Providing parallel generic web site supporting anonymous or semi-anonymous internet activity

• US 7,693,841 B1
• Filed: 10/14/2004
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ortega, Ruben, Leblang, Jonathan A., Tesler, Joel D.
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Baoquoc N
• Application Number:
  US10/967,025
• Time in Patent Office: 2,000 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

Parallel generic and non-generic versions of a Web site allow a user of the site to either remain anonymous (if accessing the generic version) or allow user information to be collected (if accessing the non-generic version). In one exemplary embodiment, a Web site may provide a user an interface for entering and processing a search query. A search query processed by a generic version of the Web site includes a marker that informs a Web server supporting the generic Web site that the user wishes to remain anonymous. A parallel non-generic version of the Web site may also interface with the same Web server as interfaced by the generic Web site, but permit a data collecting scheme at the Web server to collect user-specific or user-identifiable information. Such user information, if collected, can be used by the Web server to enhance the user'"'"'s experience with the Web site.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing access to a Web site having a generic version and a non-generic version, the method comprising:

under control of instructions executed by at least one processor of a computer system;

receiving a query request from an originator through an interface associated with the Web site, wherein the interface is configured to provide anonymous access to the generic version of the Web site, the query request including a first universal resource locator (URL) associated with the Web site;

determining whether the first URL included in the query request indicates a desire of the originator to anonymously access the generic version of the Web site;

generating an internal URL for redirecting processing of the query request to the back end server associated with the Web site;

inserting into the internal URL a marker indicating that the originator of the query request is to remain anonymous when the first URL included in the query request indicates a desire of the originator to anonymously access the generic version of the Web site;

redirecting processing of the query request to the back end server using the internal URL;

at the back end server,

when the internal URL includes the marker,

processing the query request without using user-identifiable information associated with the originator as part of a data collecting scheme for personalizing Web site interaction with the originator, and

providing the originator with access to the generic version of the Web site; and

when the internal URL does not include the marker,

processing the query request using user-identifiable information associated with the originator as part of a data collecting scheme for personalizing Web site interaction with the originator, and

providing the originator with access to the non-generic version of the Web site.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the interface is a Web page.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of the interface and the Web site includes the marker in the query request.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user-identifiable information associated with the originator includes at least a cookie stored on a computer system being used by the originator to access the Web site.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the marker is a numeric value.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the marker is input by the originator of the query request.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the query request is received from a Web page associated with the generic version of the Web site, the Web page provides a visual interface indicating that the query processed therethrough will allow the originator to remain anonymous.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the query request, the first URL and the marker are input by the originator via the interface.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the interface is a Web browser.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the back end server is a Web server, the method further comprising:

processing the query request including the internal URL at the Web server, wherein the internal URL is associated with a specific Web site.

16. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the method according to claim 1.

11. A computer system providing access to a Web site, comprising:

a front end server component operable using a computer processor to receive a query request from an originator through an interface associated with the Web site, wherein the interface is configured to provide anonymous access to a generic version of the Web site, and wherein the query request includes a universal resource locator (URL) associated with the Web site,

the front end server component being operable using a computer processor to generate an internal URL that is used to redirect processing of the query request to a back end server, and when the query request indicates a desire of the originator to anonymously access the generic version of the Web site, the front end server component is configured to include a marker in the internal URL that indicates the originator of the query request is to remain anonymous; and

a back end server component operable using a computer processor to receive the internal URL and determine whether the internal URL includes the marker,

wherein if the internal URL includes the marker, the back end server component is configured to process the query request without using information associated with the originator of the query request as part of a data collecting scheme and provide access to the generic version of the Web site; and

wherein if the internal URL does not include the marker, the back end server component is configured to process the query request using information associated with the originator of the query request as part of a data collecting scheme and provide access to a non-generic version of the Web site.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the back end server analyzes the query request and provides information in relation to the query request to the originator.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the interface is a front end interface configured to pass the query request to the back end server in order to obtain information in relation to the query request.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the back end server is further configured to pass information obtained from processing the query request to the originator.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the data collecting scheme includes means to process at least one cookie from a computing device being used by the originator to facilitate input of the query request.