Patent Publication Number: US-2023141910-A1

Title: On-line session trace system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/394,629, filed Aug. 5, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/859,235, filed Apr. 27, 2020, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,113,752, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/941,766, filed Nov. 16, 2015, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,672,064, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to data processing and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to enhancing a user&#39;s on-line experience by utilizing on-line session trace system. 
     BACKGROUND 
     An on-line trading platform allows users to shop for almost anything using, for example, a web browser application or an application native to a mobile device. An electronic publication related to goods and/or services being offered for sale may be termed an item listing. A user may find an item listed by an on-line trading application by entering keywords into the search box provided on an associated web page or by browsing through the list of categories on the home page. After reading an item description and viewing a seller&#39;s reputation, the user is able to either place a bid on the item or purchase it instantly. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various ones of the appended drawings merely illustrate example embodiments of the present disclosure and cannot be considered as limiting its scope. 
         FIG.  1    is a diagrammatic representation of a network environment within which an example method and system that utilizes a shopping trace may be implemented; 
         FIG.  2    is block diagram of a system that utilizes a shopping trace, in accordance with one example embodiment; 
         FIG.  3    is a flow chart of a method that utilizes a shopping trace, in accordance with an example embodiment; 
         FIG.  4    is a block diagram illustrating an example of a software architecture that may be installed on a machine, according to some example embodiments. 
         FIG.  5    illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of a computer system within which a set of instructions may be executed for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, according to an example embodiment. 
     
    
    
     The headings provided herein are merely for convenience and do not necessarily affect the scope or meaning of the terms used. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The description that follows includes systems, methods, techniques, instruction sequences, and computing machine program products that embody illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding of various embodiments of the inventive subject matter. It will be evident, however, to those skilled in the art, that embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In general, well-known instruction instances, protocols, structures, and techniques are not necessarily shown in detail. 
     As on-line shopping services offer increasingly greater and greater number of features and experiences, such as assisted intuitive searching for products, presentation of extensive information about the searched-for products, as well as access to other users&#39; reviews and evaluations of products, the process of shopping on-line even for a single item may be a time consuming process. For example, in response to requesting a search with a single search term “backpack,” the user may be taken on a journey where an on-line shopping system presents various categories of backpacks, permitting the user to limit their search to, say, daypacks, such that other types of backpacks (e.g., school bags, or high capacity backpacking packs) are excluded from the search results. Even when a specific category of the searched-for item has been identified, the user may still engage in a rather involved process of reading reviews of various products submitted by other users, of which they would like to choose the one most appropriate for them. A user, who is engaged in an on-line shopping experience, may choose to interrupt their shopping flow at any point in the process, with an intension to resume it again, at a later time. 
     A system and method are provided to enhance a user&#39;s on-line experience (e.g., on-line shopping experience) by preserving the state of an on-line session (e.g., an on-line shopping session) at the time a user leaves an incomplete shopping process and permitting the user to resume the shopping session from the state where they left it, upon restarting the shopping session. Such system may be referred to as an on-line session trace system. An on-line session trace system may be configured to record a so-called trace of a customer shopping session that includes a recording of multiple trace attributes. The trace attributes may indicate, for example, a latest shopping state or characteristics of a client device that was used to access an on-line shopping platform during a subject shopping session associated with a user identification. The user identification may represent, e.g., a user account, a browser fingerprint, etc. 
     In one scenario, one of the trace attributes may indicate that the user was reading a long page of review comments, and that the subject shopping session ended when the user was at a certain place on a product reviews page. The on-line session trace system detects the mouse location and a focus area at a client device that is being used by the user to access an on-line trading platform, record a line number and a paragraph number and how many reviews have been read, and store this information in a latest shopping state attribute. When the user returns, meaning when a further shopping session is initiated for the same user account, the on-line session trace system accesses the latest shopping state attribute and, based on the latest shopping state attribute, loads and sets the view focus to that specific line in that specific paragraph. 
     In another scenario, a trace attribute may indicate a landing page that was last accessed by the user during the subject shopping session. For example, the user may have left the subject shopping session while reading customer reviews (as in the scenario described above), or after having reached the check-out page, or in the middle of viewing search results provided in response to a certain query. The trace attribute that indicates a landing page that was last accessed by the user during the subject shopping session may be termed the latest shopping state attribute and may include an identification of such landing page so that a further shopping session commences for the same user would start on that landing page. 
