Electronic transmissions with intermittent network connections

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10587489-B2
Application number	US-201916361036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2019
Priority date	Mar 21, 2014
Publication date	Mar 10, 2020
Grant date	Mar 10, 2020

Abstract

Embodiments relate to systems and methods for electronically conditioning transmission of communications based on results of a connection assessment. An electronic file is executed at an electronic device, which causes a first query and a second query to be presented. A first query response and a second query response are identified. The first query response is stored in a locked configuration that inhibits the ability to modify the first query response to the first query. The second query response is stored but is not stored in the locked configuration. Query response data is generated that includes an identifier of the second query, an identifier of the second query response and an identifier of the electronic device. A connection variable is determined by assessing one or more network connections available to the electronic device. When a transmission condition is satisfied, the query response data is transmitted to another device.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A system for conditioning transmission of a response on results of a network connection assessment, the system comprising:
a response engine that generates response data corresponding to input received via an client computing device at least in part by mapping the input to a user-selectable option, to a first identifier of a query corresponding to the user-selectable option, and to a second identifier of the client computing device;
a connection assessor that:
determines one or more connection variables by assessing one or more network connections available to the client computing device, at least one connection variable of the one or more connection variables being indicative of a number of networks available; and
evaluates a transmission condition based on the one or more connection variables, the evaluating including comparing each of the one or more connection variables to a threshold, a result of the evaluating indicating that the transmission condition is satisfied when the at least one connection variable of the one or more connection variables satisfies the threshold; and

a response transmitter that conditionally transmits the response data corresponding to the client computing device, such that:
transmission of the response data to a second computing device is delayed consequent to the transmission condition not being satisfied based on the evaluating; and
after the transmission is delayed, the response data is retrieved from storage and is transmitted to a second computing device consequent to the transmission condition being subsequently satisfied.

2. The system for conditioning transmission of a response on results of a network connection assessment as recited in claim 1 , wherein the response engine further:
stores the response data at the client computing device; and
secures the stored response data to prevent modification of the stored response data subsequent to termination of a process with which the user-selectable option is presented.

3. The system for conditioning transmission of a response on results of a network connection assessment as recited in claim 1 , wherein another of the one or more connection variables is indicative of a strength of at least one of the one or more network connections available to the client computing device.

4. The system for conditioning transmission of a response on results of a network connection assessment as recited in claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises:
a file retriever that receives one or more executable files comprising a first executable file compatible with a first browser; and
wherein the system further comprises an access engine that:
identifies that the first browser is open on the client computing device; and
selects the first executable file for execution based on the identifying that the first browser is open, wherein a second executable file is not executed at the client computing device.

5. The system for conditioning transmission of a response on results of a network connection assessment as recited in claim 1 , wherein executing one or more electronic executable files further causes access to at least one application on the client computing device to be blocked during execution of a process with which the user-selectable option is presented.

6. The system for conditioning transmission of a response on results of a network connection assessment as recited in claim 1 , wherein the connection assessor further:
determines that the transmission condition is not satisfied; and
repeatedly analyzes each of the one or more connection variables and evaluates the transmission condition until the transmission condition is satisfied.

7. The system for conditioning transmission of a response on results of a network connection assessment as recited in claim 6 , wherein the transmission is delayed for a defined time period.

8. The system for conditioning transmission of a response on results of a network connection assessment as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
the query is presented via an interface of the client computing device by presenting the query on a screen of the client computing device, and
the input corresponding to the query is received via the interface by detecting a keystroke or cursor selection.

9. The system for conditioning transmission of a response on results of a network connection assessment as recited in claim 1 , wherein the transmission condition being determined as not satisfied based on the evaluating further causes the response data to be aggregated with other response data, and wherein the response engine transmits the aggregated response data consequent to the transmission condition being subsequently determined as satisfied.

10. The system for conditioning transmission of a response on results of a network connection assessment as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one connection variable is indicative of a number of networks of a particular type that are available.

11. The system for conditioning transmission of a response on results of a network connection assessment as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one connection variable is indicative of a number of networks of a particular quality that are available.

12. A method for conditioning transmission of a response on results of a connection assessment, the method comprising:
generating response data corresponding to input received via a client computing device at least in part by mapping the input to a user-selectable option, to a first identifier of a query corresponding to the user-selectable option, and to a second identifier of the client computing device;
determining one or more connection variables by assessing one or more network connections available to the client computing device, at least one connection variable of the one or more connection variables being indicative of a number of networks available;
evaluating a transmission condition based on the one or more connection variables, the evaluating including comparing each of the one or more connection variables to a threshold, a result of the evaluating indicating that the transmission condition is satisfied when the at least one connection variable of the one or more connection variables satisfies the threshold; and
conditionally transmitting the response data corresponding to the client computing device to a second device, such that:
transmission of the response data to a second computing device is delayed consequent to the transmission condition not being satisfied based on the evaluating; and
after the transmission is delayed, the response data is retrieved from storage and is transmitted to a second computing device consequent to the transmission condition being subsequently satisfied.

13. The method for conditioning transmission of a response on results of a connection assessment as recited in claim 12 , further comprising, upon determining that the transmission condition is not satisfied:
storing the response data at the client computing device; and
securing the stored response data to prevent modification of the stored response data subsequent to termination of a process with which the user-selectable option is presented.

14. The method for conditioning transmission of a response on results of a connection assessment as recited in claim 12 , wherein the at least one connection variable is indicative of a strength of at least one of the one or more network connections available to the client computing device.

15. The method for conditioning transmission of a response on results of a connection assessment as recited in claim 12 , further comp

Assignees

• Pearson Education Inc

Inventors

• Kealey Brendan
• Arens Paul
• Krapfl Adam
• Grudnitski Paul
• Nielsen Robbie Allen
• Setaro James
• Sobanski Jason

Classifications

• G06F16/2343

  Locking methods, e.g. distributed locking or locking implementation details · CPC title

• G06F16/2453

  Query optimisation · CPC title

• G06F16/951

  Indexing; Web crawling techniques · CPC title

• G06F16/90335

  Query processing · CPC title

• H04L43/08

  Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters · CPC title