Method and apparatus for redirection of server external hyper-link references

• US 7,702,752 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2005
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Kirsch, Steven T., Lindblad, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): SALAD, ABDULLAHI ELMI
• Application Number:
  US11/031,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20050125416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,930 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/244, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1425 involving dedicated fields in the data packet for billing purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1471 splitting of costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0246 Exchanging or transporting network management information using the Internet; Embedding network management web servers in network elements; Web-services-based protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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 67/53 using third party service providers
• 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

Abstract

A message is provided to a tracking server system in response to a client system referencing a predetermined resource locator that corresponds to a resource external to the tracking server system. The tracking server system indirectly provides for the client system to have an informational element selectable by the client system, where the informational element is graphically identified on the client system with informational content obtainable from a content server system through use of a content resource locator. The informational element includes a tracking resource locator, referencing the tracking server system, and data identifying the informational element. The selection of the informational element causes the client system to use the tracking resource locator to provide the data to the tracking server system and to use the content resource locator to obtain the informational content from the content server system.

Claims

1. A method of operating a server comprising:

serving a web page element including an embedded uniform resource locator, said embedded uniform resource locator including a redirection uniform resource locator and redirection directive, wherein said redirection directive includes a “

redirect”

keyword or code, and wherein said embedded uniform resource locator results from a service request provided to said server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said serving a web page element comprises serving said web page element to a client;

and wherein said embedded uniform resource locator results from a service request provided to said server by said client.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said redirection uniform resource locator and redirection directive is to redirect said client to a tracking server.

4. The method of claim 3, and further comprising:

redirecting said client to said tracking server based at least in part on said served embedded uniform resource locator.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said tracking server is to redirect said client to a content server associated with said web page element.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said redirection uniform resource locator and redirection directive is to redirect said client to a content server associated with said web page element.

7. The method of claim 6, and further comprising:

redirecting said client to said content server based at least in part on said embedded uniform resource locator.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said content server is to redirect said client to a tracking server.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein said web page element comprises a graphical web page element and wherein said redirection directive comprises an HTTP redirection directive.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said graphical web page element comprises a bit map.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein said serving does not result in modifying said embedded uniform resource locator.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein said serving does not involve the use of CGI script.

9. A method comprising:

receiving a web page element, said web page element including an embedded uniform resource locator, said embedded uniform resource locator including a redirection uniform resource locator and redirection directive, wherein said redirection directive includes a “

redirect”

keyword or code;

wherein said embedded uniform resource locator results from a service request provided by a client computer system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said receiving a web page element comprises receiving said web page element from a server;

and wherein said embedded uniform resource locator results from a service request provided to said server by said client.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said redirection uniform resource locator and redirection directive is to redirect said client to a tracking server.

12. The method of claim 11, and further comprising:

redirecting said client to said tracking server based at least in part on said served embedded uniform resource locator.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said tracking server is to redirect said client to a content server associated with said web page element.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein said redirection uniform resource locator and redirection directive is to redirect said client to a content server associated with said web page element.

15. The method of claim 14, and further comprising:

redirecting said client to said content server based at least in part on said embedded uniform resource locator.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said content server is to redirect said client to a tracking server.

23. The method of claim 9, wherein said web page element comprises a graphical web page element and said redirection directive comprises an HTTP redirection directive.

25. The method of claim 9, wherein said serving does not result in modifying said embedded uniform resource locator.

28. The method of claim 9, wherein said serving does not involve the use of CGI script.

17. A method comprising:

serving a request to serve an embedded uniform resource locator to a client computer system, said embedded uniform resource locator including a redirection uniform resource locator and an HTTP redirection directive;

said request produced by said client based at least in part on an object served to said client.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said serving a request comprises serving a request to a content server;

and wherein said request is based at least in part on a reference to said content service in said object served to said client.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said serving a request comprises serving a request to a tracking server;

and wherein said request is based at least in part on a reference to said tracking server in said object served to said client.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said object comprises a graphical web page element.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein said serving does not result in modifying said embedded uniform resource locator.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein said serving does not involve the use of CGI script.