     In some embodiments, the on-line session trace system can detect a type of the display device being used by the user to access the on-line trading platform (e.g., a larger size desktop monitor, a tablet, a smaller screen of a mobile device,) and present the landing page that was determined based on the latest shopping state attribute persisted from the subject shopping session, in accordance with the detected current type of the display device. For example, the landing page may be presented on a smaller screen such that the visible portion of the landing page includes the area of the view focus that can be indicated by one of the trace attributes persisted from the subject shopping session. 
     In some embodiments, the on-line session trace system can persist states from two or more previous on-line sessions for a user identification and, when a further on-line session is initiated for the same user identification, the on-line session trace system may present the user with an option to select which one of the earlier shopping sessions to resumed. For example, one of the earlier shopping sessions included a search for backpacks where a user went through multiple search paths eliminating camping gear and school bags and stopping at a product reviews page that presents user reviews of day packs. Another one of the earlier shopping sessions may have been for a particular book where the user selected the book and a seller and terminated the shopping session while accessing a check-out page but before having completed the order. The on-line session trace system can present the user with an option to select either one of those shopping sessions and, based on the user&#39;s selection, present either the product reviews page that presents user reviews of day packs or the check-out page that has information the user previously entered or selected with respect to ordering the book. In yet another scenario, where a user went through multiple search paths (e.g., as in the example above where the user eliminated school bags and also large backpack that are commonly used for backpacking trips) the on-line session trace system presents the user with a reminder that she has already examined certain categories of search results and may now instruct the search engine to not include items from those categories in the further search results. 
     In some embodiments, an on-line session trace system may cooperate with a geo-location component of the associated on-line trading platform. The on-line trading platform may detect that a mobile device executing a mobile app for accessing the on-line trading platform is located at a certain retail store, which is then treated as an indication that the user has arrived at that store. The on-line session trace system then accesses the trace attributes from the trace recorded for a subject shopping session for a user account associated with the mobile device and sends to the mobile device a text message, a targeted promotion, or notification, based on the trace attributes. For example, while shopping on-line using the on-line trading platform, a user may have searched for backpacks and actually narrowed down the search to a specific type of backpack. When that user arrives at a store, the on-line trading platform detects, based on geo-location information obtained from the user&#39;s mobile device that the user is at a brick and mortar store that sells that specific type of backpack and, for example, that the store has that specific type of backpack in stock. The on-line trading platform can then send to the user&#39;s mobile device a notification or a coupon related to that type of backpack or to some other related product. An example shopping trace system may be implemented in the context of a network environment illustrated in  FIG.  1   . 
     With reference to  FIG.  1   , an example embodiment of a high-level client-server-based network architecture  100  is shown. A networked system  102 , in the example forms of a network-based publication or payment system, provides server-side functionality via a network  104  (e.g., the Internet or wide area network (WAN)) to one or more client devices  110 , and may be referred to as an on-line trading platform  102 .  FIG.  1    illustrates, for example, a web client  112  (e.g., a browser, such as the Internet Explorer® browser developed by Microsoft® Corporation of Redmond, Wash. State), a client application  114 , and a programmatic client  116  executing on the client device  110 . 
     The client device  110  may comprise, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, desktop computer, laptop, portable digital assistants (PDAs), smart phones, tablets, ultra books, netbooks, laptops, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, or any other communication device that a user may utilize to access the on-line trading platform  102 . In some embodiments, the client device  110  comprises a display module (not shown) to display information (e.g., in the form of user interfaces). In further embodiments, the client device  110  comprises one or more of a touch screens, accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, microphones, global positioning system (GPS) devices, and so forth. The client device  110  may be a device of a user that is used to perform a transaction involving items within the on-line trading platform  102 . In one embodiment, the on-line trading platform  102  is a network-based publication system that responds to requests for product listings, publishes electronic publications comprising item listings of products available on the network-based publication system, and manages payments for these transactions. 
     One or more portions of network  104  may be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a WiFi network, a WiMax network, another type of network, or a combination of two or more such networks. 
     The client device  110  may include one or more applications (also referred to as “apps”) such as, but not limited to, a web browser, messaging application, electronic mail (email) application, an e-commerce site application (also referred to as a marketplace application), and the like. In some embodiments, if the e-commerce site application is included in the client device  110 , then this application is configured to locally provide the user interface and at least some of the functionalities with the application configured to communicate with the on-line trading platform  102 , on an as needed basis, for data or processing capabilities not locally available (e.g., access to a database of items available for sale, to authenticate a user, to verify a method of payment). Conversely if the e-commerce site application is not included in the client device  110 , the client device  110  may use its web browser to access the e-commerce site (or a variant thereof) hosted on the on-line trading platform  102 . 
