Systems for and methods of placing user indentification in the header of data packets usable in user demographic reporting and collecting usage data

• US 20040015715A1
• Filed: 02/05/2003
• Published: 01/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: comScore, Inc.
• Original Assignee: comScore Networks, Inc. (comScore, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,493,655 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

Several ways of identifying users and collecting demographic information and market information are disclosed, including branding a browser with a unique identification in each user request, identifying a user by his key strokes or mouse clicks, gathering demographic information using multiple data sets and by monitoring network traffic. Additionally, user requested content is distinguished from other, non-user content, and the performance of a server can be monitor and analyzed from a client a client perspective. Further, an Internet user'"'"'s Internet data is routed to a known domain on the Internet, from which it is routed on to the intended recipient. The domain includes proxy servers which proxy the user'"'"'s data requests to the domain, and database servers, which filter and build a database of the user'"'"'s Internet usage. Particular data concerning certain behaviors of interest, such as purchasing data, is filtered into the database, and can form the basis for numerous market measures.

Claims

1. A method of collecting data relating to a user'"'"'s usage over a network, the user utilizing a computing device to send and receive data sets over the network, the computing device having an address on the network, the data representative of the address of the computing device on the network, comprising:

establishing a connection between a computing device to a network;

instructing the computing device to alter a data field of a communications protocol in a browser program on the computer device to include identification data unique to the computing device on the network;

receiving the data field from the computing device over the network with requests for data;

parsing the data field to extract the identification data in the altered data field; and

identifying the computing device from the extracted identification data;

readdressing data sets sent from the computing device to indicate that the data sets originated in the known domain;

recording at least part of the data sets; and

sending the readdressed data onto the network.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising configuring software running on the computing device to address all data sets to a known proxy server in the known domain.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of recording at least part of the data sets comprises building a database including at least part of the data sets, wherein the step of building a database includes building a database having at least one field selected from the group consisting of user age, user income level, user education level, household size, time of transmission of the data set, location of computing device, date of transmission of the data set, currency paid, type of product purchased, type of service purchased, network address of the intended recipient of a data set, click-through address, banner advertisement impression, and permission e-mail received, and combinations thereof.

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

negotiating a first encryption key with the computing device; and

negotiating a second encryption key with an intended recipient of a data set sent by the computing device.

5. The method in accordance with claim 4, further comprising:

decoding an encrypted data set from the computing device with the first encryption key;

encrypting the decoded data set with the second encryption key; and

transmitting the data set encrypted with the second encryption key to the intended recipient via the network.

6. A method of identifying a computer user on a network, comprising:

establishing a connection between a computing device to a network;

instructing the computing device to alter a data field of a communications protocol in a browser program on the computer device to include identification data unique to the computing device on the network;

receiving the data field from the computing device over the network with requests for data;

parsing the data field to extract the identification data; and

identifying the computing device from the extracted identification data.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said data field is a language tag placed in a header of an HTTP request.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said altered language tag includes data indicating a preferred language of a user.