System and method for monitoring user interaction with web pages

• US 7,523,191 B1
• Filed: 06/02/2000
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beal, Steven K., Thomas, Oran M., Gorman, Robert F., Wilson, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): BOUTAH, ALINA A
• Application Number:
  US09/587,236
• Time in Patent Office: 3,245 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709223-226, 709217-219, 709/202
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring

Abstract

A system for monitoring usage of an electronic device is disclosed herein. A client component installed in a client device is operative to monitor usage of the client device in accordance with a monitoring profile, and to generate corresponding usage data. The monitoring profile typically includes information specifying which application programs, and which features of such application programs, installed on the client device are to be monitored by the client component. A server component, installed on a server device in communication with the client device, provides the monitoring profile to the client device and receives the usage data from the client device. The system may also include a data management component disposed to store the monitoring profile and to store the usage data provided to the server device. A data analysis component determines usage statistics associated with application programs installed on the client device based upon the usage data. The usage statistics may include measurements of usage time, number of uses, and sequence of usage of specified ones of the application programs.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring usage of an electronic device comprising:

a client component installed in a client device, said client component including a client service configured to request a user associated monitoring profile from a profile database and a client monitoring agent created by the client service being operative to monitor usage of said client device in accordance with the monitoring profile for the user and to generate corresponding usage data during usage of said client device; and

a server component including the profile database, the server component being installed on a server device in communication with said client device, for receiving said usage data from said client device during usage of said client device, the server component constructing an in-memory model of said usage of said client device while the usage continues, the server component further storing said usage data in a relational data store;

wherein said monitoring profile includes information specifying which web browser and non web browser application programs which are not a part of the system for monitoring usage, and which features of said application programs, installed on said client device are to be monitored by said client component.

2. The system of claim 1 further including a data management component disposed to store said monitoring profile and to store said usage data provided to said server device.

3. The system of claim 1 further including a profile management component for creating said monitoring profile, said monitoring profile including a plurality of application profiles each associated with one of said application programs.

4. The system of claim 1 further including a data analysis component for, based upon said usage data, determining usage statistics associated with application programs installed on said client device, wherein said usage statistics include measurements of usage time, number of uses, and sequence of usage of specified one of said application programs.

5. The system of claim 1 further including a profile management component for creating and editing said monitoring profile, said monitoring profile specifying which application programs installed on said client device are to be monitored and a frequency with which said usage data is to be reported to said server component.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said profile management component allows for definition of a set of users of said client device to be monitored in accordance with said monitoring profile.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said client component includes a client monitoring agent for collecting said usage data in accordance with said monitoring profile and for providing said usage data to said server component, said client component further including a client service for requesting said monitoring profile from said server component and for starting said client monitoring agent upon receipt of said monitoring profile from said server component.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said client component includes means for monitoring usage statistics for specified features of said application programs via predefined application programming interfaces of said application programs.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the client component comprises a hooks dynamic linked library injected into one or more application programs activated by a user.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the client component comprises an application features dynamic linked library injected into one or more application programs activated by a user.

11. A system for monitoring computer usage comprising:

a plurality of client components installed on a corresponding plurality of client computers, each said client component including a client service configured to request a user associated monitoring profile from a profile database and a client monitoring agent created by the client service said client computers being operative to monitor usage of one of said client computers in accordance with a monitoring profile for the user and to generate corresponding usage data during usage of said client computer; and

a server component, installed on a server computer in communication with said plurality of client computers, for receiving said usage data from each of said client components during usage of said client computer, the server component constructing an in-memory model of said usage of said client computer while the usage continues, the server component further storing said usage data in a relational data store;

wherein each said monitoring profile includes information specifying which web browser and non web browser application programs which are not a part of the system for monitoring computer usage, and which features of said application programs, installed on a corresponding one of said client computers are to be monitored.

12. The system of claim 11 further including a data management component disposed to store said monitoring profiles and to store said usage data provided to said server component from each of said client components.

13. The system of claim 12 further including a profile management component for creating each of said monitoring profiles such that each of said monitoring profile includes a plurality of application profiles, each of said application profiles associated with one of said application programs.

14. The system of claim 11 further including a profile management component for creating each of said monitoring profiles and for specifying which of said monitoring profiles will be applicable to usage of said client computers by particular users.

15. A method for monitoring computer usage comprising the steps of

requesting a user associated monitoring profile from a profile database;

receiving the associated monitoring profile from the profile database;

creating a client monitoring agent to monitor the user activity in accordance with the monitoring profile;

using a respective monitoring profile, monitoring usage of each of a plurality of client computers of the one or more client computers, during usage of said client computer, wherein each respective monitoring profile includes information specifying which web browser and non web browser application programs other than the monitoring profile, and which features of said application programs, installed on a corresponding one of said computers are to be monitored;

generating usage data based on said monitoring and providing said usage data to a server computer; and

transmitting said monitoring profiles to said client components from said server computer; and

constructing an in-memory model of said usage of said client computer while usage continues, and storing said usage data in a relational data store for processing to produce usage reports substantially close to real-time usage with said usage.

16. The method of claim 15 further including the step of storing said monitoring profiles remote from said client computers, and the step of storing said usage data provided to said server component from each of said client computers.

17. The method of claim 15 further including the step of creating each of said monitoring profiles such that each of said monitoring profiles includes a plurality of application profiles, each of said application profiles being associated with one of said associated application programs.

18. The method of claim 15 further including the step of associating each user of one or more of said client computers with one of said monitoring profiles.

19. The method of claim 15 further including the step of monitoring usage statistics for specified features of said application programs via predefined application programming interfaces of said application programs.