Dynamic Accounting Technique Selection for Content Interactions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing content delivery networks face latency issues due to traditional redirect-based accounting techniques for recording interactions with electronic content, and the reliability of ping-based accounting is compromised by user devices disabling ping functionality, leading to unrecorded interactions.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that dynamically select between ping-based and redirect-based accounting techniques by determining if a user device is ping-enabled, using a ping identifier stored on the device and a profiles database to ensure accurate recording of interactions without introducing extra latency, and allows for retroactive accounting of missed interactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If redirect-based accounting technique is used, then interaction recording reliability is improved, but system latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically selects between redirect-based and ping-based accounting techniques based on whether the user device is ping-enabled. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to choose the optimal accounting method for each device, achieving low latency for ping-enabled devices while maintaining reliability for non-ping-enabled devices through redirect-based accounting.
2Loss of time
If ping-based accounting technique is used, then system latency is reduced, but interaction recording reliability deteriorates due to ping functionality being disabled
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the accounting parameter (redirect-based vs. ping-based) based on the capability status of the user device. By detecting whether ping functionality is enabled on the device, the system adjusts its accounting approach accordingly, ensuring both latency optimization and reliability maintenance.
3Reliability
If redirect chain is executed in series, then interaction recording completeness is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the accounting function from the main content delivery path by using ping requests that occur in parallel with content delivery. This separation allows the accounting server to record interactions without introducing sequential latency to the user experience, as the ping request does not block the content delivery process.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for selecting an accounting technique for recording interactions with electronic content includes receiving a request for a content item from a user device, selecting a content item in response to the request, and configuring the content item to cause the user device to store a ping identifier in a local memory of the user device. The method further includes distributing the content item to the user device. The distributed content item includes a hyperlink having a ping attribute which causes the user device to send a ping request to one or more servers. The method further includes receiving the ping identifier from the user device, determining whether the ping request was received at the one or more servers, and selecting a ping-based accounting technique or a redirect-based accounting technique based on a result of the determination.