On-line web traffic sampling

• US 20030163563A1
• Filed: 02/27/2002
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WebTrends Incorporated (WebTrends Holding, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: NetIQ Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Bean, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,185,085 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/022 by sampling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/028 by filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A method for tracking and reporting traffic activity on a web site first comprises storing a web page on a first server coupled to a network. When the web page is requested from a visitor computer, the visitor computer is selected (or not selected) for inclusion within a sample group, where the sample group is only a subset of the total traffic to the web site. A selection indicator is stored on the visitor computer associated with this selection. Data mining code within the web site is operated or not operated depending upon the value of the selection indicator. The data mining code is operated, and the activity of the visitor computer on the web site consequently tracked only if the visitor computer is selected as a member within the sample group, otherwise the data mining code is not operated and no traffic activity is generated.

Claims

1. A method for tracking and reporting traffic activity on a web site, comprising:

storing a web page on a first server coupled to a network;

requesting the web page from a visitor computer;

selecting the visitor computer and/or visitor for inclusion or non-inclusion within a sample group, said sample group being a subset of total traffic to the web site;

storing on the visitor computer a selection indicator associating with the inclusion or non-inclusion; and

tracking traffic activity to the web site from the visitor computer and/or visitor only if the visitor computer and/or visitor is a member within the sample group, otherwise ignoring the traffic activity from the visitor computer and/or visitor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the web page includes web page code, data mining code, and cookie processing script, the method further including the step of operating the cookie processing script on the visitor computer to generate the selection indicator.

3. The method of claim 1, the method further including:

storing cookie processing script on a second server;

receiving a request from the visitor computer at the second server;

operating the cookie processing script responsive to the request to generate the selection indicator; and

returning the selection indicator to the visitor computer for storage.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first server includes cookie processing script, the method further including the steps of:

operating the cookie processing script responsive to the requesting step to generate the selection indicator; and

returning the selection indicator to the visitor computer for storage.

5. The method of claim 4, further including the steps of:

embedding an image request within the web page;

causing the image request to be sent to a second server;

returning an image responsive to the image request; and

setting the selection indicator responsive to the image.

6. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

receiving an image at the visitor computer responsive to the web page request; and

setting the selection indicator to “

true”

at the visitor computer responsive to a first type of received image, otherwise setting the selection indicator to “

false”

responsive to a second type of image, wherein the image type is one selected from the group consisting of size or color.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the selection indicator is set to “

true”

at the visitor computer responsive to the received image being 1×

1 pixel in size, and wherein the selection indicator is set to “

false”

responsive to the received image being 1×

2 pixels in size.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the selection indicator is set to “

true”

responsive to the received image having a first color, and wherein the selection indicator is set to “

false”

responsive to received image having a second color.

9. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

setting a normalization multiplier in accordance with a ratio between the sample group and the total traffic on the web site;

normalizing the traffic activity by a normalization multiplier; and

posting the report including the normalized traffic activity for viewing over the network.

10. A method for tracking and reporting traffic activity on a web site comprising the steps of:

storing a web page on a first server coupled to a wide area network, said web page having web page code and data mining code including a cookie processing script;

uploading the web page to a visitor computer responsive to a request over the wide area network from the visitor computer;

operating the cookie processing script on the web browsing data to obtain at least one new cookie value, said new cookie value including a visitor selection value; and

storing the new cookie on the visitor computer including the new cookie value.

11. The method of claim 10, further including the step of operating the data mining code on the visitor computer to obtain web browsing data responsive to the visitor selection value.

12. The method of claim 10, further including the step of operating the data mining code on the visitor computer to obtain web browsing data if the visitor selection value is set to “

true”

, otherwise not operating the data mining code on the visitor computer.

13. The method of claim 10, further including the steps of:

attaching the new cookie value to an image request associated with a designated URL source; and

sending the image request to the URL source.

14. The method of claim 10, further including the steps of:

operating the data mining code on the visitor computer to obtain web browsing data;

compiling the web browsing data into a web page traffic report; and

posting the report for viewing over the wide area network.

15. A method for tracking and reporting traffic activity on a web site stored on a web site server, comprising:

receiving a request at the web site server for a web page from a visitor computer;

determining whether the request is classified within a sample group; and

returning the web page and associated data mining code for operating on the visitor computer if the request is within the sample group, otherwise returning just the web page.

16. The method of claim 15, further including:

receiving with the request a cookie including a selection indicator; and

determining whether the request is classified within the sample group responsive to a value of the selection indicator.

17. The method of claim 15, further including:

generating a selection indicator responsive to the request; and

returning the selection indicator to the visitor computer together with the web page.

18. The method of claim 17, further including storing the selection indicator as a cookie within the visitor computer.