Google Inc.

Sandeep Sarat

Mathieu Gagne

Michael Kleber

Eric R Shienbrood

A method for selecting an accounting technique for recording interactions with electronic content includes receiving a request for a content item from a user device, selecting a content item in response to the request, and configuring the content item to cause the user device to store a ping identifier in a local memory of the user device. The method further includes distributing the content item to the user device. The distributed content item includes a hyperlink having a ping attribute which causes the user device to send a ping request to one or more servers. The method further includes receiving the ping identifier from the user device, determining whether the ping request was received at the one or more servers, and selecting a ping-based accounting technique or a redirect-based accounting technique based on a result of the determination.

Systems and methods for selecting an accounting technique for interactions with electronic content

A method for reliably using ping to account for interactions with electronic content includes receiving a request for a content item from a user device, selecting a content item in response to the request, determining whether the user device is ping enabled, and generating a hyperlink for inclusion with the selected content item. The hyperlink has a target URL and a ping attribute. At least one of the target URL and the ping attribute is based on a result of the determination whether the user device is ping enabled. The method further includes distributing the content item and the hyperlink to the user device and receiving a ping request from the user device. The ping request includes the target URL and an identifier of the distributed content item. The method further includes accounting for the interaction in response to receiving the ping request from the user device.

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Westford, MA, United States of America

Sandeep Sarat