Method and system for monitoring an activity of a user

Abstract

A method for tracking an activity of a user, the method includes: downloading, over a network, web page content that comprises a tracking code; tracking, at least partially by executing the tracking code by a user computer, user activities that are responsive to at least a portion of the downloaded web page content, wherein the tracking comprises generating user activity information; compressing and buffering a portion of the user activity information; and transmitting to a tracking entity, at least a compressed portion of the user activity information when a first transmission criterion is fulfilled.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for tracking an activity of a user, the method comprising:
 downloading, over a network, web page content that comprises a tracking code;   tracking, at least partially by executing the tracking code by a user computer, user activities that are responsive to at least a portion of the downloaded web page content, wherein the tracking comprises generating user activity information;   compressing and buffering a portion of the user activity information; and   transmitting to a tracking entity, at least a compressed portion of the user activity information when a first transmission criterion is fulfilled.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the stage of tracking is preceded by determining whether to track the user activities. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2  wherein the determining is responsive to a feature of the user. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 2  wherein the determining is responsive to a result of a random process. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 2  wherein the determining is responsive to at least one previous visit of the user at a web site that comprises the web page. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising associating a timestamp, a user identifier and a session identifier to user activity information representative of a session of user activities. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising compressing user activity information by a variable length compression scheme. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the tracking comprise generating user activity information representative of mouse movement. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the tracking comprise generating user activity information representative of keyboard strokes. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising hashing textual information displayed to the user during the visit. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising transmitting an uncompressed portion of the user activity information. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising transmitting a first portion of the user activity information when the first transmission criterion is fulfilled and transmitting another portion of the user activity information when a second transmission criterion is fulfilled. 
     
     
         13 . A method for tracking an activity of a user, the method comprises:
 receiving, by a tracking element, compressed user activity information representative of activities performed by the user during a visit to a web page;   receiving, by the tracking element, web page content information representative of web page content displayed to the user during the visit;   decompressing the compressed user activity information; and   generating user visit information by the tracking element, in response to the user activity information and in response to the web page content information.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13  wherein the generating comprises compensating for difference between a visual representation, on a tracking display, of the web page and between a visual representation of the web page on another display. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14  wherein the compensating is responsive to the relative locations of visual elements of the web page. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15  wherein the compensating comprises applying a non-linear transformation on the visual representation, on the tracking display, of the web page. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 13  wherein the stage of receiving web page content information comprises downloading the web page content information from an information source that provided web page information to the user during the visit of the user. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 13  wherein the stage of receiving web page content information comprises downloading the web page content information from an information source that differs from an information source that provided to the user web page information the visit of the user. 
     
     
         19 . A computer program product of a computer readable medium usable with a programmable computer, the computer program product having computer-readable code embodied therein for tracking an activity of a user, the computer-readable code comprising instructions for: downloading, over a network, web page content that comprises a tracking code; tracking, at least partially by executing the tracking code by a user computer, user activities that are responsive to at least a portion of the downloaded web page content, wherein the tracking comprises generating user activity information; compressing and buffering a portion of the user activity information; and transmitting to a tracking entity, at least a compressed portion of the user activity information when a first transmission criterion is fulfilled. 
     
     
         20 . The computer program product  claim 19 , wherein the instructions for tracking an activity of a user, comprise instructions for determining whether to track the user activities. 
     
     
         21 . The computer program product  claim 20 , wherein the instructions for tracking an activity of a user, comprise instructions for determining whether to track the user activities in response to at least one previous visit of the user at a web site that comprises the web page. 
     
     
         22 . The computer program product  claim 21 , wherein the instructions for tracking an activity of a user, comprise instructions for determining whether to track the user activities in response to a result of a random process. 
     
     
         23 . A computer program product of a computer readable medium usable with a programmable computer, the computer program product having computer-readable code embodied therein for tracking an activity of a user, the computer-readable code comprising instructions for: receiving, by a tracking element, compressed user activity information representative of activities performed by the user during a visit to a web page; receiving, by the tracking element, web page content information representative of web page content displayed to the user during the visit; decompressing the compressed user activity information; and generating user visit information by the tracking element, in response to the user activity information and in response to the web page content information. 
     
     
         24 . The computer program product  claim 23 , wherein the instructions for tracking an activity of a user, comprise instructions for compensating for difference between a visual representation, on a tracking display, of the web page and between a visual representation of the web page on another display. 
     
     
         25 . The computer program product  claim 24 , wherein the instructions for tracking an activity of a user, comprise instructions for compensating in response to the relative locations of visual elements of the web page. 
     
     
         26 . The computer program product  claim 24 , wherein the instructions for tracking an activity of a user, comprise instructions for downloading the web page content information from an information source that provided web page information to the user during the visit of the user. 
     
     
         27 . The computer program product  claim 24 , wherein the instructions for tracking an activity of a user, comprise instructions for downloading web page content information from an information source that differs from an information source that provided to the user web page information during the visit of the user. 
     
     
         28 . A system for tracking an activity of a user, the system comprises:
 an interface, adapted to receive compressed user activity information representative of activities performed by the user during a visit to a web page, and to receive web page content information representative of web page content displayed to the user during the visit; and   a processor, adapted to decompress the compressed user activity information and to generate user visit information in response to the user activity information and in response to the web page content information.   
     
     
         29 . The system according to  claim 28  wherein the processor is adapted to compensate for differences between a visual representation, on a tracking display, of the web page and between a visual representation of the web page on another display. 
     
     
         30 . The system according to  claim 29  wherein the processor is adapted to compensate in response to relative locations of visual elements of the web page. 
     
     
         31 . The system according to  claim 30  wherein the processor is adapted to apply a non-linear transformation on the visual representation, on the tracking display, of the web page. 
     
     
         32 . The system according to  claim 28  wherein the processor is adapted to download the web page content information from an information source that provided web page information to the user during the visit of the user. 
     
     
         33 . The system according to  claim 28  wherein the processor is adapted to download the web page content information from an information source that differs from an information source that provided to the user web page information during the visit of the user. 
     
     
         34 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the tracking comprise generating user activity information representative of scrolling. 
     
     
         35 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising transmitting web page content information representative of web page content displayed to the user during a visit of the user at the web page. 
     
     
         36 . The computer program product  claim 23 , wherein the instructions for tracking an activity of a user, comprise instructions for generating user activity information representative of scrolling. 
     
     
         37 . The computer program product  claim 23 , wherein the instructions for tracking an activity of a user, comprise instructions for transmitting web page content information representative of web page content displayed to the user during a visit of the user at the web page.