance of the downloaded software application on the terminal device, The terminal device receives a runtime event confirmation message, The terminal device receives terminal device fingerprint data from the aforementioned terminal device. Based on the received terminal device fingerprint data, a second device fingerprint is generated. The second device fingerprint is compared with the device fingerprint data stored in the device fingerprint database. In response to the detection of a positive match between the second device fingerprint and the first device fingerprint, Obtain the unique identifier associated with the first device fingerprint, The aforementioned Source of introduction or the above Source of introduction A second conversion event confirmation message is sent to the entity associated with the downloaded software application to confirm that the runtime instance of the software application has been launched on the terminal device. We provide a network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking system.

[0046] In one embodiment of the system according to claim 1, the first conversion event confirmation message and the second conversion event confirmation message Source of introduction or Source of introduction The associated entity correlates both conversion event confirmation messages, and the launch of the runtime instance of the software application downloaded on the terminal device Source of introduction This makes it possible to determine that it is caused by [the specified factor].

[0047] In another embodiment of the system, in response to the detection of a positive match between the second device fingerprint and the first device fingerprint, the conversion tracking server further provides information about the network communication session in which the first device fingerprint was generated. Source of introduction or Source of introduction Send to the entity associated with it.

[0048] In a particular system embodiment, the traffic parameters associated with the user click event corresponding to the displayed advertisement are the campaign ID associated with the displayed advertisement, Source of introduction Associated Source of introduction Includes one or more of the IDs.

[0049] In an exemplary embodiment of this system, the delivery of cloud implementation instances of software applications to terminal devices is implemented by a cloud service server system.

[0050] In one embodiment of this system, the first device fingerprint or terminal device fingerprint data received from the terminal device by the conversion tracking server includes one or more of the following associated with the terminal device: terminal device name, terminal device type, terminal device operating system (OS) version, terminal device IP information, and network carrier information.

[0051] In a specific embodiment of the system, the first conversion event confirmation message, Source of introduction or Source of introductionSending to entities related to this involves sending data that identifies an ongoing network communication session between the terminal device and the conversion tracking server.

[0052] The present invention also relates to a computer program product for tracking electronic advertising conversions on a network basis, Including a non-temporary computer-readable medium containing computer-readable program code, The computer-readable program code includes instructions, The aforementioned instruction is, The software application has started displaying advertisements on the web browser of the terminal device. Source of introduction From there, traffic parameters related to the user click event corresponding to the displayed advertisement are received. In response to receiving a first user input from the terminal device, which initiates network-based distribution of a cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device, A unique identifier is generated that relates to the ongoing network communication session between the terminal device and the conversion tracking server. A first device fingerprint associated with the aforementioned terminal device is generated, The generated first device fingerprint is associated with the generated unique identifier, The generated first device fingerprint, along with the generated unique first identifier, is stored in a searchable device fingerprint database. The aforementioned Source of introduction or the above Source of introduction A first conversion event confirmation message is sent to the entity related to the software application, confirming that the delivery of the cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device has begun. The terminal device receives a second user input from the terminal device to initiate the download of the software application to the terminal device. The software application is downloaded from the application store database to the terminal device. In response to the startup of the runtime instance of the downloaded software application on the terminal device, The terminal device receives a runtime event confirmation message, The terminal device receives terminal device fingerprint data from the aforementioned terminal device. Based on the received terminal device fingerprint data, a second device fingerprint is generated. The second device fingerprint is compared with the device fingerprint data stored in the device fingerprint database. In response to the detection of a positive match between the second device fingerprint and the first device fingerprint, Obtain the unique identifier associated with the first device fingerprint, The aforementioned Source of introduction or the above Source of introduction A second conversion event confirmation message is sent to the entity associated with the downloaded software application to confirm that the runtime instance of the software application has been launched on the terminal device. We provide computer program products.

[0053] In one embodiment of the computer program product, the first conversion event confirmation message and the second conversion event confirmation message Source of introduction or Source of introduction The associated entity correlates both conversion event confirmation messages, and the launch of the runtime instance of the software application downloaded on the terminal device Source of introduction This makes it possible to determine that it is caused by [the specified factor].

