Providing parallel generic web site supporting anonymous or semi-anonymous internet activity

• US 7,987,171 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2010
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Leblang, Jonathan A., Tesler, Joel D., Ortega, Ruben E.
• Primary Examiner(s): TO, BAOQUOC N
• Application Number:
  US12/705,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20100146400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

Parallel generic and non-generic versions of a Web site allow a user of the site to either remain anonymous (if accessing the generic version) or allow user information to be collected (if accessing the non-generic version). In one exemplary embodiment, a Web site may provide a user an interface for entering and processing a search query. A search query processed by a generic version of the Web site includes a marker that informs a Web server supporting the generic Web site that the user wishes to remain anonymous. A parallel non-generic version of the Web site may also interface with the same Web server as interfaced by the generic Web site, but permit a data collecting scheme at the Web server to collect user-specific or user-identifiable information. Such user information, if collected, can be used by the Web server to enhance the user'"'"'s experience with the Web site.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing access to a Web site, wherein the Web site is implemented on a server and is associated with at least a first interface and a second interface for users to interface with the Web site, the method comprising:

under control of instructions executed by the server;

receiving a query request from a user via the first interface or the second interface, wherein the query request, if received via the first interface, has a marker added thereto indicating that the user wishes to remain anonymous with the query request;

determining whether the marker is present with the query request;

responsive to determining that the marker is not present with the query request, processing the query request by;

collecting information associated with the user utilizing a data collecting scheme, and

providing the user with a personalized version of the Web site in accordance with the collected information; and

responsive to determining that the marker is present with the query request, processing the query request by providing the user with a generic non-personalized version of the Web site.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the data collecting scheme is accomplished using at least one cookie issued by the server.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second interfaces are each provided as a Web page that have a similar appearance to the user.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the marker is added to a uniform resource locator (URL) used to access the first interface.

5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein information associated with the user includes at least one of the user'"'"'s name, address, computer identification, account identification, and IP address.

6. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising refraining from collecting information associated with the user when the marker indicating that the user wishes to remain anonymous is determined to be present with the query request.

7. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising monitoring usage of the Web site for fraud when the marker indicating that the user wishes to remain anonymous is determined to be present with the query request.

8. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the Web site is included with the query request, and wherein the URL associated with the Web site is converted to an internal URL before the query request is received by the server.

9. A system for providing access to a Web site, comprising:

a memory having computer-executable instructions stored therein; and

at least one computing device in communication with the computer memory, wherein execution of the computer-executable instructions by the computing device causes the computing device to;

receive a query request from a user via a first interface or a second interface, wherein the query request includes a uniform resource identifier (URI) associated with the Web site, and when the query request is received via the first interface, the URI included with the query request further includes a marker indicating that the user wishes to remain anonymous with the query request;

determine the presence of the marker with the URI included with the query request; and

responsive to determining that the marker is present, provide the user with a generic non-personalized version of the Web site without collecting information associated with the user.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein execution of the computer-executable instructions further causes the computing device to collect information associated with the user and provide the user with a personalized version of the Web site when the marker is determined not to be present with the URI included with the query request.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein execution of the computer-executable instructions further causes the computing device to monitor usage of the Web site for fraud when the marker is determined to be present with the URI included with the query request.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein based on the presence of the marker, execution of the computer-executable instructions causes the computing device to access stored information associated with the user and provide the user with a version of the Web site that is personalized in accordance with the stored information.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the URI associated with the Web site is converted to an internal URI by the first or second interface before the query request is received by the computing device.

14. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for providing access to a Web site implemented on a server, wherein the instructions, in response to being executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive a query request from a user via an interface;

determine the presence of a marker with the query request, wherein the marker is indicative of whether the user wishes to remain anonymous with the query request; and

provide the user with either a first version of the Web site or a second version of the Web site depending on whether the marker is present with the query request, wherein the first version of the Web site is a non-personalized version of the Web site that is provided without collecting information in association with the user and the second version of the Web site is a personalized version of the Web site provided in accordance with information collected in association with the user.

15. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the computing device to collect information associated with the user and to provide the user with the first version of the Web site when the marker is determined not to be present with the query request.

16. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the computing device to monitor usage of the Web site for fraud when the first version of the Web site is provided to the user.

17. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein depending on whether the marker is present with the query request, the computer-executable instructions further cause the computing device to access stored information associated with the user and provide the second version of the Web site in accordance with the stored information.

18. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the Web site is included with the query request received from the user, and wherein the URL included with the query request is converted to an internal URL by the interface before the query request is received by the computing device.

19. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the query request is received from the user with the marker added to the query request by the interface.

20. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the interface is a first interface that automatically adds the marker to the query request, and wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to receive a query request from a user via a second interface that does not add the marker to the query request.

21. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, wherein the first and second interfaces are each provided as a Web page that have a similar appearance to the user.

22. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein a uniform resource locator (URL) used to access the interface is included with the query request, and wherein the marker is included in the URL.

23. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the query request is received from the user with the marker added to the query request by the user.