     One or more users  106  may be a person, a machine, or other means of interacting with the client device  110 . In example embodiments, the user  106  is not part of the network architecture  100 , but may interact with the network architecture  100  via the client device  110  or other means. For instance, the user provides input (e.g., touch screen input or alphanumeric input) to the client device  110  and the input is communicated to the on-line trading platform  102  via the network  104 . In this instance, the on-line trading platform  102 , in response to receiving the input from the user, communicates information to the client device  110  via the network  104  to be presented to the user. In this way, the user can interact with the on-line trading platform  102  using the client device  110 . 
     An application program interface (API) server  120  and a web server  122  are coupled to, and provide programmatic and web interfaces respectively to, one or more application servers  140 . The application servers  140  may host one or more publication systems  142  and payment systems  144 , each of which may comprise one or more modules or applications and each of which may be embodied as hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. The application servers  140  are, in turn, shown to be coupled to one or more database servers  124  that facilitate access to one or more information storage repositories or database(s)  126 . In an example embodiment, the databases  126  are storage devices that store information to be posted (e.g., publications or listings) to the publication system  120 . The databases  126  may also store digital item information in accordance with example embodiments. 
     Additionally, a third party application  132 , executing on third party server(s)  130 , is shown as having programmatic access to the on-line trading platform  102  via the programmatic interface provided by the API server  120 . For example, the third party application  132 , utilizing information retrieved from the on-line trading platform  102 , supports one or more features or functions on a website hosted by the third party. The third party website, for example, provides one or more promotional, marketplace, or payment functions that are supported by the relevant applications of the on-line trading platform  102 . 
     The publication systems  142  provide a number of publication functions and services to users  106  that access the on-line trading platform  102 . The payment systems  144  likewise provide a number of functions to perform or facilitate payments and transactions. While the publication system  142  and payment system  144  are shown in  FIG.  1    to both form part of the on-line trading platform  102 , it will be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, each system  142  and  144  may form part of a payment service that is separate and distinct from the on-line trading platform  102 . In some embodiments, the payment systems  144  may form part of the publication system  142 . 
     The web client  112  accesses the various publication and payment systems  142  and  144  via the web interface supported by the web server  122 . Similarly, the programmatic client  116  accesses the various services and functions provided by the publication and payment systems  142  and  144  via the programmatic interface provided by the API server  120 . The programmatic client  116  may, for example, be a seller application (e.g., the Turbo Lister application developed by eBay® Inc., of San Jose, Calif.) to enable sellers to author and manage listings on the on-line trading platform  102  in an off-line manner, and to perform batch-mode communications between the programmatic client  116  and the on-line trading platform  102 . 
     The application servers  140  also hosts an on-line session trace system  150 . The on-line session trace system  150 , in one example embodiment, is configured to monitor and store certain decision data collected during a shopping session of a user, who may be accessing the on-line trading platform  102  via the client device  110 . Such decision data may include, for instance, a selection of one category associated with a search term over other categories. For example, a search term that a user entered at the beginning of a shopping session may be “carpet,” and the events detected as the session progressed indicated that the user is not interested in automobile carpets or wall-to-wall carpeting, but is only interested in area rugs. The on-line session trace system  150  records this information as being associated with the subject shopping session and presents only items associated with an area rugs category when a further shopping session is initiated for the same user identification. 
     Furthermore, the on-line session trace system  150  may record a specific stage within a subject shopping session, such as, for example, a stage where the user interacts with a shopping cart web page (also referred to as merely a “shopping cart”), and commence a further shopping session at a later time at the state where the user has left the shopping cart. Another stage, at which a user may have left a subject shopping session, is a customer reviews reading stage. When a further shopping session is commenced at a later time (e.g., after the user explicitly logged out or was inactive for longer than a predetermined period of time, after which the session is automatically terminated), the on-line session trace system  150  may present the user with a landing page corresponding to the review the user had been viewing on a customer reviews web page at the time the session had been terminated or interrupted. 
     The on-line session trace system  150  may also present a user with an option to select a particular landing page representing a specific stage within the subject shopping session stage, or to choose from one of multiple previous shopping sessions. For example, continuing with the scenario described above, a user may be presented with an option of whether to continue shopping for area rugs or to explore another category associated with the term “carpet.” 
