Web-Beacon Plug-In Certification for Analytics Data Collection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In web analytics, partners often face significant investments and delays due to the need for re-tagging websites with their own web-beacons to obtain real-time data, which can impede sales cycles and increase expenses.
Innovation Solution
The development of web-beacon plug-ins that can be certified for compliance with core analytics components, allowing partners to collect data directly from co-customer websites without re-tagging, through a scalable infrastructure that supports multiple plug-ins and ensures data integrity by controlling and limiting the impact on core analytics systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If partners use their own web-beacons to collect real-time data directly from co-customer websites, then data collection capability is improved, but re-tagging investment and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a partner plug-in as an intermediary component that sits between the core analytics JavaScript file and the partner's data collection needs. The plug-in receives data from the core JavaScript file through a defined interface and processes it locally, eliminating the need for partners to implement their own web-beacons while maintaining real-time data access. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by providing direct data collection capability without requiring partners to invest in separate web-beacon infrastructure.
2Reliability
If partners re-tag websites with their own web-beacons, then real-time data access is improved, but sales cycle time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-building and certifying partner plug-ins that are ready to integrate with the core analytics system. These plug-ins are developed, tested, and validated in advance through a certification process, so that when partners need real-time data access, they can simply deploy the pre-certified plug-in without undergoing lengthy re-tagging processes. This eliminates sales cycle delays while maintaining real-time data access capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple partners use the core analytics system, then system versatility is improved, but system stability and data integrity may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the analytics system into distinct modular components: the core analytics JavaScript file, partner-specific plug-ins, and a certification layer. Each partner's functionality is segmented into its own isolated plug-in that interfaces with the core system through a standardized interface. This segmentation allows multiple partners to operate simultaneously without interfering with each other or compromising core system stability, as each plug-in is independently certified and contained.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by allowing each partner plug-in to have customized functionality tailored to specific partner needs while maintaining consistent interface standards with the core system. Each plug-in can be optimized for its specific purpose (advertising, behavioral targeting, etc.) without affecting other partners or the core analytics engine. This localized customization approach enables system versatility while preserving overall stability through standardized interfaces and independent certification.
Data Source
AI summary
Tools and techniques are provided to allow partners of analytics providers and others who use web-beacons to submit web-beacon plug-ins for scrutiny, and for the plug-in to either be refused or else to be certified for use in a core JavaScript file or similar component. Analytics providers and others may also write web-beacon plug-ins. Certified plug-ins are executed in response to page loads, visitor clicks, and other visitor and programmatic actions at a website that has been tagged by the analytics provider's web-beacon, without requiring re-tagging of the website with a separate web-beacon for the partner. This allows the partner to obtain analytics data by piggybacking on the analytics provider, without re-tagging, and without compromising the availability and accuracy of the analytics data already being gathered. To be certified, web-beacon plug-ins must satisfy specific criteria as to their size, behavior, namespace, and the like.