Method and system for identifying a visitor at a website server by requesting additional characteristic of a visitor computer from a visitor server

A data processing system readable storage medium storing computer-executable code for identifying a visitor at a network site, the code comprising:

• an instruction for a website server to access a network address of a visitor server computer and a first characteristic of a requesting visitor computer from a visitor server computer over a first network, wherein the visitor server computer is communicatively coupled to the requesting visitor computer over a second network and wherein the first characteristic of the requesting visitor computer is obtained, by the visitor server computer, from a header portion of a request for information sent from the requesting visitor computer to the visitor server computer over the second network;
• an instruction for the website server to determine if a second characteristic of the requesting visitor computer is needed from the visitor server computer;
• an instruction for the website server to send a request for the second characteristic of the requesting visitor computer to the visitor server computer over the first network after receiving the network address provided by the visitor server computer and the first characteristic of the requesting visitor computer from the visitor server computer;
• an instruction for the website server to access the second characteristic of the requesting visitor computer received from the visitor server computer, wherein the second characteristic was obtained, by the visitor server computer, from the header portion of the request sent from the requesting visitor computer to the visitor server computer over the second network;
• and
• an instruction for the web server to generate a first visitor identifier using the network address provided by the visitor server computer, the first characteristic of the requesting visitor computer and the second characteristic of the requesting visitor computer.

A system for identifying a visitor at a network site comprising:

• a plurality of requesting visitor computers;
• a network site computer;
• and
• a visitor server computer bidirectionally coupled to the plurality of requesting visitor computers over a first network and to the network site computer over a second network, wherein:
• the visitor server computer is configured to not provide an address of any of the requesting visitor computers to the network site computer;
• and
• the network site computer is configured to:
• receive a network address of the visitor server computer and a characteristic of at least one of the plurality of requesting visitor computers from the visitor server computer over the second network,
• determining if one or more additional characteristics of the at least one of the plurality of requesting visitor computers is needed from the visitor server computer,
• request the visitor server computer to send the one or more additional characteristics of the at least one of the plurality of requesting visitor computers over the second network,
• receive, from the visitor server computer, the one or more additional characteristics of the at least one of the plurality of requesting visitor computers, wherein the characteristic and the one or more additional characteristics of the at least one of the plurality of requesting visitor computers are obtained, by the visitor server computer, from a header portion of a request sent from the at least one of the plurality of requesting visitor computers to the visitor server computer over the first network, and
• generate a visitor identifier from the network address of the visitor server computer, the characteristic and the one or more additional characteristics of the at least one of the plurality of requesting visitor computers.