Transaction tracking, managing, assessment, and auditing data processing system and network

• US 7,020,622 B1
• Filed: 04/26/2000
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Marketing LLC (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Linkshare Corporation (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Messer, Stephen Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): ELISCA, PIERRE E
• Application Number:
  US09/558,356
• Time in Patent Office: 2,162 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.44
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/023 the neutral party being a clearing house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0248 Avoiding fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0619 Neutral agent
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols

Abstract

An improved processing system for tracking commerce on the Internet provides for subvariable processing and includes web page scanning to discern fraud or improper content to insure proper promotion of select products within the network environment.

Claims

1. A data processing system for supporting web-based commerce and commission tracking on a multi-node network, comprising:

a. one or more Content Providers with web pages wherein said web pages include linking instructions associated with select promotions;

b. a Clearinghouse server for automatically tracking USER interactions with said promotions, said Clearinghouse server further comprising programming for detecting fraudulent activity relating to said promotions; and

c. Merchant sites interconnected to said network and available for providing goods and/or services to USERs referred to said Merchant site by said linking instructions.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said fraud detection programming includes click pattern assessment over time.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said programming tracks time intervals between clicks from a select promotion.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein said programming detects repeated clicks from a single IP address.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said fraud detection programming includes Javascript detection.