     The on-line session trace system  150  may also be used in conjunction with a geo-location component of the on-line trading platform  102 , as described above. In some example embodiments, the on-line session trace system  150  may communicate with the publication systems  142  (e.g., accessing item listings) and payment system  144 . In an alternative embodiment, the on-line session trace system  150  may be a part of the publication system  120 . 
     It will be noted that, while the client-server-based network architecture  100  shown in  FIG.  1    employs a client-server architecture, the present inventive subject matter is of course not limited to such an architecture, and could equally well find application in a distributed, or peer-to-peer, architecture system, for example. The publication system  142 , payment system  144 , and on-line session trace system  150  can also be implemented as standalone software programs. In some embodiments, the on-line session trace system  150  may be implemented as part of the publication system  142 . An example on-line session trace system  150  is described below, with reference to  FIG.  2   . 
       FIG.  2    is a block diagram of a system  200 , also referred to as the on-line session trace system  150 , in accordance with one example embodiment. As shown in  FIG.  2   , the system  200  includes a trace recorder  210 , a request detector  220 , a landing page selector  230 , and a communications module  240 . 
     The trace recorder  210  is configured to record a trace of a customer shopping in a course of a subject shopping session associated with a user identification. The trace of customer shopping includes one or more trace attributes. The trace attributes are used by the landing page selector  230  to select a landing page related to the subject shopping session. 
     The trace attributes are also used, for example, by the communications module  240 , to determine a paragraph and a line number in a review on a customer reviews page in a scenario where the landing page is a customer reviews page provided by the on-line trading platform  102  of  FIG.  1   . 
     The trace attributes are also used, for example, by the communications module  240 , to determine those reviews on the customer reviews page that have been accessed. The communications module  240  may be configured to modify the landing page to indicate that those reviews have been accessed prior to the serving of the landing page to the client device and to serve the landing page to the client device  110  of  FIG.  1   . In one embodiment, the communications module  240  is configured to set a view focus to the paragraph and the line number in the review. 
     The request detector  220  is configured to detect a request from the client device  110  to commence a further shopping session associated with the same user identification as the one associated with the subject shopping session. The landing page selector  230  is configured to select a landing page related to the subject shopping session based on the one or more trace attributes. 
     Also shown in  FIG.  2    is a display device type detector  250 . The display device type detector  250  is configured to detect a type of a display device being used to access the on-line trading platform  102  during a shopping session and to cause presentation of the landing page on the client device  110  according to the detected current type of the display device. 
     Another module shown in  FIG.  2    is a presentation module  260 . The presentation module  260  is configured to cause presentation, on a display device of the client device  110 , of an option to select one from the plurality of earlier shopping sessions in response to the request to commence the further shopping session subsequent to two or more of earlier shopping sessions associated with the same user identification. The presentation module  260  selects the subject shopping session based on a user selection from the plurality of earlier shopping sessions, such that various modules of the system  200  use the trace attributes recorded in the course of the subject shopping session (e.g., to determine a landing page for the further shopping session). 
     In some embodiments, the system  200  may cooperate with a geo-location system that may be provided with or as part of the on-line trading platform  102 . A request, from a client device, to commence a further shopping session may be associated with detecting, based on geo-location information obtained by the client device  110 , commencement of an in-store experience associated with the user identification. Upon such request, and responsive to determining that the geo-location information obtained by the client device  110  indicates that a user associated with a particular user identification is physically in a store that sells one or more products reflected in a trace recorded for a subject shopping session associated with that user identification, the communications module  240  communicates promotion information or some other notification to the client device  110 . Example operations performed by the on-line session trace system  200  are described with reference to  FIG.  3   . 
       FIG.  3    is a flow chart of a method  300  that utilizes the on-line session trace system  150 , according to one example embodiment. The method  300  is performed by processing logic that may comprise hardware (e.g., dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (such as run on a general purpose computer system or a dedicated machine), or a combination of both. In one example embodiment, the processing logic resides at the application servers  140  of  FIG.  1    and, in particular, the on-line session trace system  150 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  3   , the method  300  commences at operation  310 , when the trace recorder  210  of  FIG.  2    records a trace of customer shopping in a course of a subject shopping session associated with a user identification. As explained above, the trace of customer shopping includes one or more trace attributes, which are later used, for example, to select a landing page related to the subject shopping session, to determine a paragraph and a line number in a review on a customer reviews page in a scenario where the landing page is a customer reviews page, to determine those reviews on the customer reviews page that have been accessed, etc. 
