Associating website clicks with links on a web page

• US 20040254942A1
• Filed: 03/03/2004
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Omniture Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Zinn, Richard, Error, Christopher Reid, Error, Brett M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,441,195 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

Objects on a web page are associated with stored records indicating historical object usage. Associations between objects and records take into account discrepancies in object identifiers resulting from authorial edits and/or differences in browser assignment of object identifiers. An object having an object identifier that differs from that of a stored record by not more than a predetermined tolerance value, and that has other indicia that match the stored record, is considered to match the stored record. Reports are generated quantifying web page object usage, for example by superimposing color shadings or other visual indicia on a representation of a web page.

Claims

1. A method of identifying an object on a web page, comprising:

receiving a communication indicating user activation of an object, the communication comprising an object identifier and additional identifying indicia for the object;

comparing the object identifier and the additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object with records comprising object identifiers and additional identifying indicia; and

responsive to the object identifier of the user-activated object being within a predetermined tolerance factor with respect to an object identifier of a stored record, and the identifier of the stored record having additional identifying indicia matching the additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object;

indicating a match between the user-activated object and the stored record.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object matching the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of a stored record;

indicating a match between the user-activated object and the stored record.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional identifying indicia comprises at least one of an action and a type.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional identifying indicia comprises an action and a type.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a report including statistics for user-activated objects.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a report including a representation of the web page, and for superimposing visual indicators quantifying user activations for objects on the web page.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the visual indicators are color-coded.

8. A method of identifying an object, the object having an object identifier and additional identifying indicia, comprising:

comparing the object identifier and the additional identifying indicia of the object with records comprising object identifiers and additional identifying indicia;

responsive to the object identifier of the object being within a predetermined tolerance factor with respect to an object identifier of a stored record, and the identifier of the stored record having additional identifying indicia matching the additional identifying indicia of the object;

indicating a match between the object and the stored record.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

responsive to the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the object matching the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of a stored record;

indicating a match between the object and the stored record.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the additional identifying indicia comprises at least one of an action and a type.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the additional identifying indicia comprises an action and a type.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the object is a component of a web page, the method further comprising generating a report including a representation of the web page, and for superimposing visual indicators thereon quantifying user activations for objects on the web page.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the visual indicators are color-coded.

14. A report displaying web page object usage, comprising:

a representation of a web page including objects; and

superimposed on the representation of the web page, visual indicators quantifying user activations of the objects.

15. The report of claim 14, wherein the visual indicators are color-coded.

16. A method for displaying a report depicting web page object usage, comprising:

generating a representation of a web page including objects; and

superimposing on the representation of the web page, visual indicators quantifying user activations of the objects.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the visual indicators are color-coded.

18. A computer program product for identifying an object on a web page, comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, for;

receiving a communication indicating user activation of an object, the communication comprising an object identifier and additional identifying indicia for the object;

comparing the object identifier and the additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object with records comprising object identifiers and additional identifying indicia; and

responsive to the object identifier of the user-activated object being within a predetermined tolerance factor with respect to an object identifier of a stored record, and the identifier of the stored record having additional identifying indicia matching the additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object;

indicating a match between the user-activated object and the stored record.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for:

responsive to the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object matching the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of a stored record;

indicating a match between the user-activated object and the stored record.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the additional identifying indicia comprises at least one of an action and a type.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the additional identifying indicia comprises an action and a type.

22. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for generating a report including statistics for user-activated objects.

23. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for generating a report including a representation of the web page, and for superimposing visual indicators quantifying user activations for objects on the web page.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the visual indicators are color-coded.

25. A computer program product of identifying an object, the object having an object identifier and additional identifying indicia, comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, for;

comparing the object identifier and the additional identifying indicia of the object with records comprising object identifiers and additional identifying indicia;

responsive to the object identifier of the object being within a predetermined tolerance factor with respect to an object identifier of a stored record, and the identifier of the stored record having additional identifying indicia matching the additional identifying indicia of the object;

indicating a match between the object and the stored record.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for:

responsive to the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the object matching the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of a stored record;

indicating a match between the object and the stored record.

27. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the additional identifying indicia comprises at least one of an action and a type.

28. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the additional identifying indicia comprises an action and a type.

29. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the object is a component of a web page, the computer program product further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for generating a report including a representation of the web page, and for superimposing visual indicators thereon quantifying user activations for objects on the web page.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the visual indicators are color-coded.

31. A computer program product for displaying a report depicting web page object usage, comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, for;

generating a representation of a web page including objects; and

superimposing on the representation of the web page, visual indicators quantifying user activations of the objects.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the visual indicators are color-coded.

33. A system for identifying an object on a web page, comprising:

a communication device, for receiving a communication indicating user activation of an object, the communication comprising an object identifier and additional identifying indicia for the object;

an object comparator, coupled to the communication device, for comparing the object identifier and the additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object with records comprising object identifiers and additional identifying indicia; and

a match indicator, coupled to the object comparator, for, responsive to the object identifier of the user-activated object being within a predetermined tolerance factor with respect to an object identifier of a stored record, and the identifier of the stored record having additional identifying indicia matching the additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object;

indicating a match between the user-activated object and the stored record.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein:

responsive to the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object matching the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of a stored record, the match indicator indicates a match between the user-activated object and the stored record.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the additional identifying indicia comprises at least one of an action and a type.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the additional identifying indicia comprises an action and a type.

37. The system of claim 33, further comprising a report generator, for generating a report including statistics for user-activated objects.

38. The system of claim 33, further comprising a report generator, for generating a report including a representation of the web page, and for superimposing visual indicators quantifying user activations for objects on the web page.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the visual indicators are color-coded.

40. A system for identifying an object, the object having an object identifier and additional identifying indicia, comprising:

an object comparator, for comparing the object identifier and the additional identifying indicia of the object with records comprising object identifiers and additional identifying indicia;

a match indicator, coupled to the object comparator, for, responsive to the object identifier of the object being within a predetermined tolerance factor with respect to an object identifier of a stored record, and the identifier of the stored record having additional identifying indicia matching the additional identifying indicia of the object;

indicating a match between the object and the stored record.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein:

responsive to the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the object matching the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of a stored record, the match indicator indicates a match between the object and the stored record.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the additional identifying indicia comprises at least one of an action and a type.

43. The system of claim 40, wherein the additional identifying indicia comprises an action and a type.

44. The system of claim 40, wherein the object is a component of a web page, the system further comprising a report generator for generating a report including a representation of the web page, and for superimposing visual indicators thereon quantifying user activations for objects on the web page.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the visual indicators are color-coded.

46. A system for displaying a report depicting web page object usage, comprising:

a report generator, for generating a representation of a web page including objects; and

an object highlighter, for superimposing on the representation of the web page, visual indicators quantifying user activations of the objects.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the visual indicators are color-coded.