Multiplex communications – Diagnostic testing – Determination of communication parameters
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-03
2004-11-02
Pezzlo, John (Department: 2662)
Multiplex communications
Diagnostic testing
Determination of communication parameters
C370S401000, C709S203000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06813248
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
FIG. 1
(Prior Art) is a diagram of an exemplary Internet structure
100
. Internet structure
100
includes numerous servers
101
-
110
(each designated with an “S”) interconnected by high-speed connections
111
-
119
. The high-speed connections are of several different types: for example, connection
113
is a T1 connection, connection
115
is a high-speed fiber-optic connection, part of the so-called “backbone” of the Internet, and connection
118
is a lower-speed ISDN connection. Internet structure
100
also includes numerous clients (each designated with a “C”) connected to the servers. Most of the clients are connected to the Internet via an Internet Service Provider, or “ISP.” For example, client
120
is connected to the Internet via ISP
1
server
101
.
ISPs maintain servers on the Internet and sell Internet access to individual subscribing clients. A subscribing client typically gains access to the Internet using a modem to call the ISP. The client typically dials a local telephone phone number to establish a connection to the Internet via the ISP by connecting to the ISP's point of presence (POP). A local area network (LAN) of clients can also be connected to the Internet, either via a dial-up connection or a permanent connection. For example, LAN
123
is connected to the Internet via one of the nodes
104
on LAN
123
that happens to be a server.
In the example, server
110
is the server of a large bookstore that advertises and sells books over the Internet, for example by maintaining a web site. The customers of the bookstore access the Internet as clients
120
-
122
. Customer clients
120
and
122
may, for example, be individuals who buy books and access the Internet from their respective homes in California and New York. The bookstore server
110
may, for example, be located in Illinois.
Companies that advertise on the Internet recognize the importance of providing customers and potential customers with a pleasurable shopping or browsing experience. On the Internet, a pleasurable experience generally requires that users can easily establish and maintain fast, reliable connections, and that the various elements of the site are available. Users may have negative experiences when connecting to a web site using particular ISPs or local dial-up connections. These negative experiences can result in low sales figures in some areas. For example, potential customers in San Francisco may have difficulty accessing bookstore
110
due to local Internet infrastructure limitations. Companies that advertise on the Internet therefore spend large sums of money trying to determine whether customers and potential customers in various parts of the world can easily access, explore, and interact with company web sites.
FIG. 2
(Prior Art) is a diagram of an Internet structure
200
in which a client
124
provides a measure of user experience for specified Internet sites. Client
124
monitors the quality of Internet connections to Internet sites and sells the gathered information to companies that advertise on the Internet.
Client
124
dials out from a single location and accesses a target Internet site (for example, bookstore server
110
) via a number of ISPs
101
,
103
and
109
. Client
124
then records performance data indicative of the quality of connections to the target site. Unfortunately, the different lengths of the long-distance connections
124
A,
124
B and
1245
C from the single location of client
124
to the various ISPs
101
,
103
and
109
affects connection quality. In contrast, the customers
120
,
121
and
122
of the bookstore are connected to ISPs via local dial-up telephone connections
120
A,
121
A and
122
A. The performance data collected by client
124
at the single location is therefore not necessarily representative of a typical user's experience.
FIG. 3
(Prior Art) is a simplified diagram of an Internet structure
300
in which a “distributed” system of data-gathering computers
125
-
127
provides a measure of user experience for specified Internet sites. The data-gathering computers
125
-
127
are linked to the Internet at various geographically separated locations via dedicated connections
128
-
130
(not dial-up connections). The performance data collected is not representative of a typical user's experience for at least two reasons. First, the data-gathering computers are connected to the Internet via dedicated connections rather than dial-up connections. Second, the software used to access the target site is different than the commercially available browser software used by typical users. Moreover, the systems of
FIGS. 2 and 3
do not measure some performance characteristics that are useful in assessing user experience; for example, neither system measures the time required for a user to download a given web page.
SUMMARY
The invention involves a method that employs a system of geographically distributed data-gathering client computers that connect to the Internet, access a particular target site, and obtain performance-parameter values indicative of the quality of their respective connections to the target site and the targeted web site. The data-gathering client computers connect to the Internet in the same manner as typical users (for example, to an ISP via a local dial-up connection). Moreover, the application software used by the data-gathering client computers to access the target site is similar to that used by a typical user. The performance-parameter values obtained are therefore indicative of the experience of a typical user accessing the target site for at least two reasons (plus the one we marked above). Each data-gathering client computer, having obtained the performance-parameter values associated with its respective connection to the target site and the parameters associated to the web site measured, forwards the performance-parameter values to a central server (the “UserMon” server) for analysis.
A “distributed push” scheme is employed in one implementation. The many data-gathering client computers first poll the UserMon server for instructions (e.g., which target site to access). The individual data-gathering client computers then access the target site specified by the UserMon server(s), gather performance-parameter values, and then “push” the acquired performance-parameter values back to the UserMon server(s) for analysis.
This summary does not purport to define the invention. The invention is defined by the claims.
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patent: 5726984 (1998-03-01), Kubler et al.
patent: 5931917 (1999-08-01), Nguyen et al.
patent: 6003030 (1999-12-01), Kenner et al.
patent: 6006260 (1999-12-01), Barrick et al.
patent: 6018619 (2000-01-01), Allard et al.
patent: 6047322 (2000-04-01), Vaid et al.
patent: 6157618 (2000-12-01), Boss et al.
patent: 6304904 (2001-10-01), Sathyanarayan et al.
“ISAPI Server Extensions and Filters” document, a copy of which is available on Microsoft Corporation's website, http://premium.microsoft.com, 2 pages (Dec. 17, 1998).
“Developing ISAPI Extensions” document, a copy of which is available on Microsoft Corporation's website, http://premium.microsoft.com, 1 page (Dec. 17, 1998).
“Keynote Systems: Products” document, a copy of which is available on the Keynote Systems, Inc., website, www.keynote.com, 14 pages (Nov. 1998).
“Inverse Network Technology: Products” document, a copy of which is available on the Inverse Network Technology, Inc., website, www.keynote.com, 15 pages (Nov. 1998).
“Inside COM Microsoft's Component Object Model” by Dale Rogerson, available from “MICROSOFT PRESS,” the entire book, pp. 1-361 (1997).
“IWebBrowser2” interface specification, a copy of which is available on Microsoft Corporation's main website, www.microsoft.com, under the link “developer resources,” 2 pages (Dec. 21, 1998).
Pending application of Boss et al., Ser. No. 09/417,739, filed on Oct. 14, 1999, entitled “Method and System for Recording and Replaying Internet Transactions.”
Boss Jerome D.
Marcjan Cezary
Su Fei
Microsoft Corporation
Pezzlo John
Woodcock & Washburn LLP
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