     At operation  320 , the request detector  220  of  FIG.  2    detects a request from the client device  110  of  FIG.  1    to commence a further shopping session associated with the same user identification as the one associated with the subject shopping session. 
     At operation  330 , the landing page selector  230  selects a landing page related to the subject shopping session based on the one or more trace attributes. 
     The communications module  240  serves of the landing page to the client device  110  at operation  340 . 
     Modules, Components, and Logic 
     Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules may constitute either software modules (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium) or hardware modules. A “hardware module” is a tangible unit capable of performing certain operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain physical manner. In various example embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone computer system, a client computer system, or a server computer system) or one or more hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may be configured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) as a hardware module that operates to perform certain operations as described herein. 
     In some embodiments, a hardware module may be implemented mechanically, electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, a hardware module may include dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured to perform certain operations. For example, a hardware module may be a special-purpose processor, such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). A hardware module may also include programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. For example, a hardware module may include software executed by a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor. Once configured by such software, hardware modules become specific machines (or specific components of a machine) uniquely tailored to perform the configured functions and are no longer general-purpose processors. It will be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware module mechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations. 
     Accordingly, the phrase “hardware module” should be understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or to perform certain operations described herein. As used herein, “hardware-implemented module” refers to a hardware module. Considering embodiments in which hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of the hardware modules need not be configured or instantiated at any one instance in time. For example, where a hardware module comprises a general-purpose processor configured by software to become a special-purpose processor, the general-purpose processor may be configured as respectively different special-purpose processors (e.g., comprising different hardware modules) at different times. Software accordingly configures a particular processor or processors, for example, to constitute a particular hardware module at one instance of time and to constitute a different hardware module at a different instance of time. 
     Hardware modules can provide information to, and receive information from, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardware modules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multiple hardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may be achieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) between or among two or more of the hardware modules. In embodiments in which multiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated at different times, communications between such hardware modules may be achieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of information in memory structures to which the multiple hardware modules have access. For example, one hardware module may perform an operation and store the output of that operation in a memory device to which it is communicatively coupled. A further hardware module may then, at a later time, access the memory device to retrieve and process the stored output. Hardware modules may also initiate communications with input or output devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection of information). 
     The various operations of example methods described herein may be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors that are temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured to perform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanently configured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modules that operate to perform one or more operations or functions described herein. As used herein, “processor-implemented module” refers to a hardware module implemented using one or more processors. 
     Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partially processor-implemented, with a particular processor or processors being an example of hardware. For example, at least some of the operations of a method may be performed by one or more processors or processor-implemented modules. Moreover, the one or more processors may also operate to support performance of the relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a “software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples of machines including processors), with these operations being accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., an Application Program Interface (API)). 
     The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed among the processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments, the processors or processor-implemented modules may be located in a single geographic location (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other example embodiments, the processors or processor-implemented modules may be distributed across a number of geographic locations. 
     Machine and Software Architecture 
     The modules, methods, applications and so forth described in conjunction with  FIGS.  1 - 3    are implemented in some embodiments in the context of a machine and an associated software architecture. The sections below describe representative software architecture(s) and machine (e.g., hardware) architecture that are suitable for use with the disclosed embodiments. 
     Software architectures are used in conjunction with hardware architectures to create devices and machines tailored to particular purposes. For example, a particular hardware architecture coupled with a particular software architecture will create a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, tablet device, or so forth. A slightly different hardware and software architecture may yield a smart device for use in the “internet of things.” While yet another combination produces a server computer for use within a cloud computing architecture. Not all combinations of such software and hardware architectures are presented here as those of skill in the art can readily understand how to implement the invention in different contexts from the disclosure contained herein. 
     Software Architecture 
       FIG.  4    is a block diagram  400  illustrating a representative software architecture  402 , which may be used in conjunction with various hardware architectures herein described.  FIG.  4    is merely a non-limiting example of a software architecture and it will be appreciated that many other architectures may be implemented to facilitate the functionality described herein. The software architecture  402  may be executing on hardware such as machine  500  of  FIG.  5    that includes, among other things, processors  510 , memory  530 , and I/O components  550 . A representative hardware layer  404  is illustrated and can represent, for example, the machine  500  of  FIG.  5   . The representative hardware layer  404  comprises one or more processing units  406  having associated executable instructions  408 . Executable instructions  408  represent the executable instructions of the software architecture  402 , including implementation of the methods, modules and so forth of  FIGS.  1 - 3   . Hardware layer  404  also includes memory or storage modules  410 , which also have executable instructions  408 . Hardware layer  404  may also comprise other hardware as indicated by  412  which represents any other hardware of the hardware layer  404 , such as the other hardware illustrated as part of machine  500 . 
