Patent ID: 8732205

Claim:
A computer implemented method, comprising: receiving at a processor for a client device, a plurality of service-dependent identifiers (SDIDs) that each identify a service utilized by the client device; for each of the plurality of SDIDs, identifying an associated SDID record; identifying at least one universal device identifier (UDID) record and associated UDID using the received plurality of SDID records, the at least one UDID record identifies at least one other SDID beyond the plurality of SDIDs; determining a weighted ordering of each of the plurality of SDIDs and the at least one other SDID identified within the at least one UDID record; employing the weighted ordering to select one SDID; using the selected one SDID to determine a final UDID from the at least one UDID record to identify the client device; and performing one of the following actions selected from a group of actions comprising: using the weighted ordering of each of the plurality of SDIDs to update each of the plurality of SDID records to refer to the final UDID, modifying each of the plurality of SDID records to delete any references to a UDID other than the final UDID, marking as obsolete any UDID record associated with the client device other than a UDID record associated with the final UDID, updating each of the plurality of SDIDs records and a SDID record for the other SDID to include a cross-reference to each of the plurality SDIDs in the plurality of SDIDs and the other SDID, and modifying the at least one UDID record to specify the final UDID.