System and Method for Implementing Click-through for Browser Executed Software Including Ad Proxy and Proxy Cookie Caching

• US 20090172091A1
• Filed: 12/05/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rateze Remote Mgmt. L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Maquis Techtrix LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hamel, Lawrence Arthur
• Granted Patent: US 8,108,881 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0247 Calculate past, present or future revenues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

An improved proxy is disclosed for allowing click-through on an ad URL delivered on a web page within a Java® applet executing on a client machine. The proxy caches cookie information for the browser, to support java applications that do not allow for planting of cookies directly. When the user clicks on the ad URL, the proxy retrieves the relevant cookie and link information from a host side database, and uses the same to help the browser open the correct URL associated with the ad. The proxy acts to extend the reach and access of a conventional applet beyond the resources of a download host associated with such applet.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method comprising:

providing a Java based software applet from a host of a destination site to a client site for execution within a web browser operating at the client site to view the destination site, said Java based software applet configured to include an interactive tag associated with content located at a third party site, which content is not directly accessible to said Java based software applet;

caching cookie files associated with said content located at said third party site at the host using a proxy program, which cookie files support click-through operations through a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with said content;

monitoring with said proxy program a click-through operation on said interactive tag to access said content;

requesting said content from the third party site using said proxy program;

wherein said cookie files cached at the host allow said content to be downloaded to the web browser for display at the client site under control of said proxy program.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the Java based software applet is incorporated as part of a banner based on a web page associated with the destination site.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said content includes advertising material associated with the banner.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said proxy program is further configured to cache said content from the third party site such that a click-through can be satisfied by said destination site directly providing said content.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising maintaining a file of links and calls at the host to support said click-through activities.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing at the host IP address data associated with said click-through activities.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising sending an ID parameter based on said IP address data to said third party site.

9. A method comprising:

supplying a Java based software applet from a host of a destination site for execution within a web browser operating at a client site to view the destination site, said Java based software applet including an interactive tag associated with content located at a third party site;

monitoring with a proxy program executed at the host a click-through operation on said interactive tag to access said content;

requesting said content from the third party site using said proxy program executed at the host;

evaluating with said proxy program executed at the host content display parameters associated with said content to determine if such content display parameters are compatible with applet display parameters associated with said Java based software applet.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the Java based software applet is incorporated as part of a banner based on a web page associated with the destination site.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said content is advertising material associated with the banner.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said content display parameters include at least one of:

a type of content file to be displayed within the Java based software applet as part of said content;

a size of said content file; and

a refresh frequency to be used for said content file.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein when said content display parameters associated with the content to determine are not compatible with applet display parameters associated with the Java based software applet, executing at the host at least one of:

modifying said content by said proxy program to make the content compatible with said Java based software applet, and

retrieving additional content is retrieved from the third party site, and checking whether the additional content has content display parameters compatible with applet display parameters associated with the Java based software applet.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising requesting and receiving new ad content automatically as a result of at least one of a timer expiring and in response to receipt of a signal from the client site.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising refreshing selected portions of the content as displayed at selected times.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising caching said content from said third party site.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said content includes advertising material supplied by an ad server.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising soliciting and storing said content during a background task executed by said proxy program.

19. The method of claim 9, further comprising maintaining accounting and/or tracking information for use by the third party site to verify accesses to content that is cached.

20. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether said Java based software applet has been idle for a predetermined period; and

adjusting future content delivery to said Java based software applet based on said determination.

21. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

detecting when said third party site is unavailable; and

re-directing, based on said determination, the retrieval of content from another site.

22. A method comprising:

executing at a client site a Java based software applet originated from a destination site within a first frame of an Internet-capable browser presenting a destination site page;

displaying the tag associated with a URL for a third party site in said first frame as a first visible tag;

controlling a second frame within the browser, said second frame being separate from the first frame and having a second tag for the third party page;

using the second tag to obtain the URL and a second cookie file related to the first cookie file from at least one of the destination site and the third party site; and

in response to a click-through operation associated with the first visible tag, passing the URL and identification information in the second cookie file to the third party site permitting a click-through from within the Java applet to the third party site.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising interacting with a proxy program from the destination site to construct and control said second frame.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising using said second frame to plant a cookie file within said Internet-capable browser when said third party site indicates to said proxy program that a cookie file is needed to view an ad associated with said Java based software applet.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein said second cookie file includes information from said first cookie file and additional coded information associated with at least one of the destination site, the client site, and said Java based software applet.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising making said second frame selectively viewable under control of said Java based software applet.

