Page-view recording with click-thru tracking

• US 7,543,059 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2005
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Fakes, Thomas F., Johnson, Jeffrey V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr.; William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bayard; Djenane M
• Application Number:
  US11/218,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015614A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/203, 709/225, 709/226, 709/218, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

Page-view recording with click-thru tracking is described. In an embodiment, a tracking system receives a request for content that includes request-tracking information. The request-tracking information designates that the tracking system receive the content request before the request is communicated to a content provider. The request for content is communicated to the content provider that provides the content. The content includes content-tracking information that the tracking system receives from a requesting device when the content is provided to the requesting device. The tracking system maintains the request-tracking and the content-tracking information, and associates the request-tracking and the content-tracking information with the destination device.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

means for receiving a request for content from a requesting device, the request comprising request-tracking information relating to the request for content, wherein the request-tracking information comprises a content provider identifier that identifies the content provider and a content identifier that identifies the content;

means for determining from the request-tracking information, a selectable control identifier that identifies a selectable control;

means for redirecting the request for content to a content provider that provides the content to the requesting device, the content comprising content-tracking information relating to providing the content, said redirecting the request for content to the content provider occurring before recording the request-tracking information in an event that the request for content would be delayed for the recording;

means for receiving the content-tracking information from the requesting device; and

means for storing the request-tracking information and the content-tracking information, wherein the content-tracking information comprises a content provider identifier that identifies the content provider and a content identifier that identifies the content.

2. A computing system as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for associating the request-tracking information and the content-tracking information with the requesting device.

3. A computing system as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for associating the request-tracking information and the content-tracking information with a user of the requesting device.

4. A computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the means for receiving the content-tracking information comprises the content-tracking information being received after the content has been provided to the requesting device.

5. A computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the means for receiving the content-tracking information comprises the content-tracking information being received after the content has been rendered at the requesting device.

6. A computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the means for storing comprises storing a content provider identifier that identifies the content provider, a requesting device identifier that identifies the requesting device, and a content identifier that identifies the content.

7. A computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the means for storing comprises storing a content provider identifier that identifies the content provider, a requesting device identifier that identifies the requesting device, a content identifier that identifies the content, and a user identifier that identifies a user of the requesting device.

8. A computing system as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for determining from the request-tracking information a rendered content identifier that identifies rendered content, wherein the request for content is generated from the selectable control within the rendered content at the requesting device.

9. A computing system as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for determining from the request-tracking information a location identifier that identifies a location, wherein the request for content is generated from the selectable control at the identified location within the rendered content at the requesting device.

10. A computing system as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for determining from the request-tracking information a data link identifier that identifies a data link, a Web page identifier that identifies a Web page, and a location identifier for the data link that identifies a location of the data link within the rendered content, wherein the request for content is generated from the data link at the identified location within the Web page at the requesting device.

11. A computing system as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for determining from the request-tracking information, an application component identifier that identifies an application component, and a location identifier that identifies a location, wherein the request for content is generated from the selectable control at the identified location within a user interface for the application component at the requesting device.

12. One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to perform a method, the method comprising:

receive a request for content from a requesting device, the request for content comprising request-tracking information relating to the request for content;

redirect the request for content to a content provider that provides the content to the requesting device, the content comprising content-tracking information relating to providing the content, the request for content being redirected to the content provider before the tracking information is recorded in an event that the request for content is delayed while being recorded; and

store the request-tracking and content-tracking information and associate the request-tracking and content-tracking information with the requesting device.

13. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 12, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computing system to associate the tracking information with a user of the requesting device, and wherein the request-tracking information is encoded.

14. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 12, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computing system to store the tracking information, the tracking information comprising a content provider identifier that identifies the content provider, a requesting device identifier that identifies the requesting device, and a content identifier that identifies the content.

15. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 12, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computing system to store the tracking information, the tracking information comprising a content provider identifier that identifies the content provider, a requesting device identifier that identifies the requesting device, a content identifier that identifies the content, and a user identifier that identifies a user of the requesting device.

16. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 12, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computing system to determine from the tracking information a selectable control identifier that identifies a selectable control and a rendered content identifier that identifies rendered content, wherein the request for content is generated from the selectable control within the rendered content at the requesting device.

17. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 12, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computing system to determine from the tracking information a selectable control identifier that identifies a selectable control, a rendered content identifier that identifies rendered content, and a location identifier that identifies a location, wherein the request for content is generated from the selectable control at the identified location within the rendered content at the requesting device.

18. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 16, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed direct the computing system to determine from the tracking information a data link identifier that identifies a data link, a Web page identifier that identifies a Web page, and a location identifier for the data link that identifies a location of the data link within the rendered content, wherein the request for content is generated from the data link at the identified location within the Web page at the requesting device.

19. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 16, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computing system to determine from the tracking information a selectable control identifier that identifies a selectable control, an application component identifier that identifies an application component, and a location identifier for the application component that identifies a location of the application component within the rendered content, wherein the request for content is generated from the selectable control at the identified location within a user interface for the application component at the requesting device.