Transaction tracking, managing, assessment, and auditing data processing system and network

• US 8,131,575 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2010
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rakuten USA, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Linkshare Corporation (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Messer, Stephen Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US12/791,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20100318434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/16
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/023 the neutral party being a clearing house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0248 Avoiding fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0619 Neutral agent
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols

Abstract

An improved processing system for tracking commerce on the Internet provides for subvariable processing and includes web page scanning to discern fraud or improper content to insure proper promotion of select products within the network environment.

Claims

1. A data processing system for supporting web-based commerce and commission tracking, comprising:

a Clearinghouse server connected to and in communication with a multi-node network, said Clearinghouse server configured to;

generate a commerce tracking link for placement on an Affiliate web site, wherein said link is configured to cause a USER'"'"'s web browser to send a request to said Clearinghouse server;

receive said request from said browser, wherein said request comprises an Affiliate web site identifier and a promotion identifier;

direct said browser to a Merchant web site;

track a sale, associated with said requests from said browser, at said Merchant web site; and

calculate a commission owed for said sale.

2. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein said Clearinghouse server is further configured to transmit a cookie to said USER'"'"'s web browser and track said sales at said Merchant web site using said cookie.

3. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein said Clearinghouse server further comprises programming for detecting fraudulent activity relating to said requests.

4. The data processing system of claim 3, wherein said fraud detection programming includes scanning said Affiliate web site to detect whether said Affiliate website indicates that Javascript is responsible for generating said requests.

5. The data processing system of claim 3, wherein said fraud detection programming includes click pattern assessment over time.

6. The data processing system of claim 3, wherein said fraud detection programming tracks time intervals between clicks from a select promotion.

7. The data processing system of claim 3, wherein said fraud detection programming detects repeated clicks from a single IP address.