Persistent Connection for Accurate Page Impression Tracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for determining page impression duration in client-server systems face limitations in accuracy and reliability due to browser limitations and increased server load, making existing solutions less effective over time.
Innovation Solution
Establishing a persistent connection using WebSocket technology or other protocols like SPDY, allowing for accurate tracking of page opening and closing times without frequent data exchanges, and employing unique identifiers for connection re-establishment and error handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pinging method is used to determine page impression duration, then data can be gathered in most circumstances, but it returns only a rough estimation and puts a huge load on the webserver
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic pinging where the client sends periodic keepalive requests to the server during the page impression duration. This periodic action maintains the connection alive and allows the server to track the impression duration without requiring continuous data retrieval, thus reducing server load while maintaining measurement capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a persistent connection that remains open throughout the entire page impression duration, allowing continuous tracking of the impression without interruption. This continuous connection enables the server to receive the end time signal immediately when the page closes, providing accurate duration measurement without the need for frequent data exchanges.
2Measurement precision
If the unload event approach is used to send data when user leaves the webpage, then accurate data is returned with only one additional server request, but browser limitations make this approach less reliable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains a persistent connection throughout the page impression duration, ensuring that the connection remains active and data transmission capability is continuously available. This approach ensures that when the page closes, the end time can be immediately transmitted to the server, maintaining measurement accuracy while avoiding browser unload event limitations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes the persistent connection and begins tracking the start time before the page closes. By preparing the connection and tracking mechanism in advance, the system ensures that when the page closes, the end time can be immediately captured and transmitted without relying on browser unload events that may be blocked or limited.
3Measurement precision
If shorter time intervals are used in pinging method, then more accurate data is obtained, but the load on the server increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses periodic keepalive requests sent by the client at defined intervals during the page impression. This periodic action provides sufficient data points to determine impression duration accurately while keeping the frequency low enough to avoid overwhelming the server, thus balancing accuracy and server load.
Solution Approach 2:
The persistent connection remains open throughout the entire page impression duration, providing continuous tracking capability without requiring frequent data transmissions. This continuous connection allows the server to immediately detect when the page closes, achieving accurate measurement with minimal server processing overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
The application relates to a method for determining page impression in a client-server system, the method comprising opening a page in a browser running on a client device provided in the client-server system, starting an application in the browser in response to the opening of the webpage, establishing a persistent connection between the web browser on the client device and a server device provided in the client-server system, storing first electronic information in the server device, the first information indicating a start time for establishing the persistent connection, keeping the persistent connection, in the server device, receiving termination information indicating termination of the persistent connection, storing second electronic information in the server device, the second information indicating an end time for terminating the persistent connection, and determining an opening or presentation time from the first and second electronic information, the opening or presentation time indicating the time between opening and terminating of the page in the browser.