Method of gathering information related to activity of a user and a data processing system program product

• US 9,172,761 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2010
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• 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): Coulter, Kenneth R
• Application Number:
  US12/902,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20110029663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,841 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/223
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

Information related to activity of a user may be provided using a method or a data processing system program product to perform the method. In one embodiment, the method includes sending a first view request to a first electronic site, receiving a first view from the first electronic site, and first information related to the first view request to a second entity that is different from the first entity. In another embodiment, a data processing system program product may perform a method of sending information related to a view request from the user for an electronic site. The information is to be sent to an entity that is different from an entity that substantially controls or owns the electronic site and different from an Internet service provider of the user, if the user is to use the Internet service provider in accessing the electronic site.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of tracking user activity on a website in a manner that is responsive to user tracking selections, comprising:

responsive to a user selection of a first mode of operation to track website activity related to the user, enabling, by a data processing system program product embodied on non-transitory computer memory of a data processing system of the user, the sending of information related to website activity of the user on a website;

the data processing system of the user sending a view request to a website server serving the website and receiving from the website server a view substantially corresponding to the view request regardless of whether the sending of information is enabled by the data processing system program product embodied on the data processing system of the user;

the data processing system of the user sending the information related to the website activity of the user on the website to an electronic site access provider server;

the electronic site access provider server storing or causing the storing of the information related to the website activity of the user on the website in a user information system; and

responsive to another user selection of a second mode of operation, the data processing system program product embodied on the data processing system of the user disabling the sending of the information related to the website activity of the user on the website.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising, in said first state, generating, by a website tracking server of the user information system, a user profile based on the stored website activity information, said user profile related to website activity for which the user enables tracking.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said stored information related to website activity of the user in said first mode of operation is publicly available and website activity of the user in said second mode of operation is not publicly available thereby serving to protect the privacy of website activity of the user in said second mode of operation.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said stored information includes information on a plurality of users and is publicly available on a basis of a priority wherein a user with a higher priority can obtain information on other users with a lower priority.

5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the website activity of the user comprises information related to a view request.

6. The computer-implemented method according to claim 5, wherein the view request comprises temporal information.

7. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the user information system is independent of the website server.

8. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic site access provider server stores the information in a database of the user information system.

9. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic site access provider server sends the information to a website tracking server of the user information system, wherein the website tracking server stores the information in a database of the user information system.

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

responsive to a user selection of a first mode of operation to track website activity related to the user, enabling, by a data processing system program product embodied on a data processing system of the user, the sending of information related to website activity of the user on a website;

the data processing system of the user sending a view request to a website server serving the website and receiving from the website server a view substantially corresponding to the view request regardless of whether the sending of information is enabled by the data processing system program product embodied on the data processing system of the user;

the data processing system of the user sending the information related to the website activity of the user on the website to an electronic site access provider server;

the electronic site access provider server storing or causing the storing of the information related to the website activity of the user on the website in a user information system; and

responsive to another user selection of a second mode of operation, the data processing system program product embodied on the data processing system of the user disabling the sending of the information related to the website activity of the user on the website.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium stores further instructions translatable by the at least one processor to perform:

in said first mode of operation, generating, by a website tracking server of the user information system, a user profile based on the stored website activity information, said user profile related to website activity for which the user enables tracking.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein said stored information related to website activity of the user in said first mode of operation is publicly available and website activity of the user in said second mode of operation is not publicly available thereby serving to protect the privacy of website activity of the user in said second mode of operation.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein said stored information includes information on a plurality of users and is publicly available on a basis of a priority wherein a user with a higher priority can obtain information on other users with a lower priority.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the website activity of the user comprises information related to a view request.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the view request comprises temporal information.

16. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the user information system is independent of the website server.

17. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the electronic site access provider server stores the information in a database of the user information system.

18. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the electronic site access provider server sends the information to a website tracking server of the user information system, wherein the website tracking server stores the information in a database of the user information system.

19. A system for tracking user activity on a website in a manner that is responsive to user tracking selections, comprising:

at least one processor;

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

responsive to a user selection of a first mode of operation to track website activity related to the user, enabling, by a data processing system program product embodied on a data processing system of the user, the sending of information related to website activity of the user on a website;

the data processing system of the user sending a view request to a website server serving the website and receiving from the website server a view substantially corresponding to the view request regardless of whether the sending of information is enabled by the data processing system program product embodied on the data processing system of the user;

the data processing system of the user sending the information related to the website activity of the user on the website to an electronic site access provider server;

the electronic site access provider server storing or causing the storing of the information related to the website activity of the user on the website in a user information system; and

responsive to another user selection of a second mode of operation, the data processing system program product embodied on the data processing system of the user disabling the sending of the information related to the website activity of the user on the website.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium stores further instructions translatable by the at least one processor to perform:

in said first mode of operation, generating, by a website tracking server of the user information system, a user profile based on the stored website activity information, said user profile related to website activity for which the user enables tracking.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein said stored information related to website activity of the user in said first mode of operation is publicly available and website activity of the user in said second mode of operation is not publicly available thereby serving to protect the privacy of website activity of the user in said second mode of operation.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein said stored information includes information on a plurality of users and is publicly available on a basis of a priority wherein a user with a higher priority can obtain information on other users with a lower priority.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the website activity of the user comprises information related to a view request.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the view request comprises temporal information.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the user information system is independent of the website server.

26. The system according to claim 19, wherein the electronic site access provider server stores the information in a database of the user information system.

27. The system according to claim 19, wherein the electronic site access provider server sends the information to a website tracking server of the user information system, wherein the website tracking server stores the information in a database of the user information system.