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`US 20020111865Al
`
`(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication
`Middleton, III et al.
`
`(10) Pub. No.: US 2002/0111865 Al
`Aug. 15, 2002
`( 43) Pub. Date:
`
`(54) TRACKING USER MICRO-INTERACTIONS
`WITH WEB PAGE ADVERTISING
`
`(60) Provisional application No. 60/058,655, filed on Sep.
`11, 1997.
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Thomas M. Middleton III, Hingham,
`MA (US); Gregory T. White, Bedford,
`MA(US)
`
`Correspondence Address:
`HAMILTON, BROOK, SMITH & REYNOLDS,
`P.C.
`530 VIRGINIA ROAD
`P.O. BOX 9133
`CONCORD, MA 01742-9133 (US)
`
`(73)
`
`Assignee: Enliven, Inc., Waltham, MA
`
`(21)
`
`Appl. No.:
`
`10/100,631
`
`(22)
`
`Filed:
`
`Mar. 14, 2002
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`(63)
`
`Continuation of application No. 09/146,012, filed on
`Sep. 2, 1998, now Pat. No. 6,393,407.
`
`Publication Classification
`
`Int. Cl.7 ..................................................... G06F 17/60
`(51)
`(52) U.S. Cl. ................................................................ 705/14
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`In connection with display of advertising within Web pages,
`an applet is downloaded to the user's Web browser to track
`the user's interactions with the Web page. Tracked user
`interactions include mouse cursor position, time displayed
`on page, time of mouse cursor hovering over the advertise(cid:173)
`ment, and so on. At an appropriate time, such as when the
`display of the Web page is terminated, the applet forwards
`logged interaction information from the client to a remote
`server, the remote server being typically controlled by an
`advertiser, rating service or the like. As a result, the adver(cid:173)
`tiser may track consumer response to advertising impres(cid:173)
`sions on a Web page without requiring the user to download
`other pages. This allows advertisers to track user response to
`specific elements of the Web page as well as to better infer
`information about the user's interests in an effort to qualify
`the user prior to presenting subsequent advertising.
`
`104
`
`LOG
`ACTIVITIES
`
`106
`
`ELAPSED TIME
`OBJECT DISPLAYED
`
`MOUSE HOVER
`
`MOUSE CLICK
`
`112
`
`114
`
`MOUSE LOCATION
`
`MICRO/MACRO
`TIME
`
`PAGE
`REQUESTED
`
`TRANSMIT
`LOG
`EVENT
`
`NO
`
`Page 1 of 9
`
`GOOGLE EXHIBIT 1006
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Aug. 15, 2002 Sheet 1 of 3
`102
`
`US 2002/0111865 A1
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`Page 2 of 9
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`Page 2 of 9
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`Patent Application Publication Aug. 15,2002 Sheet 2 of 3
`
`US 2002/0111865 Al
`
`100
`
`START
`APPLET
`
`102
`
`
`ESTABLISH LIST
`OF OBJECTS/
`REGIONS
`
`LOG
`ACTIVITIES
`
`ELAPSED TIME
`OBJECT DISPLAYED
`
`MOUSE LOCATION
`
`MICRO/MACRO
`
`po
`
` 101
`
`
`
`
`
`
`ye
`
`TIME
`
`PAGE
`REQUESTED
`
`TRANSMIT
`
`FIG. 2
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`

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`Patent Application Publication Aug. 15, 2002 Sheet 3 of 3
`
`US 2002/0111865 Al
`
`CD CD me oS
`
`Let's find the Perfect Shoe for you!
`o> co moo
`
`NB
`
`FIG. 3
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`Page 4 of 9
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`US 2002/0111865 Al
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`Aug. 15,2002
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`1
`
`TRACKING USER MICRO-INTERACTIONS WITH
`WEB PAGE ADVERTISING
`
`RELATED APPLICATIONS
`
`[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. applica(cid:173)
`tion Ser. No. 09/146,012, filed Sep. 2, 1998 which claims the
`benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/058,655, filed
`on Sep. 11, 1997.
`
`[0002] The entire teachings of the above applications are
`incorporated herein by reference.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`[0003] Distributed computing environments are becoming
`a very popular mechanism for publishing information of
`various types. In such an environment, a network of several
`different types of computers is used in order to share access
`to information. Certain computers, known as servers, con(cid:173)
`tain databases and other repositories of information. Other
`computers in the network, known as clients, act as interfaces
`for the human users to retrieve and display information.
