ENHANCED WEBSITE TRACKING SYSTEM AND MEHOD

• US 20110185016A1
• Filed: 09/29/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tracking.Net
• Original Assignee: Tracking.Net
• Inventors: Dionisio, Patrick Hernandez, Naeimi, Mitra, Fan, Robert, Kandasamy, David Rajendran
• Granted Patent: US 8,725,794 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

An enhanced tracking system comprises an enhanced tracking server for storing and remotely executing one or more third party tags that have been removed from a client website. As a result, a visitor browser only needs to process the webpage itself such that the time required for a browser to display at the client website is reduced. The remote processing of the third party tags is able to be initiated by an enhanced tag placed on the client website or through a redirect process.

Claims

1. An enhanced tracking system over a network comprising:

a. a browser coupled to the network for displaying websites to a user;

b. a client website coupled to the network having one or more tags for tracking information related to the browser;

c. one or more enhanced servers coupled to the network for receiving at least one of the one or more tags from the client website; and

d. one or more third party servers coupled to the network and associated with the one or more tags for receiving the information related to the browser;

wherein the enhanced servers execute the at least one of the one or more tags when the browser attempts to display the client website.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more tags comprise one or more of tracking tags and ad serving tags.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the enhanced servers execute the at least one of the one or more tags in parallel.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the enhanced servers automatically extract all of the one or more tags from the client website.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the enhanced servers selectively extract the at least one of the one or more tags from the client website based on selections by a client associated with the client website.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising a user interface that permits the client to select which of the one or more tags are executed on the enhanced servers and which of the one or more tags are executed on the browser.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the extracted tags are replaced on the client website by at least one enhanced tracking tag associated with the enhanced servers.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the enhanced servers utilize the enhanced tracking tag to mimic the environment of the browser.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the execution of the at least one of the one or more tags is based on the browser environment.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the browser environment comprises one or more of a user-agent of the browser, the IP address of the browser, an environmental fingerprint, an incoming URL to the website, the URL of the website and a tag execution engine.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the one or more enhanced servers further comprises a persistent storage, and further wherein the browser environment and at least one browser identifier correlating the browser environment to the browser are stored in the persistent storage.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the persistent storage comprises a cookie database or a flash variable data storage.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the browser further comprises one or more persistent data values that are also stored in the persistent storage, wherein the browser identifier correlates the browser with the one or more persistent data values.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein based on the persistent storage the one or more enhanced servers are able to determine which of the one or more third party servers is to be credited for a transaction.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein a proxy application stored on at least one of the one or more enhanced servers selects a designated proxy server of the one or more enhanced servers to communicate with the one or more third party servers during the execution process.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the proxy application selects the designated proxy server based on the geographical proximity of the designated proxy server to an IP address of the browser.

17. The system of claim 4 wherein the enhanced servers are able to modify a link leading to the client website such that the link points to the enhanced servers thereby directing the browser to the enhanced servers.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the link includes identification corresponding to the client website such that the enhanced tracking servers are able to redirect the browser to the client website.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein if the one or more enhanced servers fail, all of the one or more tags are executed on the browser until the enhanced servers are restored.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the enhanced servers execute the at least one of the one or more tags on the browser if the at least one of the one or more tags cannot be properly executed by the enhanced servers.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the enhanced servers pass one or more variables associated with the client website from the client website to the one or more third party servers for storage on the third party servers.

22. A method of tracking a client website over a network comprising:

a. extracting from the client website at least one of one or more tags;

b. receiving the at least one of the one or more tags at one or more enhanced servers;

c. executing the at least one of the one or more tags on the one or more enhanced servers when a browser attempts to display the client website to a user;

d. receiving information related to the browser at one or more third party servers associated with the one or more tags.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the one or more tags comprise one or more of tracking tags and ad serving tags.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the enhanced servers execute the at least one of the one or more tags in parallel.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the extraction of the at least one of the one or more tags comprises the enhanced servers automatically extracting all of the one or more tags from the client website.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the extraction of the at least one of the one or more tags comprises the enhanced servers selectively extracting the at least one of the one or more tags based on selections by a client associated with the client website.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising permitting the client to select which of the one or more tags are to be executed on the enhanced servers and which are to be executed on the browser.

28. The method of claim 25 further comprising replacing the extracted tags on the client website with at least one enhanced tracking tag associated with the enhanced servers.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising mimicking the environment of the browser with the enhanced servers utilizing the enhanced tracking tag.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the execution of the at least one of the one or more tags is based on the browser environment.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the browser environment comprises one or more of a user-agent of the browser, the IP address of the browser, an environmental fingerprint, an incoming URL to the website, the URL of the website and a tag execution engine.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising storing the browser environment and identification data correlating the browser environment to the browser in a persistent storage on the one or more enhanced servers.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the persistent storage comprises a cookie database or a flash variable data storage.

34. The method of claim 32 further comprising storing one or more persistent data values of the browser in the persistent storage, wherein the browser identifier correlates the browser with the one or more persistent data values.

