Computer network information use monitoring

• US 6,763,383 B1
• Filed: 07/12/2000
• Issued: 07/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Novatiq Technologies Ltd. (Smartpipe Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Green Cathedral Limited
• Inventors: Woodley, Michael L., Evison, Rufus S. T., Putwain, Paul N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARTON, KEVIN S
• Application Number:
  US09/529,744
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/219, 709/217, 709/223, 709/228, 709/225
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1396 specially adapted for monitoring users' activity
• 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 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

Information sent from a server in response to a request from a client computer is accompanied by a version stamp, comprising date/time code. At the client, on each occurrence of a specified event or events, the version stamp is compared with any previous version stamp to determine whether this is a new transmission of information or not. A log is kept at the client of all information displayed, whether on-line or off-line, and the logged information is subsequently returned to the server, when a subsequent request for information is made by the client of the server. When it is determined from the version stamp that new information is being received from the server, this indicates that the logged information has reached the server, and the log can be cleared. Similar operations can be applied to the sending and receipt of e-mail messages.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring the use of information requested by a receiving computer from a sender computer, comprising the steps of:

transmitting information from the sender computer to the receiving computer;

transmitting with the transmitted information additional information solely for use in monitoring usage of the information, the additional information comprising a version stamp having at least a unidirectionally-varying value;

monitoring at the receiving computer the use of the received information to provide an indication of events related to information usage at the receiving computer, the monitoring step comprising comparing additional information related to received information with previously-received additional information already held at a requester computer;

recording all the monitored information at the receiving computer to provide a log;

subsequently transmitting the log from the receiving computer to the sender computer along with a subsequent request for information made by the receiving computer of the sender computer;

receiving at the sender computer the subsequent request for information along with the log;

transmitting the subsequent additional information having a later version stamp than that sent with the previously transmitted requested information;

receiving at the receiving computer the subsequent additional information and comparing the version stamp with the version stamp of the previously transmitted additional information; and

if the version stamp of the subsequent additional information is later than that of the previously transmitted additional information clearing or treating as redundant the information in the log transmitted with the subsequent request.

2. A method according to claim 1, in which the additional information includes code which is operative on the receiving computer to command the receiving computer to effect the monitoring and recording steps.

3. A method according to claim 1, in which the additional information includes code which is operative on the receiving computer to command the receiving computer to effect the monitoring and recording steps.

4. A method according to claim 1, in which the monitoring step comprises monitoring the time for which pages are displayed.

5. A method according to claim 1, in which the monitoring step continues whether the receiving computer is in the communication with the sender computer or not.

16. A computer program product directly loadable into the internal memory of a digital computer, the program comprising software code portions for performing the steps of claim 1 when the product is run on a computer.

6. A client computer for use in a client/server system, the client computer being adapted to provide information to the server concerning the use of information requested by the client from the server, the client computer including:

means for transmitting from the client to a server a request for specified information;

means for receiving from the server requested information corresponding to the specified information;

means for receiving from the server with the requested information additional information solely for use in monitoring usage of the requested information, the additional information comprising a version stamp having at least a unidirectionally varying value;

means for monitoring the usage of the received information, whether or not the client computer is in communication with the server, by making use of the received additional information;

means for recording all the monitored information to provide a log;

means for subsequently transmitting the log from the client computer to the server along with a subsequent request for information transmitted by the client computer to that server;

means for receiving from the server subsequent additional information comprising a version stamp in response to the subsequent request for information;

means for comparing the version stamp of the subsequent additional information with the previously received version stamp; and

means for clearing or treating as redundant the information recorded in the log when the version stamp of the subsequent additional information is later than that of the previous additional information.

17. A computer program product directly loadable into the internal memory of a digital computer, the program comprising software code portions for causing a computer to become a client computer in accordance with claim 6 when the product is run on a computer.

7. A method for monitoring the use of information requested by a requester computer from a provider computer, comprising the steps of:

receiving at the provider computer a request from the requestor computer for specified information;

transmitting from the provider computer to the requestor computer requested information corresponding to the specified information;

transmitting with the transmitted requested information additional information solely for use in monitoring usage of the requested information;

monitoring at the requestor computer/events taking place at the requestor computer including events related to the use of the received information, to provide an indication of events related to information usage at the requestor computer, the monitoring taking place whether or not the requestor computer is on-line to the provider computer;

recording all the monitored information at the requestor computer to provide a log;

subsequently transmitting the log along with a subsequent request for further specified information from the requestor computer to the provider computer;

receiving at the provider computer the subsequent request for further specified information along with the log from the requestor computer;

transmitting from the provider computer to the requestor computer further requested information corresponding to the further specified information;

transmitting with the transmitted further requested information further additional information for use in monitoring usage of the requested information; and

clearing or treating as redundant the information recorded in the log at the requestor computer when the requestor computer receives and recognizes the further additional information.

8. A method according to claim 7, in which the additional information comprises a version stamp.

9. A method according to claim 7, in which the additional information includes at least a unidirectionally-varying value.

10. A method according to claim 7, in which the monitoring makes step use of the received additional information.

11. A method according to claim 7, in which the monitoring step comprises comparing additional information related to displayed received information with previously-received additional information already held at the requester computer.

12. A method according to claim 11, in which when the additional information related to displayed received information indicates that it is later than the previously-received additional information already held at the requestor computer, the information recorded in the log is cleared or treated as redundant.

13. A method according to claim 7, in which the additional information includes code which is operative on the requestor computer to command the requestor computer to effect the monitoring and recording steps.

14. A method according to claim 7, in which the monitoring step comprises monitoring the time for which pages are displayed.

15. A method according to claim 7, in which the monitoring step continues whether the requestor computer is in communication with the provider computer or not.

18. A computer program product directly loadable into the internal memory of a digital computer, the program comprising software code portions for performing the steps of claim 7 when the product is run on a computer.