SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING NETWORK TRAFFIC

• US 20080235368A1
• Filed: 03/23/2007
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo AD Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Lim, Kian-Tat, Nagaraj, Sunil, Bae, Joonsuk, Goldenberg, George, Rosen, Adam, Kumar Jayakumar, Nanda
• Granted Patent: US 9,912,766 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Described herein are systems and methods for matching clicks of links on a webpage with page views by a user. The method may comprise identifying a link on a webpage requested by a client device, generating a link identifier for the link and attaching the link identifier to the link. Upon receiving a request for data associated with the link, the link identifier is stored in a log file.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying a link on a webpage requested by a client device;

generating a link identifier for the link;

attaching the link identifier to the link; and

upon receiving a request for data associated with the link, storing the link identifier in a log file.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identifying includes:

determining whether the link is a tracked link utilizing at least one predetermined criteria.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generating includes:

when a browser cookie is received from the client device, formatting the link identifier in a first format; and

when the browser cookie is not received from the client device, formatting the link identifier in a second format.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first format has a first size and the second format has a second size.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first size is between twenty-one and twenty-eight bytes.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the second size is between eighteen and twenty-four bytes.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first format includes at least one of (i) a type identifier indicative of the first format, (ii) a checksum and (iii) a space identifier indicative of at least a portion of the webpage.

8. The method according to claim 7, comprising:

generating the checksum as a hash of at least one of (i) at least one local group parameter, (ii) the browser cookie, (iii) a sub-cookie, (iv) a global parameter group name and (v) at least one link parameter.

9. The method according to claim 7, comprising:

storing at least one of the checksum and the space identifier in a storage file.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the storing includes:

identifying a component of the link identifier as a common component, the common component included in a plurality of stored link identifiers; and

storing the link identifier with the plurality of stored link identifiers.

11. The method according to claim 3, wherein the second format includes at least one of (i) a type identifier indicative of the second format, (ii) an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a web server, (iii) a timestamp, (iv) a process identifier indicative of a process executed by the web server, (v) a sequence number associated with the process and (vi) a space identifier indicative of at least a portion of the webpage.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving a log file including a plurality of click records, the click records indicative of links on webpages that have been clicked by one or more users;

detecting link identifiers in the click records; and

outputting at least one parameter associated with a given one of the link identifiers.

13. The method according to claim 12, comprising:

separating the click records into a plurality of groups based on one of (i) a browser cookie and (ii) a timestamp associated with each of the links

14. The method according to claim 13, comprising:

loading the link identifiers into a hash.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, when a given link identifier has a first format, the at least one parameter is at least one of a checksum and a space identifier.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein, when a given link identifier has a second format, the at least one parameter is at least one of (i) an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a web server, (ii) a timestamp, (iii) a process identifier indicative of a process executed by the web server, (iv) a sequence number associated with the process and (v) a space identifier indicative of at least a portion of the webpage therewith.

17. The method according to claim 14, comprising:

removing the link identifiers prior to the outputting.

18. The method according to claim 17, comprising:

ordering the link identifiers prior to the outputting based on at least one of (i) a browser cookie, (ii) a match time and (iii) a view time.

19. A system, comprising:

a plurality of web servers storing link identifiers for click records in local log files, a given click record including a given link identifier and at least one parameter indicative of a link and a webpage associated with the link identifier; and

a central server sorting the click records into groups based on at least one of a browser cookie and a timestamp associated with a give click record, the central server outputting the at least one parameter for the click records in a given group.

21. The system according to claim 19, wherein, when a given link identifier has a first format, the at least one parameter is at least one of a checksum and a space identifier.

20. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

25. A computer-readable storage medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions capable of being executed by a processor, the set of instructions performing the steps of:

detecting link identifiers in a plurality of click records, the click records indicative of links on webpages that have been clicked by one or more users; and

outputting at least one parameter associated with a given one of the link identifiers.

26. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the instructions further comprise the step of:

separating the click records into a plurality of groups based on one of (i) a browser cookie and (ii) a timestamp associated with each of the links

27. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the instructions further comprise the step of:

loading the link identifiers into a hash.

28. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein, when a given link identifier has a first format, the at least one parameter is at least one of a checksum and a space identifier.

30. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the instructions further comprise the step of:

removing the link identifiers prior to the outputting.

29. (canceled)

31. (canceled)