Analytics Server Emulation for Ad Traffic Flow Discovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
The online advertising industry faces challenges in understanding and tracking the network data flow of advertisements from their origin to destination, making it difficult for buyers, sellers, and non-participating entities to determine the impinging entities and processes involved in the advertising traffic flow.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize an analytics server to emulate a browser, identify and store elements on a web page, and match coded information to known entities and processes, providing data on advertising traffic paths and impinging elements, including ad servers, networks, and exchanges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional advertising delivery systems are used, then advertisements can be delivered to web pages, but the network data flow and impinging entities cannot be tracked or understood
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an analytics server as an intermediary component between the ad server and web browser. This server injects analytics code into the advertising delivery process, enabling passive tracking of network data flow and impinging entities without requiring changes to the core advertising infrastructure or increasing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The analytics system leverages the existing web page loading process and browser execution environment to automatically track and report advertising traffic flow. The system uses resources already allocated for rendering web pages (JavaScript execution, network requests) to gather analytics data, avoiding the need for separate dedicated tracking infrastructure
2Measurement precision
If analytics tracking is implemented, then advertising traffic flow can be discovered, but the implementation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The analytics server performs multiple functions within a single system: it manages the code repository, injects analytics code into ad requests, collects network response data, executes analytics scripts, and generates reports. This multi-functionality consolidates what could be multiple separate complex components into one unified system, reducing overall implementation complexity while maintaining precise measurement capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-processes and stores analytics code in the code repository before it is needed for tracking. By preparing the analytics infrastructure and code templates in advance, the system can quickly deploy tracking without complex real-time configuration, simplifying the implementation process while ensuring precise measurement from the start
3Loss of information
If comprehensive tracking of impinging entities is performed, then transparency of advertising flow is improved, but the data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The analytics code extracts only the specific information needed for tracking advertising traffic flow and impinging entities from the complex network data. By focusing on extracting relevant parameters (ad server URLs, network requests, response data) rather than processing all available data, the system achieves comprehensive transparency while maintaining efficient data processing
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements tracking at strategic points in the advertising delivery process (at the ad server request stage and web page load stage) rather than attempting to monitor every single data transaction. This partial action approach captures sufficient information for transparency while avoiding the excessive data processing complexity that would result from comprehensive end-to-end monitoring of all network communications
Data Source
AI summary
The present technology is directed to a system and methods for estimating the impinging elements and traffic paths by an advertisement as it is delivered from its originating ad server to the web server from which the webpage including the advertisement is delivered to an end viewer. The methods are server-based and provide output to a viewer's browser upon receiving a web page as input and yield data for a particular advertisement frame about the various intermediate processes used to deliver the advertisement, for example, frames, pixels, advertisement servers, advertisement networks, advertisement tags, advertisement exchanges, cookies, supply side distribution systems, demand side buying systems, etc.