27. A machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed by a machine cause the machine to execute a method comprising:

providing a Java based software applet from the machine to a client site for execution within a web browser operating at the client site to view a web page, said Java based software applet including an interactive tag associated with content located at a third party site and not directly accessible to said Java based software applet;

caching cookie files associated with said content located at said third party site, which cookie files support click-through operations through a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with said content;

monitoring with a proxy program a click-through operation on said interactive tag to access said content;

requesting said content from the third party site using said proxy program;

wherein said cookie files allow said content to be downloaded to the web browser for display at the client site under control of said proxy program.

28. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the Java based software applet is incorporated as part of a banner based on a web page associated with the destination site.

29. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein said content includes advertising material associated with the banner.

30. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions causing caching said content from the third party site such that a click-through can be satisfied by said destination site directly providing said content.

31. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions causing maintaining a file of links and calls to support said click-through activities.

32. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions causing storing IP address data associated with said click-through activities.

33. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 32, further comprising instructions causing sending an ID parameter based on said IP address data to said third party site.

34. A machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed by a machine cause the machine to execute a method comprising:

displaying a first visible tag in a first frame of a browser program running on a client system, the first visible tag associated with content at a second server separate from a first server, the content being accessible through use of identification information in a first cookie file;

wherein the first cookie file is not cached by the browser within the client system for accessing the content;

generating a second frame within the browser, the second frame being separate from the first frame, and having a second tag for said content;

using the second tag to obtain a uniform resource locator (URL) and a second cookie file related to the first cookie file; and

in response to a click-through operation associated with the first visible tag, using the URL and identification information in the second cookie file to access the content.

37. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 34, further comprising instructions that cause requesting and receiving new ad content automatically as a result of at least one of a timer expiring and in response to receipt of a signal from the client system.

38. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 34, further comprising refreshing selected portions of the content as displayed at selected times.

39. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 34, further comprising instructions that cause caching the content.

40. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 39, wherein the content includes advertising material supplied by an ad server.

41. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 39, further comprising instructions that cause maintaining at least one of accounting and tracking information for use by the second server to verify access to content that is cached.

42. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 34, further comprising instructions that cause:

determining whether the machine has been idle for a predetermined period; and

adjusting future content delivery based on the determination.

44. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 34, further comprising instructions that cause interacting with a proxy program running on the first server to construct and control the second frame.

45. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 44, further comprising instructions that cause using the second frame to plant a cookie file within the browser when the second server indicates to the proxy program that a cookie file is needed to view the content.

46. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the second cookie file includes information from the first cookie file and coded information associated with at least one of the first server and the client system.

47. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 34, further comprising instructions that cause making said second frame selectively viewable.

35. (canceled)

36. (canceled)

43. (canceled)

48. An apparatus comprising:

a host of a destination site configured to supply a Java based software applet to a client site for execution within a web browser operating at the client site to view the destination site, the Java based software applet configured to include an interactive tag associated with content located at a third party site, which content is not directly accessible to the Java based software applet;

a storage device at the host configured to cache cookie files associated with the content located at the third party site using a proxy program, which cookie files support click-through operations through a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the content;

a computing device at the host configured to monitor with the proxy program a click-through operation on the interactive tag to access the content;

the computing device configured to request the content from the third party site using the proxy program;

wherein the cookie files cached at the host allow the content to be downloaded to the web browser for display at the client site under control of the proxy program.

49. An apparatus comprising:

means for providing a Java based software applet from a host of a destination site to a client site for execution within a web browser operating at the client site to view the destination site, the Java based software applet configured to include an interactive tag associated with content located at a third party site, which content is not directly accessible to the Java based software applet;

means for caching cookie files associated with the content located at the third party site at the host using a proxy program, which cookie files support click-through operations through a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the content;

means for monitoring with the proxy program a click-through operation on the interactive tag to access the content;

means for requesting the content from the third party site using the proxy program;

wherein the cookie files cached at the host allow the content to be downloaded to the web browser for display at the client site under control of the proxy program.

50. An apparatus comprising:

a host of a destination site configured to supply a Java based software applet for execution within a web browser operating at a client site to view the destination site, the Java based software applet including an interactive tag associated with content located at a third party site;

a computing device at the host configured to monitor with a proxy program a click-through operation on said interactive tag to access said content;

the computing device configured to request the content from the third party site using the proxy program;

the computing device configured to evaluate with said proxy program content display parameters associated with the content to determine if such content display parameters are compatible with applet display parameters associated with the Java based software applet.

51. An apparatus comprising:

means for supplying a Java based software applet from a host of a destination site for execution within a web browser operating at a client site to view the destination site, the Java based software applet including an interactive tag associated with content located at a third party site;

means for monitoring with a proxy program executed at the host a click-through operation on the interactive tag to access the content;

means for requesting the content from the third party site using the proxy program executed at the host;

means for evaluating with the proxy program executed at the host content display parameters associated with the content to determine if such content display parameters are compatible with applet display parameters associated with the Java based software applet.