System and method for monitoring usage patterns

• US 7,392,160 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2006
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alto Dynamics, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Fortent Limited (Nice Ltd)
• Inventors: Wicks, Tony
• Primary Examiner(s): TSAI, CAROL S W
• Application Number:
  US11/557,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 702/186, 709/226, 709/203, 709/223, 709/224, 709/238, 709/225, 709/227, 709/218, 709/217, 709/303, 709/219, 705/26, 705/27, 705/40
• US Class Current: 702/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A method of monitoring user usage patterns of a system, comprising the steps of: providing at least one state object (180), the object including a profile representative of user usage; storing the state object at a client location (110); passing, to a central server (120), the state object with each subsequent interaction initiation; and receiving, from the central server, the state object along with the response (170) of the central server, wherein the profile is modified to reflect the interaction between client location and central server. The present invention provides a system and a method for monitoring user usage patterns, and is particularly suited to use in Internet and World Wide Web applications.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring user usage patterns of a system, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one state object, the object including a profile representative of user usage;

storing the state object at a client location;

passing, to a central server, the state object with each subsequent interaction initiation; and

receiving, from the central server, the state object along with the response of the central server;

wherein the profile is modified to reflect the interaction between the client location and the central server; and

wherein the central server audits the state object/profile passed to it, and performs analysis on the audited profile in order to direct services and/or information suited to the profile to the client location.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the profile includes at least one key and value-field pair.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the key is an identifier of a particular interaction type, and the value-field contains a count of the number of occurrences of that particular interaction type.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the value-field further contains a time component detailing the last modification of the interaction count and/or a time component detailing the creation of the key and value-field.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one state object is provided by the central server during a first interaction between the server and the client location.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the state object is provided as a part of the central server'"'"'s response to a request for resources/information submitted by the client location.

7. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of modifying the profile includes:

providing at least one further state object, the further state object comprising one or more key and value-field pair, and

storing the at least one further state object at the client location.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one further state object is provided by the central server.

9. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the modification of a profile includes one or more of:

incrementing the count component of at least one key and value-field pair;

updating a time component of at least one key and value-field pair;

adding at least one further key and value-field pair to the profile; and

removing one or more key and value-field pair from the profile.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modification of the profile is carried out within the central server.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein interaction between the client location and the central server occurs via the Internet or other analogous means.

20. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the further state object is audited and removed after a specified time period or in response to an access by the client of a specified resource.

12. A module configured to monitor user usage patterns within a system, the module resident within the system, the system comprising:

a central server; and

at least one client location;

the module comprising;

means within the central server, for generating at least one state object;

means, within the central server, for auditing the profile, and for analysing the audited profile, such that information/services suited thereto may be provided to the client location by the central server; and

means for modifying a profile representative of system usage included in the state object to reflect interactions between the central server and the client location;

wherein at least one state object is stored at the client location and passed between the client location and central server during interaction therebetween.

13. A module as claimed in claim 12, wherein the profile includes at least one key and value-field pair.

14. A module as claimed in claim 13, wherein the value-field contains an interaction count.

15. A module as claimed in claim 14, wherein the value-field contains at least one of a time component detailing the last modification of the interaction count and a time component detailing the creation of the key and value-field.

16. A module as claimed in claim 12, wherein the means for modifying includes:

means for incrementing a count which embodies a value of at least one key and value-field pair;

means for updating a time component of at least one key and value-field pair;

means for adding at least one further key and value-field pair to the profile; and

means for removing one or more key and value-field pair from the profile.

17. A module as claimed in claim 12, wherein modifying the profile is carried out within the central server.

18. A module as claimed in claim 12, wherein interaction between the central server and the client location occurs via the Internet or other analogous means.

19. A computer program product comprising;

a computer readable medium having stored thereon computer program means for causing a computer to monitor user usage patterns within a system, comprising;

code for providing at least one state object, the object including a profile representative of user usage;

code for storing the state object at a client location;

code for passing, to a central server, the state object with each subsequent interaction initiation; and

code for receiving, from the central server, the state object along with the response of the central server;

code for modifying the profile to reflect the interaction between the client location and the central server;

code for causing the central server to perform an audit on the state object/profile passed to it; and

code for causing the central server to perform an analysis on the audited profile in order to direct services and/or information suited to the profile to the client location.