Tracking usage behavior in computer systems

• US 7,039,699 B1
• Filed: 05/02/2000
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Narin, Attila, Sobeski, David A., Kegley, Keith A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kang, Paul H.
• Application Number:
  US09/563,706
• Time in Patent Office: 2,191 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/206, 709/207, 709/217, 709/219, 709/225, 709/226, 709/236, 709/246, 705/10, 705/26, 707/104.1, 725/34, 713/168, 711/164
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system and process for tracking users'"'"' usage of content in computer systems. The tracking and accumulation of content usage information allows content providers to understand more about their user base. In a computer system having numerous users, it is advantageous to provide relevant customized content in addition to any specifically requested content. By storing and processing content usage information for users in a computer system, customized content may be provided to a user based on the user'"'"'s previous usage of similar content. In operation, a computer system hosting various content creates a unique identifier, having data storage space, for a given user of the computer system. When a user sends a request for content to the computer system, a unique identifier is created and/or updated with information relevant to a user'"'"'s content request. The identifier is passed back to the user with the specifically desired content. When processing subsequent requests for content, the computer system updates the unique identifier with most recent usage information. In addition, the computer system processes the unique identifier for previous usage information in an effort to provide customized relevant content, in addition to the specifically desired content.

Claims

1. In a first computer system hosting a plurality of content components, a method for selectively providing content to a user, comprising the acts of:

receiving a request for selected content components from a client computer;

receiving an information set from said client computer uniquely associated with said client computer, said first computer system having a first domain name and at least one other computer system having a second domain name that is different from said first domain name and wherein at least a portion of the first and second domain names are identical;

determining other ones of said selected content components relevant to said user, said other ones of said selected content components being selected based on said usage information found in a usage behavior portion of said information set wherein said usage information is based on actions performed on said at least one other computer;

transmitting said information set indicative of said other ones of said selected content components to said user; and

transmitting said information set to said user.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said other ones of said selected content components comprises at least one of the following group:

targeted advertisements, special offers, special display formats;

unique services; and

user control to customize desired content.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said information set becomes data rich and tracking significant with increasing content usage by said client computer.

4. The method recited in claim 3, wherein said usage information is clustered to determine an affinity between the client computer and content sought, said affinity employed to transmit information of said other ones.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said information set is received substantially simultaneously with said request for said content.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said information set is created for said client computer requesting said content for a first time.

7. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the acts recited in claim 1.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said information set contains information that can be used to create a psychographic profile.

9. The method recited in claim 8, wherein said psychographic profile is used by providers of said content to enhance said content.

10. In a computer system having a domain having content on at least two servers, a method for tracking the usage behavior of said client computer comprising the acts of:

receiving a cookie from said client, said cookie being accessible by either one of said at least two servers having first and second domain names, respectively, wherein the first and second domain names are not identical but have at least a portion of their domain names in common;

updating a usage behavior tagged portion of said cookie with information relevant to the usage within said domain; and

transmitting said cookie to said client computer wherein at least the server having the second domain name can provide content to said user as a function of usage information from the server having the first domain name.

11. The method recited in claim 10, wherein said information populated in said cookie is changed in response to a request for said content of said domain by said client computer.

12. The method recited in claim 10, wherein said cookie is included in a request for said content.

13. The method recited in claim 12, where in said cookie is created for said client computer requesting said content of said domain for the first time, and updated for said client computer that has previously requested said content of said domain.

14. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the acts recited in claim 10.

15. A method for tracking usage of content at a domain level, comprising the acts of:

requesting content of a first server at an address associated with a first domain name by a client computer;

sending a cookie corresponding to the first domain name from said client to said first server;

requesting content of a second server at an address associated with a second domain name that is different from the first domain name but that shares at least a portion of its domain name in common with the first domain name;

sending the cookie corresponding to the first domain name from said client to said second server; and

receiving content from said second server based on usage information of the client computer on the first server contained in a portion of said cookie having a usage behavior tag.

16. The method recited in claim 15, wherein said cookie is created by said first server for said client computer requesting said content for the first time, and updated for said client computer when it has previously requested said content.

17. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the acts recited in claim 15.

18. A system for tracking the usage behavior for a user of a client computer system, comprising:

at least two server computers hosting content, said at least two server computers sharing at least a portion of a domain name but wherein said domain names are not identical;

said at least one client computer cooperating with at least one of said server computers through a computing application; and

a cookie cooperating with said computing application having a usage behavior tag such that either of said at least two server computers can read and write usage information associated with said client computer to said portion of said cookie indicated by said usage behavior tag and wherein said each of the at least two server computers can provide content to said client based on the usage information written by the other server computer.

19. The system recited in claim 18, wherein said configuration for said cookie comprises a data storage area having a predefined data format allowing for the storage of encoded data.

20. The system recited in claim 19, wherein said content encodes various data types for said usage information associated with said client computer in said data storage area.

21. The system recited in claim 20, wherein said data type encoded in said data storage area depends on said content encoding said usage information.

22. The system recited in claim 18, wherein said system comprises at least one of the following group:

the Internet, an intranet, a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN).

23. The system recited in claim 18, wherein said cookie size does not exceed 4 Kilobytes.

24. In a computer system hosting a plurality of content components, a system for selectively providing content to a client computer, comprising:

a means for receiving at a first server a request for selected content components from a client computer;

a means for receiving a file associated with said client computer;

a means for updating said file with usage information related to said request for selected content in a portion of said file designated for usage behavior tracking;

a means for determining other ones of said selected content components relevant to said user, said other ones of said selected content components being selected based on said usage information found in said file where said usage information comprises usage information of content on another server located at an address specified by a domain name that is not identical to but having a portion in common with the domain name associated with the address of the first computer;

a means for transmitting said information indicative of said other ones of said selected content components to said user; and

a means for transmitting said file back to said user.

25. A system for tracking the usage behavior of a client computer comprising:

a means for accessing a cookie comprising a usage behavior designated portion by a server at an address associated with a first domain name, said cookie being accessible by at least another server associated with a second domain name, wherein the first and second domain names are not identical but have a least a portion in common;

a means for populating said cookie with said information relevant to the usage of said server associated with the first domain name; and

a means for transmitting said cookie back to said client computer so that said at least another server can retrieve the usage information and present content to said client computer based thereon.

26. The usage behavior tracking system recited in claim 25, wherein said means for accessing a cookie by said server comprises a pointer to another domain.

27. In a computer system having at least two domain names sharing at least a portion of a domain name, a system for tracking a client computer'"'"'s usage comprising:

a means for requesting content of one of said at least two domains by said client computer;

a means for receiving a cookie from a server in said one of said at least two domains, said domains not being identical but having a portion in common, by said client computer, said cookie maintained by said server specifically for said client, said cookie comprising a tag indicative of a portion of information about the usage of said content by said client computer;

a means for storing said cookie by client computer; and

providing said cookie to a server on the other one of said two domains wherein said server can provide content to said client computer based on said usage information.