E-commerce referral tracking method and system
First Claim
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1. A method of tracking recommendations over a network of web sites by a first user at a first browser to a second user at a second browser, both of said users being on the network, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) receiving at a tracking server a recommendation of a web site from the first user, recommendation data of the recommended web site and data of the user at the second browser for whom the recommendation is made;
b) storing at the tracking server data about the first user at the first browser, the second user at the second browser, and the recommended web site; and
c) providing to the second user at the second browser an applet having a link to the recommended web site.
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Abstract
System and method for interacting with customer end user computers and merchant end user computers so that merchant end user information and merchant end user recommendations are received from a first customer end user computer and forwarded, with an added hypertext link, to a second customer end user computer. The system and method store customer end user and merchant information end user information, and customer end user—merchant end user interactions, for example for customer loyalty premiums.
80 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method of tracking recommendations over a network of web sites by a first user at a first browser to a second user at a second browser, both of said users being on the network, said method comprising the steps of:
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a) receiving at a tracking server a recommendation of a web site from the first user, recommendation data of the recommended web site and data of the user at the second browser for whom the recommendation is made;
b) storing at the tracking server data about the first user at the first browser, the second user at the second browser, and the recommended web site; and
c) providing to the second user at the second browser an applet having a link to the recommended web site. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8)
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7. The method of claim 7 wherein the interaction of the second user at the second browser with respect to the recommendation of the recommended web site is chosen from the group consisting of:
- a click through and an affirmative act.
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9. The method of claim 9 comprising storing the identities of the first user at the first browser, the second user at the second browser, the recommended web site, and the interaction taken by the second user at the second web site as a string.
- 11. The method of claim 11 comprising storing the string as a linked list.
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20. A system controlled and configured for interacting with customer end user computers and merchant end user computers whereby merchant end user information and merchant end user recommendations are received from a first customer end user computer and forwarded, with an added hypertext link, to a second customer end user computer, and to store customer end user and merchant information end user information, and customer end user—
- merchant end user interactions, said system comprising;
a) a host server adapted to i) receive recommendations from the first customer end user browser, ii) transmit a hypertext link implementing the recommendations to the second customer end user browser and to the recommended merchant end user, and iii) receive customer end user—
merchant end user interaction data from the second end user;
b) a database server including;
i) one or more business object databases including hypertext links for sending customer end user data and receiving interaction data, an e-mail database, an e-mail address list table, a user table, and ii) a tracking database for receiving and recording first customer end user recommendations and second customer end-user interactions, and providing data for customer end user reports. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
- merchant end user interactions, said system comprising;
Specification