Method for click-stream analysis using web directory reverse categorization

• US 8,341,019 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2010
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ip Ot Sub Ulc
• Original Assignee: Open TEXT SA (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: McCullough, Sean M.
• Primary Examiner(s): DIVECHA, KAMAL B
• Application Number:
  US12/905,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20110029389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/14.49
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• 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 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

In embodiments disclosed, information on a click stream associated with a user and meta tags commonly used by search engines can be used to profile a user. The click stream may comprise network addresses and timestamps and may be the only source of user information used for the profile. The meta tags may contain metadata that correspond to the network addresses in the click stream, including network address categorization for these network addresses. The profile obtained for the user may be an existing profile that represents a person or a theoretical individual having attributes similar to or most closely match the user. Based at least in part on the profile, information regarding an item may be provided to the user or the item may be offered to the user. In some embodiments, the information may be filtered before being displayed to the user.

Claims

1. A method of profiling a user comprising:

collecting, in a first data structure within a database, information on a click stream, the click stream being associated with a user on a client computer, wherein the click stream comprises a user identifier of the user, network addresses requested by the user and temporal information and wherein a server computer performs the collecting;

obtaining, by the server computer, meta tags in a second data structure from at least one source utilizing the information collected on the click stream associated with the user on the client computer, the at least one source being remote from the server computer and the client computer, wherein the meta tags comprise network address categorization for the network addresses and the second data structure includes network addresses corresponding to category information providing categorization of each of a plurality of Internet sites;

generating a third data structure from information obtained from the first data structure and the second data structure by matching the network addresses in the first data structure and the second data structure, the third data structure comprising user identifiers including the user identifier, categorization information corresponding to the network addresses, and temporal information; and

obtaining a profile for the user from information in the third data structure,

wherein the profile for the user is obtained utilizing;

the information including the network addresses collected from the first data structure by the server computer on the click stream associated with the user on the client computer;

the network address categorization collected from the second data structure for the network addresses as indicated by one or more of the meta tags obtained from the at least one source;

comparing the information in the third data structure with existing profiles; and

associating the user with an existing profile based on the comparison; and

based at least in part on the profile for the user, providing information regarding an item or offering the item to the user.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the meta tags are used by search engines in performing user specified searches for information on the Internet.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the network addresses are associated with different network domains on the Internet.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the profile represents a person or a theoretical individual having attributes similar to or most closely match the user.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the item represents a product or a service.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

filtering the information regarding the item or offering the item.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the profile is obtained for the user without user input.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the profile is obtained for the user solely by using the click stream associated with the user and the network address categorization contained in the one or more of the meta tags from the at least one source.

9. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions translatable by at least one processor to perform:

collecting, in a first data structure within a database, information on a click stream, the click stream being associated with a user, wherein the click stream comprises a user identifier of the user, network addresses requested by the user and temporal information;

obtaining meta tags in a second data structure from at least one source utilizing the information collected on the click stream associated with the user, wherein the meta tags comprise network address categorization for the network addresses and the second data structure includes network addresses corresponding to category information providing categorization of each of a plurality of Internet sites;

generating a third data structure from information obtained from the first data structure and the second data structure by matching the network addresses in the first data structure and the second data structure, the third data structure comprising user identifiers including the user identifier, categorization information corresponding to the network addresses, and temporal information; and

obtaining a profile for the user from information in the third data structure, wherein the profile for the user is obtained utilizing;

the information including the network addresses collected from the first data structure on the click stream associated with the user;

the network address categorization collected from the second data structure as indicated by one or more of the meta tags obtained from the at least one source;

comparing the information in the third data structure with existing profiles; and

associating the user with an existing profile based on the comparison; and

based at least in part on the profile for the user, providing information regarding an item or offering the item to the user.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the network addresses are associated with different network domains on the Internet.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the profile represents a person or a theoretical individual having attributes similar to or most closely match the user.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the item represents a product or a service.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further translatable by the at least one processor to perform:

applying one or more filters to the information regarding the item or offering the item.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the profile is obtained for the user solely by using the click stream associated with the user and the network address categorization contained in the one or more of the meta tags from the at least one source.

15. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions translatable by the at least one processor to perform;

collecting, in a first data structure within a database, information on a click stream, the click stream being associated with a user, wherein the click stream comprises a user identifier of the user, network addresses requested by the user, and temporal information;

obtaining meta tags in a second data structure from at least one source utilizing the information collected on the click stream associated with the user, wherein the meta tags comprise network address categorization for the network addresses and the second data structure includes network addresses corresponding to category information providing categorization of each of a plurality of Internet sites;

generating a third data structure from information obtained from the first data structure and the second data structure by matching the network addresses in the first data structure and the second data structure, the third data structure comprising user identifiers including the user identifier, categorization information corresponding to the network addresses, and temporal information; and

obtaining a profile for the user from information in the third data structure, wherein the profile for the user is obtained utilizing;

the information including the network addresses collected from the first data structure on the click stream associated with the user;

the network address categorization collected from the second data structure as indicated by one or more of the meta tags obtained from the at least one source;

comparing the information in the third data structure with existing profiles; and

associating the user with an existing profile based on the comparison; and

based at least in part on the profile for the user, providing information regarding an item or offering the item to the user.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the network addresses are associated with different network domains on the Internet.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the profile represents a person or a theoretical individual having attributes similar to or most closely match the user.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the item represents a product or a service.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the profile is obtained for the user solely by using the click stream associated with the user and the network address categorization contained in the one or more of the meta tags from the at least one source.