35. The method of claim 34 further comprising determining which of the one or more third party servers is to be credited for a transaction based on the persistent storage with the one or more enhanced servers.

36. The method of claim 35 further comprising selecting a designated proxy server of the one or more enhanced servers to communicate with the one or more third party servers during the execution process with a proxy application stored on at least one of the one or more enhanced servers.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the proxy application selects the designated proxy server based on the geographical proximity of the designated proxy server to an IP address of the browser.

38. The method of claim 25 further comprising modifying a link to the client website with the enhanced servers such that the link points to the enhanced servers thereby directing the browser to the enhanced servers.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the link includes identification corresponding to the client website such that the enhanced tracking servers are able to redirect the browser to the client website.

40. An enhanced tracking server for tracking a client website comprising:

a. an extraction application, wherein the extraction application extracts at least one of one or more tags from the client website; and

b. a tag execution engine, wherein the tag execution engine receives browser information related to a browser, execute the at least one of the one or more tags with the browser information when the browser attempts to display the client website, and transmit the browser information to one or more third party servers associated with the one or more tags.

41. The server of claim 40 wherein the one or more tags comprise one or more of tracking tags and ad serving tags.

42. The server of claim 40 wherein the tag execution engine executes the at least one of the one or more tags in parallel.

43. The server of claim 42 wherein the extraction application automatically extracts all of the one or more tags from the client website.

44. The server of claim 42 further comprising a tag manager that permits a client associated with the client website to select which of the one or more tags are extracted from the client website.

45. The server of claim 44 wherein the tag manager further permits the client associated with the client website to select which of the one or more tags are executed by the browser and which are executed by the enhanced server.

46. The server of claim 45 wherein the enhanced server utilizes an enhanced tracking tag on the client website to mimic the environment of the browser.

47. The server of claim 46 wherein the execution of the at least one of the one or more tags is based on the browser environment.

48. The server of claim 47 wherein the browser environment comprises one or more of a user-agent of the browser, the IP address of the browser, an environmental fingerprint, an incoming URL to the website, the URL of the website and a browser tag execution engine.

49. The server of claim 48 further comprising an enhanced persistent storage that stores all persistent data values found on each browser that attempts to display the client website along with a browser identifier that correlates each browser with the corresponding stored persistent data values.

50. The server of claim 49 wherein the persistent storage is a cookie database or a flash variable data storage.

51. The server of claim 49 wherein the browser environment is stored in the persistent storage, wherein the browser identifier correlates the browser environment to the browser.

52. The server of claim 51 wherein based on the persistent storage the server is able to determine which of the one or more third party servers is to be credited for a transaction.

53. The server of claim 52 further comprising a proxy application that selects a designated proxy server of the one or more additional enhanced servers to communicate with the one or more third party servers during the execution process.

54. The server of claim 53 wherein the proxy application selects the designated proxy server based on the geographical proximity of the designated proxy server to an IP address of the browser.

55. The server of claim 54 further comprising a modification element that modifies a link leading to the client website such that the link points to the enhanced server thereby directing the browser to the enhanced server.

56. The server of claim 55 wherein the link includes identification corresponding to the client website such that the enhanced tracking server are able to redirect the browser to the client website.

57. A tag manager stored on one or more tag tracking servers for presenting a client associated with a client website with tag management options, the tag manager comprising:

a. a content database for storing tags; and

b. a user interface that permits the client to select which of one or more third party tags on the client website are to be extracted from the client website and stored in the content database.

58. The tag manager of claim 57 wherein the user interface permits the client to select which of the third party tags are executed on the one or more servers and which of the third party tags are executed on a browser when a user attempts to display the client website on the browser.

59. The tag manager of claim 58 wherein the user interface is further configured to permit the client to select a programming language to which an enhanced tracking tag to be placed on the client website conforms.

60. The tag manager of claim 59 wherein the programming language comprises JavaScript or HTML.

61. The tag manager of claim 59 wherein the user interface is further configured to permit the client to select a redirect option that causes the one or more servers to place a pointer on links to the client website such that when the user attempts to display the client website a browser of the user is first directed to the one or more servers.

62. The tag manager of claim 61 wherein the content database further stores one or more rules, and further wherein the tag manager executes the selected third party tags based on the one or more stored rules.

63. The tag manager of claim 62 wherein the rules are based on one or more of the URL of the client website and a flag on one or more of the third party tags.

64. A persistent storage stored on one or more tag tracking servers for tracking users of a client website, the persistent storage comprising:

a. one or more persistent data values found on each browser of the users that attempt to display the client website; and

b. one or more browser identifiers for each browser, wherein the browser identifiers correlate each browser with the corresponding stored persistent data values found on each browser.

65. The persistent storage of claim 64 further comprising one or more browser environments associated with each browser that attempts to display the client website, wherein the browser identifiers correlate each browser with the corresponding stored browser environments found on each browser.

66. The persistent storage of claim 65 wherein the browser environments comprise one or more of a user-agent of the browser, the IP address of the browser, an environmental fingerprint, an incoming URL to the client website, the URL of the client website and a browser tag execution engine.