[0054] In another embodiment of a computer program product, in response to the detection of a positive match between a second device fingerprint and a first device fingerprint, the conversion tracking server further provides information about the network communication session in which the first device fingerprint was generated. Source of introduction or Source of introduction Send to the entity associated with it.

[0055] In an embodiment of a particular computer program product, the traffic parameters associated with the user click event corresponding to the displayed advertisement are the campaign ID associated with the displayed advertisement, Source of introduction Associated Source of introduction Includes one or more of the IDs.

[0056] In an exemplary embodiment of a computer program product, the delivery of a cloud implementation instance of a software application to a terminal device is implemented by a cloud service server system.

[0057] In one embodiment of the computer program product, the first device fingerprint or terminal device fingerprint data received from the terminal device by the conversion tracking server includes one or more of the following associated with the terminal device: terminal device name, terminal device type, terminal device operating system (OS) version, terminal device IP information, and network carrier information.

[0058] In certain embodiments of the computer program product, the first conversion event confirmation message Source of introduction or Source of introduction Sending to entities related to this includes sending data that identifies an ongoing network communication session between the terminal device and the conversion tracking server.

[0059] Figure 7 shows an exemplary system for carrying out the present invention.

[0060] Figure 7 shows an exemplary system 700 for carrying out the present invention. The illustrated system 700 includes a computer system 702 comprising one or more processors 704 and at least one memory 706. The processors 704 are configured to execute program instructions and may be real or virtual processors. It will be understood that the computer system 702 does not imply any limitation with respect to the scope of use or functionality of the described embodiments. The computer system 702 may include, but is not limited to, one or more of general-purpose computers, programmed microprocessors, microcontrollers, integrated circuits, and other devices or arrangements of devices that can carry out the steps constituting the method of the present invention. Exemplary embodiments of the computer system 702 according to the present invention may include one or more servers, desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, mobile phones, mobile communication devices, tablets, phablets, and personal digital assistants. In one embodiment of the present invention, the memory 706 may store software for carrying out various embodiments of the present invention. The computer system 702 may have additional components. For example, the computer system 702 may include one or more communication channels 708, one or more input devices 710, one or more output devices 712, and a storage device 714. Interconnection mechanisms (not shown), such as buses, controllers, or networks, interconnect the components of the computer system 702. In various embodiments of the present invention, operating system software (not shown) uses a processor 704 to provide an operating environment for various software running within the computer system 702 and manages different functions of the components of the computer system 702.

[0061] Communication channel 708 enables communication to various other computing entities via a communication medium. The communication medium provides information such as program instructions or other data within the communication medium. The communication medium includes, but is not limited to, wired or wireless methods implemented using electricity, light, RF, infrared, acoustic, microwave, Bluetooth®, or other transmission media.

[0062] The input device 710 may include, but is not limited to, a touchscreen, keyboard, mouse, pen, joystick, trackball, audio device, scanning device, or any other device capable of providing input to the computer system 702. In one embodiment of the present invention, the input device 710 may be a sound card or similar device that accepts audio input in analog or digital format. The output device 712 may include, but is not limited to, a user interface on any other display associated with a CRT, LCD, LED display, or any other device that provides output from a server, desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, mobile phone, mobile communication device, tablet, phablet and personal digital assistant, printer, speaker, CD / DVD writer, or any other device that provides output from the computer system 702.

[0063] The storage device 714 may include, but is not limited to, magnetic disks, magnetic tapes, CD-ROMs, CD-RWs, DVDs, any type of computer memory, magnetic stripes, smart cards, printed barcodes, or any other temporary or non-temporary media used to store information and accessible by the computer system 702. In various embodiments of the present invention, the storage device 714 may include program instructions for carrying out any of the embodiments described.

[0064] In one embodiment of the present invention, the computer system 702 is part of a distributed network or part of a set of available cloud resources.

[0065] The present invention can be implemented in many ways, including systems, methods, or computer program products such as computer-readable storage media or computer networks, in which programming instructions are communicated from a remote location.

