Path-analysis toolbar

• US 7,631,035 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2002
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digital River Incorporated (Danube Private Holdings II, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Digital River Incorporated (Danube Private Holdings II, LLC)
• Inventors: Kasriel, Stephane
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacobs, LaShonda T
• Application Number:
  US10/128,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20030128233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,787 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709223-224
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]

Abstract

A toolbar is provided that is synchronized with a web-site browser system. The toolbar provides an interface to a path analysis system that provides path analysis data related to a select web-page. By synchronizing the toolbar to the browser, the path analysis system provides path analysis data related to the web-page that the browser is currently displaying. By displaying the path analysis data coincident with the content of the web-page from the browser, the user is provided a direct visual association between the actual web-page and the traversals to and from the web-page. By synchronizing the toolbar with the browser, the user can view the path analysis data of each page as the user navigates through the web-site using the same technology that a typical web-site visitor would use. The toolbar in a preferred embodiment is also configured to be synchronized to the movements of a cursor within the browser, and to highlight the path analysis data associated with each link as the cursor is brought in proximity to the link on the displayed web-page.

Claims

1. A web-page performance analysis system, comprising:

a first display component that is configured to effect a display of contents of a particular web-page having outgoing links that facilitate traversals to other web-pages;

an interface operatively configured to receive an input event from a user related to one of the outgoing links of the particular web-page when the particular web-page is displayed by the first display component; and

a second display component that is configured to effect a display of path analysis data including information about traversals via one or more of the outgoing links simultaneously with the contents of the web-page and further configured to modify the display of select data of the path analysis data based on the received input event while the first display component maintains a display of the particular web-page.

2. The analysis system of claim 1 wherein the interface is configured to track placement of a cursor in the vicinity of one of the outgoing links of the particular web-page as the input event, and the second display component is configured to effect a display of path analysis data associated with at least one outgoing link in the web-page based on cursor placement in the vicinity of the link simultaneously with the contents of the particular web-page.

3. The analysis system of claim 1 wherein the path analysis data corresponds to one or more frequencies of the traversals.

4. The analysis system of claim 1 wherein the interface is configured to identify a user click on one of the outgoing links of the particular web-page as the input event, and the second display component is further configured to modify the display of select data of the path analysis data based on the user click on one of the outgoing links while the first display component maintains a display of the particular web-page.

5. The analysis system of claim 1 wherein incoming links facilitate traversals to the web-page from other web-pages, and the path analysis data is based upon traversals to the web-page via one or more of the incoming links.

6. The analysis system of claim 5 wherein the path analysis data corresponds to one or more frequencies of the traversals.

7. The analysis system of claim 5 wherein the interface is configured to receive an input event from a user related to one of the incoming links of the particular web-page when the particular web-page is displayed by the first display component, and the second display component is further configured to modify the display of select data of the path analysis data based on the input event related to one of the incoming links of the particular web-page while the first display component maintains a display of the particular web-page.

8. The analysis system of claim 1 wherein the second display component is configured to display the path analysis data based upon information received from a path analysis system.

9. The analysis system of claim 1 wherein the second display component is further configured to display performance data associated with the web-page, also in response to the selection of the web-page.

10. The analysis system of claim 1 further including a starter component that is configured to start the second display component based on a user-defined criteria.

11. The analysis system of claim 10, wherein the user-defined criteria includes at least one of:

a commencement of the first display,

a selection of the web-page, and

a selection of a web-site associated with the web-page.

12. The analysis system of claim 10 wherein:

the first display component includes a browser,

the second display component includes a browser band object, and

the starter component includes a browser helper object.

13. The analysis system of claim 1 wherein:

the first display component includes a browser, and

the second display component includes a browser band object.

14. The analysis system of claim 1 further including a filter component that is configured to filter the path analysis data displayed by the second display component based on one or more user-defined conditions.

15. The analysis system of claim 14 wherein the one or more user-defined conditions include at least one of:

a time-frame,

a characteristic of visitors to the web-page, and

an origination of visits to the web-page.

16. A method of providing path analysis data associated with a particular web-page, including steps of:

displaying content of the particular web-page, by a first display component, having outgoing links that facilitate traversals to other web-pages;

receiving an input event via an interface from a user related to one of the outgoing links of the particular web-page when the particular web-page is displayed; and

displaying the path analysis data, by a second display component including information about traversals via one or more of the outgoing links simultaneously with the content of the web-page and modifying the display of select data of the path analysis data based on the received input event while continuing to display the particular web-page.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the receiving step comprises tracking placement of a cursor in the vicinity of one of the outgoing links of the particular web-page as the input event, and wherein the displaying the path analysis data step includes displaying path analysis data associated with at least one of the outgoing links based on cursor placement in the vicinity of the link simultaneously with the content of the particular web-page.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the path analysis data corresponds to one or more frequencies of the traversals.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein incoming links facilitate traversals to the web-page from other web-pages, and the path analysis data is based upon traversals to the web-page via one or more of the incoming links.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the path analysis data corresponds to one or more frequencies of the traversals.

21. The method of claim 19 further including steps of:

receiving an input event from a user related to one of the incoming links of the particular web-page when the particular web-page is displayed, and

modifying the display of select data of the path analysis data based on the received input event related to one of the incoming links of the particular web-page while continuing to display the particular web-page.

22. The method of claim 16 further including receiving the path analysis data from a path analysis system.

23. The method of claim 16 further including displaying performance data associated with the web-page.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein the displaying the path analysis data step further includes filtering the path analysis data based on one or more user-defined conditions.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the one or more user-defined conditions include at least one of:

a time-frame,

a characteristic of visitors to the web-page, and

an origination of visits to the web-page.

26. A method of providing a web-analysis service, including:

providing a path analysis display system that is configured to display path analysis data including information about traversals to other web-pages via at least one outgoing link in a particular web-page while contents of the particular web-page are displayed by a web-page display system, the path analysis display system further being configured to modify the display of select data of the path analysis data based on a received input event from a user related to the at least one outgoing link of the particular web-page when the particular web-page is displayed by the web-page display system.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the path analysis display system is configured to display path analysis data associated with the at least one outgoing link based upon cursor placement in the vicinity of the link as the received input event.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the path analysis data corresponds to one or more frequencies of the traversals.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein incoming links facilitate traversals to the web-page from other web-pages, and the path analysis data is based upon traversals to the web-page via one or more of the incoming links.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the path analysis data corresponds to one or more frequencies of the traversals.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the path analysis display system is further configured to:

receive an input event from a user related to one of the incoming links of the particular web-page when the particular web-page is displayed, and

modify the display of select data of the path analysis data, based on the received input event related to one of the incoming links of the particular web-page while continuing to display the particular web-page.

32. The method of claim 26 wherein the path analysis display system is further configured to receive the path analysis data from a path analysis system.

33. The method of claim 26 wherein the path analysis display system is further configured to display performance data associated with the web-page.

34. The method of claim 26 wherein the path analysis display system is further configured to filter the path analysis data displayed by the web-page display system based on one or more user-defined conditions.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the one or more user-defined conditions include at least one of:

a time-frame,

a characteristic of visitors to the web-page, and

an origination of visits to the web-page.

36. The method of claim 26 wherein:

the web-page display system includes a browser, and

the path analysis display system includes a browser band object.

37. The method of claim 26 further including providing a path analysis system that is configured to collect information during accesses to the web-page, and to provide the path analysis data to the path analysis display system based on the information that is collected.