`
`[0004] One particularly well known example of a distrib(cid:173)
`uted computing environment is the World Wide Web. In this
`environment, the Web server computers presently in use
`typically store data files, or so-called Web pages, in a format
`known as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Web pages
`are transferred between Web servers and clients using a
`communication protocol known as Hypertext Transfer Pro(cid:173)
`tocol (HTTP). HTML permits the Web servers, or sites, to
`handle container or document files which reference other
`files of varying formats. Using HTML, a given Web page
`may include content information in various formats. An
`HTML format file may also refer to other files, by including
`reference information, known as a Uniform Reference Loca(cid:173)
`tor (URL), which specifies the location of remote Web
`servers at which the other files may be located.
`
`[0005] Certain Web servers, such as those maintained by
`on-line service providers such as America On Line (AOL™)
`or Microsoft Network (MSN™), are an increasingly popular
`way for people to obtain information of interest on the World
`Wide Web. (AOL™ is a trademark of America On Line, Inc.
`of Dulles, Va. MSN™ is a trademark of Microsoft Corpo(cid:173)
`ration of Redmond, Wash.) Indeed, certain Web sites host
`search engines such as Alta Vista™, Yahoo™, and InfoS(cid:173)
`eek™ and thus are exclusively devoted to guiding users
`through the Web. (Alta Vista™ is a trademark of Digital
`Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Mass.; Yahoo™ is a
`trademark of Yahoo! Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif.; and
`InfoSeek™ is a trademark of InfoSeek Corporation of
`Sunnyvale, Calif.). These sites are so popular that their
`operators provide their services free of charge to users of the
`Web, and support themselves typically by selling advertising
`space on their Web pages. Thus, an advertiser, for example,
`a running shoe manufacturer, may contract with a search
`service such as Yahoo, or an on-line service, such as AOL,
`to periodically present its ads on their Web pages in much
`the same manner that commercials are traditionally pur(cid:173)
`chased from television broadcasters.
`
`[0006] Certain tools are presently in use by the providers
`of such services and advertisers, typically in order to cal(cid:173)
`culate advertising rates. For example, the Web servers at
`such sites may count the number of times that the Web page
`containing the advertisement is displayed.
`
`[0007] Alternatively, an advertiser may count the number
`of visits that its own Web page receives as a result of linking
`from the original Web page advertisement, i.e., the number
`of times that users request the URL of the advertiser's Web
`site via the original Web page on which the advertisement
`was displayed. In the usual model of user interaction with a
`Web page, this occurs whenever the user clicks (i.e., selects
`by a mouse input device) on a hypertext item. In many
`instances, objects such as graphical images or "GIFs" may
`be clicked on to activate the hypertext links.
`[0008] Advertisers, however, would like not only to count
`a number of "impressions," or how many times their adver(cid:173)
`tisement is seen, but also to find a way to track how effective
`their ads are in attracting consumers' interest in their prod(cid:173)
`ucts.
`[0009] Advertisers would also like to find a way to more
`precisely gauge a user's interest in a product, as well as to
`entice those users who are casually browsing through the
`World Wide Web, without actually requiring users to down(cid:173)
`load the advertiser's Web page. In this manner, interest in a
`particular product or promotion could be gauged directly
`from data surrounding the initial presentation of the adver(cid:173)
`tisement.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`[0010] Briefly, the present invention is a technique for
`tracking user interactions with the elements that comprise a
`Web page advertisement. As a result, an advertiser may
`understand (make inferences as to) what motivates users to
`pay initial attention to and/or otherwise interact with Web
`page advertising.
`[0011] The invention, in particular, tracks any sort of user
`"micro-interaction" with the advertisement. The user inter(cid:173)
`actions which are tracked, for example, may include mouse
`movement, mouse clicks, and other mouse activity such as
`it relates to elements in the ad. These elements may include
`various display items such as graphics, pictures, or words, or
`may include user prompting items such as menus, buttons,
`or slides. Elements also may include defined regions of the
`advertisement.
`[0012] The activities monitored may include how long an
`object is displayed, which objects are selected by a user,
`which items are considered by a user according to the
`amount of time the cursor hovers over the items, measuring
`the time of presentation of an element in various ways,
`and/or activating hyperlinks.