[0066] The present invention can be appropriately embodied as a computer program product for use with a computer system 702. The method described herein is typically implemented as a computer program product comprising a set of program instructions executed by the computer system 702 or any other similar device. The set of program instructions may be a series of computer-readable codes stored on a tangible medium such as a computer-readable storage medium (storage device 714) including, for example, a diskette, CD-ROM, ROM, flash drive, or hard disk, or it may be transmittable to the computer system 702 via a modem or other interface device through any tangible medium including, but not limited to, an optical communication channel or an analog communication channel 708. The implementation of the present invention as a computer program product may also be intangible, using wireless technology including, but not limited to, microwave, infrared, Bluetooth®, or other transmission technologies. These instructions can be pre-loaded into the system, recorded on a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, or made available for download via a network such as the Internet or a mobile phone network. A series of computer-readable instructions can embody all or part of the functions described herein.

[0067] Therefore, the present invention enables cross-device authentication for implementation within cloud-based service systems, and more specifically, within cloud gaming systems.

[0068] While exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described and illustrated herein, it will be understood that they are merely illustrative. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications in form and detail can be made without departing from, or infringing upon, the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In addition, the present invention as described herein may be adequately carried out in the absence of elements not specifically disclosed herein, and in specific embodiments contemplated herein, it is intended to be carried out in the absence of elements not specifically disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking method, On the conversion tracking server, From a referral source that initiated the display of an advertisement for a software application on the terminal device's web browser, traffic parameters related to the user click event corresponding to the displayed advertisement are received. In response to receiving a first user input from the terminal device, which initiates network-based distribution of a cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device, A unique identifier is generated that relates to the ongoing network communication session between the terminal device and the conversion tracking server. A first device fingerprint associated with the aforementioned terminal device is generated, The generated first device fingerprint is associated with the generated unique identifier, The generated first device fingerprint, along with the generated unique first identifier, is stored in the device fingerprint database in a searchable format. A first conversion event confirmation message is sent to the referral source or an entity associated with the referral source to confirm that the delivery of the cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device has begun. The terminal device receives a second user input from the terminal device to initiate the download of the software application to the terminal device. The software application is downloaded from the application store database to the terminal device. In response to the startup of the runtime instance of the downloaded software application on the terminal device, The terminal device receives a runtime event confirmation message, The terminal device receives terminal device fingerprint data from the aforementioned terminal device. Based on the received terminal device fingerprint data, a second device fingerprint is generated. The second device fingerprint is compared with the device fingerprint data stored in the device fingerprint database. In response to the detection of a positive match between the second device fingerprint and the first device fingerprint, Obtain the unique identifier associated with the first device fingerprint, A second conversion event confirmation message is sent to the referral source or the entity associated with the referral source to confirm that the runtime instance of the downloaded software application has been launched on the terminal device. Network-based e-advertising conversion tracking methods.

2. The first conversion event confirmation message and the second conversion event confirmation message enable the referral source or an entity associated with the referral source to correlate both conversion event confirmation messages in order to determine that the launch of the runtime instance of the software application downloaded on the terminal device is attributable to the referral source. The network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking method according to claim 1.

3. In response to detecting the positive match between the second device fingerprint and the first device fingerprint, The conversion tracking server further generates the first device fingerprint. Information regarding the network communication session is transmitted to the referral source or an entity associated with the referral source. The network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking method according to claim 1.

4. The traffic parameters associated with the user click event corresponding to the displayed advertisement include one or more of the campaign ID associated with the displayed advertisement and the referral source ID associated with the referral source. The network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking method according to claim 1.

5. The distribution of the cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device is implemented by the cloud service server system. The network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking method according to claim 1.

6. The terminal device fingerprint data or the first device fingerprint received by the conversion tracking server from the terminal device includes one or more of the following associated with the terminal device: terminal device name, terminal device type, terminal device operating system (OS) version, terminal device IP information, and network carrier information. The network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking method according to claim 1.

7. Sending the first conversion event confirmation message to the referral source or the entity associated with the referral source includes sending data that identifies the ongoing network communication session between the terminal device and the conversion tracking server. The network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking method according to claim 1.

