Method and apparatus for tracking user profile and habits on a global network

• US 6,836,799 B1
• Filed: 08/24/1999
• Issued: 12/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jack A. Turpin, RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: LV Partners LP (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Philyaw, Jeffry Jovan, Mathews, David Kent
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US09/382,424
• Time in Patent Office: 1,953 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/249, 709/224, 709/200, 709/218, 709/219, 705/14
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• 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 61/301 Name conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• 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 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A method and apparatus for tracking network activity of a user. A user PC (302) disposed on a network (306) runs tracking software which initially requires registration to a registration server (2500). The registration process is initiated by the user entering user information into the tracking software for transmission to the registration server (2500). In response to registration, the registration server (2500) sends a unique ID and bar code back to the user PC (302). Subsequently, when the user accesses a vendor server (2504) disposed on the network (306), the user PC (302) passes the unique ID/bar code to the vendor server (2504). The vendor server (2504) sends the unique ID/bar code to the registration server to obtain user profile information which matches the unique ID/bar code. As the user accesses the vendor server (2504), the user activities are logged and returned to the registration server (2500) for updating the user information stored therein. Alternatively, the user information is stored on the user PC (302), the tracking software issued to the user having the unique ID bar code. Subsequent accesses to the vendor server (2504) results in the activity log being sent back to the user PC (302) for updating the user information.

Claims

1. A method of tracking network activity of a user, comprising the steps of:

implementing a profile application on a computer of the user disposed on a network to track the network activity of the use, which profile application has associated therewith a unique ID wherein the profile application, after a configuration process, associates the unique ID with the user and user and user profile information, and has a bar code associate therewith that is distinct from the unique ID, the unique ID embedded within the bar code;

wherein the configuration process includes the step of entering user profile information of the user into the profile application, which user profile information is then associated with the unique ID and bar code;

accessing a vendor server on the network by the user to view server information;

transmitting the unique ID stored in the application on the user'"'"'s computer in response to accessing the vendor server;

accessing at the vendor server the user profile information utilizing the received unique ID and associated therewith;

delivering server information to the user computer for viewing by the user as a function of the accessed user profile information; and

logging activities of the user with an activity log generated and stored in association with the unique ID while the user accesses the vendor server for viewing the server information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, during the configuration process, the profile information is transmitted to a registration server disposed on the network for storing, and the bar code and unique ID are generated and returned to the computer of the user in response to receiving the profile information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the vendor server transmits the activity log to the registration server in response to the user exiting the vendor server.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the activity log is appended to the user profile information stored or the registration server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile application contains the unique ID and the bar code after the configuration process.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity log is generated on the computer of the user and stored thereon.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the vendor server accesses a registration server disposed on the network to obtain the user profile information stored thereon.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the vendor server presents advertising to the user based upon information extracted from the user profile information.