Method of customizing a user's browsing experience on a World-Wide-Web site

• US 20040088355A1
• Filed: 10/22/2003
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Levy, Thomas Hagan
• Original Assignee: David Levy, Thomas Hagan
• Inventors: Levy, David, Hagan, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,428,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a method of customizing the browsing experience of a user of a Web site comprised of a plurality of Web pages is provided. Each Web page is indexed using at least one coding system. A user record for each user is maintained on the Web site, which contains personal information of the user coded in accordance with said coding system. The user'"'"'s browsing experience on the site may thus be readily customized using the user'"'"'s personal information via code comparison. In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a method of ensuring the privacy of the user'"'"'s personal information is provided through use of a unique Universal Anonymous Identifier (UAI) assigned to each user by a third party registration authority.

Claims

1. A method of customizing the browsing experience of a user of a World-Wide-Web (WWW) site comprised of a plurality of Web pages, said method comprising the steps:

providing an index of said WWW site in which each Web page is indexed using at least one coding system;

providing personal information of said user coded in accordance with said at least one coding system;

comparing said coded personal information to said index; and

suggesting Web pages having codes which match said coded personal information to said user for browsing.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said WWW site is indexed using a plurality of coding systems and wherein said personal information is coded in accordance with each of said coding systems.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said WWW site is a healthcare-related WWW site.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein said at least one coding system is the ICD-9-CM coding system.

5. The method according to claim 3 wherein said at least one coding system is the CPT-4 coding system.

6. The method according to claim 3 wherein said at least one coding system is the NDC coding system.

7. The method according to claim 3 wherein said at least one coding system is the HCPCS J-code coding system.

8. A system for customizing the browsing experience of a user of a World-Wide-Web (WWW) site comprised of a plurality of Web pages, said system comprising:

a Web server, said web server including;

an index of said WWW site in which each Web page is indexed using at least one coding system;

a database containing personal information of said user coded in accordance with said at least one coding system;

means for comparing said coded personal information to said index; and

means for suggesting Web pages having codes which match said coded personal information to said user for browsing.

9. The system according to claim 8 wherein said WWW site is indexed using a plurality of coding systems and wherein said personal information is coded in accordance with each of said coding systems.

10. The system according to claim 8 wherein said WWW site is a healthcare-related WWW site.

11. The system according to claim 10 wherein said at least one coding system is the ICD-9-CM coding system.

12. The system according to claim 10 wherein said at least one coding system is the CPT-4 coding system.

13. The system according to claim 10 wherein said at least one coding system is the NDC coding system.

14. The system according to claim 10 wherein said at least one coding system is the HCPCS J-code coding system.

15. A method of customizing the browsing experience of a user of a World-Wide-Web (WWW) site comprised of a plurality of Web pages, said method comprising the steps:

providing an index of said WWW site in which each Web page is indexed using at least one coding system;

providing a tracking database containing said user'"'"'s browsing history on said WWW site, said tracking database being coded in accordance with said at least one coding system;

comparing the coded browsing history of said user to said index; and

suggesting Web pages having codes which match said coded browsing history to said user for browsing.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein said WWW site is indexed using a plurality of coding systems and wherein said tracking database is coded in accordance with each of said coding systems.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein said WWW site is a healthcare-related WWW site.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein said at least one coding system is the ICD-9-CM coding system.

19. The method according to claim 17 wherein said at least one coding system is the CPT-4 coding system.

20. The method according to claim 17 wherein said at least one coding system is the NDC coding system.

21. The method according to claim 17 wherein said at least one coding system is the HCPCS J-code coding system.

22. A system for customizing the browsing experience of a user of a World-Wide-Web (WWW) site comprised of a plurality of Web pages, said system comprising:

a Web server, said Web server including;

an index of said WWW site in which each Web page is indexed using at least one coding system;

a tracking database containing the browsing history of said user coded in accordance with said at least one coding system;

means for comparing said coded browsing history to said index; and

means for suggesting Web pages having codes which match said coded navigation history to said user for browsing.

23. The system according to claim 22 wherein said WWW site is indexed using a plurality of coding systems and wherein said tracking database is coded in accordance with each of said coding systems.

24. The system according to claim 22 wherein said WWW site is a healthcare-related WWW site.

25. The system according to claim 24 wherein said at least one coding system is the ICD-9-CM coding system.

26. The system according to claim 24 wherein said at least one coding system is the CPT-4 coding system.

27. The system according to claim 24 wherein said at least one coding system is the NDC coding system.

28. The system according to claim 24 wherein said at least one coding system is the HCPCS J-code coding system.

29. A method of customizing the browsing experience of a user of a World-Wide-Web (WWW) site comprised of a plurality of Web pages, said method comprising the steps:

providing an index of said WWW site in which each Web page is indexed using at least one coding system;

providing a user database containing the personal information of each user of said Web site coded in accordance with said at least one coding system;

providing a tracking database containing the browsing history of each user of said Web site;

for a browsing user, determining from said user database other users having coded personal information similar to said browsing user;

determining from said tracking database the Web pages visited by said other users; and

suggesting said Web pages to said browsing user for browsing.

