Method of identifying an electronic device by browser versions and cookie scheduling

摘要

A web service provider identifies electronic devices that are associated with a particular user by using device parameters, and user agents strings to cluster the user's web service requests determine whether the requests in each cluster originated from a single device or multiple devices. For any cluster having requests from multiple devices, the provider will analyze the scheduling cookies associated with each request to determine how many devices submitted the requests in each cluster. The system will then store identified devices and their characteristics in a profile for the user. Then, when the user submits a new web service request, the web service provider can compare data in the request such as device parameters, user agent strings and/or cookies to identify the device from which the new request originated.

主权项

1. A method of identifying a device that requests access to a web service, comprising, by one or more processors of a provider of the web service:
receiving, from a registered user of the web service, a first group of requests to access one or more web service functions; receiving, in connection each of the requests in the first group, one or more data points about an electronic device from which the request originated; analyzing the data points and grouping the requests into a plurality of clusters so that each cluster comprises requests that originate from either a single electronic device or from a plurality of electronic devices having one or more similar properties; using the clusters to identify a set of devices that are used by the registered user by:
for each cluster, determining whether the cluster's requests originated from a single electronic device or a plurality of electronic devices,generating a profile for the registered user so that the profile includes characteristics of the user's identified electronic devices, andstoring the profile in a data store; receiving, from the requesting user via a requesting device, an additional request to access one of the more of the web service functions; analyzing the additional request to determine whether the requesting device is one of the devices in the registered user's profile; upon determining that the requesting device is one of the electronic devices in the user's profile, providing the web service functions of the additional request to the requesting device.