Method and apparatus for transaction tracking over a computer network

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for tracking transactions over a computer network is provided. An advertisement is provided to a user using a web client, such as a web browser, at a user node. The user selects the advertisement, e.g., by clicking on the advertisement, to request to an ad server for redirection to a transaction node associated with the advertisement. The ad server formats a cookie and provides to the user node. When the user requests a transaction after the redirection, the transaction node sends a transaction confirmation after performing the transaction. The transaction confirmation includes a command to record the transaction. In response to the command, the user node provides a query string and the cookie to the ad server for the transaction to be recorded.

1 . A computer network comprising: 
 a user node to provide a request to perform a transaction and a request to record the transaction;    a transaction node to receive the request to perform the transaction, to perform the transaction in response, and to provide a transaction confirmation to the user node, the transaction confirmation including a command to record the transaction; and    a monitor node to receive the request to record the transaction provided by the user node in response to the command to record the transaction, and to record the transaction in response to the request to record the transaction.    
     
     
         2 . The computer network of  claim 1  wherein the user node includes a web client, the web client being used to provide the request to perform the transaction and the request to record the transaction.  
     
     
         3 . The computer network of  claim 2  wherein the web client is a web browser.  
     
     
         4 . The network of  claim 1  wherein the transaction includes an inquiry.  
     
     
         5 . The computer network of  claim 1  wherein the monitor node includes a sale log program, the sale log program being used to record the transaction between the user node and the transaction node.  
     
     
         6 . The computer network of  claim 5  wherein the sale log program includes a CGI script.  
     
     
         7 . The computer network of  claim 1  wherein the transaction confirmation is a confirmation web page.  
     
     
         8 . The computer network of  claim 7  wherein the command to record the transaction is an HTML tag included in the confirmation web page.  
     
     
         9 . The computer network of  claim 1  further comprising a content node providing a content to the user node, wherein the content has a space for an advertisement, and wherein the user node receives the content and the advertisement.  
     
     
         10 . The computer network of  claim 9  wherein the advertisement includes a graphics file.  
     
     
         11 . The computer network of  claim 10  wherein the graphics file includes an ad banner.  
     
     
         12 . The computer network of  claim 9  wherein the advertisement includes a multimedia file.  
     
     
         13 . The computer network of  claim 12  wherein the multimedia file includes a java script.  
     
     
         14 . The computer network of  claim 9  wherein the content node includes the advertisement, and wherein the content node provides the advertisement to the user node.  
     
     
         15 . The computer network of  claim 9  further comprising an advertisement data base, wherein the advertisement database provides the advertisement to the user node.  
     
     
         16 . The computer network of  claim 9  further comprising an advertisement database, wherein the advertisement database provides the advertisement to the content node, and wherein the content node provides the advertisement to the user node.  
     
     
         17 . The computer network of  claim 15  wherein the user node provides a first request for the advertisement to the monitor node, the monitor node provides a second request for the advertisement to the advertisement database in response to the first request, the advertisement database provides the advertisement to the monitor node, and the monitor node provides the advertisement to the user node.  
     
     
         18 . The computer network of  claim 9  wherein the transaction node is associated with the advertisement, and the user node provides to the monitor node a request for redirection to the transaction node.  
     
     
         19 . The computer network of  claim 18  wherein the request for redirection is provided when a user at the user node makes a selection of the advertisement.  
     
     
         20 . The computer network of  claim 19  wherein the user makes the selection by clicking on the advertisement.  
     
     
         21 . The computer network of  claim 18  wherein the request for redirection includes a URL.  
     
     
         22 . The computer network of  claim 18  wherein the request for redirection includes an IP address.  
     
     
         23 . The computer network of  claim 19  wherein the monitor node monitors the selection made by the user.  
     
     
         24 . The computer network of  claim 20  wherein the monitor node includes a sale track program, and the monitor node uses the sale track program to monitor the selection made by the user.  
     
     
         25 . The computer network of  claim 24  wherein the sale track program includes a CGI script.  
     
     
         26 . The computer network of  claim 19  wherein the monitor node compiles information related to the selection made by the user.  
     
