System and method for associating a user with a user profile in a computer network environment

• US 7,941,505 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2002
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BEH Investments LLC
• Original Assignee: BEH Investments LLC
• Inventors: Jaye, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Khanh Q
• Application Number:
  US10/151,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20020199004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,276 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/218, 709/224, 709/226, 709/228, 709/231, 709/232, 709/227, 709/220, 709/225, 709/229, 379/127, 715/501, 715/513, 345/535, 705/10, 705/14, 364/514, 707/9, 711/147, 711/163
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A computer apparatus and a method is described for establishing a global interest profile of a user. At least one local server and an enterprise server communicate with the user via a communication channel. The local server assigns a local ID to the user The enterprise server assigns to the user a global ID and links the local ID and local user information with the global ID to form a global interest profile of the user. The identity of the users is not shared between servers, thereby maintaining the privacy of the user.

Claims

1. In a computer network comprising a local server and an enterprise server in communication with the local server, a method for associating at the enterprise server a client of a user with information of a local user profile of the user, the method comprising:

identifying at the local server the client during one or more interactions by the client with the local server using persistent state information transmitted to the client by the local server;

establishing at the local server the local user profile of the user based on the one or more interactions with the local server;

identifying at the enterprise server the client using persistent state information transmitted to the client by the enterprise server;

transmitting by the local server to the enterprise server information of the local user profile; and

associating at the enterprise server the client with the information of the local user profile established at the local server,

wherein the persistent state information transmitted to the client by the enterprise server and the persistent state information transmitted to the client by the local server are associated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the persistent state information transmitted by the local server to the client is stored in a cookie.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the persistent state information transmitted by the enterprise server to the client is stored in a cookie.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the persistent state information transmitted by the local server and the persistent state information transmitted by the enterprise server are distinct.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the persistent state information transmitted to the client by the enterprise server and the persistent state information transmitted to the client by the local server are associated by causing the client to send a URL request to the enterprise server, wherein the persistent state information transmitted to the client by the local server is embedded in the URL request.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the URL request is an HTML reference included in a web page.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the URL request is caused by an HTTP response redirecting the client to send the URL request to the enterprise server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the local user profile reflects subject matter selected by the user while interacting with the local server.

9. A system for associating a client of a user with information of a local user profile of the user, the system comprising:

a local server in communication with the client, wherein the local server identifies the client during one or more interactions by the client with the local server using persistent state information transmitted to the client by the local server;

a local user profile for the user established at the local server based on the one or more interactions with the local server;

an enterprise server in communication with the client, wherein the enterprise server identifies the client using persistent state information transmitted to the client by the enterprise server,

wherein the local server transmits information of the local user profile to the enterprise server,

wherein the enterprise server associates the client with the information of the local user profile, and

wherein the persistent state information transmitted to the client by the enterprise server and the persistent state information transmitted to the client by the local server are associated.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the persistent state information transmitted by the local server to the client is stored in a cookie.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the persistent state information transmitted by the enterprise server to the client is stored in a cookie.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the persistent state information transmitted by the local server and the persistent state information transmitted by the enterprise server are distinct.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the persistent state information transmitted to the client by the enterprise server and the persistent state informatiOn transmitted to the client by the local server are associated by causing the client to send a URL request to the enterprise server, wherein the persistent state information transmitted to the client by the local server is embedded in the URL request.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the URL request is an HTML reference included in a web page.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the URL request is caused by an HTTP response redirecting the client to send the URL request to the enterprise server.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the local user profile reflects subject matter selected by the user while interacting with the local server.

17. In a computer network comprising a plurality of local servers, an enterprise server in communication with the local servers, and a client of a user in communication with the enterprise server and the local servers, a method for creating a global user profile of the user, the method comprising:

identifying at the enterprise server the client using persistent state information transmitted to the client by the enterprise server;

at each local server;

(a) identifying the client during one or more interactions by the client with the local server using persistent state information transmitted to the client by the local server;

(b) establishing a local user profile of the user based on the one or more interactions with the local server; and

(c) transmitting to the enterprise server information of the local user profile; and

associating at the enterprise server the client with the information transmitted to the enterprise server by each local server, thereby creating the global interest profile,

wherein the persistent state information transmitted to the client by the enterprise server and the persistent state information transmitted to the client by each local server are associated.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the persistent state information transmitted by each local server to the client is stored in a cookie.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the persistent state information transmitted by the enterprise server to the client is stored in a cookie.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the persistent state information transmitted by each local server and the persistent state information transmitted by the enterprise server are distinct.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the persistent state information transmitted to the client by the enterprise server and the persistent state information transmitted to the client by each local server are associated by causing the client to send a plurality of URL requests to the enterprise server, wherein the persistent state information transmitted to the client by each local server is embedded in one of the plurality of URL requests.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of URL requests is an HTML reference included in a web page.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of URL requests is caused by an HTTP response redirecting the client to send the URL request to the enterprise server.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the local user profile established at each local server reflects subject matter selected by the user while interacting with the local server.