Method and apparatus for tracking client interaction with a network resource and creating client profiles and resource database

• US 6,138,155 A
• Filed: 07/21/1998
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: The Thinking Media, Inc.
• Inventors: Davis, Owen, Jain, Vidyut
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Application Number:
  US09/120,376
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 364/DIG. 1, 364/DIG. 2, 380/4, 709/200, 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/224, 709/100, 709/300, 710/100, 712/205, 395/712
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• 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 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for monitoring client interaction with a resource downloaded from a server in a computer network includes the steps of using a client to specify an address of a resource located on a first server, downloading a file corresponding to the resource from the first server in response to specification of the address, using the client to specify an address of a first executable program located on a second server, the address of the first executable program being embedded in the file downloaded from the first server, the first executable program including a software timer for monitoring the amount of time the client spends interacting with and displaying the file downloaded from the first server, downloading the first executable program from the second server to run on the client so as to determine the amount of time the client interacts with the file downloaded from the first server, using a server to acquire client identifying indicia from the client, and uploading the amount of time determined by the first executable program to a third server. The first executable program may also monitor time, keyboard events, mouse events, and the like, in order to track choices and selections made by a user in the file, and may execute upon the occurrence of a predetermined event, as well as monitoring or determining the amount of information downloaded by the client.

Claims

1. In a network having one or more servers connectable to one or more clients, a method of monitoring use by a first client of a resource located on a first server and downloaded to the first client, the method comprising:

downloading from a second server to the first client an executable program to monitor use of the resource and generate data representing use of the resource by the first client, the first server and second server comprising two servers and the executable program not being part of the resource;

obtaining at a third server client identifying indicia from the first client; and

receiving at the third server the resource use data generated by the executable program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource accepts user action, and wherein the executable program monitors one or more user actions taken during use of the resource by the first client.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the executable program monitors a first time representing a time at which a first user action is taken during use of the resource by the first client.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the executable program monitors a second time representing a time at which a second user action is taken during use of the resource by the first client.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the executable program computes an amount of time as the difference between the first and second times.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the executable program monitors one or more user actions taken through a keyboard during use of the resource by the first client.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the executable program monitors one or more user actions taken through a mouse during use of the resource by the first client.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the executable program generates resource use data comprising data identifying the one or more user actions.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the resource use data comprises data other than data used by the resource.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising the third server storing the resource use data received from the first client in association with the client identifying indicia obtained from the first client.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising using the stored resource use data to generate first client specific data.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising downloading the first client specific data to the first client upon a subsequent download of the resource to the first client.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising downloading a subset of the first client specific data to the first client upon a subsequent download of the resource to the first client.

14. The method of claim 11, comprising selecting a second resource to be downloaded to the first client based upon the first client specific data and downloading the second resource to the first client.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein the executable program counts how many times the resource is used.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the executable program counts how many times the resource is displayed by the client.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the executable program counts how many times the resource is requested by the client.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource use data comprises data representative of a plurality of preferences of a user.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource use data comprises data representative of a plurality of interests of a user.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource use data comprises data which does not affect a user'"'"'s contemporaneous experience of the resource.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating resource use data does not require the active participation of a user.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating resource use data comprises the automatic determination of a user'"'"'s preferences.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a computer network.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a communications network.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the executable program is implemented in the Java programming language.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource may be displayed on the first client, and wherein the executable program monitors a start time representing a time at which the resource was first displayed on the first client.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the executable program monitors a stop time representing a time at which the resource ceased to be first displayed on the first client.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the executable program computes an amount of time as the difference between the start and stop times.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the executable program is locatable at a first address on the second server, and wherein the step of downloading the executable program to the first client comprises downloading the executable program in response to a specification of the first address by the first client.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the resource corresponds to a file and the first address is embedded in the file.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource allows a client to download information from a server, and wherein the executable program monitors an amount of information downloaded by the first client using the resource and generates resource use data representing the amount of downloaded information.

32. The method of claim 1, comprising determining an amount to charge the first client based on the use resource data received from the first client.

33. In a computer network having one or more servers connectable to one or more clients, a method of monitoring use by a first client of a resource located on a first server and downloaded to the first client, the method comprising:

executing on the first client an executable program downloaded from a second server to monitor use of the resource and generate data representing use of the resource by the first client, the first server and second server comprising two servers and the executable program not being part of the resource;

transmitting from the first client to a third server client identifying indicia; and

transmitting from the first client to the third server the resource use data generated by the executable program.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the resource accepts user actions, and comprising the executable program monitoring one or more user actions taken during use of the resource by the first client.

35. The method of claim 34, comprising the executable program monitoring a first time representing a time at which a first user action is taken during use of the resource by the first client.

36. The method of claim 35, comprising the executable program monitoring a second time representing a time at which a second user action is taken during use of the resource by the first client.

37. The method of claim 36, comprising the executable program computing an amount of time as the difference between the first and second times.

38. The method of claim 34, comprising the executable program generating resource use data comprising data identifying the one or more user actions.

39. The method of claim 34, comprising the first client receiving first client specific data upon a subsequent download of the resource to the first client, the first client specific data being generated from the resource use data transmitted by the first client.

40. The method of claim 34, comprising the first client downloading a second resource, the second resource being selected based at least in part upon the resource use data transmitted by the first client.

41. The method of claim 33, wherein the resource may be displayed on the first client, comprising displaying the resource on the first client and the executable program monitoring a start time representing a time at which the resource was first displayed on the first client.

42. The method of claim 41, comprising the executable program monitoring a stop time representing a time at which the resource ceased to be first displayed on the first client.

43. The method of claim 42, comprising the executable program computing an amount of time as the difference between the start and stop times.

44. The method of claim 33, wherein the executable program is locatable at a first address on the second server, and comprising downloading first client specifying the first address and downloading the executable program in response to a specification of the first address.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the resource corresponds to a file and the first address is embedded in the file.

46. The method of claim 33, wherein the resource allows a client to download information from a server, and comprising the executable program monitoring an amount of information downloaded by the first client using the resource and generating resource use data representing the amount of downloaded information.

47. The method of claim 33, comprising determining an amount to charge the first client based on the use resource data received from the first client.

48. In a network having one or more servers connectable to one or more clients, a method of monitoring use by a first client of a resource located on a first server and which may be stored in a cache, the method comprising:

downloading from a second server to the first client an executable program to monitor use of the resource and generate data representing use of the resource by the first client, the first server and second server comprising two servers and the executable program not being part of the resource;

obtaining at a third server client identifying indicia from the first client; and

receiving at the third server the resource use data generated by the executable program.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the step of monitoring use of the resource comprises monitoring the number of times the resource is used or requested.

50. The method of claim 48, wherein the step of monitoring use of the resource comprises monitoring the number of times the resource is retrieved from the first server or from cache.

51. In a network having one or more servers connectable to one or more clients, a method of monitoring use by a first client of a resource located on a first server and which may be stored in a cache, the method comprising:

downloading from a second server to the first client an executable program to monitor use of the resource and generate data representing use of the resource by the first client, the first server and second server comprising two servers and the executable program not being part of the resource;

obtaining at a third server a resource identification from the first client; and

receiving at the third server the resource use data generated by the executable program.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein the step of monitoring use of the resource comprises monitoring the number of times the resource is used or requested.

53. The method of claim 51, wherein the step of monitoring use of the resource comprises monitoring the number of times the resource is retrieved from the first server or from cache.