Tracking of user interactions

• US 10,230,806 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2017
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Engel, Dror, Tran, Tea The Vinh, Sriramulu, Shyamala, Liu, Zhiyi Jason, Basavaiah, Chandrashekar
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Liang Che A
• Application Number:
  US15/414,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20170214758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 709217, 709219, 709223, 709224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

System and methods for tracking of user interactions are disclosed. A server system receives a first user interaction record from a first client device. The server system receives a second user interaction record from a second client device, wherein the first user interaction record and the second user interaction record are both formatted using a multi-platform user interaction data record format. The server system stores the first user interaction record and the second user interaction record at a database at the server system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a server system, a first user interaction record from a first client device;

receiving, at the server system, a second user interaction record from a second client device, wherein the first user interaction record and the second user interaction record are both formatted using a multi-platform user interaction data record format;

storing the first user interaction record and the second user interaction record at a database at the server system;

analyzing the first user interaction record to determine a first user associated with the first user interaction record;

accessing a user profile associated with the determined first user;

altering the first user interaction record to remove personally identifiable information from the user profile associated with the determined first user, and

updating the user profile for the first user based on the first user interaction record stored in the database at the server system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first client device is a different device type than the second client device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first client device uses a different software platform than the second client device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to storing the first user interaction record, identifying a device type associated with the first client device; and

retrieving device specific metadata for the identified device type associated with the first client device, wherein the metadata identifies at least one required data field.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

using the device specific metadata to evaluate the first user interaction record to determine whether the at least one required data field is present in the first user interaction record.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

altering the first user interaction record to include information retrieved from the user profile associated with the determined first user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing user profile information for a plurality of users in a user profile database.

8. A server system comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

one or more computer-readable mediums that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the server system to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first user interaction record from a first client device;

receiving a second user interaction record from a second client device, wherein the first user interaction record and the second user interaction record are both formatted using a multi-platform user interaction data record format;

storing the first user interaction record and the second user interaction record in a database of the server system;

analyzing the first user interaction record to determine a first user associated with the first user interaction record;

accessing a user profile associated with the determined first user;

altering the first user interaction record to remove personally identifiable information from the user profile associated with the determined first user, and

updating the user profile for the first user based on the first user interaction record stored in the database of the server system.

9. The server system of claim 8, wherein the first client device is a different device type than the second client device.

10. The server system of claim 8, wherein the first client device uses a different software platform than the second client device.

11. The server system of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

prior to storing the first user interaction record, identifying a device type associated with the first client device; and

retrieving device specific metadata for the identified device type associated with the first client device, wherein the metadata identifies at least one required data field.

12. The server system of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

using the device specific metadata to evaluate the first user interaction record to determine whether the at least one required data field is present in the first user interaction record.

13. The server system of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

altering the first user interaction record to include information retrieved from the user profile associated with the determined first user.

14. The server system of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

storing user profile information for a plurality of users in a user profile database.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed the one or more computer processors of a server system, cause the server system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first user interaction record from a first client device;

receiving a second user interaction record from a second client device, wherein the first user interaction record and the second user interaction record are both formatted using a multi-platform user interaction data record format;

storing the first user interaction record and the second user interaction record in a database of the server system;

analyzing the first user interaction record to determine a first user associated with the first user interaction record;

accessing a user profile associated with the determined first user;

altering the first user interaction record to remove personally identifiable information from the user profile associated with the determined first user, and

updating the user profile for the first user based on the first user interaction record stored in the database of the server system.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first client device is a different device type than the second client device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first client device uses a different software platform than the second client device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

prior to storing the first user interaction record, identifying a device type associated with the first client device; and

retrieving device specific metadata for the identified device type associated with the first client device, wherein the metadata identifies at least one required data field.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

using the device specific metadata to evaluate the first user interaction record to determine whether the at least one required data field is present in the first user interaction record.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

altering the first user interaction record to include information retrieved from the user profile associated with the determined first user.