IP Library Granted Patent US 10,686,722
Granted Patent B2
US 10,686,722 · App. 16/377,958 · Granted Jun 16, 2020

Methods and apparatus to throttle media access by web crawlers

Inventor: Bradley R. Lawrence, III (Tampa, FL)
Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
H04L47/80G06F16/951H04L47/32
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,686,722
App. No.
16/377,958
Granted
Jun 16, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to throttle resource access by web crawlers. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes memory including computer readable instructions. The example apparatus also includes a processor to execute the computer readable instructions to generate a media request message to obtain media hosted by a server, insert, into the media request message, a source indicator of the media requesting source, the source indicator indicating whether the media requesting source is associated with a media provider to provide audience measurement information associated with the media provided by the media provider, transmit the media request message to the server, and execute a delay tag in a media response message received from the server, the delay tag to cause a delay time period based on the source indicator.

Claims (34)

1. An apparatus comprising:

memory including computer readable instructions; and

a processor to execute the computer readable instructions to:

generate a media request message to obtain media hosted by a server;

insert, into the media request message, a source indicator of a media requesting source, the source indicator indicating whether the media requesting source is associated with a media provider, the source indicator to indicate audience measurement information associated with the media provided by the media provider;

transmit the media request message to the server; and

execute a delay tag in a media response message received from the server, the delay tag to cause a delay time period based on the source indicator.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , further including a web crawler.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the delay tag includes executable instructions.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 3 , wherein the executable instructions include a native delay function.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein execution of the delay tag generates the delay time period.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein execution of the delay tag requests data from a web site associated with generating the delay time period.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein executing the delay time period in the media response message includes selecting a pre-existing copy of the media with a second delay tag associated with the delay time period.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the media request message is either a hypertext transfer protocol GET request or a hypertext transfer protocol POST request.

9. A non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

generate a media request message to obtain media hosted by a server;

insert, into the media request message, a source indicator of a media requesting source, the source indicator indicating whether the media requesting source is associated with a media provider, the source indicator to indicate audience measurement information associated with the media provided by the media provider;

transmit the media request message to the server; and

execute a delay tag in a media response message received from the server, the delay tag to cause a delay time period based on the source indicator.

10. The computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 9 , wherein executing the delay tag causes the processor to request data from a web site associated with generating the delay time period.

11. The computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 9 , wherein executing the delay tag in the media response message includes selecting a pre-existing copy of the media with a second delay tag associated with the delay time period.

12. The computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 9 , wherein the media request message is either a hypertext transfer protocol GET request or a hypertext transfer protocol POST request.

13. The computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 9 , wherein the delay tag includes executable instructions, the executable instructions including a native delay function.

14. A method comprising:

generating, by executing an instruction with a processor, a media request message to obtain media hosted by a server;

inserting, by executing an instruction with the processor, into the media request message, a source indicator of a media requesting source, the source indicator indicating whether the media requesting source is associated with a media provider, the source indicator to indicate audience measurement information associated with the media provided by the media provider;

transmitting, by executing an instruction with the processor, the media request message to the server; and

executing a delay tag in a media response message received from the server, the delay tag to cause a delay time period based on the source indicator.

15. The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein the delay tag includes executable instructions.

16. The method as defined in claim 15 , wherein the executable instructions include a native delay function.

17. The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein execution of the delay tag generates the delay time period.

18. The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein execution of the delay tag requests data from a web site associated with generating the delay time period.

19. The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein inserting the time delay in the media response message includes selecting a pre-existing copy of the media with a second delay tag associated with the delay time period.

20. The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein the media request message is either a hypertext transfer protocol GET request or a hypertext transfer protocol POST request.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE (REEL 054066 / FRAME 0064) Recorded May 11, 2023
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 063605/0001 →
RELEASE (REEL 053473 / FRAME 0001) Recorded May 11, 2023
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 063603/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 8, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: ARES CAPITAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063574/0632 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 28, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063561/0381 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 31, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063560/0547 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE PATENTS LISTED ON SCHEDULE 1 RECORDED ON 6-9-2020 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 053473 FRAME 0001. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE SUPPLEMENTAL IP SECURITY AGREEMENT. Recorded Oct 7, 2020
From: A.C. NIELSEN (ARGENTINA) S.A.; A.C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; ACN HOLDINGS INC.; ACNIELSEN CORPORATION; ACNIELSEN ERATINGS.COM; AFFINNOVA, INC.; ART HOLDING, L.L.C.; ATHENIAN LEASING CORPORATION; CZT/ACN TRADEMARKS, L.L.C.; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC; NIELSEN AUDIO, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER INSIGHTS, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER NEUROSCIENCE, INC.; NIELSEN FINANCE CO.; NIELSEN FINANCE LLC; NIELSEN INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, INC.; NIELSEN MOBILE, LLC; NMR INVESTING I, INC.; TCG DIVESTITURE INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; VIZU CORPORATION; VNU MARKETING INFORMATION, INC.; NMR LICENSING ASSOCIATES, L.P.; NIELSEN HOLDING AND FINANCE B.V.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY B.V.; VNU INTERNATIONAL B.V.
To: CITIBANK, N.A
Reel/Frame 054066/0064 →
SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 9, 2020
From: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; ACN HOLDINGS INC.; ACNIELSEN CORPORATION; ACNIELSEN ERATINGS.COM; AFFINNOVA, INC.; ART HOLDING, L.L.C.; ATHENIAN LEASING CORPORATION; CZT/ACN TRADEMARKS, L.L.C.; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC; NIELSEN AUDIO, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER INSIGHTS, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER NEUROSCIENCE, INC.; NIELSEN FINANCE CO.; NIELSEN FINANCE LLC; NIELSEN INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, INC.; NIELSEN MOBILE, LLC; NIELSEN UK FINANCE I, LLC; NMR INVESTING I, INC.; TCG DIVESTITURE INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; VIZU CORPORATION; VNU MARKETING INFORMATION, INC.; NMR LICENSING ASSOCIATES, L.P.; NIELSEN HOLDING AND FINANCE B.V.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY B.V.; VNU INTERNATIONAL B.V.
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053473/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 6, 2019
From: LAWERENCE, BRADLEY R., III
To: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
Reel/Frame 049390/0144 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 15889173 · Feb 5, 2018
Continuation 14530659 · Oct 31, 2014
Related Publication 20190238480A1 · Aug 1, 2019