System and Method for Monitoring a User's Online Activity

• US 20080052392A1
• Filed: 05/16/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: iCrossing, Inc. (The Hearst Corporation)
• Original Assignee: iCrossing, Inc. (The Hearst Corporation)
• Inventors: Webster, Jeff, Ramamrutham, Narayanan
• Application Number:
  US11/749,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20080052392A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring online activity by a user or other online agent, for example, in web browsing, viewing of video or music content, or other online activities. In one aspect, the method comprises receiving program code (e.g., a script) on a client (e.g., running a web browser) from a first server (e.g., a web server) in a first domain. The program code is executed at the client to read a file (e.g., a cookie) to obtain activity information corresponding to online activity by the client (e.g., web browsing). The activity information is sent (e.g., using a phantom object request made by the program code) to a tracking server in a different domain.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring online activity comprising:

receiving program code or a location identifier for the program code on a client from a first server in a first domain;

executing the program code at the client to read a file to obtain activity information corresponding to online activity by the client; and

sending the activity information to a second server in a second domain not the same as the first domain.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the location identifier is a uniform resource locator.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the location identifier references a device in the second domain.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the device is the second server.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising receiving the program code at the client from the device in the second domain.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the program code is a script, the first server is a web server, the client is a web browser, the file is a cookie, and the online activity is prior or current activity by the web browser.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the script is embedded in the program code.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the file is accessible by the client from a memory storage device on the client or on a local area network.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising processing the activity information at the second server to track online activity by a user on the client.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending a request from the client for a resource object specified by the script as being located on the second server; and

passing at least a portion of the activity information to the second server as part of the request.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the request is an HTTP request and the resource object is an image object.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the resource object is a background image object.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising tracking visitors to a web site hosted by the first server.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the program code is a first script, and further comprising receiving a second script on the client that is used to track content delivery requested by the client or to track visitor viewing habits by a user on the client.

7. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

18. A system comprising at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions for:

receiving program code or a location identifier for the program code on a client from a first server in a first domain;

executing the program code at the client to read a file to obtain activity information corresponding to online activity by the client; and

sending the activity information to a second server in a second domain not the same as the first domain.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the at least one memory comprises a first memory on the client and a second memory on the second server.

20. (canceled)

21. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for:

receiving program code or a location identifier for the program code on a client from a first server in a first domain;

executing the program code at the client to read a file to obtain activity information corresponding to online activity by the client; and

sending the activity information to a second server in a second domain not the same as the first domain.

22. A method for tracking web usage by a user comprising:

receiving a script at a web browser, executing on a client, from a web server in a first domain;

executing the script at the client to read a cookie, stored on or accessible by the client, to obtain activity information corresponding to browsing activity using the web browser; and

sending the activity information to a tracking server in a second domain not the same as the first domain.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein receiving the script comprises receiving the script as embedded in a web page requested by the web browser from the web server.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising setting the cookie by the first server or another device in the first domain.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the script is a background script.

26. A method for tracking web usage by a user comprising:

requesting a web page using a web browser, executing on a client, from a web server;

receiving a script at the client provided in or identified by the web page;

executing the script at the client to read a cookie, stored on or accessible by the client, to obtain information corresponding to browsing activity; and

sending the information to a tracking server in a second domain not the same as the first domain.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the script comprises code for a phantom object that identifies the phantom object location to be in the second domain.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the phantom object is discarded upon the complete loading of the web page by the web browser.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the information sent to the tracking server is part of a request made by the script to the tracking server to create the phantom object.