SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRACKING UNIQUE VISITORS TO A WEBSITE

• US 20090204704A1
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Muret, Paul Nicolas, Vance, Jonathon Andrew, Moon, Hui Sok
• Granted Patent: US 7,849,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• 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: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for analyzing traffic to a website is provided that is based on log files and that uses both server-side and client-side information channeled through one source to create a more complete picture of activity to a website. In one preferred embodiment, a sensor code is embedded in a requested web page, and sends information back to the web server where the website resides. This additional information is logged along with normal requests.

Claims

1. A method of analyzing traffic to a website hosted by a server, comprising:

sending a web page with an embedded sensor in response to a first request from a client; and

sending, using the embedded sensor, an additional request, comprising information about the first request, to the server when the web page is received by the client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional request is adapted to not be intercepted by a cache/proxy system.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the additional request comprises a unique query.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the unique query comprises:

a unique number;

data collected from a client browser; and

data collected from at least one cookie.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one cookie comprise:

a first cookie having a first expiration time;

a second cookie having a second expiration time; and

a third cookie having a third expiration time.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first cookie has an expiration time that is longer than expiration times of the second and third cookies, and the second cookie has an expiration time that is longer than the expiration time of the third cookie.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the expiration time of the third cookie is zero.

3. A method of obtaining information about a visitor to a website hosted by a server, comprising:

delivering data to the visitor in response to a first request; and

sending information about the first request to the server after the data is delivered to the visitor, wherein the information about the first request is sufficiently unique so as to not be intercepted by a cache/proxy system.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the additional request comprises a unique query.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the unique query comprises:

a unique number;

data collected from a client browser; and

data collected from at least one cookie.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one cookie comprise:

a first cookie having a first expiration time;

a second cookie having a second expiration time; and

a third cookie having a third expiration time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first cookie has an expiration time that is longer than expiration times of the second and third cookies, and the second cookie has an expiration time that is longer than the expiration time of the third cookie.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the expiration time of the third cookie is zero.