SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING AND REPORTING COOKIE VALUES AT A CLIENT NODE

• US 20090293001A1
• Filed: 08/03/2009
• Published: 11/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WebTrends Incorporated (WebTrends Holding, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hericy, Xavier Le, Lu, Victor, Shapira, Elijahu
• Granted Patent: US 8,234,362 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1027 Persistence of sessions during load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and apparatus for tracking and reporting traffic activity on a web site whereby cookie data is compiled at the visitor computer using cookie processing script embedded within the web page downloaded over the Internet and operable on the visitor computer. Data mining code within the downloaded web page is operable on the visitor computer to obtain web browsing data. The cookie processing script operates in consideration of this web browsing data and an old cookie previously stored on the visitor computer and associated with the visited web page to obtain new cookie values. These new cookie values are then stored on the visitor computer and also attached to an image request sent to a data collection server where they are processed and posted for viewing by the web page owner. As cookie processing and writing occurs completely within the visitor computer, cookie-blocking technologies are circumvented.

Claims

1. A method for tracking and reporting traffic activity on a web site comprising the steps of:

storing a web page on a first server coupled to a wide area network, said web page having web page code and data mining code including a cookie processing script;

uploading the web page to a visitor computer responsive to a request over the wide area network from the visitor computer;

operating the data mining code on the visitor computer to obtain web browsing data; and

operating the cookie processing script at the visitor computer on the web browsing data to obtain new cookie values; and

storing a new cookie on the visitor computer including the new cookie values.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving the new cookie values at a second server.

3. The method of claim 2, further including the steps of:

attaching the new cookie values to an image request associated with a designated URL source associated with the second server; and

sending the image request to the URL source.

4. The method of claim 3, further including the step of decoding the new cookie values to obtain the web browsing data.

5. The method of claim 3, further including the steps of:

compiling the web browsing data into a web page traffic report; and

posting the report for viewing over the wide area network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating a new cookie includes the step of operating the cookie processing script on an old cookie associated with the web page and previously stored on the visitor computer.

7. The method of claim 6, further including the step of overwriting the old cookie with the new cookie.

8. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

detecting that an old cookie exists on the visitor computer associated with the web site;

tracking events on the visitor computer;

processing the old cookie using cookie processing code in view of the tracked events to obtain new cookie values; and

replacing the old cookie values with the new cookie values.

9. A method for analyzing activity on a web page of a web site comprising the steps of:

embedding data mining script within the web page;

embedding cookie processing script, associated with a different domain than a domain of the web page, within the web page;

sending the web page to a client node;

operating the data mining script on the client node;

operating the cookie processing script on the client node; and

returning data to the different domain resulting from the operation steps.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of operating the cookie processing script on the client node includes:

reading a cookie value from the client node;

tracking events on the client node;

processing cookie value based on the tracked events to obtain a new cookie value; and

writing a new cookie value to the client node.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of returning data includes the steps of:

embedding data within an image request associated with a designated URL source; and

sending the image request to the URL source.

12. The method of claim 11, further including the steps of:

compiling the data into a web page traffic report; and

posting the report for viewing over the wide area network.