US 6,381,632 B1Granted

Method and apparatus for tracking network usage

AssigneeYOUpowered, Inc.

InventorBonnie J. Lowell

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Abstract

The present invention provides a method of recording an occurrence of a data transmission between a node and a network, comprising: inspecting the data transmission between the node and the network to locate a network address contained in the data transmission; inspecting the data transmission between the node and the network to determine an activity type to be achieved by the data transmission; and recording the activity type and the network address if the network address is one of a plurality of predetermined desired network addresses and the activity type is one of a plurality of predetermined desired activity types. The present invention also provides for creating an activity file by recording an occurrence of a data transmission between a node and a network, transmitting the activity file over the network to a processing site, evaluating the activity file to determine a reward based upon the activity file, and transmitting indicia of the reward to the node.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A network monitoring and event recording apparatus for monitoring an application layer data stream between a node and a network server and recording data representing an activity occurring in the data stream that is a recordable event, the network monitoring and event recording apparatus comprising:

a stream inspector for non-invasively inspecting a first portion of the application layer data stream to determine whether it contains indicia of an http address;
an address locator for non-invasively inspecting a second portion of the application layer data stream when the first portion of the application layer data stream contains indicia of an http address, the address locator further determining whether an http address is contained within the application layer data stream, wherein the second portion of the application layer data stream includes at least some part of the first portion of the application layer data stream;
an activity type identifier for non-invasively inspecting a portion of the application layer data stream when the second portion of the application layer data stream comprises an http address, the activity type identifier further determining an activity type intended to be achieved by the third portion of the application layer data stream;
a filter list containing a list of pre-specified http addresses and activity types;
a monitor list containing a list of pre-specified http addresses and activity types;
and
an activity recorder for recording the activity type identified by the activity type identifier and the http address identified by the address locator if the http address and activity type are included in the monitor list but are not included in the filter list.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.