Content display monitor
The invention can enable monitoring of the display of content by a computer system. Moreover, the invention can enable monitoring of the displayed content to produce monitoring information from which conclusions may be deduced regarding the observation of the displayed content by an observer. The invention can also enable monitoring of the display at a content display site of content that is provided by a content provider site over a network to the content display site. Additionally, the invention can enable the expeditious provision of updated and/or tailored content over a network from a content provider site to a content display site so that the content provider's current and appropriately tailored content is always displayed at the content display site. Aspects of the invention related to transfer of content over a network are generally applicable to any type of network. However, it is contemplated that the invention can be particularly useful with a computer network, including private computer networks (e.g., America Online™) and public computer networks (e.g., the Internet). In particular, the invention can be advantageously used with computer networks or portions of computer networks over which video and/or audio content are transferred from one network site to another network site for observation, such as the World Wide Web portion of the Internet.
1. A system in a computer networked environment for generating monitoring information about a display of content, comprising:
a content provider site that stores a content file, wherein the content file references the content and at least one computer executable monitoring function to cause collection of monitoring information about the display of the content; and
a content display site to receive the content file from the content provider site and to display the content, wherein the content display site receives the at least one monitoring function as part of receiving the content file, the content display site executes the at least one monitoring function when the content file is accessed, the at least one monitoring function performs monitoring responsive to an event notification passed from a host environment at the content display site to cause monitoring information about the display of the content to be collected and transferred to a network site without providing a user at the content display site an indication that the monitoring information is being collected, wherein the content display site does not have the at least one monitoring function prior to receiving the content file from the content provider site, wherein the network site did not transfer the content file from the content provider site to the content display site, the network site is different from the content provider site, and the network site is adapted to receive the monitoring information.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the content comprises audio content.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the event notification comprises an operating system event corresponding to selection of a graphical pushbutton.
4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining a volume at which the audio content is played.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the host environment comprises an operating system.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the event notification comprises an operating system event.