Method, system and program product for tracking web user sessions

• US 20040054784A1
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Streble, Mary Catherine, Howard, Troy Anthony, Nam, Tai Woo, Busch, Edward Vernon, Malacinski, Andrei Stephan
• Granted Patent: US 7,389,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers

Abstract

The present invention provides a solution for efficiently tracking web user sessions. Specifically, under the present invention, web user sessions are tracked on an analytics system based upon a unique identifier assigned to a requested web page and a session cookie that identifies a particular web user session. By tracking web user sessions in this manner, web page data transmitted during a particular web user session can be efficiently and accurately correlated for analysis.

Claims

1. A method for tracking web user sessions, comprising:

receiving a requested web page on a user system;

transmitting an initial communication from the user system to an analytics system, wherein the initial communication includes initial web page data and a unique identifier corresponding to the requested web page; and

returning a session cookie to the user system, wherein the session cookie identifies a current web user session.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an additional communication to the analytics system, wherein the additional communication includes additional web page data, the unique identifier and the session cookie; and

correlating the additional web page data with the initial web page data using the unique identifier and the session cookie.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial web page data identifies a referring source to the requested web page.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier comprises a time stamp and a unique value corresponding to the requested web page.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the current web user session exists, prior to returning the session cookie to the user system.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising retrieving the session cookie if the current web user session exists.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising creating the session cookie if the current web user session does not exist.

8. A method for tracking web user sessions, comprising:

requesting a web page on a user system;

receiving the web page on the user system from a web server;

transmitting an initial communication from the user system to an analytics system, wherein the initial communication includes initial web page data and a unique identifier corresponding to the web page, and wherein the initial web page data identifies a referring source to the web page;

returning a session cookie to the user system, wherein the session cookie identifies a current web user session;

transmitting an additional communication from the user system to the analytics system, wherein the additional communication includes additional web page data, the unique identifier and the session cookie; and

correlating the additional web page data with the initial web page data using the unique identifier and the session cookie.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the unique identifier comprises a time stamp and a unique value corresponding to the requested web page.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining whether the current web user session exists, prior to returning the session cookie to the user system.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising retrieving the session cookie if the current web user session exists.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising creating the session cookie if the current web user session does not exist.

13. A system for tracking web user sessions, comprising:

a reception system for receiving an initial communication from a user system, wherein the initial communication includes initial web page data and a unique identifier corresponding to a web page received on the user system;

a cookie system for providing a session cookie that identifies a current web user session; and

a data system for correlating additional web page data received from the user system with the initial web page data based on the session cookie and the unique identifier.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the initial web page data identifies a referring source to the web page.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the unique identifier comprises a time stamp and a unique value corresponding to the web page.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising a session system for determining whether the current web user session exists.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the cookie system retrieves an existing session cookie if the current web user session exists.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the cookie system creates a new session cookie if the current web user session does not exist.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the system comprises an analytics system that includes a storage system, and wherein the storage system includes a table that correlates web page data with session cookies and unique identifiers.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the web page is received on the user system from a web server, and wherein the web server and the analytics system are separate systems.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the unique identifier is created by program code within the web page.

22. A program product stored on a recordable medium for tracking web user sessions, which when executed, comprises:

program code for receiving an initial communication from a user system, wherein the initial communication includes initial web page data and a unique identifier corresponding to a web page received on the user system;

program code for providing a session cookie that identifies a current web user session; and

program code for correlating additional web page data received from the user system with the initial web page data based on the session cookie and the unique identifier.

23. The program product of claim 22, wherein the initial web page data identifies a referring source to the web page.

24. The program product of claim 22, wherein the unique identifier comprises a time stamp and a unique value corresponding to the web page.

25. The program product of claim 22, further comprising program code for determining whether the current web user session exists.

26. The program product of claim 25, wherein the program code for providing retrieves an existing session cookie if the current web user session exists.

27. The program product of claim 25, wherein the program code for providing creates a new session cookie if the current web user session does not exist.

28. The program product of claim 22, wherein the program product is loaded on an analytics system that includes a storage system, and wherein the storage system includes a table that correlates web page data with session cookies and unique identifiers.

29. The program product of claim 22, wherein the web page is received on the user system from a web server, and wherein the web server and the analytics system are separate systems.

30. The program product of claim 22, wherein the unique identifier is created by program code within the web page.