`[0013] The tracked interactions are preferably logged to a
`local memory by a downloadable Web browser applet
`embedded in the Web page, such as a program written in an
`interpretive language such as Java™. (Java™ is a trademark
`of Sun Microsystems Corporation of Sunnyvale, Calif.)
`[0014] The logged interactions as stored in the local
`memory file are then sent to a remote server at appropriate
`times. For example, in the preferred embodiment, the logged
`interaction information may be included in a "dummy"
`HTTP GET message sent by the client to the server at the
`time the applet is taken down, such as when the user requests
`that a next page be displayed.
`[0015] The logged interaction information may be flushed
`in other ways, such as by sending a POST message to the
`server either periodically or upon occurrence of certain
`events.
`
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`Aug. 15,2002
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`2
`
`[0016] The invention therefore permits the tracking ofuser
`interactions with a Web page advertisement before subse(cid:173)
`quent actions, such as loading the advertiser's home Web
`page, occur. For example, the applet may intercept multiple
`interactions such as mouse clicks on objects to further
`qualify a user before loading a specific one of the advertis(cid:173)
`er's own home Web pages.
`[0017] As a result, the advertiser may obtain information
`about what interests the user without the user having to leave
`the originally displayed Web page or performing other tasks
`which are perceived as being cumbersome and/or distracting
`from what the user was originally doing.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`[0018] The foregoing and other objects, features and
`advantages of the invention will be apparent from the
`following more particular description of preferred embodi(cid:173)
`ments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying
`drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same
`parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not
`necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon
`illustrating the principles of the invention.
`[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a distributed com(cid:173)
`puting system illustrating a manner of tracking user inter(cid:173)
`action with a Web page according to the invention.
`[0020] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the operations performed
`by an applet program according to the invention.
`[0021] FIG. 3 is a typical Web page display illustrating
`how the invention may prequalify a user.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`
`[0022] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a distributed com(cid:173)
`puting system 10. The distributed computing system 10
`includes a number of computers 12, 20 interconnected by a
`communication media 14. The communication media 14,
`and in general the distributed computing system 10, may
`make use of any number of computer networking techniques
`such as local area networks (LANs), routers, dial-up con(cid:173)
`nections, and/or other data communication techniques to
`form what has become known as an "intranet" or "internet."
`In the preferred embodiment, the present invention is
`employed in what has become known as "the Internet,"
`which is an international computer network linking many
`millions of computers.
`[0023] Typically the computers 12, 20 are personal com(cid:173)
`puters, mini-computers, or the like. Certain of the computers
`in the distributed computing system 10 act as servers 12a,
`12b, and are used primarily to store and supply information.
`One type of server 12a which is in widespread use on the
`Internet is known as a Web server that provides access to
`information stored in a form known as a Web page 16.
`[0024] Other computers in the distributed computing sys(cid:173)
`tem 10 known as clients 20a, . . . , 20n are typically
`controlled by one user. The typical client computer 20a
`includes, as for any computer, a processor 22, a memory 24,
`and a display 26. The client computers 20 allow a user to
`view Web pages 16 by "downloading" replica Web page files
`40 to the client computer 20a from the server computer 12a
`over communication media 14. The Web page files 40 enable
`
`replication of the Web page 16 on the client computer 20a.
`The downloading function is specifically performed by a
`browser program 28, which preferably includes browser
`program software such as Netscape Navigator™ or
`Microsoft Internet Explorer™. (Netscape Navigator™ is a
`trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation of
`Mountain View, Calif., and Internet Explore™ is a trade(cid:173)
`mark of Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.) These
`browser programs include and/or permit the use of embed(cid:173)
`ded interpretive languages 30, such as Java™, that may
`execute programs that are included in the Web page file 16.
`
`[0025] The browser program 28 thus enables the user to
`create a view of the Web page 16, such as in a window 34
`on the display 26. It should be understood that other win(cid:173)
`dows 35 and other programs 36 may relate to other programs
`31 that the user is presently running on the processor 22. In
`order to display the Web page 16, the browser program 28
`typically downloads the Web page files to its local memory
`24, storing it as a local replica 40. The Web page replica 40
`includes various portions such as a Hypertext Markup
`Language (HTML) as well as other instructions for the
`Browser program 28 to format the Web page information in
`the window 34.
`
`[0026] The Web page replica 40 also includes Java TM code
`44 that includes instructions to be run while the user
`computer 20a is displaying the Web page.
`
`[0027] The display of the Web page replica 40 in the
`window 34 may include various regions such as a user input
`area 37 where the user enters addresses of Web pages that he
`or she desires to view, and menus 38 for other actions
`associated with operating the browser program 28 itself.
`
`[0028] Of interest to the description of the present inven(cid:173)
`tion is a Web page replica 40 that contains at least one
`advertisement area 39. The advertisement 39 on the Web
`page replica 40 is typically created by the provider of a
`service or product manufacturer. The advertisement 39 is
`typically used as an enticement for the user to download
`other Web pages specifically associated with the originator
`or author of the advertisement 39.
`
`[0029]
`In accordance with the invention, the Java™ code
`44 includes an applet program and data for tracking and
`logging the activities of the user in memory 24 while the
`user is viewing the Web page replica 40. The applet program
`44 therefore permits the authors of the advertisement 39 to
`better understand how the users interact with the Web page
`advertisement in order to provide more effective advertising.
`
`[0030] More specifically, the Web page replica 40 includes
`the Java™ code applet 44 that describes the particular
`attributes of the advertisement 39. Once the Web page
`replica 40 begins to display, the applet 44 also begins to
`execute in order to track and/or log user activities as they
`relate to various parts or objects of the advertisement 39.
`
`[0031] For example, the applet 44 may include informa(cid:173)
`tion that describes regions 46 of the advertisement 39, a list
`of visual elements 48 associated with the advertisement 39,
`and/or user activity definitions 50 that may take place within
`the context of the advertisement 39. The regions 46 may
`define areas within the advertisement 39, such as areas
`devoted to text or graphics. The elements 48 within the
`advertisement 39 may include various graphical images. The
`
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`Aug. 15,2002
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`3
`
`elements 48 may also include user prompts such as buttons,
`menus, slide bars, radio buttons, and the like.
`
`[0032] The list of activity definitions 50 may include
`various types of user input. The most important user input is
`typically mouse position, as reflected by the position of a
`cursor 33, but these may also include other user inputs such
`as mouse clicks or keyboard inputs.
`
`[0033] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the operations performed
`by the applet 44 in the process of tracking user interactions
`with the advertisement 39. An initial state 100 is entered
`when the applet is first started. This typically occurs when
`the user requests the display of the Web page 16 and the
`replica 40 has been downloaded or has at least begun being
`downloaded from the server 12a.
`
`[0034]
`In the next state 101, the applet program 44 begins
`execution on the client computer 20a. This is typically in the
`context of an interpretative language such as the Java™
`language executed within the browser 28. However, it
`should be understood that the applet may be implemented in
`other ways, as long as the applet 44 has access to the
`appropriate user inputs and local memory 24 for the logging
`of user activities with respect to the advertisement 39.
`
`In the next state 102, the applet 44 establishes a
`[0035]
`local list of elements and regions on the Web page replica 40
`associated with the advertisement 39 that are of concern.
`
`[0036] A next state 104 is then entered in which user
`activities with respect to objects within the advertisement 39
`may begin to be tracked by logging information in local
`memory locations 24 at the client 20. From this state 104,
`any number of states 106 through 114 and/or state 118 may
`be next entered for any given element 48.
`
`[0037] For example, in state 106, the elapsed time that the
`element 48 has been displayed on the page is tracked.
`
`In state 108, the fact that the mouse hovered near
`[0038]
`an element 48, i.e., the fact that the user moved the mouse
`within a region 46 of the page associated with the element
`48 but did not actually click on the element, is tracked.
`
`In state 110, the fact that the user clicked on an
`[0039]
`element 48 is tracked. It should be noted that this may
`include the tracking of one or more mouse clicks on one or
`more elements 48 by making multiple entries in the log 60.
`Thus, unlike the standard operation of an H1ML hyperlink,
`a single mouse click may not necessarily automatically lead
`to the loading of the next Web page 16.
`
`[0040]
`In state 112, the applet 44 tracks cursor 33 location
`at the moment of a mouse click with respect to the element
`48.
`
`[0041]
`In another state 114, the applet 44 may adjust the
`time frame associated with the particular action being
`logged. For example, when the user initially views a Web
`page 40, certain activities such as cursor 33 location maybe
`tracked in short-time intervals such as microseconds. How(cid:173)
`ever, other items such as the elapsed time an element 48 is
`displayed on the page may be tracked in longer time
`intervals such as seconds. Certain items such as cursor hover
`time may initially be tracked in a microsecond time frame,
`and then, depending upon the amount of time the element
`has been displayed, will switch to tracking a longer time
`interval, such as seconds.
