Method for continuous, frame-specific click-stream recording

• US 9,986,053 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2017
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ip Ot Sub Ulc
• Original Assignee: Open Text Sa Ulc (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: McCullough, Sean M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqi, Mohammad A
• Application Number:
  US15/397,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20170118297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/44 Distributed routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5046 Resolving address allocation conflicts; Testing of addresses testing when self-assigning an address H04L61/5092
• 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

Abstract

A method for tracking a user'"'"'s movements between network addresses can include, subsequent to a request for a (current) network address from a user, receiving the network address and an identifier for a region associated with the network address. The method can also include locating a record that contains the identifier for the region and a time that immediately precedes the request for the network address from the user. The record may further contain a prior network address. The method can further include generating an entry for a table that includes the identifier for the region, the current network address, and the prior network address. A server computer or a client computer can generate the entry. Improved accountability and improved user profile accuracy can be obtained with the method. A data processing system readable medium can comprise code that includes instructions for carrying out the method.

Claims

1. A data tracking method, comprising:

responsive to a user at a user device interacting with a network site associated with a server computer, collecting region-specific data in a data structure embodied on non-transitory computer memory, the collecting performed by the user device or the server computer, the data structure configured for storing region-specific identifying information, network addresses, and temporal information indicating when requests are sent from the user device, the region-specific data collected in the data structure comprising a first data entry containing a first identifier for a first region of a view displayed on the user device, a first network address, and a first time;

determining that the first time precedes immediately a second time when a request is originated from the user device, the request containing the first identifier for the first region of the view displayed on the user device and a second network address;

generating a second data entry in the data structure, the second data entry containing the first identifier for the first region of the view displayed on the user device, the second network address, the second time, and the first network address; and

generating a string for the user at the user device, the string including a node diagram with linked nodes representing a sequence of network addresses that originated from the first region of the view displayed on the client device, the string generated utilizing the data structure, the sequence of network addresses comprising the first network address and the second network address.

2. The data tracking method according to claim 1, wherein the string is one of a plurality of strings generated for the user, each string of the plurality of strings including a node diagram with linked nodes representing a sequence of network addresses that originated from a particular region of the view displayed on the client device.

3. The data tracking method according to claim 1, wherein the view is received by the user device from a content server.

4. The data tracking method according to claim 3, wherein the content server resides on the server computer.

5. The data tracking method according to claim 3, wherein the content server resides on non-transitory computer memory outside of the server computer.

6. The data tracking method according to claim 1, wherein the first time comprises a timestamp substantially corresponding to when the request is sent from the user device to the server computer.

7. The data tracking method according to claim 1, wherein the data structure comprises a table.

8. A data tracking system, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one non-transitory computer readable medium; and

stored instructions translatable by the at least one processor to perform;

responsive to a user at a user device interacting with a network site, collecting region-specific data in a data structure embodied on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium, the data structure configured for storing region-specific identifying information, network addresses, and temporal information indicating when requests are sent from the user device, the region-specific data collected in the data structure comprising a first data entry containing a first identifier for a first region of a view displayed on the user device, a first network address, and a first time;

determining that the first time precedes immediately a second time when a request is originated from the user device, the request containing the first identifier for the first region of the view displayed on the user device and a second network address;

generating a second data entry in the data structure, the second data entry containing the first identifier for the first region of the view displayed on the user device, the second network address, the second time, and the first network address; and

generating a string for the user at the user device, the string including a node diagram with linked nodes representing a sequence of network addresses that originated from the first region of the view displayed on the client device, the string generated utilizing the data structure, the sequence of network addresses comprising the first network address and the second network address.

9. The data tracking system of claim 8, wherein the string is one of a plurality of strings generated for the user, each string of the plurality of strings including a node diagram with linked nodes representing a sequence of network addresses that originated from a particular region of the view displayed on the client device.

10. The data tracking system of claim 8, wherein the view is received by the user device from a content server.

11. The data tracking system of claim 10, wherein the content server resides on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium.

12. The data tracking system of claim 10, wherein the content server resides on a server computer external to the data tracking system.

13. The data tracking system of claim 8, wherein the user device embodies the data tracking system.

14. The data tracking system of claim 8, wherein the first time comprises a timestamp substantially corresponding to when the request is sent from the user device.

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

responsive to a user at a user device interacting with a network site, collecting region-specific data in a data structure embodied on non-transitory computer memory, the data structure configured for storing region-specific identifying information, network addresses, and temporal information indicating when requests are sent from the user device, the region-specific data collected in the data structure comprising a first data entry containing a first identifier for a first region of a view displayed on the user device, a first network address, and a first time;

determining that the first time precedes immediately a second time when a request is originated from the user device, the request containing the first identifier for the first region of the view displayed on the user device and a second network address;

generating a second data entry in the data structure, the second data entry containing the first identifier for the first region of the view displayed on the user device, the second network address, the second time, and the first network address; and

generating a string for the user at the user device, the string including a node diagram with linked nodes representing a sequence of network addresses that originated from the first region of the view displayed on the client device, the string generated utilizing the data structure, the sequence of network addresses comprising the first network address and the second network address.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the string is one of a plurality of strings generated for the user, each string of the plurality of strings including a node diagram with linked nodes representing a sequence of network addresses that originated from a particular region of the view displayed on the client device.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the view is received by the user device from a content server.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the content server resides on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the first time comprises a timestamp substantially corresponding to when the request is sent from the user device.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the data structure comprises a table.