System and method for identifying individual users accessing a web site

• US 7,962,603 B1
• Filed: 06/06/2000
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nihon Dot Com Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nihon Dot Com Company Limited
• Inventors: Morimoto, Nobuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): England; David E
• Application Number:
  US09/588,879
• Time in Patent Office: 4,025 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709223-224, 713/150, 705/10
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• 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 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

An improved method and system for identifying individual users accessing a web site. A web site server is able to identify distinct users by using a unique identifier associated with each client computer system requesting access to the web site. The unique identifier comprises an Internet address, such as an Internet Protocol (IP) address, and a time value associated with each client computer system requesting access to the web site. On starting up a web browser, an application program or browser plug-in may synchronize the internal clock included with the client computer system with a global time standard. The synchronized time value may be based on an event associated with the client computer system, such as the start of a web browser. A web site server may determine the uniqueness of the client computer system by comparing unique identifier records of users accessing the web site. A user may be identified as distinct if no matching record exists in the database. Multiple client computer systems having a common Internet address may be identified by using this method. Users privacy is also protected as the unique identifiers are erased when the client computer system'"'"'s user exits the web browser or powers down the computer.

Claims

1. A method for identifying distinct users accessing a web site, the method comprising:

storing one or more records in a database, wherein each record comprises an Internet address and a time value, and wherein each record corresponds to a different computer accessing said web site;

receiving a first request from a first computer to access the web site;

sending a request for information to said first computer, wherein said information comprises a first Internet address and a first time value corresponding to said first computer;

receiving said information;

determining whether a matching record for said first Internet address and said first time value exists in said database; and

identifying said first computer as a distinct user if said matching record does not exist in said database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said time value is associated with a user-defined event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said user-defined event is a launch of a web browser software on said first computer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said time value is generated by a time keeping device, wherein said time keeping device is configured to synchronize said time value with a global time keeping standard clock.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said Internet address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the database is an object oriented database or a relational database.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating and updating a timestamp for each record, wherein said identifying comprises identifying said first computer as a distinct computer user only if said matching record does not exist in said database or if said timestamp for said matching record is older than a predetermined maximum time.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said first computer is a personal computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, an Internet-enabled cellular phone, an Internet-enabled personal digital assistant, or an Internet-enabled television.

9. A system for identifying a distinct computer user accessing a web site, the system comprising:

a client computer system operated by one or more computer users;

a web site server computer system;

wherein the client computer system is operable to connect with the web site server for gaining access to said web site in response to requests from said one or more computer users; and

wherein the web site server is operable to;

store one or more records in a database, wherein each record comprises an Internet address and a time value, and wherein each record corresponds to a computer user accessing said web site;

receive a first request from a first computer user to access the web site;

send a request for information to said first computer user, wherein said information comprises a first Internet address and a first time value corresponding to said first computer user;

receive said information;

determine whether a matching record for said first Internet address and said first time value exists in said database;

identify said first computer user as a distinct computer user if said matching record does not exist in said database.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a time keeping device of said web site server computer system, wherein a time value of said time keeping device is synchronized with a global time keeping standard clock.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said client computer system is one of the following:

a personal computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, an Internet-enabled cellular phone, an Internet-enabled personal digital assistant, or an Internet-enabled television.

12. A system for identifying a distinct computer user accessing a web site, the system comprising:

a client computer system operated by a computer user; and

a web site server, wherein the web site server is operable to connect with the client computer system for providing web site access to said client computer system in response to a request from said computer user,

wherein the client computer system is operable to;

launch a web browser software;

execute a program to synchronize time;

send a first request to said web site server to access the web site;

receive a request for information from said web site server, wherein said information comprises a first Internet address and a first time value corresponding to said client computer system; and

send said information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said web site server further comprises a time keeping device configured to maintain a time value by synchronizing said time value with a global time keeping standard clock.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said client computer system comprises a personal computer or a laptop computer or a notebook computer or an Internet-enabled cellular phone or an Internet-enabled personal digital assistant or a web television system.

15. A memory medium, comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by a computer system to implement a method of:

storing one or more records in a database, wherein each record comprises an Internet address and a time value, and wherein each record corresponds to a distinct computer access to a web site;

receiving a first request from a first computer to access the web site;

sending a request for information to said first computer, wherein said information comprises a first Internet address and a first time value corresponding to said first computer;

receiving said information;

determining whether a matching record for said first Internet address and said first time value exists in said database;

identifying said first computer as a distinct computer user if said matching record does not exist in said database.

16. A system for identifying a distinct computer user accessing a web site, the system comprising:

a client computer system operated by one or more computer users;

a web site server computer system;

wherein the client computer system is operable to connect with the web site server for gaining access to said web site in response to requests from said one or more computer users; and

wherein the web site server is operable to;

store one or more identifiers, wherein each identifier corresponds to a computer user accessing said web site, wherein said each identifier comprises an Internet address and a time value, wherein the time value is associated with a launch of a web browser on the client computer system;

receive a request from a first computer user to access the web site, wherein said request comprises a first identifier corresponding to said first computer user accessing said web site, wherein said first identifier comprises a first Internet address, and a first time value associated with a launch of a web browser on the client computer system;

search for an identifier matching said first identifier among said one or more stored identifiers;

identify said first identifier as a distinct computer user if said searching for said first identifier did not result in a match, wherein a match comprises a match between the first Internet address, and the Internet address in one of said one or more stored identifiers and a match between the first time value and the time value in the one of said one or more stored identifiers.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a time keeping device of said web site server computer system, wherein a time value of said time keeping device is synchronized with a global time keeping standard clock.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said client computer system comprises a personal computer or a laptop computer or a notebook computer or an Internet-enabled cellular phone or an Internet-enabled personal digital assistant or a web television system.

19. A memory medium, comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by a computer system to implement a method of:

storing one or more identifiers, wherein each identifier corresponds to a computer user accessing a web site, wherein said each identifier comprises an Internet address and a time value, wherein the time value is associated with a launch of a web browser by a respective computer user;

receiving a request from a first computer user to access the web site, wherein said request comprises a first identifier corresponding to said first computer user accessing said web site, wherein said first identifier comprises a first Internet address, and a first time value associated with a launch of a web browser by the first computer user;

searching for an identifier matching said first identifier among said one or more stored identifiers;

identifying said first identifier as a distinct computer user if said searching for said first identifier did not result in a match, wherein a match comprises a match between the first Internet address and the Internet address in one of said one or more stored identifiers, and a match between the first time value and the time value in the one of said one or more stored identifiers.