     In the example architecture of  FIG.  4   , the software  402  may be conceptualized as a stack of layers where each layer provides particular functionality. For example, the software  402  may include layers such as an operating system  414 , libraries  416 , frameworks/middleware  418 , applications  420  and presentation layer  422 . Operationally, the applications  420  or other components within the layers may invoke application programming interface (API) calls  424  through the software stack and receive a response, returned values, and so forth illustrated as messages  426  in response to the API calls  424 . The layers illustrated are representative in nature and not all software architectures have all layers. For example, some mobile or special purpose operating systems may not provide a frameworks/middleware layer  418 , while others may provide such a layer. Other software architectures may include additional or different layers. 
     The operating system  414  may manage hardware resources and provide common services. The operating system  414  may include, for example, a kernel  428 , services  430 , and drivers  432 . The kernel  428  may act as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the other software layers. For example, the kernel  428  may be responsible for memory management, processor management (e.g., scheduling), component management, networking, security settings, and so on. The services  430  may provide other common services for the other software layers. The drivers  432  may be responsible for controlling or interfacing with the underlying hardware. For instance, the drivers  432  may include display drivers, camera drivers, Bluetooth® drivers, flash memory drivers, serial communication drivers (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) drivers), Wi-Fi® drivers, audio drivers, power management drivers, and so forth depending on the hardware configuration. 
     The libraries  416  may provide a common infrastructure that may be utilized by the applications  420  or other components and/or layers. The libraries  416  typically provide functionality that allows other software modules to perform tasks in an easier fashion than to interface directly with the underlying operating system  414  functionality (e.g., kernel  428 , services  430 , or drivers  432 ). The libraries  416  may include system  434  libraries (e.g., C standard library) that may provide functions such as memory allocation functions, string manipulation functions, mathematic functions, and the like. In addition, the libraries  416  may include API libraries  436  such as media libraries (e.g., libraries to support presentation and manipulation of various media format such as MPREG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG), graphics libraries (e.g., an OpenGL framework that may be used to render 2D and 3D in a graphic content on a display), database libraries (e.g., SQLite that may provide various relational database functions), web libraries (e.g., WebKit that may provide web browsing functionality), and the like. The libraries  416  may also include a wide variety of other libraries  438  to provide many other APIs to the applications  420  and other software components/modules. 
     The frameworks  418  (also sometimes referred to as middleware) may provide a higher-level common infrastructure that may be utilized by the applications  420  or other software components/modules. For example, the frameworks  418  may provide various graphic user interface (GUI) functions, high-level resource management, high-level location services, and so forth. The frameworks  418  may provide a broad spectrum of other APIs that may be utilized by the applications  420  or other software components/modules, some of which may be specific to a particular operating system or platform. 
     The applications  420  include built-in applications  440  or third party applications  442 . Examples of representative built-in applications  440  may include, but are not limited to, a contacts application, a browser application, a book reader application, a location application, a media application, a messaging application, or a game application. Third party applications  442  may include any of the built in applications as well as a broad assortment of other applications. In a specific example, the third party application  442  (e.g., an application developed using the Android™ or iOS™ software development kit (SDK) by an entity other than the vendor of the particular platform) may be mobile software running on a mobile operating system such as iOS™, Android™, Windows® Phone, or other mobile operating systems. In this example, the third party application  442  may invoke the API calls  424  provided by the mobile operating system such as operating system  414  to facilitate functionality described herein. 
     The applications  420  may utilize built in operating system functions (e.g., kernel  428 , services  430 , or drivers  432 ), libraries (e.g., system  434 , APIs  436 , and other libraries  438 ), frameworks/middleware  418  to create user interfaces to interact with users of the system. Alternatively, or additionally, in some systems interactions with a user may occur through a presentation layer, such as presentation layer  444 . In these systems, the application/module “logic” can be separated from the aspects of the application/module that interact with a user. 
