Method and system for online session tracking

• US 7,644,121 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unify Patente GmbH & Co. KG (Atos Se)
• Original Assignee: ClickPath LLC
• Inventors: Swanson, Gregory Earl, Carpenter, Ted Elliott
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, DUYEN MY
• Application Number:
  US11/303,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20070124290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 715/14, 379/112.01, 379/114.01, 379/114.05, 379/114.13
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search

Abstract

Computer implemented methods of tracking client device activity on a web site are provided. Certain embodiments of tracking methods allow client device activity on one communication network (e.g. web pages viewed via the Internet) to be correlated to subsequent communications on a second communications network (e.g. a telephony network). Other embodiments include the ability to track client device activity across one or more web servers. Certain embodiments include the ability to use a limited pool of selectable addresses on one network (e.g. phone numbers) to correlate to a wide range of client device activity on another network. Reports may be generated that summarize the collected and correlated tracking information.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of tracking client device activity on a web site comprising:

(a) receiving by a web server, from a client device, a first request for a web page on a first communications network;

(b) in response to the first request, gathering by the web server, from the client device, client device identifying information and attribute information;

wherein the client device information comprises browser type, browser version, screen resolution, color depth, and IP address;

wherein the attribute information comprises an ad outlet, category and a search key word;

(c) dynamically assigning an address from a second communications network to the client device based on the gathered client device identifying information and the attribute information, wherein the address is selected from a limited pool of selectable addresses to form a dynamically assigned address;

(d) storing the gathered client device identifying information and the attribute information associated with the dynamically assigned address in a record of a database;

(e) returning to the client device the dynamically assigned address to allow user of the client device establishing communication to the second communications network via the dynamically assigned address;

(f) receiving a communication on the second communications network by way of the dynamically assigned address;

(g) allowing steps (a)-(f) to be repeated a plurality of times for a plurality of client devices; and

(h) generating a conversion report that in part correlates the communications on the second communication network to the record stored in the database on the first communication network which associate the gathered client device identifying information and the attribute information with the dynamically assigned addresses;

wherein the step of storing the gathered identifying information and the attribute information associates with the dynamically assigned address in a record of a database occurs in a network information provider on the first communications network;

wherein the dynamically assigned address is a telephone number;

wherein the second communications network is a telephony network;

wherein the dynamically assigning an address comprises;

assigning an already assigned address to the client device if an address of the limited pool of selectable addresses has already been assigned to the client device that corresponds to the gathered client device identifying information and the attribute information;

determining a weighted score for each address of the limited pool of selectable addresses and dynamically assigning the address with the highest weighted score to the client device if an address of the limited pool of selectable addresses has not already been assigned to the client device that corresponds to the gathered client device identifying information and the attribute information and;

wherein the weighted score associated with each address is determined base on an amount time passed since the address had been previously assigned, recentness of sending the assigned address, frequency of sending the assigned address, recentness of a customer communication via the assigned address, frequency of a customer communicate via the assigned address and recentness of online activity by a customer and frequency of online activity by a customer who was shown the assigned address.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (d) comprises obtaining the dynamically assigned address from a third party web server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the address on the second communications network is a common short code (CSC) on the telephony network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of dynamically assigning an address further comprises:

determining a weighted score for each address of the limited pool of selectable addresses and dynamically assigning the address with the lowest weighted score to the client device if an address of the limited pool of selectable addresses has not already been assigned to the client device that corresponds to the gathered client device identifying information and the attribute information.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein step (e) comprises sending to the client device the dynamically assigned address via a second web page that includes the dynamically assigned address.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the second web page comprises a clickable link that initiates communication on the second communications network by way of the dynamically assigned address.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein step (e) comprises sending an e-mail to a user wherein the e-mail comprises the dynamically assigned address.