8. A network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking system, Includes a processor-based conversion tracking server, The aforementioned processor-based conversion tracking server is From a referral source that initiated the display of an advertisement for a software application on the terminal device's web browser, traffic parameters related to the user click event corresponding to the displayed advertisement are received. In response to receiving a first user input from the terminal device, which initiates network-based distribution of a cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device, A unique identifier is generated that relates to the ongoing network communication session between the terminal device and the processor-based conversion tracking server. A first device fingerprint associated with the aforementioned terminal device is generated, The generated first device fingerprint is associated with the generated unique identifier, The generated first device fingerprint, along with the generated unique first identifier, is stored in the device fingerprint database in a searchable format. A first conversion event confirmation message is sent to the referral source or an entity associated with the referral source to confirm that the delivery of the cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device has begun. The terminal device receives a second user input from the terminal device to initiate the download of the software application to the terminal device. The software application is downloaded from the application store database to the terminal device. Before the runtime instance of the downloaded software application In response to the startup on the terminal device, The terminal device receives a runtime event confirmation message, The terminal device receives terminal device fingerprint data from the aforementioned terminal device. Based on the received terminal device fingerprint data, a second device fingerprint is generated. The second device fingerprint is compared with the device fingerprint data stored in the device fingerprint database. In response to the detection of a positive match between the second device fingerprint and the first device fingerprint, Obtain the unique identifier associated with the first device fingerprint, A second conversion event confirmation message is sent to the referral source or the entity associated with the referral source to confirm that the runtime instance of the downloaded software application has been launched on the terminal device. Network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking system.

9. The first conversion event confirmation message and the second conversion event confirmation message enable the referral source or an entity associated with the referral source to correlate both conversion event confirmation messages in order to determine that the launch of the runtime instance of the software application downloaded on the terminal device is attributable to the referral source. The network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking system according to claim 8.

10. In response to detecting the positive match between the second device fingerprint and the first device fingerprint, The processor-based conversion tracking server further transmits information regarding the network communication session in which the first device fingerprint was generated to the referral source or an entity associated with the referral source. The network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking system according to claim 8.

11. The traffic parameters associated with the user click event corresponding to the displayed advertisement include one or more of the campaign ID associated with the displayed advertisement and the referral source ID associated with the referral source. The network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking system according to claim 8.

12. The distribution of the cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device is implemented by the cloud service server system. The network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking system according to claim 8.

13. The terminal device fingerprint data or the first device fingerprint received from the terminal device by the processor-based conversion tracking server includes one or more of the following associated with the terminal device: terminal device name, terminal device type, terminal device operating system (OS) version, terminal device IP information, and network carrier information. The network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking system according to claim 8.

14. Sending the first conversion event confirmation message to the referral source or the entity associated with the referral source includes sending data that identifies the ongoing network communication session between the terminal device and the processor-based conversion tracking server. The network-based electronic advertising conversion tracking system according to claim 8.

15. A computer program product that tracks electronic advertising conversions on a network basis, Including a non-temporary computer-readable medium containing computer-readable program code, The computer-readable program code includes instructions, The aforementioned instruction is, From a referral source that initiated the display of an advertisement for a software application on the terminal device's web browser, traffic parameters related to the user click event corresponding to the displayed advertisement are received. In response to receiving a first user input from the terminal device, which initiates network-based distribution of a cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device, A unique identifier is generated that relates to the ongoing network communication session between the terminal device and the conversion tracking server. A first device fingerprint associated with the aforementioned terminal device is generated, The generated first device fingerprint is associated with the generated unique identifier, The generated first device fingerprint, along with the generated unique first identifier, is stored in the device fingerprint database in a searchable format. A first conversion event confirmation message is sent to the referral source or an entity associated with the referral source to confirm that the delivery of the cloud implementation instance of the software application to the terminal device has begun. The terminal device receives a second user input from the terminal device to initiate the download of the software application to the terminal device. The software application is downloaded from the application store database to the terminal device. In response to the startup of the runtime instance of the downloaded software application on the terminal device, The terminal device receives a runtime event confirmation message, The terminal device receives terminal device fingerprint data from the aforementioned terminal device. Based on the received terminal device fingerprint data, a second device fingerprint is generated. The second device fingerprint is compared with the device fingerprint data stored in the device fingerprint database. In response to the detection of a positive match between the second device fingerprint and the first device fingerprint, Obtain the unique identifier associated with the first device fingerprint, A second conversion event confirmation message is sent to the referral source or the entity associated with the referral source to confirm that the runtime instance of the downloaded software application has been launched on the terminal device. Computer program products.

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