System and method of determining latency
View Patent ↗A web server monitors and receives measurements as to how long a client device takes to load or display individual items after a user first requests a web page containing the items. The measurements may be based on a duration that begins at a time between a user's navigation request and network browser's transmission of a request for a new web page. The recorded measurements received by the web server may include measurements relating to the latency experienced by the user in loading a particular item of content for a web page, such as an image, or may include the latency experienced by the user in loading an entire web page. One or more components used by the network browser, such as a network browser plug-in and or scripting language embedded in a web page, may provide one or more routines for measuring and reporting the latencies experienced by the user.
1. An apparatus for providing content to a network browser based on a reported latency comprising:
a memory operative to store a first item of content for a web page and a second item of content for the web page; and
a processor operative to:
receive a request for the web page from a network browser;
transmit the web page, the first item of content, and the second item of content to the network browser;
receive a latency measurement for the previously transmitted web page and the second item of content, the latency measurement representing a difference between a first time when the first item of content began executing and a second time when a predefined event occurred associated with the second item of content; and
modify data associated with the second item of content for the web page with a different form of the data to account for the received latency measurement.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the second item of content is a first content type;
the memory is further operative to store a third item of content of a second content type; and
the processor is operative to modify the second item of content by replacing the second item of content with the third item of content.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the second item of content is of a first complexity;
the memory is further operative to store a third item of content of a second complexity that is less complex than the first complexity; and
the processor is operative to modify the second item of content by replacing the second item of content with the third item of content.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is operative to modify the second item of content when the received latency measurement indicates a high latency for the previously transmitted web page and the second item of content.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further operative to confirm whether a decrease in the latency measurement has occurred based on a modification to the second item of content for the web page.
6. A method for providing content to a network browser based on a reported latency comprising:
storing, in a memory, a first item of content for a web page and a second item of content for the web page;
receiving, with a processor, a request for the web page from a network browser;
transmitting the web page, the first item of content, and the second item of content to the network browser;
receiving a latency measurement for the previously transmitted web page and the second item of content, the latency measurement representing a difference between a first time when the first item of content began executing and a second time when a predefined event occurred associated with the second item of content; and
modifying data associated with the second item of content for the web page with a different form of the data to account for the received latency measurement.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the second item of content is a of a first content type, and the method further comprises:
storing a third item of content of a second content type; and
modifying the second item of content by replacing the second item of content with the third item of content.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the second item of content is of a first complexity, and the method further comprises:
storing a third item of content of a second complexity that is less complex than the first complexity; and
modifying the second item of content by replacing the second item of content with the third item of content.
9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising modifying the second item of content when the received latency measurement indicates a high latency for the previously transmitted web page and the second item of content.
10. The method of claim 6 , wherein further comprising confirming whether a decrease in the latency measurement has occurred based on a modification to the second item of content for the web page.