     Some software architectures utilize virtual machines. In the example of  FIG.  4   , this is illustrated by virtual machine  448 . A virtual machine creates a software environment where applications/modules can execute as if they were executing on a hardware machine (such as the machine of  FIG.  5   , for example). A virtual machine is hosted by a host operating system (operating system  414  in  FIG.  5   ) and typically, although not always, has a virtual machine monitor  446 , which manages the operation of the virtual machine as well as the interface with the host operating system (e.g., operating system  414 ). A software architecture executes within the virtual machine such as an operating system  450 , libraries  452 , frameworks/middleware  454 , applications  456 , or presentation layer  458 . These layers of software architecture executing within the virtual machine  448  can be the same as corresponding layers previously described or may be different. 
     Example Machine Architecture and Machine-Readable Medium 
       FIG.  5    is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine  500 , according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Specifically,  FIG.  5    shows a diagrammatic representation of the machine  500  in the example form of a computer system, within which instructions  516  (e.g., software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code) for causing the machine  500  to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed. For example the instructions may cause the machine to execute the flow diagrams of  FIG.  3   . Additionally, or alternatively, the instructions may implement the modules illustrated in  FIG.  2   , and so forth. The instructions transform the general, non-programmed machine into a particular machine programmed to carry out the described and illustrated functions in the manner described. In alternative embodiments, the machine  500  operates as a standalone device or may be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine  500  may operate in the capacity of a server machine or a client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine  500  may comprise, but not be limited to, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), an entertainment media system, a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance), other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of executing the instructions  516 , sequentially or otherwise, that specify actions to be taken by machine  500 . 
     Further, while only a single machine  500  is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include a collection of machines  500  that individually or jointly execute the instructions  516  to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. 
     The machine  500  may include processors  510 , memory  530 , and I/O components  550 , which may be configured to communicate with each other such as via a bus  502 . In an example embodiment, the processors  510  (e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processor, a Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processor, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor  512  and processor  514  that may execute instructions  516 . The term “processor” is intended to include multi-core processor that may comprise two or more independent processors (sometimes referred to as “cores”) that may execute instructions contemporaneously. Although  FIG.  5    shows multiple processors, the machine  500  may include a single processor with a single core, a single processor with multiple cores (e.g., a multi-core process), multiple processors with a single core, multiple processors with multiples cores, or any combination thereof. 
     The memory/storage  530  may include a memory  532 , such as a main memory, or other memory storage, and a storage unit  536 , both accessible to the processors  510  such as via the bus  502 . The storage unit  536  and memory  532  store the instructions  516  embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions  516  may also reside, completely or partially, within the memory  532 , within the storage unit  536 , within at least one of the processors  510  (e.g., within the processor&#39;s cache memory), or any suitable combination thereof, during execution thereof by the machine  500 . Accordingly, the memory  532 , the storage unit  536 , and the memory of processors  510  are examples of machine-readable media. 
     As used herein, “machine-readable medium” means a device able to store instructions and data temporarily or permanently and may include, but is not be limited to, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), buffer memory, flash memory, optical media, magnetic media, cache memory, other types of storage (e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and/or any suitable combination thereof. The term “machine-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, or associated caches and servers) able to store instructions  516 . The term “machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium, or combination of multiple media, that is capable of storing instructions (e.g., instructions  516 ) for execution by a machine (e.g., machine  500 ), such that the instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the machine  500  (e.g., processors  510 ), cause the machine  500  to perform any one or more of the methodologies described herein. Accordingly, a “machine-readable medium” refers to a single storage apparatus or device, as well as “cloud-based” storage systems or storage networks that include multiple storage apparatus or devices. The term “machine-readable medium” excludes signals per se. 
     The I/O components  550  may include a wide variety of components to receive input, provide output, produce output, transmit information, exchange information, capture measurements, and so on. The specific I/O components  550  that are included in a particular machine will depend on the type of machine. For example, portable machines such as mobile phones will likely include a touch input device or other such input mechanisms, while a headless server machine will likely not include such a touch input device. It will be appreciated that the I/O components  550  may include many other components that are not shown in  FIG.  5   . The I/O components  550  are grouped according to functionality merely for simplifying the following discussion and the grouping is in no way limiting. In various example embodiments, the I/O components  550  may include output components  552  and input components  554 . The output components  552  may include visual components (e.g., a display such as a plasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), acoustic components (e.g., speakers), haptic components (e.g., a vibratory motor, resistance mechanisms), other signal generators, and so forth. The input components  554  may include alphanumeric input components (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen configured to receive alphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or other alphanumeric input components), point based input components (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointing instrument), tactile input components (e.g., a physical button, a touch screen that provides location and/or force of touches or touch gestures, or other tactile input components), audio input components (e.g., a microphone), and the like. 
