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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
First Claim
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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.

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