Method and apparatus for redirection of server external hyper-link references
First Claim
1. A method of providing for the server based controlled management and tracking of a client reference to a resource locator independently selected by a client computer system and referencing a server external resource, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) providing to a client system a predetermined URL referencing a first server system, said predetermined URL being encoded with predetermined redirection and accounting data including a reference to a second server system;
b) receiving by said first server system said predetermined URL from said client system;
c) decoding by said first server system said predetermined redirection and accounting data from said predetermined URL; and
d) processing by said first server system said predetermined redirection and accounting data including providing said client system with a redirection message including said reference to said second server system.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A message is provided to a tracking server system in response to a client system referencing a predetermined resource locator that corresponds to a resource external to the tracking server system. The tracking server system indirectly provides for the client system to have an informational element selectable by the client system, where the informational element is graphically identified on the client system with informational content obtainable from a content server system through use of a content resource locator. The informational element includes a tracking resource locator, referencing the tracking server system, and data identifying the informational element. The selection of the informational element causes the client system to use the tracking resource locator to provide the data to the tracking server system and to use the content resource locator to obtain the informational content from the content server system.
176 Citations
56 Claims
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1. A method of providing for the server based controlled management and tracking of a client reference to a resource locator independently selected by a client computer system and referencing a server external resource, said method comprising the steps of:
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a) providing to a client system a predetermined URL referencing a first server system, said predetermined URL being encoded with predetermined redirection and accounting data including a reference to a second server system;
b) receiving by said first server system said predetermined URL from said client system;
c) decoding by said first server system said predetermined redirection and accounting data from said predetermined URL; and
d) processing by said first server system said predetermined redirection and accounting data including providing said client system with a redirection message including said reference to said second server system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 17)
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10. A server computer system serving World Wide Web pages to client computer systems via an Internet communications link, said server computer system comprising:
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a) a memory providing for the storage of a server program, a Web page, and a data file; and
b) a central processing unit coupled to said memory to provide for the execution of said server program, wherein said server program includes execution instructions that define respective predetermined responses to first and second client request types, said first client request type including a first predetermined request for the return transfer of said Web page to said client computer system, said second client request type including a second predetermined request, including redirection and accounting data, to process said redirection and accounting data, to provide for a return transfer of a redirection message to said client computer system, and to selectively store data corresponding to said accounting data in said data file. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of operating a Web server comprising the steps of:
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a) receiving a predetermined service request wherein said predetermined service request may include a redirection directive and redirection URL;
b) determining whether said predetermined service request includes said redirection directive; and
c) serving a redirection response message, including said redirection URL, where said predetermined service request includes said redirection directive. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 18)
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19. A server system providing for the serving of data pages, including page elements, in response to hypertext protocol requests received from a network, said server system including a processor for executing a server application to implement a server process comprising the steps of:
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a) receiving a predetermined request from said network, wherein said predetermined request corresponds to a predetermined page element, and wherein said predetermined request includes predetermined request data;
b) processing said predetermined request data to obtain an identification of said predetermined page element;
c) preparing a predetermined redirection message corresponding to said identification; and
d) issuing said predetermined redirection message to said network. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
a) pre-establishing a correspondence between said predetermined page element and said identification, said correspondence providing redirection information for use in said step of preparing said predetermined redirection message; and
b) serving a predetermined data page including said predetermined page element.
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21. The server system of claim 20 wherein predetermined redirection information is provided with said predetermined page element, and wherein said predetermined redirection information is included in said predetermined request.
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22. The server system of claim 21 wherein said predetermined redirection information includes first data providing said identification and second data providing a redirection reference, wherein said step of processing includes a step of identifying a redirection server from said redirection reference, and wherein said step of preparing provides, said predetermined redirection message with an identification of said redirection server.
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23. The server system of claim 22 wherein said redirection reference includes a predetermined URL, and wherein said identification of said redirection server is said predetermined URL.
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24. The server system of claim 22 wherein said redirection reference establishes a one-to-one relationship between said predetermined request and said redirection server.
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25. The server system of claim 22 wherein said redirection reference establishes a relationship between said predetermined request and any of a plurality of redirection servers, and wherein said step of preparing said predetermined redirection message selects said redirection server from said plurality of redirection servers.
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26. A process providing for the collecting information regarding the selection of hyper-text URLs in Web pages served over a network to a client system from a server system, said process comprising the steps of:
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a) serving a Web page, including a predetermined embedded URL, from a first predetermined server system to a client system, wherein said predetermined embedded URL includes predetermined identification data;
b) receiving by said first predetermined server system a predetermined message from said client system in response to the selection of said predetermined URL, said predetermined message including said predetermined identification data;
c) recording by said first predetermined server system said predetermined identification data; and
d) issuing by said first predetermined server system a temporary redirection message to said client system identifying a second predetermined server system. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A process permitting the accounting by a server system of hyper-text selection of Web page elements by client systems, said process comprising the steps of:
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a) identifying a Web page element with a first predetermined server system so that the identification is visually effective to a user of a predetermined client system;
b) providing a redirection URL as an embedded URL included with said Web page element, said redirection URL including a server URL and data, said direct server URL specifying a second predetermined server system, said data including an identification of said Web page element and a reference to said first predetermined server system; and
c) serving a Web page including said Web page element to said predetermined client system, whereby hyper-text selection of said Web page element will provide said data to said second predetermined server system. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37)
a) receiving, by said second server system, said data;
b) processing said data to obtain said identification and said reference;
c) storing accounting data corresponding to said identification; and
d) providing a redirection message to said predetermined client system including a URL specifying said first predetermined server system.
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35. The process of claim 34 wherein said URL specifying said first predetermined server system corresponds to said reference.
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36. The process of claim 35 wherein said reference includes said URL specifying said first predetermined server system.
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37. The process of claim 33 wherein said redirection URL includes validation data provided to support validation of said redirection URL by said second server system.
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38. A process for tracking client selections of hyper-link references comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a client computer system with a selectable hyper-link reference toga first server system, wherein selection of said hyper-link reference by said client computer system provides a portion of said hyper-link reference to said first server system; and
b) providing, by said first server system, a redirection reference to said client computer system, wherein said redirection reference is determined by said first server system from said portion of said hyper-link reference and wherein said redirection reference includes an identification of a second server system. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A process for providing notification of the selection of a hyper-link reference to a first server system in response to selection of a Web page element by a client system where the Web page element corresponds to a second server system, said process comprising the steps of:
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a) providing for said hyper-link reference to include a direct server URL reference to said first server system, a redirection directive, and an identification of a second server system, wherein said client system utilizes said direct server URL to provide said redirection directive and said identification to said first server system;
b) processing said redirection directive and said identification to prepare a redirection message including a redirect server URL; and
c) providing said redirection message to said client system. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. A process of providing advertisement selection information to a web server in response to client selections of advertisements provided in web pages, said process comprising the steps of:
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a) providing an embedded URL in a web page coupled to an advertisement selectable by a client, said advertisement having a correspondence with a first server and said embedded URL including a URL corresponding to a second server and data including an identification of said first server;
b) providing a redirection message including a redirection URL corresponding to said first server where said redirection message is prepared by said second server based on said identification of said first server; and
c) recording advertisement selection information derived from said data. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56)
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Specification