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Apparatus for capturing, storing and processing co-marketing information associated with a user of an on-line computer service using the world-wide-web.

  • US 5,819,285 A
  • Filed: 09/20/1995
  • Issued: 10/06/1998
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for capturing and storing a co-marketer identification symbol representing an identity of an entity that has referred a user on a user station to a computer service, said user station being coupled to said computer service by a communications path, comprising:

  • (A) a database for storing a plurality of user records, each of said user records including a user identification field for storing information uniquely associating each of said user records with a user, and a co-marketer identification field for storing identity information representing an identity of an entity that directed said user to said computer service;

    (B) enrollment means, coupled to said communications path and said database, for enrolling said user on said computer service;

    (C) said enrollment means including means for determining a co-marketer that directed said user from a site on a world-wide web (WWW) associated with said co-marketer to a site on said WWW associated with said computer service and for associating a co-marketer identification symbol representative of said co-marketer with said user, means for assigning a unique user identification number to said user, means for determining whether said co-marketer that directed said user to said computer service is an authorized co-marketer of said computer service, and means for identifying a WWW address of a third-party WWW page, wherein said address of said third-party WWW page is used by said enrollment means to determine said co-marketer that directed said user to said computer service; and

    (D) said enrollment means including means for storing said co-marketer identification symbol and said unique user identification number in said co-marketer identification and user identification fields, respectively, of one of said plurality of user records.

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