     
         27 . The computer network of  claim 26  wherein the information related to the selection made by the user is compiled into a block of data.  
     
     
         28 . The computer network of  claim 27  wherein the block of data includes a cookie.  
     
     
         29 . The computer network of  claim 28  wherein the cookie includes information related to the content node.  
     
     
         30 . The computer network of  claim 28  wherein the cookie includes information related to the advertisement.  
     
     
         31 . The computer network of  claim 28  wherein the cookie includes information related to a cookie setting date.  
     
     
         32 . The computer network of  claim 28  wherein the cookie includes information related to a cookie setting time.  
     
     
         33 . The computer network of  claim 28  wherein the cookie includes information related to a campaign during which the advertisement is provided.  
     
     
         34 . The computer network of  claim 28  wherein the monitor node provides the cookie to the user node to be stored.  
     
     
         35 . The computer network of  claim 34  wherein the cookie is stored at a hard drive of the user node.  
     
     
         36 . The computer network of  claim 18  wherein the monitor node redirects the user node to the transaction node by providing a URL of the transaction node.  
     
     
         37 . The computer network of  claim 18  wherein the monitor node redirects the user node to the transaction node by providing an IP address of the transaction node.  
     
     
         38 . The computer network of  claim 18  wherein the user node provides a request to the transaction node to receive a transaction site page upon redirection by the monitor node.  
     
     
         39 . The computer network of  claim 38  wherein the transaction node provides the transaction site page to the user node in response to the request to receive the transaction site page.  
     
     
         40 . The computer network of  claim 27  wherein the user node provides a request for a GIF file from the monitor node.  
     
     
         41 . The computer network of  claim 40  wherein the GIF file is an invisible GIF file, which has 1×1 dimension.  
     
     
         42 . The computer network of  claim 27  wherein the user node provides a query string to the monitor node.  
     
     
         43 . The computer network of  claim 42  wherein the query string includes information related to the transaction node.  
     
     
         44 . The computer network of  claim 42  wherein the query string includes information related to a transaction type.  
     
     
         45 . The computer network of  claim 42  wherein the query string includes information related to a transaction amount.  
     
     
         46 . The computer network of  claim 42  wherein the query string includes information related to a transacted product.  
     
     
         47 . The computer network of  claim 42  wherein the user node provides the block of data to the monitor node.  
     
     
         48 . The computer network of  claim 47  wherein the monitor node records the transaction by extracting information from the block of data and the query string.  
     
     
         49 . The computer network of  claim 48  wherein the monitor node records the transaction into a transaction database.  
     
     
         50 . The computer network of  claim 49  wherein the recorded transaction in the transaction database includes information related to a current time.  
     
     
         51 . The computer network of  claim 49  wherein the recorded transaction in the transaction database includes information related to the content node.  
     
     
         52 . The computer network of  claim 49  wherein the recorded transaction in the transaction database includes information related to the advertisement.  
     
     
         53 . The computer network of  claim 49  wherein the recorded transaction in the transaction database includes information related to a cookie setting date.  
     
     
         54 . The computer network of  claim 49  wherein the recorded transaction in the transaction database includes information related to a cookie setting time.  
     
     
         55 . The computer network of  claim 49  wherein the recorded transaction in the transaction database includes information related to the transaction node.  
     
     
         56 . The computer network of  claim 49  wherein the recorded transaction in the transaction database includes information related to a transaction type.  
     
     
         57 . The computer network of  claim 49  wherein the recorded transaction in the transaction database includes information related to a transaction amount.  
     
     
         58 . The computer network of  claim 49  wherein the recorded transaction in the transaction database includes information related to a transacted product.  
     
     
         59 . The computer network of  claim 49  wherein the monitor node provides the recorded transaction to the transaction node.  
     
     
         60 . A method of tracking transactions over a computer network comprising: 
 providing a request to perform a transaction from a user node to a transaction node;    performing the transaction at the transaction node;    providing a transaction confirmation, including a command to record the transaction, from the transaction node to the user node;    providing a request to record the transaction in response to the command to record the transaction, from the user node to a monitor node; and    recording the transaction at the monitor node.    
     
