System and method for providing customized web pages
First Claim
1. A method for modifying the structure of a network accessible web site based on an analysis of activity associated with the web site, the method comprising the steps of:
- identifying a web site comprising a plurality of objects of interest including a plurality of pages within the website;
identifying one or more structural relationships for navigating between the plurality of objects of interest;
identifying within monitored user interactions a plurality of sequential user accesses navigating between the plurality of objects of interest and determining user navigational objectives;
maintaining data representative of said objects of interest, structural relationships including links between objects, sequential user navigational accesses, and determined user navigational objectives; and
applying a set of rules to said data to generate a recommendation for modifying the structural relationships, including links, between objects of interest to influence alternate future user navigation between objects of interest.
14 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An invention for customizing a web site by gathering information from a web site visitor'"'"'s sessions while the user is using the web site. The visitor'"'"'s session information is compared with expected visitor behavior, based on the present structure of the web site. Using pre-programmed basic comparison rules and computer based mathematical models, matrices are used to represent statistical information about the visitor'"'"'s sessions on the web site. The statistical information is used to extract visitor behavior which was unexpected (anomalies). Anomalies are grouped into recommendations. These recommendations are used to automatically customize the web site. In the alternative, information is provided to the web site administrator to customize the web site to be more efficient and visitor friendly, maximizing the operation of the Web site and promoting more frequent visits.
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Citations
47 Claims
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1. A method for modifying the structure of a network accessible web site based on an analysis of activity associated with the web site, the method comprising the steps of:
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identifying a web site comprising a plurality of objects of interest including a plurality of pages within the website; identifying one or more structural relationships for navigating between the plurality of objects of interest; identifying within monitored user interactions a plurality of sequential user accesses navigating between the plurality of objects of interest and determining user navigational objectives; maintaining data representative of said objects of interest, structural relationships including links between objects, sequential user navigational accesses, and determined user navigational objectives; and applying a set of rules to said data to generate a recommendation for modifying the structural relationships, including links, between objects of interest to influence alternate future user navigation between objects of interest. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 24, 25, 26, 27, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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4. A method for modifying the structure of a network accessible web site based on an analysis of activity associated with the web site, the method comprising the steps of:
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monitoring activity associated with said web site; maintaining data representative of said activity and a present structure of said web site; applying a set of rules to said data to generate a recommendation; and modifying said structure of said web site based on said recommendation wherein the step of identifying said present structure of said web site further comprises the steps of; accessing said web site via said network address; parsing the structure data of said web site to generate said present structure; and storing data representative of said present structure; and wherein the objects of interest of the web site have an inter-connection relationship to each other, numeric identifiers, names, and aliases to the names, and the step of parsing the structure data further comprises at least one of the following steps; (a) retrieving said names of said objects of interest; (b) retrieving said numeric identifiers of said objects of interest; (c) retrieving said aliases corresponding to said objects of interest; (d) retrieving said inter-connection relationship of said objects of interest; (e) retrieving a list of children, wherein said children are the identities of all said objects of interest that may be accessed directly from a particular object of interest; (f) retrieving a list of parents, wherein said parents are the identities of all said objects of interest that have direct access to a particular object of interest; and (g) retrieving a list of page distances, wherein said page distances are the number of objects of interest that must be accessed to get from one object of interest to a different object of interest.
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12. A method for modifying the structure of a network accessible web site based on an analysis of activity associated with the web site, the method comprising the steps of:
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identifying a web site comprising a plurality of objects of interest including a plurality of pages within the website; identifying one or more structural relationships for navigating between the plurality of objects of interest; identifying within monitored user interactions a plurality of sequential user accesses navigating between the plurality of objects of interest and determining user navigational objectives; maintaining data representative of said objects of interest, structural relationships including links between objects, sequential user navigational accesses, and determined user navigational objectives; applying a set of rules to said data to generate a recommendation for modifying the structural relationships, including links, between objects of interest to influence alternate future user navigation between objects of interest; and modifying said structure of said web site based on said recommendation; wherein the web site comprises a home page, and a plurality of objects of interest, the home page and plurality of objects of interest being accessible by a network address, and further comprising the step of identifying said present structure of said web site; and wherein said maintaining step further comprises at least one of the following steps; (a) creating an elements data structure, wherein said elements data structure indicates a total number of objects of interest within said web site; (b) creating a session step data structure, wherein said session step data structure indicates the maximum number of steps in any of said user sessions; (c) creating a SPUS structure, wherein said SPUS structure indicates a total number of steps per user session; (d) creating a TUS structure, wherein said TUS structure indicates a total number of user sessions; (e) creating a CLASS structure, wherein said CLASS structure indicates a class for each object of interest in said web site; and (f) creating a TC structure, wherein said TC structure indicates a total number of said classes in said web site. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for modifying the structure of a network accessible web site based on an analysis of activity associated with the web site, the method comprising the steps of:
