User tracking based on client-side browse history

• US 9,646,104 B1
• Filed: 06/23/2015
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Canavor, Darren Ernest, Strand, William Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOOMQUIST, KEITH D
• Application Number:
  US14/747,880
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Techniques for associating a user with a user characteristic may be described. In particular, a network-based document may be provided to a computing system of the user. The network-based document may include least an identifier of another network-based document and code. The code may be configured to, upon execution, determine whether the other network-based document was accessed prior to providing the network-based document. An indication of whether the other network-based document was accessed may be determined. For example, the indication may be received from the computing system based on an execution of the code at the computing system. The user may be associated with the user characteristic based on the indication.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

maintaining, by a computer system associated with an electronic marketplace, a collection of universal resource locators (URLs) and metadata, the metadata describing user characteristics associated with access to a plurality of web pages corresponding to the collection of URLs;

receiving, by the computer system from a computing device of a user, a request for information about an item offered with the electronic marketplace;

inserting, by the computer system in a first web page, code and a URL of the collection of URLs, the first web page associated with the electronic marketplace and comprising the information about the item, the URL corresponding to a second web page of the web pages, the code configured to, upon execution, determine whether the second web page was accessed;

providing, by the computer system, the first web page to the computing device based at least in part on the request for the information;

receiving, by the computer system from the computing device, an indication that the second web page was accessed prior to providing the first web page to the computing device, the indication received based at least in part on an execution of the code at the computing device; and

associating, by the computer system, the user with a user characteristic from the metadata based at least in part on the indication, the user characteristic corresponding to the URL corresponding to the second web page.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing targeted content available from the electronic marketplace to the computing device based at least in part on the user being associated with the user characteristic and based at least in part on the second web page comprising a portion of the information about the item.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second web page is associated with a login at the electronic marketplace, wherein the user characteristic indicates an authenticated user, and further comprising:

authenticating the user based at least in part on the user being associated with the user characteristic.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second web page is configured for exclusive access of a web crawler, wherein the user characteristic indicates a characteristic of the web crawler, and further comprising:

determining that the user represents the web crawler based at least in part on the user being associated with the user characteristic.

5. One or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed with one or more processors, cause a system to at least:

provide a first network-based document to a computing system associated with a user account, the first network-based document comprising at least an identifier of a second network-based document and code, the code configured at least to, upon execution, determine whether the second network-based document was accessed prior to providing the first network-based document;

determine an indication of whether the second network-based document was accessed based at least in part on an execution of the code at the computing system; and

associate the user account with a user characteristic based at least in part on the indication.

6. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the first network-based document comprises a web page associated with an electronic marketplace, wherein the identifier of the second network-based document comprises a universal resource locator, and wherein the code comprises statements of a programmatic scripting language in accordance with an ECMAScript standard.

7. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the instructions, when executed with the one or more processors, further cause the system to at least:

maintain metadata and a collection of identifiers of network-based documents comprising the second network-based document, wherein the metadata describes a user characteristic associated with access of users to the second network-based document.

8. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the identifier of the second network-based document is added to the first network-based document based at least in part on a selection of the second network-based document from the collection, wherein the selection is based at least in part on a context associated with providing the first network-based document to the computing system, wherein the context comprises at least one of:

an identifier of the user account, an identifier of a computing session within which the first network-based document is provided to the computing system, or information associated with an item and included in the first network-based document.

9. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the identifier represents a link, wherein the link is associated with at least one of a state or a style attribute, wherein the at least one of the state or the style attribute is based at least in part on an access of the computing system to the second network-based document, and wherein the indication is determined based at least in part on the at least one of the state or the style attribute.

10. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the code is configured to, upon execution at the computing system, access the at least one of the state or the style attribute from a history of a browser of the computing system.

11. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the first network-based document comprises a first web page associated with a service provider and describing an item, wherein the second network-based document comprises a second web page associated with a different service provider and describing the item, and wherein the instructions, when executed with the one or more processors, further cause the system to at least:

provide targeted content associated with the item based at least in part on the user being associated with the user characteristic.

12. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the first network-based document and the second network-based document represent web pages of a web site of a service provider, and wherein the instructions, when executed with the one or more processors, further cause the system to at least:

authenticate a user account or detect that the user account represents a web crawler based at least in part on the user being associated with the user characteristic.

13. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed with the one or more processors, cause the system to at least;

add, to a first network-based document, an identifier of a second network-based document and code based at least in part on a request for the first network-based document, the request received from a computing system of a user, the code configured at least to, upon execution at the computing system, determine whether the second network-based document was accessed;

provide the first network-based document to the computing system based at least in part on the request;

receive, from the computing system, an indication of whether the second network-based document was accessed prior to providing the first network-based document to the computing system, the indication received based at least in part on an execution of the code at the computing system; and

associate the user with a user characteristic based at least in part on the indication.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first network-based document comprises a first web page of a web site of a first service provider, wherein the web site offers items, wherein the second network-based document comprises a second web page of a second service provider, wherein the instructions, when executed with the one or more processors, further cause the system to at least:

maintain metadata associated with the second web page based at least in part on historical data associated with access to the web site.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the metadata describes a user characteristic based at least in part on the user characteristic being observed from the historical data at a frequency that exceeds a threshold.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the first network-based document provides information about an item available from a first service provider, wherein the identifier of the second network-based document is added to the first network-based document based at least in part on a selection of the second network-based document from a plurality of network-based documents, wherein the selection is based at least in part on an association of the second network-based document with a second service provider.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the first network-based document describes an item, wherein the identifier of the second network-based document is added to the first network-based document based at least in part on a selection of the second network-based document from a plurality of network-based documents, wherein the selection is based at least in part on the second network-based document describing the item.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed with the one or more processors, further cause the system to at least:

maintain metadata associated with the second network-based document, wherein the metadata describes a likelihood of a user characteristic associated with a user access to the second network-based document.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein associating the user with the user characteristic comprises:

associating, with the user characteristic, at least one of;

an identifier of the user or an identifier of a computing session between the system and the computing system, and wherein the instructions, when executed with the one or more processors, further cause the system to at least;

provide the computing system with access to information within the computing session based at least in part on the associating.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed with the one or more processors, further cause the system to at least:

authenticate the user based at least in part on the user being associated with the user characteristic; and

add an identifier of the computing system of the user to a trusted list based at least in part on the user being authenticated, the trusted list indicating that the computing system is unassociated with a network-crawler.