US 2004/0019518 A1 · Systems for and methods of user demographic reporting usable for indentifying users and collecting usage data

Abstract

Several ways of identifying users and collecting demographic information and market information are disclosed, including branding a browser with a unique identification in each user request, identifying a user by his key strokes or mouse clicks, gathering demographic information using multiple data sets and by monitoring network traffic. Additionally, user requested content is distinguished from other, non-user content, and the performance of a server can be monitor and analyzed from a client a client perspective. Further, an Internet user's Internet data is routed to a known domain on the Internet, from which it is routed on to the intended recipient. The domain includes proxy servers which proxy the user's data requests to the domain, and database servers, which filter and build a database of the user's Internet usage. Particular data concerning certain behaviors of interest, such as purchasing data, is filtered into the database, and can form the basis for numerous market measures.

Claims30

Dependent claims

A method of collecting data relating to a user's usage over a network, the user utilizing a computing device to send and receive data sets over the network, the computing device having an address on the network, the data representative of the address of the computing device on the network, comprising:

establishing a connection between a computing device and the network;
matching each user session to a specific demographic break, said matching step including:
identifying demographic characteristics of the user using the computing device, said demographic identifying step further including:
utilizing a plurality of primary sources of data that maintain some or all of several user demographic indicators;
processing data from said plurality of data sources using logic that matches each indicator to a specific user within a predefined group of users;
and
identifying a user among other users in a predefined group of users;
and
maintaining a demographic information about the identified user related to data on network activity behavior of the identified user;
readdressing data sets sent from the computing device to indicate that the data sets originated in the known domain;
recording at least part of the data sets in association with said demographic information;
and
sending the readdressed data onto the network.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Systems for and methods of user demographic reporting usable for indentifying users and collecting usage data

Life of this patent

Systems for and methods of user demographic reporting usable for indentifying users and collecting usage data

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims30