Web site client information tracker

• US 6,112,240 A
• Filed: 09/03/1997
• Issued: 08/29/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Zhang, Yong, Clark, James Andrew, Pfeiffer, Ralf I., Werner, Laura Allison, Pogue, Michael Alan, Gupta, Pratima
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thompson, Marc D.
• Application Number:
  US08/923,013
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/10, 707/513, 707/501, 395/200.33, 395/200.57, 395/200.32, 709/203, 709/202, 709/227, 709/300, 709/224, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/885 Monitoring specific for caches

Abstract

A method and apparatus for obtaining client information relating to a web page in a World Wide Web site utilizes a tracker tag in the code of the web page for initiating a client information tracking program. The tracking program may be on a client computer that is accessing the web page, or a tracking computer that is remote from the client computer. The tracking program is initiated by a tracker message transmitted from a web browser on the client computer to the tracking program when the tracker tag is read by the web browser. In one embodiment, the tracking program first obtains the client information, and then stores the client information in the memory of a computer having the tracking program.

Claims

1. A method operable on a client computer having a memory and a browser program running in the memory, the method obtaining client information relating to usage of a World Wide Web site web page consisting of data and code for displaying the data, which data and code are downloaded into the memory from a web server in response to a browser request, the method comprising the steps of:

A. inserting a tracker tag in the web page code in the web server;

B. operating a tracker program at a World Wide Web site;

C. sending, in response to the detection of the tracker tag in web page code being read by the browser program, a tracker message from the client computer to the tracker program; and

D. causing the tracker program to obtain the client information in response to receipt of the tracker message.

2. The method as defined by claim 1 further comprising the step of:

E. storing the obtained client information in a database located at the tracker program World Wide Web site.

3. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein the tracker message includes client information and step D comprises the step of:

D1. copying the client information from the tracker message into a database.

4. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein step D comprises the steps of:

D2. directing, responsive to the tracker message, a cookie having client information from the client computer to the tracker; and

D3. copying the client information from the cookie into a database.

5. The method as defined by claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

G. intercepting a request generated by the browser to display a web page downloaded into the client computer memory;

H. controlling the client computer, responsive to the intercepted request, to direct a second tracker message to the tracker.

6. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein the client information includes the number of times the web page has been accessed by the client computer.

7. The method as defined by claim 1 further comprising the step of:

I. directing a cookie identifying the client computer to the browser.

8. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein the web server includes a browser, the tracker program being located on a tracking computer that includes a Java applet and a database for storing the client information, the method further comprising the step of:

J. controlling the Java applet, via the browser on the web server, to access the database on the tracking computer.

9. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein the tracker tag is a Java applet.

10. The method as defined by claim 9 wherein step C comprises the step of:

C1. executing the Java applet with the browser when the Java applet is downloaded, to generate the tracker message, the tracker message including the client information.

11. The method as defined by claim 10 wherein step D comprises the step of:

D4. receiving the tracker message; and

D5. storing the client information in the tracker message in a database.

12. An apparatus operable on a client computer having a memory and a browser program running in the memory, the apparatus obtaining client information relating to usage of a World Wide Web site web page consisting of data and code for displaying the data, which data and code are downloaded into the memory from a web server in response to a browser request, the apparatus comprising:

a tracker program at a World Wide Web site;

a tracker tag in the web page code in the web server, the tracker tag including means for sending, in response to detection of the tracker tag in the web page code when the web page code is read by the browser program, a tracker message from the client computer to the tracker program; and

means for causing the tracker to obtain the client information in response to the receipt of the tracker message.

13. The apparatus as defined by claim 12 wherein the sending means is responsive to the tracker tag being downloaded into the memory of the client computer.

14. The apparatus as defined by claim 12 further comprising:

means for storing the obtained client information in a database at the tracker program World Wide Web site.

15. The apparatus as defined by claim 12 wherein the tracker message includes client information, the means for causing comprising:

means for copying the client information from the tracker message into a database.

16. The apparatus as defined by claim 12 wherein the means for causing comprises:

means for directing, responsive to the tracker message, a cookie having client information from the client computer to the tracker; and

means for copying the client information from the cookie into a database.

17. The apparatus as defined by claim 12 further comprising:

means for intercepting a request generated by the browser to display the web page;

means for controlling the client computer, responsive to the intercepted request, to direct a second tracker message to the tracker.

18. The apparatus as defined by claim 12 wherein the client information includes the number of times the web page has been accessed by the client computer.

19. The apparatus as defined by claim 12 further comprising:

means for directing a cookie identifying the client computer to the browser.

20. The apparatus as defined by claim 12 wherein the web server includes a browser, the tracker program being located on a tracking computer that includes a Java applet and a database for storing the client information, the apparatus further comprising:

means for controlling the Java applet, via the browser on the web server, to access the database on the tracking computer.

21. The apparatus as defined by claim 12 wherein the tracker tag is a Java applet.

22. The apparatus as defined by claim 21 wherein the sending means comprises:

means for executing the Java applet with the browser when the Java applet is downloaded, to generate the tracker message, the tracker message including the client information.

23. The apparatus as defined by claim 22 wherein the causing means comprises:

means for receiving the tracker message; and

means for storing the client information in the tracker message in a database.

24. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon operable on a client computer having a memory and a browser program running in the memory, the computer program product obtaining client information relating to usage of a World Wide Web site web page consisting of data and code for displaying the data, which data and code are downloaded into the memory from a web server in response to a browser request, the computer readable program code comprising;

tracker tag program code in the code of the web page;

program code for operating a tracker program at a World Wide Web site;

program code for sending, in response to the detection of the tracker tag program code in web page code read by the browser program, a tracker message from the client computer to the tracker program; and

program code for causing the tracker program to obtain the client information in response to receipt of the tracker message.

25. The computer program product as defined by claim 24 further comprising:

program code for storing the obtained client information in a database.

26. The computer program product as defined by claim 24 wherein the tracker message includes client information, the program code for causing comprising:

program code for copying the client information from the tracker message into a database.

27. The computer program product as defined by claim 24 wherein the program code for causing comprises:

program code for directing, responsive to the tracker message, a cookie having client information from the client computer to the tracker; and

program code for copying the client information from the cookie into a database.

28. The computer program product as defined by claim 24 further comprising:

program code for intercepting a request generated by the browser to display a web page downloaded in the memory of the client computer;

program code for controlling the client computer, responsive to the intercepted request, to direct a second tracker message to the tracker.

29. The computer program product as defined by claim 24 wherein the client information includes the number of times the web page has been accessed by the client computer.

30. The computer program product as defined by claim 24 further comprising:

program code for directing a cookie identifying the client computer to the browser.

31. The computer program product as defined by claim 24 wherein the web server includes a browser, the tracker program being located on a tracking computer that includes a Java applet and a database for storing the client information, the computer program product further comprising:

program code for controlling the Java applet, via the browser on the web server, to access the database on the tracking computer.

32. The computer program product as defined by claim 24 wherein the tracker tag is a Java applet.

33. The computer program product as defined by claim 32 wherein the program code for sending comprises:

program code for executing the Java applet when the Java applet is downloaded, to generate the tracker message, the tracker message including the client information.

34. The computer program product as defined by claim 33 wherein the program code for causing comprises:

program code for receiving the tracker message; and

program code for storing the client information in the tracker message in a database.

35. A method operable on a client computer having a memory and a browser program running in the memory, the method obtaining client information relating to usage of a web page consisting of data and code for displaying the data, which data and code are downloaded into the memory from a web server in response to a browser request, the code having tags, each of which includes the address of a tracking server and a location of a resource at the tracking server which is to be retrieved by the browser program, the method comprising the steps of:

A. inserting a tracker tag in the web page code in the web server, wherein the tracker tag includes a mechanism for modifying the resource location in the tracker tag so that the modified location will be different each time the tracker tag is detected by the browser program;

B. operating a tracker program at the tracking server;

C. sending, in response to each detection of the tracker tag in web page code being read by the browser program, a tracker message from the client computer to the tracker program to retrieve a resource at the modified location; and

D. causing the tracker program to obtain the client information in response to receipt of the tracker message.

36. An apparatus operable on a client computer having a memory and a browser program running in the memory, the apparatus obtaining client information relating to usage of a web page consisting of data and code for displaying the data, which data and code are downloaded into the memory from a web server in response to a browser request, the code having tags, each of which includes the address of a tracking server and a location of a resource at the tracking server which is to be retrieved by the browser program, the apparatus comprising:

a tracker program at the tracking server;

a tracker tag in the web page code in the web server, the tracker tag including a mechanism for modifying the resource location in the tracker tag so that the modified location will be different each time the tracker tag is detected by the browser program and means for sending, in response to each detection of the tracker tag in the web page code when the web page code is read by the browser program, a tracker message from the client computer to the tracker program to retrieve a resource at the modified location; and

means for causing the tracker to obtain the client information in response to the receipt of the tracker message.

37. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon operable on a client computer having a memory and a browser program running in the memory, the computer program product obtaining client information relating to usage of a web page consisting of data and code for displaying the data, which data and code are downloaded into the memory from a web server in response to a browser request, the code having tags, each of which includes the address of a tracking server and a location of a resource at the tracking server which is to be retrieved by the browser program, the computer readable program code comprising;

tracker tag program code in the code of the web page, wherein the tracker tag program code includes program code for modifying the resource location in the tracker tag so that the modified location will be different each time the tracker tag is detected by the browser program;

program code for operating a tracker program at the tracking server;

program code for sending, in response to the detection of the tracker tag program code in web page code read by the browser program, a tracker message from the client computer to the tracker program to retrieve a resource at the modified location; and

program code for causing the tracker program to obtain the client information in response to receipt of the tracker message.

38. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave for obtaining client information relating to usage of a World Wide Web site web page consisting of data and code for displaying the data, which data and code are downloaded into the memory from a web server in response to a browser request, the computer data signal comprising:

program code for inserting a tracker tag into the code of the web page;

program code for installing a tracker program at a tracking server, the tracker program obtaining the client information in response to receipt of a tracker message; and

program code for sending, in response to the detection of the tracker tag program code in web page code when read by the browser program, a tracker message from the client computer to the tracker program so that the tracker program monitors the web page usage.

39. The computer data signal as defined by claim 38 further comprising program code for storing the obtained client information in a database.

40. The computer data signal as defined by claim 38 wherein the tracker message includes client information, and wherein the tracker program comprises program code for copying the client information from the tracker message into a database.

41. The computer data signal as defined by claim 38 wherein the tracker program code comprises:

program code for directing, responsive to the tracker message, a cookie having client information from the client computer to the tracker program; and

program code for copying the client information from the cookie into a database.

42. The computer data signal as defined by claim 38 further comprising:

program code for intercepting a request generated by the browser to display a web page downloaded in the memory of the client computer; and

program code for controlling the client computer, responsive to the intercepted request, to direct a second tracker message to the tracker program.

43. The computer data signal as defined by claim 38 wherein the client information includes the number of times the web page has been accessed by the client computer.

44. The computer data signal as defined by claim 38 wherein the program code for sending a tracker message comprises program code for directing a cookie identifying the client computer to the tracker program.

45. The computer data signal as defined by claim 38 wherein the web server includes a browser and the tracker program includes a Java applet and a database for storing the client information, the computer data signal further comprising program code for controlling the Java applet, via the browser on the web server, to access the database on the tracking server.

46. The computer data signal as defined by claim 38 wherein the tracker tag is a Java applet.

47. The computer data signal as defined by claim 46 wherein the program code for sending a tracker message comprises program code for executing the Java applet when the Java applet is downloaded, to generate the tracker message, the tracker message including the client information.

48. The computer data signal as defined by claim 47 wherein the tracker program code comprises:

program code for receiving the tracker message; and

program code for storing the client information in the tracker message in a database.