System and method for implementing click-through for browser executed software including ad proxy and proxy cookie caching

• US 20020007393A1
• Filed: 05/18/2001
• Published: 01/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rateze Remote Mgmt. L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Prophet Financial Systems, Inc. (Charles Schwab Corporation)
• Inventors: Hamel, Lawrence Arthur
• Granted Patent: US 7,475,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0247 Calculate past, present or future revenues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

An improved proxy is disclosed for allowing click-through on an ad URL delivered on a web page within a Java® applet executing on a client machine. The proxy caches cookie information for the browser, to support java applications that do not allow for planting of cookies directly. When the user clicks on the ad URL, the proxy retrieves the relevant cookie and link information from a host side database, and uses the same to help the browser open the correct URL associated with the ad. Additional controls are provided for the proxy including the ability to filter ads in an appropriate fashion for the applet, to cache ads from third party servers, to monitor applet behavior, to cache/pass on client IP address information, and to perform administrative tasks for the applet within the browser to enhance and facilitate ad delivery between advertisers and their intended audiences. The proxy thus acts to extend the reach and access of a conventional applet beyond the resources of a download host associated with such applet. In another embodiment, the applet controls a hidden frame within the browser, which hidden frame, unlike the applet frame, is able to download and plant a cookie from an ad server within the browser. When the user clicks on the ad URL, the browser uses the cooked from the hidden frame and passes it on to the Ad Server along with the URL, so that the user experiences a seamless and smooth transfer as would occur from a conventional HTML tag within the page.

Claims

1. A system for enabling a java based software applet associated with a destination site to display content from a third party site separate from the destinations site within a browser connected to the Internet, the system comprising:

a proxy software routine executing at the destination site, said proxy being configured;

(1) to monitor requests from the java based software applet for the content;

(2) to make requests for the content from the third party site, said requests being directed to content that is otherwise not accessible directly by the java based software applet; and

(3) to cache cookie files associated with the third party site for supporting click-through activities intended for retrieving a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the content.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the java based software applet is incorporated as part of a banner based on a web page associated with the destination site.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said content is advertising material associated with the banner.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said proxy software routine is further configured to cache said content from the third party site such that a click-through can be satisfied directly by said destination site.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said proxy software routine maintains a file of links and calls to support said click-through activities.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said proxy software further stores and/or caches IP address data associated with said click-through activities.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said IP address data is used to send an ID parameter along with the click-through URL so that demographics for said click-through activities can be determined by said third party site.

8. A system for enabling a java based software applet associated with a destination site to display content from a third party site separate from the destinations site within a browser connected to the Internet, the system comprising:

a proxy software routine executing at the destination site, said proxy being configured;

(1) to monitor requests from the java based software applet for the content;

(2) to make requests for the content from the third party site, said requests being directed to content that is otherwise not accessible directly by the java based software applet; and

(3) to evaluate content display parameters associated with the content to determine if they are compatible with applet display parameters associated with the java based software applet;

wherein said proxy operates to extend access capabilities of the java based software applet to content that is outside of the destination site.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the java based software applet is incorporated as part of a banner based on a web page associated with the destination site.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said content is advertising material associated with the banner.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said content display parameters include:

(a) a type of content file to be displayed within the applet as part of said content; and

/or (b) a size of said content file; and

/or (c) a refresh frequency to be used for said content file.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein when said content display parameters associated with the content to determine are not compatible with applet display parameters associated with the java based software applet, said content is modified by said proxy software routine to make it compatible with said java based software applet, and/or additional content is retrieved from the third party site, which additional content is also checked to determine if it has content display parameters that are compatible with applet display parameters associated with the java based software applet.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein said proxy software routine can request and receive new ad content automatically as a result of a timer expiring and/or in response to user action including a clickthrough.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein said proxy software routine can refresh selected portions of the content as displayed at selected times.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein said proxy software routine caches said content from said third party site.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said content is advertising material supplied by an ad server

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said content is solicited and stored during a background task executed by said proxy software routine.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein said proxy software routine maintains accounting and/or tracking information for use by the third party site to verify accesses to content that is cached.

19. The system of claim 8, wherein said proxy software routine is further configured to determine whether said java based software applet has been idle for a predetermined period and based on said determination to adjust future content delivery to said java based software applet.

20. The system of claim 8, wherein said proxy software routine is further configured to detect when said third party site is unavailable and based on said determination to re-direct the retrieval of content from another site.

21. A system for enabling an Internet capable browser viewing a destination site page to execute a click-through operation to a third party page located as a tag on the destination site page, the tag being associated with a URL for a third party site which requires a first cookie file associated with the third party site, the system comprising:

a java based software applet originating from the destination site and executing within the browser in a first frame, said java based software applet being configured;

(1) to display the tag for the third party page in said first frame as a first visible tag viewable by a user;

(2) to control a second frame within the browser, said second frame being separate from the first frame, and having a second non-visible tag for the third party page not viewable by the user;

wherein said second non-visible tag is usable by the browser for obtaining the URL and a second cookie file related to the first cookie file; and

further wherein in response to a click-through operation associated with the first visible tag, said browser can pass the URL and second cookie file to the third party site, thus permitting a click-through from within a java applet to the third party site.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said java based sofware applet interacts with a proxy program running on the destination site to construct and control said second frame.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein said java based software applet uses said second frame to plant a cookie file within said Internet capable browser when said third party site indicates to said proxy program that a cookie file is needed to view an ad associated with said java based software applet.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein said second cookie file includes any information from said first cookie file, as well as additional coded information associated with said destination site, said user, and/or said java based software applet.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein said second frame can be made selectively viewable under control of said java based software applet.

26. A method of displaying content within a web browser operating at a client site and being used to view a web page located on a server accessible on the Internet, the method comprising the steps of:

a) executing a java based software applet within the browser, said java based software applet including an interactive tag associated with content located at a third party site, which content is not directly accessible to said java based software applet;

b) caching cookie files associated with said content located at said third party site at the server using a proxy program, which cookie files support click-through operations through a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with said content;

c) using said proxy program to monitor a click-through operation on said interactive tag to access said content;

d) requesting said content from the third party site using said proxy program;

wherein said cookie files cached at the server site allow said content to be downloaded to the web browser for display at the client site under control of said proxy program.

27. A method of controlling display of content within a web browser operating at a client site and being used to view a web page located on a server accessible on the Internet, the method comprising the steps of:

a) executing a java based software applet within the browser, said java based software applet including an interactive tag associated with content located at a third party site;

b) using said proxy program to monitor a click-through operation on said interactive tag to access said content;

c) requesting said content from the third party site using said proxy program;

d) using said proxy program to evaluate content display parameters associated with said content to determine if such content display parameters are compatible with applet display parameters associated with said java based software applet.

28. A method for performing a click-through operation originating from a java based software applet downloaded from a first server and running in a browser program located at a client system, the method comprising the steps of:

a) executing the java based software applet within a first frame in the browser program at the client system;

b) displaying a first visible tag viewable by a user in said first frame, said first visible tag being associated with content at a second server separate from said first server, said content being accessible through the use of a first cookie file;

wherein said first cookie file is not cached by the browser within the client system for accessing said content;

c) generating a second frame within the browser, said second frame being separate from the first frame, and having a second non-visible tag for said content that is not viewable by the user;

d) using said second non-visible tag to obtain uniform resource locator (URL) and a second cookie file related to the first cookie file; and

 

wherein in response to a click-through operation associated with said first visible tag, said browser uses said URL and second cookie file to access said content from the third party site.