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identifying a web site comprising a plurality of objects of interest including a plurality of pages within the website; identifying one or more structural relationships for navigating between the plurality of objects of interest; identifying within monitored user interactions a plurality of sequential user accesses navigating between the plurality of objects of interest and determining user navigational objectives; maintaining data representative of said objects of interest, structural relationships including links between objects, sequential user navigational accesses, and determined user navigational objectives; applying a set of rules to said data to generate a recommendation for modifying the structural relationships, including links, between objects of interest to influence alternate future user navigation between objects of interest; and modifying said structure of said web site based on said recommendation; wherein the web site comprises a home page, and a plurality of objects of interest, the home page and plurality of objects of interest being accessible by a network address, and further comprising the step of identifying said present structure of said web site; and wherein the rules are applied utilizing a rule engine algorithm and an anomalies floatation device, the step of applying a set of rules further comprising the steps of; (a) applying a rule of object distance, wherein said object distance is the number of objects of interest that must be accessed to get from one of said objects of interest to a different object of interest; (b) applying a rule of Step, wherein the Step is the number of objects of interest that is actually accessed to get from one of said objects of interest to a different said objects of interest during said user session; and (c) applying a rule of Class, wherein said Class is the number of objects of interest that must be accessed to get from said homepage of said web site to said objects of interest. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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28. A method for modifying the structure of a network accessible web site based on an analysis of activity associated with the web site, the method comprising the steps of:
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identifying a web site comprising a plurality of objects of interest including a plurality of pages within the website; identifying one or more structural relationships for navigating between the plurality of objects of interest; identifying within monitored user interactions a plurality of sequential user accesses navigating between the plurality of objects of interest and determining user navigational objectives; maintaining data representative of said objects of interest, structural relationships including links between objects, sequential user navigational accesses, and determined user navigational objectives; applying a set of rules to said data to generate a recommendation for modifying the structural relationships, including links, between objects of interest to influence alternate future user navigation between objects of interest; and modifying said structure of said web site based on said recommendation; wherein said maintaining step further comprises at least one of the following steps; (a) creating an elements data structure, wherein said elements data structure indicates a total number of objects of interest within the website; (b) creating a session step data structure, wherein said session step data structure indicates the maximum number of steps in any of said user sessions; (c) creating a SPUS structure, wherein said SPUS structure indicates a total number of steps per user session; (d) creating a TUS structure, wherein said TUS structure indicates a total number of user sessions; (e) creating a CLASS structure, wherein said CLASS structure indicates a class for each object of interest in said web site; and (f) creating a TC structure, wherein said TC structure indicates a total number of said classes in said web site. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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32. A method for modifying the structure of a network accessible web site based on an analysis of activity associated with the web site, the method comprising the steps of:
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identifying a web site comprising a plurality of objects of interest including a plurality of pages within the website; identifying one or more structural relationships for navigating between the plurality of objects of interest; identifying within monitored user interactions a plurality of sequential user accesses navigating between the plurality of objects of interest and determining user navigational objectives; maintaining data representative of said objects of interest, structural relationships including links between objects, sequential user navigational accesses, and determined user navigational objectives; applying a set of rules to said data to generate a recommendation for modifying the structural relationships, including links, between objects of interest to influence alternate future user navigation between objects of interest; and modifying said structure of said web site based on said recommendation; wherein the rules are applied utilizing a rule engine algorithm and an anomalies floatation device, the step of applying a set of rules further comprises the steps of; (a) applying a rule of object distance, wherein said object distance is the number of objects of interest that must be accessed to get from one of said objects of interest to a different object of interest; (b) applying a rule of Step, wherein the Step is the number of objects of interest that is actually accessed to get from one of said objects of interest to a different said objects of interest during said user session; and (c) applying a rule of Class, wherein said Class is the number of objects of interest that must be accessed to get from said homepage of said web site to said objects of interest. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. An apparatus for modifying the structure of a network accessible web site, the apparatus comprising:
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a communications means for establishing communications with said web site; a first input for accepting data representative of structure relationships for navigating objects of interest; a second input for accepting data representative of sequential user accesses navigating the structure of the web site; a memory buffer for providing storage for said structure associated with said web site and said navigational activity; a processing unit for; identifying a web site comprising a plurality of objects of interest including a plurality of pages within the website; identifying one or more structural relationships for navigating the plurality of objects of interest; identifying within monitored user interactions a plurality of sequential user accesses navigating between the plurality of objects of interest and determining user navigational objectives; maintaining data representative of said objects of interest, structural relationships including links between objects, sequential user navigational accesses and determined user navigational objectives; and applying a set of rules to said data to generate a recommendation for modifying the structural relationships, including links, between objects of interest to influence alternate future user navigation between objects of interest.
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Specification