System and method for identifying individual users accessing a web site
First Claim
1. A method for identifying distinct users accessing a web site, the method comprising:
- performing, by one or more hardware computer devices;
storing a plurality of records in a database, wherein each record of the plurality of records comprises an Internet address and a time value, and wherein each record of the plurality of records indicates a distinct user accessing said web site;
receiving a first Internet address and a first time value from a first computer accessing the web site, wherein the first time value corresponds to an event associated with the first computer;
identifying a distinct user corresponding to said first computer in response to determining that said first Internet address and said first time value does not match a second Internet address and a second time value of any individual record of the plurality of records in said database, wherein to improve accuracy of web hit counting the user is identified as a distinct user even when said first Internet address matches a particular Internet address of one or more of the records in said database that indicate accessing of said web site;
incrementing a hit counter by one in response to identifying the distinct user; and
adding to said database a new record comprising said first Internet address and said first time value in response to identifying the distinct user.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved method and system for identifying individual users accessing a web site. A web site server is able to identify distinct users by using a unique identifier associated with each client computer system requesting access to the web site. The unique identifier comprises an Internet address, such as an Internet Protocol (IP) address, and a time value associated with each client computer system requesting access to the web site. On starting up a web browser, an application program or browser plug-in may synchronize the internal clock included with the client computer system with a global time standard. The synchronized time value may be based on an event associated with the client computer system, such as the start of a web browser. A web site server may determine the uniqueness of the client computer system by comparing unique identifier records of users accessing the web site. A user may be identified as distinct if no matching record exists in the database. Multiple client computer systems having a common Internet address may be identified by using this method. Users privacy is also protected as the unique identifiers are erased when the client computer system'"'"'s user exits the web browser or powers down the computer.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method for identifying distinct users accessing a web site, the method comprising:
performing, by one or more hardware computer devices; storing a plurality of records in a database, wherein each record of the plurality of records comprises an Internet address and a time value, and wherein each record of the plurality of records indicates a distinct user accessing said web site; receiving a first Internet address and a first time value from a first computer accessing the web site, wherein the first time value corresponds to an event associated with the first computer; identifying a distinct user corresponding to said first computer in response to determining that said first Internet address and said first time value does not match a second Internet address and a second time value of any individual record of the plurality of records in said database, wherein to improve accuracy of web hit counting the user is identified as a distinct user even when said first Internet address matches a particular Internet address of one or more of the records in said database that indicate accessing of said web site; incrementing a hit counter by one in response to identifying the distinct user; and adding to said database a new record comprising said first Internet address and said first time value in response to identifying the distinct user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A system for identifying a distinct computer user accessing a web site, the system comprising:
a web site server implemented on one or more hardware computer systems and configured to; receive a first Internet address and a first time value from a first computer accessing the web site, wherein the first time value corresponds to an event associated with the first computer; determine whether said first Internet address and said first time value matches a second Internet address and a second time value of any individual record of a plurality of records that exist in a database; identify a distinct user corresponding to said first computer in response to determining that said first Internet address and said first time value does not match said second Internet address and said second time value of any individual record of the plurality of records that exist in said database, wherein to improve accuracy of web hit counting the user is identified as a distinct user even when said first Internet address matches a particular Internet address of one or more of the records in said database that indicate accessing of said web site; incrementing a hit counter by one in response to identifying the distinct user; and adding to said database a new record comprising said first Internet address and said first time value in response to identifying the distinct user. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium, comprising program instructions that when executed by a hardware computer system to cause said hardware computer system to:
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determine whether a user of a first computer accessing a website is a distinct user, wherein to determine whether the user of the first computer accessing the website is the distinct user, the program instructions, when executed, cause the hardware computer system to; compare a first identifier, comprising a first Internet address and a first time value that corresponds to an event associated with said first computer, received from said first computer with one or more identifiers stored in a database; identify the user as the distinct user corresponding to said first computer in response to no match being found for said first identifier among said one or more identifiers stored in said database, wherein to improve accuracy of web hit counting the user is identified as a distinct user even when said first Internet address matches a particular Internet address of one or more of the records in said database that indicate accessing of said website; increment a hit counter by one in response to identifying the distinct user; and add to said database a new record comprising said first Internet address and said first time value in response to identifying the distinct user. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification