SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING INDIVIDUAL USERS ACCESSING A WEB SITE

• US 20150012534A1
• Filed: 09/24/2014
• Published: 01/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nihon Dot Com Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nihon Dot Com Company Limited
• Inventors: Morimoto, Nobuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,031,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• 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 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

An improved method and system for identifying individual users accessing a web site. A web site server is able to identify distinct users by using a unique identifier associated with each client computer system requesting access to the web site. The unique identifier comprises an Internet address, such as an Internet Protocol (IP) address, and a time value associated with each client computer system requesting access to the web site. On starting up a web browser, an application program or browser plug-in may synchronize the internal clock included with the client computer system with a global time standard. The synchronized time value may be based on an event associated with the client computer system, such as the start of a web browser. A web site server may determine the uniqueness of the client computer system by comparing unique identifier records of users accessing the web site. A user may be identified as distinct if no matching record exists in the database. Multiple client computer systems having a common Internet address may be identified by using this method. Users privacy is also protected as the unique identifiers are erased when the client computer system'"'"'s user exits the web browser or powers down the computer.

Claims

1. A method for identifying distinct users accessing a web site, the method comprising:

storing one or more records in a database, wherein each record comprises an Internet address and a time value, and wherein each record corresponds to a different computer accessing said web site;

receiving a first request from a first computer to access the web site;

sending a request for information to said first computer, wherein said information comprises a first Internet address and a first time value corresponding to said first computer;

receiving said information;

determining whether a matching record for said first Internet address and said first time value exists in said database; and

identifying said first computer as a distinct user if said matching record does not exist in said database.

2-37. -37. (canceled)