Systems for and methods of user demographic reporting usable for indentifying users and collecting usage data

• US 20040019518A1
• Filed: 02/05/2003
• Published: 01/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: comScore, Inc.
• Original Assignee: comScore Networks, Inc. (comScore, Inc.)
• Inventors: Disch, Jason, Larrison, James, Abraham, Magid, Carnes, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,930,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level

Abstract

Several ways of identifying users and collecting demographic information and market information are disclosed, including branding a browser with a unique identification in each user request, identifying a user by his key strokes or mouse clicks, gathering demographic information using multiple data sets and by monitoring network traffic. Additionally, user requested content is distinguished from other, non-user content, and the performance of a server can be monitor and analyzed from a client a client perspective. Further, an Internet user'"'"'s Internet data is routed to a known domain on the Internet, from which it is routed on to the intended recipient. The domain includes proxy servers which proxy the user'"'"'s data requests to the domain, and database servers, which filter and build a database of the user'"'"'s Internet usage. Particular data concerning certain behaviors of interest, such as purchasing data, is filtered into the database, and can form the basis for numerous market measures.

Claims

1. A method of collecting data relating to a user'"'"'s usage over a network, the user utilizing a computing device to send and receive data sets over the network, the computing device having an address on the network, the data representative of the address of the computing device on the network, comprising:

establishing a connection between a computing device and the network;

matching each user session to a specific demographic break, said matching step including;

identifying demographic characteristics of the user using the computing device, said demographic identifying step further including;

utilizing a plurality of primary sources of data that maintain some or all of several user demographic indicators;

processing data from said plurality of data sources using logic that matches each indicator to a specific user within a predefined group of users; and

identifying a user among other users in a predefined group of users; and

maintaining a demographic information about the identified user related to data on network activity behavior of the identified user;

readdressing data sets sent from the computing device to indicate that the data sets originated in the known domain;

recording at least part of the data sets in association with said demographic information; and

sending the readdressed data onto the network.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising configuring software running on the computing device to address all data sets to a known proxy server in the known domain.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of recording at least part of the data sets comprises building a database including at least part of the data sets, wherein the step of building a database includes building a database having at least one field selected from the group consisting of user age, user income level, user education level, household size, time of transmission of the data set, location of computing device, date of transmission of the data set, currency paid, type of product purchased, type of service purchased, network address of the intended recipient of a data set, click-through address, banner advertisement impression, and permission e-mail received, and combinations thereof.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

negotiating a first encryption key with the computing device; and

negotiating a second encryption key with an intended recipient of a data set sent by the computing device.

5. The method in accordance with claim 5, further comprising:

decoding an encrypted data set from the computing device with the first encryption key;

encrypting the decoded data set with the second encryption key; and

transmitting the data set encrypted with the second encryption key to the intended recipient via the network.

6. A method of reporting user demographics, comprising:

matching each user session to a specific demographic break, said matching step including;

identifying demographic characteristics of the user using the computing device, said demographic identifying step further including;

utilizing a plurality of primary sources of data that maintain some or all of several user demographic indicators;

processing data from said plurality of data sources using logic that matches each indicator to a specific user within a predefined group of users; and

identifying a user among other users in a predefined group of users; and

maintaining a demographic information about the identified user related to data on network activity behavior of the identified user.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the demographic indicators include:

first name, last name, email, login/screen name, gender, and birth year.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said processing step includes matching a first name of a user in the predefined user group to other demographic indicators.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein said plurality of primary data sources include:

a registration database which receives data during a user service registration process, transaction data which is detected during usage over the network and a personal information data source, which comes from monitoring sites for when a user enters personal information.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising building a master dictionary that contains any demographic information for each member within a user group based on said primary data sources.

11. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of supplementing data in said primary data sources with data from one or more secondary sources of data in look-up tables.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said secondary source is a name-pseudonym and name-gender lookup table that may allow several pseudonyms to match one registered first name and to identify the gender of a user.

13. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of supplementing data in said primary data sources with data from one or more secondary sources of data scraped from user logon process steps.

14. A computer readable media on which is recorded a program capable of carrying out the method of claim 6 when loaded onto a computer system.

15. A method for identifying an online user, the method comprising:

monitoring actions of a user for at least one indicator during an online session;

extracting said at least one indicator identified while monitoring actions of the user;

accumulating user said indicators in an electric data store;

comparing the indicator against user data included in an electronic data store; and

identifying user specific information based on results of the comparison.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the indicator includes a first name.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the indicator includes a last name.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the indicator includes an email address.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the indicator includes a login name.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein the indicator includes a screen name.

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein the indicator includes gender.

22. The method according to claim 15, wherein the indicator includes birth year.

23. The method according to claim 15, further comprising populating the user data included in the electronic data store with data input during a registration process.

24. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

accessing registration data included in a registration electronic data store;

populating the user data included in the electronic data store with the registration data included in the registration electronic data store; and

adding non-registered user data to the user data included in the electronic data store without affecting the integrity of the registration data included in the registration electronic data store.

25. The method according to claim 15, further comprising populating the user data included in the electronic data store with data input during a transaction by the user during the online session.

26. The method according to claim 15, further comprising populating the user data included in the electronic data store with data input on a form by the user during the online session.

27. The method according to claim 15, further comprising updating the user data included in the electronic data store with updated user data obtained during monitoring the actions of the user.

28. The method according to claim 15, further comprising creating a new user entry in the electronic data store when the results of the comparison indicate that no match exists between the user data and the indicator obtained during monitoring the actions of the user.

29. The method according to claim 15, wherein monitoring the actions of the user for at least one indicator includes extracting at least one indicator from a transaction entered by the user during the online session.

30. The method according to claim 15, wherein monitoring the actions of the user for at least one indicator includes extracting at least one indicator from data entered on a form by the user during the online session.