Method for monitoring user interactions with web pages from web server using data and command lists for maintaining information visited and issued by participants

• US 6,035,332 A
• Filed: 10/06/1997
• Issued: 03/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Ingrassia, Jr., Michael I., Shelton, James A., Rowland, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US08/944,759
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 395/761, 705/10, 709/224, 709/227, 709/218, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/15 Synchronised browsing

Abstract

Described is a mechanism for dependably tracking web page activities among a group of browsers. The web browsers retrieve web pages from an HTTP server, with each of the web pages embedding an applet. In response to web page activities (such as loading or unloading of a web page) performed at a browser, the respective applet reports the activities (together with the URL of the web page) to a synchronization server, which in turn stores them in a database.

Claims

1. A method for tracking interactions with pages that have been loaded from a web server to a terminal during a user session, and for storing information about the interactions to a sage tracking server, comprising the steps of:

loading a first page from the web server, the first page being associated with a page locator for indicating a location of the first page in the web server, and the first page containing location information for indicating a location of a program;

loading the program from the web server based on the location information, and executing the program;

the program monitoring interactions with the page; and

the program sending information about the interactions to the page tracking server during the session,

creating a session table using sent information about the interactions,

creating a sessionID for the session table wherein each sessionID is associated with a session list for maintaining information about a session, a participant list for maintaining information about all participant browsers in a session, a URL history list for maintaining information about all web pages visited by all participants in a session, a data list for maintaining information about the data fields on the web pages visited by all participants in a session, and a command list for maintaining information about all commands issues to the server by the various participants in a session,

wherein the data list includes data fields for a Session ID for linking the data list to a session, a WasRelayed for indicating if this data field has been broadcasted, a FieldName for indicating the actual name of the data field, a DataName for indicating the name of the data field displayed on a web page, a DataValue for indicating the value of the data field, a TimeStamp for indicating the time at which this data field is updated, a URL for indicating the web page on which the data field was displayed, and a ParticipantID for indicating the participant browser who updated this data field.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

loading a second page from the web server, the second page being associated with a page locator for indicating a location of the second page in the web server, the second page containing location information for indicating a location of the program loaded in said loading step; and

executing the program based on the location information in the second page;

the program monitoring interactions with another page; and

the program sending the information about the interactions with the second page to the page tracking server during the session.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

storing the information about the interactions with the second page in the page tracking server during the session.

4. The method of claim 2, comprising storing the sent information from the web servers.

5. The method of claim 2, comprising collecting and analyzing the stored information about the interactions.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

storing the information about the interactions with the first page in the page tracking server.

7. The method of claim 1, the page locator being URL, and the location information being a tag.

8. The method of claim 1, the web server being an HTTP server.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising opening a dedicated socket between the terminal and a gateway.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising informing the page tracking server that the first page has been loaded on the terminal.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a session is defined as a collection web page interactions that occur over a given period of time from a specific browser.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a session table using sent information about the interactions.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising creating a sessionID for the session table wherein each sessionID is associated with a session list for maintaining information about a session, a participant list for maintaining information about all participant browsers in a session, a URL history list for maintaining information about all web pages visited by all participants in a session, a data list for maintaining information about the data fields on the web pages visited by all participants in a session, and a command list for maintaining information about all commands issues to the server by the various participants in a session.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the session list includes a sessionID for identifying a session, a user name for indicating the actual name for whom the session is created, a start time for indicating the time of starting the session, a stop time for indicating the time of stopping the session, and session notes for recording the notes of the session.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the participant list includes a sessionID for linking the participant list to a session, a participantID for identifying a participant, ParticipantAddresses for indicating a participant'"'"'s IP address, a class for indicating a user class of the participant, and a direction for indicating the synchronization direction for the participant browser.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the URL history list includes a SessionID for linking the URL history list to a session, a PageURL for indicating the URL of a web page visited, a ParticipantID for identifying a participant who visited the web page, a loading time for indicating the loading time of the web page, and an unloading time for indicating the unloading time of the web page.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the command list includes data fields for a Session ID for linking the data list to session, a Command for indicating the specific command executed, a URL for indicating the web page to which the command operated, a FieldPoint for indicating the data field to which the command operated, and a TimeStamp for indicating the time at which command was executed.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a session interface for an administrator to monitor the information about the interactions.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising joining the administrator to a session to monitor the information about the interactions.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a browser supervisor session interface to monitor the information about the interactions.

21. A method for tracking interactions with pages that have been loaded from a web server to a terminal during a user session, and for storing information about the interactions to a page tracking server, comprising the steps of:

loading a first page from the web server, the first page being associated with a page locator for indicating a location of the first page in the web server, and the first page containing location information for indicating a location of a program;

loading the program from the web server based on the location information, and executing the program;

the program monitoring interactions with the page; and

the program sending information about the interactions to the page tracking server during the session,

joining the administrator to a session to monitor the information about the interactions,

wherein the session interface includes a text box for entering a SessionID, a join session button for joining a session identified by the Session ID, a drop button for leaving a session, a leader check box, a follower check box, a scrollable list box for displaying the information contained in the participant list associated with a selected session, a scrollable list box for displaying the information in an identified URL history list, and a text box for displaying the information in an identified data list.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

loading a second page from the web server, the second page being associated with a page locator for indicating a location of the second page in the web server, the second page containing location information for indicating a location of the program loaded in said loading step; and

executing the program based on the location information in the second page;

the program monitoring interactions with another page; and

the program sending the information about the interactions with the second page to the page tracking server during the session.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of:

storing the information about the interactions with the first page in the page tracking server.

24. The method of claim 21, the page locator being URL, and the location information being a tag.

25. The method of claim 21, the web server being an HTTP server.

26. The method of claim 21, comprising opening a dedicated socket between the terminal and a gateway.

27. The method of claim 21, comprising informing the page tracking server that the first page has been loaded on the terminal.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein a session is defined as a collection of web page interactions that occur over a given period of time from a specific browser.

29. A method for tracking interactions with pages that have been loaded from a web server to a terminal during a user session, and for storing information about the interactions to a page tracking server, comprising the steps of:

loading a first page from the web server, the first page being associated with a page locator for indicating a location of the first page in the web server, and the first page containing location information for indicating a location of a program;

loading the program from the web server based on the location information, and executing the program;

the program monitoring interactions with the page; and

the program sending information about the interactions to the page tracking server during the session,

creating a browser supervisor session interface to monitor the information about the interactions,

wherein the supervisor session interface includes a scrollable list box for displaying session IDs of all active sessions in the session table and for selecting one of the session IDs, a text box for displaying relevant statistics of the server, a multi-column scrollable list box for displaying details about the session selected in the scrollable list box, a select session button for selecting a session from the scrollable list box.

30. The method of claim 29, comprising monitoring operational status of a session using the scrollable list box.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising the steps of:

loading a second page from the web server, the second page being associated with a page locator for indicating a location of the second page in the web server, the second page containing location information for indicating a location of the program loaded in said loading step; and

executing the program based on the location information in the second page;

the program monitoring interactions with another page; and

the program sending the information about the interactions with the second page to the page tracking server during the session.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of:

storing the information about the interactions with the first page in the page tracking server.

33. The method of claim 29, the page locator being URL, and the location information being a tag.

34. The method of claim 29, the web server being an HTTP server.

35. The method of claim 29, comprising opening a dedicated socket between the terminal and a gateway.

36. The method of claim 29, comprising informing the page tracking server that the first page has been loaded on the terminal.

37. The method of claim 29, wherein a session is defined as collection of web page interactions that occur over a given period of time from a specific browser.