     
         61 . The method of tracking transactions of  claim 60  further comprising: 
 providing content having a space for an advertisement from a content node to the user node; and  
 providing the advertisement to the user node.  
 
     
     
         62 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 61  further comprising: providing the advertisement to the user node from the content node.  
     
     
         63 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 61  further comprising: providing the advertisement to the user node from an advertisement database.  
     
     
         64 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 61  further comprising: making a selection of the advertisement at the user node.  
     
     
         65 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 64  wherein making the selection of the advertisement includes clicking on the advertisement by a user at the user node.  
     
     
         66 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 64  further comprising: requesting a redirection from the user node to the monitor node.  
     
     
         67 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 64  further comprising: compiling information related to the selection of the advertisement at the monitor node.  
     
     
         68 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 67  wherein compiling information related to the selection includes formatting a cookie using the information related to the selection.  
     
     
         69 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 68  wherein formatting a cookie includes recording a cookie setting date to indicate a date on which the cookie is formatted.  
     
     
         70 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 68  wherein formatting a cookie includes recording a cookie setting time to indicate a time at which the cookie is formatted.  
     
     
         71 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 68  wherein formatting a cookie includes recording information related to the content node.  
     
     
         72 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 68  wherein formatting a cookie includes recording information related to the advertisement.  
     
     
         73 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 68  further comprising: providing the cookie from the monitor node to the user node.  
     
     
         74 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 66  further comprising: redirecting the user node to the transaction site.  
     
     
         75 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 73  further comprising: sending the cookie from the user node to the monitor node.  
     
     
         76 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 73  further comprising: sending a query string from the user node to the monitor node.  
     
     
         77 . The method of tracking a transaction of  claim 60  further comprising: reporting the recorded transaction to the transaction node.  
     
     
         78 . A method of compiling transaction information comprising: 
 formatting a cookie at an ad server, the cookie including information related to a selection of an advertisement at a content site;    storing a cookie at a user node of a user who made the selection; and    providing the cookie from the user node to the ad server whenever the user makes a transaction at a sale site associated with the advertisement.    
     
     
         79 . The method of compiling transaction information of  claim 78  wherein the cookie further includes information related to a time at which the selection of the advertisement has been made.  
     
     
         80 . The method of compiling transaction information of  claim 78  further comprising providing a query string from the user node to the ad server, wherein the query string includes information related to the transaction made at the sale site.  
     
     
         81 . The method of compiling transaction information of  claim 80  wherein the information related to the transaction includes an identification of a purchased product.  
     
     
         82 . The method of compiling transaction information of  claim 81  wherein the information related to the transaction includes a purchase price of the purchased product.  
     
     
         83 . The method of compiling transaction information of  claim 80  further comprising recording at least a portion of the information related to the selection of the advertisement and at least a portion of the information related to the transaction into a data structure for the transaction information in the transaction database.  
     
     
         84 . The method of compiling transaction information of  claim 83  wherein the data structure for the transaction information includes a time of the selection of the advertisement and a time of the transaction, and the method further includes comparing the time of the selection with the time of the transaction to assess time elapsed between the selection and the transaction.  
     
     
         85 . The method of compiling transaction information of  claim 83  wherein the data structure for the transaction information includes information related to the content site, and the method further includes crediting the content site with the transaction.  
     
     
         86 . The method of compiling transaction information of  claim 83  wherein the data structure for the transaction information includes information related to the advertisement, and the method further includes assessing effectiveness of the advertisement by counting a number of transactions related to the advertisement.  
     
     
         87 . The method of compiling transaction information of  claim 83  wherein the data structure for the transaction information includes information related to a campaign during which the advertisement is provided, and the method further includes assessing effectiveness of the campaign by counting a number of transactions related to the campaign.  
     
     
         88 . The method of compiling transaction information of  claim 83  wherein the data structure for the transaction information includes information related to an amount of time taken to make the transaction, and the method further includes assessing customer serving capabilities of the sale site by analyzing the amount of time taken to make the transaction.