Method for characterizing and visualizing patterns of usage of a web site by network users

• US 6,182,097 B1
• Filed: 05/21/1998
• Issued: 01/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Sweldens, Wim, Hansen, Mark Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kindred, Alford W.
• Application Number:
  US09/082,792
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 707/526, 707/1-4, 707/100-103, 707/500, 707/517, 707/530, 707/104, 707/6, 705/28, 709/100, 709/224, 345/326, 345/333, 345/146
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/323 Visualisation of programs or trace data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A system is disclosed for displaying information pertaining to the usage of Web pages. The system comprises first and second Web sites. The first Web site comprises plural Web-component files, each having a name in a Web-site directory. The second Web site comprises plural statistics files, each containing usage information about a corresponding Web-component file or sub-directory of Web-component files. The system further comprises a computing device that has a display screen, is operable by a user, and is in communication with the first and second Web sites. The computing device is operated under the control of Web-browser software effective for displaying, on the screen, Web components of the respective Web sites. Significantly, the computing device is effective for requesting and retrieving, from either of the Web sites, data that correspond to user-designated Web components, and it is effective for directing a data request to either of the Web sites in response to user-designation of a Web component from the other Web site.

Claims

1. A method for building a database of information about visits to a Web site, the Web site comprising Web components organized in a file directory structure having directories and sub-directories, the method comprising:

a) retrieving raw hit records, each raw hit record pertaining to a particular Web component of the Web site;

b) extracting selected information from said raw hit records, thereby to create, from each raw hit record, a filtered hit record, the selected information including information identifying the Web component to which the respective hit record pertains;

c) distinguishing respective filtered hit records according to the visit to which each of them belongs, and associating a particular visit index with each filtered hit record;

d) storing the filtered hit records in a data storage device, said storing step comprising the further step of indexing said records such that each record is retrievable by reference to the filename of the corresponding Web component;

e) proceeding hierarchically from lowest sub-directories to highest directories, compiling for each sub-directory and directory a respective record of collective usage information pertaining to all Web components associated with such sub-directory or directory;

f) storing said collective-hit-information records in the filtered-hit-record data storage device, said storing step comprising the further step of indexing each said record such that it is retrievable by reference to the name of the corresponding sub-directory or directory; and

h) organizing said filtered-hit records and said collective-hit records as a further Web site.