Method and apparatus for enabling an internet web server to keep an accurate count of page hits

• US 20030204561A1
• Filed: 04/30/2002
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hammer, Stephen Carl, Briscoe, Paul Roger
• Granted Patent: US 7,085,832 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for enabling a server to maintain an accurate count of web-page views. The server maintains a counter that records the number of times the page is accessed due to automatic browser refreshes, and a counter that records the number of times the page is accessed otherwise. A browser accesses the URL of the web page and records a timestamp. When the browser next accesses the page, it determines the present time, and subtracts the timestamp from the present time. The browser then compares the difference with bounds that reflect a window of tolerance about an expected content-update period of the web page. If the difference is within the bounds, the browser instructs the server to advance the automatic-refresh counter; otherwise, the server advances the page-hit counter.

Claims

1. A server for providing a web page, improved by including an automatic-refresh counter in association with the web page.

2. The server of claim 2, wherein the server advances the automatic-refresh counter responsive to receiving an instruction from a client.

3. A method for enabling a server that provides a web page to distinguish between a page hit by a client and an automatic refresh by the client, comprising the step of receiving an instruction from the client instructing the server to advance a page-hit counter.

4. A method for enabling a server that provides a web page to distinguish between a page hit by a client and an automatic refresh by the client, comprising the step of receiving an instruction from the client instructing the server to advance an automatic-refresh counter.

5. A method for enabling a server that provides a web page to distinguish between a page hit by a client and an automatic refresh by the client, comprising the steps of:

receiving an instruction from the client instructing the server to advance a page-hit counter; and

receiving an instruction from the client instructing the server to advance an automatic-refresh counter.

6. A method for improving the accuracy with which a count of web page hits is kept by a web page server, comprising the steps of:

determining whether a web page access is an automatic refresh; and

when the web page access is determined to be an automatic refresh, instructing the server to advance an automatic-refresh counter;

wherein the steps of determining and instructing are performed by a client of the server.

7. A method for providing information that enables a server to improve the accuracy of a count of the number of times a web page is viewed, comprising:

accessing a web page by a client, using a web browser;

recording a timestamp indicating an approximate time of accessing the web page by the client;

determining a content-update period for the web page;

configuring the browser to refresh automatically according to the content-update period;

re-accessing the web page;

determining an approximate time of re-accessing the web page;

analyzing the timestamp, the approximate time of re-accessing the web page, and the content-update period; and

determining, responsive to an outcome of the step of analyzing, whether the step of re-accessing the web page is indicative of an automatic refresh by the web browser.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising a step of instructing the server to advance an automatic-refresh counter, responsive to an outcome of the step of determining whether the step of re-accessing the web page is indicative of an automatic refresh by the web browser.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising a step of instructing the server to advance a page-hit counter, responsive to an outcome of the step of determining whether the step of re-accessing the web page is indicative of an automatic refresh by the web browser.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of analyzing includes the steps of computing a difference by subtracting the timestamp from the approximate time of re-accessing the web page, and comparing the difference to a bound.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the bound is an endpoint of a tolerance interval that includes the content-update period.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of re-accessing the web page is responsive to an automatic refresh by the web browser.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of re-accessing the web page is responsive to selection of a bookmark of the browser.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of re-accessing the web page is responsive to selection of a history entry of the browser that refers to the web page.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of re-accessing the web page is responsive to selection of a link to the web page.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of re-accessing the web page is responsive to selection of a reload button of the browser.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of re-accessing the web page is responsive to manual entry of a URL into a navigation field of the browser.