30. The method according to claim 29 wherein said WWW site is indexed using a plurality of coding systems and wherein said personal information is coded in accordance with each of said coding systems.

31. The method according to claim 29 wherein said WWW site is a healthcare-related WWW site.

32. The method according to claim 31 wherein said at least one coding system is the ICD-9-CM coding system.

33. The method according to claim 31 wherein said at least one coding system is the CPT-4 coding system.

34. The method according to claim 31 wherein said at least one coding system is the NDC coding system.

35. The method according to claim 31 wherein said at least one coding system is the HCPCS J-code coding system.

36. A method of searching a World-Wide-Web (WWW) site comprised of a plurality of Web pages, said WWW site including an index in which said Web pages are indexed in accordance with at least one coding system and a table of keywords indexed in accordance with said at least one coding system, said method comprising the steps:

receiving a search query comprised of at least one keyword;

determining codes relating to said at least one keyword by comparing said keywords to said table of keywords;

expanding said search by modifying said query to include said related codes;

searching said site using said modified query; and

providing said user with search results.

37. The method according to claim 36 wherein said WWW site further includes a table of related codes, said method including the additional step of further expanding said search by further modifying said query to include additional codes obtained from said table of related codes which relate to the codes obtained from the table of keywords.

38. The method according to claim 36 wherein said WWW site further includes a user database containing personal information of the users of the WWW site indexed in accordance with said at least one coding system, said method including the additional step of further expanding said search by modifying said query to include codes obtained from said user database for the user conducting the search.

39. The method according to claim 38 wherein said WWW site further includes a tracking database containing the navigation history of the users of the WWW site indexed in accordance with said at least one coding system, said method including the additional step of further expanding said search by modifying said query to include codes obtained from tracking database for users having similar coded personal information to said searching user as determined from said user database.

40. A method of customizing the browsing experience of users of a World-Wide-Web (WWW) site comprised of a plurality of Web pages, said method comprising the steps:

providing an index of said WWW site in which each Web page is indexed using at least one coding system;

providing a user database containing personal information of said users coded in accordance with said at least one coding system;

grouping said users into groups having similar coded personal information;

providing a tracking database containing the browsing history of each user of said WWW site coded in accordance with said at least one coding system; and

suggesting to said user Web pages browsed by other members of the user'"'"'s group determined from said tracking database.

41. A method of transferring personal information of a plurality of users from a first computer in which said personal information is identifiable with particular users to a second computer in which said personal information is de-identified, said method comprising the steps:

transferring de-identified personal information of said users from said first computer to said second computer;

transferring identifiable personal information from said first computer to a third computer;

generating on said third computer an anonymous ID for each user;

transferring said anonymous IDs from said third computer to said second computer; and

indexing on said second computer said de-identified personal information of said users by anonymous ID.

42. The method according to claim 41 including the additional step of uploading said indexed de-identified personal information from said third computer to a data warehouse.

43. The method according to claim 42 including the additional step of uploading said indexed de-identified personal information from said data warehouse to a World-Wide-Web (WWW) site.

44. The method according to claim 41 wherein said first computer belongs to a health plan and wherein said users are members of said health plan.

45. The method according to claim 41 wherein said second computer belongs to an operator of a WWW site.

46. The method according to claim 41 wherein said third computer belongs to a registration authority.

47. The method according to claim 41 wherein said de-identified personal information is medical claims data and wherein said identifiable personal information is eligibility data.

48. A method of transferring personal information of a plurality of users from a first computer in which said personal information is identifiable with particular users to a second computer in which said personal information is de-identified, said method comprising the steps:

uploading to said second computer de-identified personal information of said users from said first computer;

uploading to said second computer from a third computer anonymous IDs for each of said users; and

indexing on said second computer said de-identified personal information of said users by anonymous ID.

49. A method of authenticating an anonymous user of a World-Wide-Web (WWW) site residing on a web server, said user requiring a web ID and a password to log on to said WWW site, said method comprising the steps:

verifying the true identity of said anonymous user on a registration authority server;

creating said web ID on said web server; and

creating said password on a certificate authority server;

whereby the only party which knows the true identity, web ID and password of the user is the user.

50. The method according to claim 49 wherein on subsequent log ins to the WWW site by said user said password is authenticated by said certificate authority server and said Web ID in authenticated by said Web server.