     In further example embodiments, the I/O components  550  may include biometric components  556 , motion components  558 , environmental components  560 , or position components  562  among a wide array of other components. For example, the biometric components  556  may include components to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facial expressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), measure biosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, perspiration, or brain waves), identify a person (e.g., voice identification, retinal identification, facial identification, fingerprint identification, or electroencephalogram based identification), and the like. The motion components  558  may include acceleration sensor components (e.g., accelerometer), gravitation sensor components, rotation sensor components (e.g., gyroscope), and so forth. The environmental components  560  may include, for example, illumination sensor components (e.g., photometer), temperature sensor components (e.g., one or more thermometer that detect ambient temperature), humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g., barometer), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphones that detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g., infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensors (e.g., gas detection sensors to detection concentrations of hazardous gases for safety or to measure pollutants in the atmosphere), or other components that may provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding to a surrounding physical environment. The position components  562  may include location sensor components (e.g., a Global Position System (GPS) receiver component), altitude sensor components (e.g., altimeters or barometers that detect air pressure from which altitude may be derived), orientation sensor components (e.g., magnetometers), and the like. 
     Communication may be implemented using a wide variety of technologies. The I/O components  550  may include communication components  564  operable to couple the machine  500  to a network  580  or devices  570  via coupling  582  and coupling  572  respectively. For example, the communication components  564  may include a network interface component or other suitable device to interface with the network  580 . In further examples, communication components  564  may include wired communication components, wireless communication components, cellular communication components, Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components to provide communication via other modalities. The devices  570  may be another machine or any of a wide variety of peripheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via a Universal Serial Bus (USB)). 
     Moreover, the communication components  564  may detect identifiers or include components operable to detect identifiers. For example, the communication components  564  may include Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart tag detection components, optical reader components (e.g., an optical sensor to detect one-dimensional bar codes such as Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code, multi-dimensional bar codes such as Quick Response (QR) code, Aztec code, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417, Ultra Code, UCC RSS-2D bar code, and other optical codes), or acoustic detection components (e.g., microphones to identify tagged audio signals). In addition, a variety of information may be derived via the communication components  564 , such as, location via Internet Protocol (IP) geo-location, location via Wi-Fi® signal triangulation, location via detecting a NFC beacon signal that may indicate a particular location, and so forth. 
     Transmission Medium 
     In various example embodiments, one or more portions of the network  580  may be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), the Internet, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a plain old telephone service (POTS) network, a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a Wi-Fi® network, another type of network, or a combination of two or more such networks. For example, the network  580  or a portion of the network  580  may include a wireless or cellular network and the coupling  582  may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) connection, a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) connection, or other type of cellular or wireless coupling. In this example, the coupling  582  may implement any of a variety of types of data transfer technology, such as Single Carrier Radio Transmission Technology (1xRTT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology, Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology, third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) including 3G, fourth generation wireless (4G) networks, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, others defined by various standard setting organizations, other long range protocols, or other data transfer technology. 
     The instructions  516  may be transmitted or received over the network  580  using a transmission medium via a network interface device (e.g., a network interface component included in the communication components  564 ) and utilizing any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)). Similarly, the instructions  516  may be transmitted or received using a transmission medium via the coupling  572  (e.g., a peer-to-peer coupling) to devices  570 . The term “transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions  516  for execution by the machine  500 , and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible medium to facilitate communication of such software. 
     Language 
     Throughout this specification, plural instances may implement components, operations, or structures described as a single instance. Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustrated and described as separate operations, one or more of the individual operations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that the operations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures and functionality presented as separate components in example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matter herein. 
     Although an overview of the inventive subject matter has been described with reference to specific example embodiments, various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader scope of embodiments of the present disclosure. Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individually or collectively, by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single disclosure or inventive concept if more than one is, in fact, disclosed. 
     The embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed. Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The Detailed Description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. 
     As used herein, the term “or” may be construed in either an inclusive or exclusive sense. Moreover, plural instances may be provided for resources, operations, or structures described herein as a single instance. Additionally, boundaries between various resources, operations, modules, engines, and data stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations are illustrated in a context of specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality are envisioned and may fall within a scope of various embodiments of the present disclosure. In general, structures and functionality presented as separate resources in the example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or resource. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single resource may be implemented as separate resources. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within a scope of embodiments of the present disclosure as represented by the appended claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.