`
`In state 116, the fact of the user requesting a
`[0042]
`different Web page is tracked.
`[0043]
`It should be understood that, in states 106 through
`114, data associated with the various user activities is logged
`in a portion of the memory 24 associated with maintaining
`an activity log 60.
`[0044] Eventually, a state 118 is reached in which the user
`indicates that he or she wishes to leave the present page 40.
`This event is typically associated with loading another page
`in state 116 or may also include the closing of the browser
`program window 34.
`[0045] At certain times, state 120 is entered in which the
`activity log 60 is sent from the local memory 24 by the
`applet 44 back to a server 12b. The server 12b is typically
`associated with the advertiser, or an advertisement rating
`service. This server 12b may or may not be the same server
`12a from which the Web page 46 was originally down(cid:173)
`loaded. The applet 44 may then terminate.
`[0046]
`In the preferred implementation of state 120, the
`activity log 13 is sent to the server 12b via a "dummy" HTTP
`GET message sent via a "back channel" to the server 12b at
`the time that the user leaves the present page 40. In particu(cid:173)
`lar, this back channel is a second network connection,
`different from the network connection used to fetch the Web
`page and download the applet in step 100. The dummy
`message is encoded as an HTTP GET with interaction log
`data shared in the GET message in such a way as to appear
`to be part of an extended address, for example. Thus, the
`browser program 28 does not need to perform any special
`functions or otherwise be modified.
`[0047] However, the interaction log data may also be sent
`at other times. For example, while the advertisement is being
`displayed, the applet may periodically open a back channel
`connection and send a POST message to the server 12b.
`Alternatively, certain events may trigger sending the logged
`interaction data, such as when the user clicks on a particular
`part of the advertisement
`
`[0048] What is important is that the logged interaction
`data is eventually flushed to the server 12b, so that the author
`of the advertisement 39 may occasionally check on the
`collection 62 of activity logs stored at the server 12b and
`analyze the data in order to determine the effectiveness of
`the advertisement 39.
`
`[0049] FIG. 3 is a view of a Web page such as that
`produced by a search engine such as Yahoo™. The adver(cid:173)
`tisement 39 is typically displayed in a defined region on the
`Web page 40. In this example, the effectiveness of the
`advertisement 39 associated with the advertiser who is in the
`running shoe business is being tracked. In the example, the
`applet 44 tracks how long a user allows the mouse cursor 50
`to hover near one of the eight possible displayed selections
`for running shoes. The applet 44 also tracks the position of
`the mouse to determine which one or more of the running
`shoes is selected by user-activated mouse clicks. This infor(cid:173)
`mation is then sent to the logging server 12b and is used
`prior to loading the manufacturer's Web page. Thus, the
`relative interest in a particular type of shoe may be gauged
`before the advertiser's Web page is loaded or, indeed, a lack
`of interest, in particular lead or "teaser" items, may be
`determined prior to the user requesting that the manufactur(cid:173)
`er's Web page be loaded.
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`4
`
`It is now understood how the invention provides
`[0050]
`various advantages over the prior art. In particular, the
`invention includes an applet 44 that is downloaded together
`with a Web page 40 (Web page files) capable of logging the
`user's interactions with elements 48 on the page. The applet
`in particular logs user interactions with the page 40 that
`indicates user interest to an advertiser. By identifying
`regions on the page and then tracking user activity and
`relating it to the particular elements or regions on the page,
`the advertiser may therefore more effectively evaluate the
`effectiveness of particular objects in the advertising.
`
`[0051] By collecting the interaction data locally and then
`sending them to a server which logs data locally via a back
`channel, the operation of the client computer or data stored
`thereon need not be permanently modified.
`
`[0052] By tracking multiple interactions before loading
`the advertiser's own Web page,
`the advertiser may
`prequalify a user and hence customize or tailor information
`to be displayed. In turn, the advertiser may more effectively
`present the information once the advertiser's Web page is
`requested by the user.
`
`[0053] The user may also be enticed to interact with a Web
`page advertisement, thereby disclosing information about
`the user's interests, without their actually requesting the
`loading of Web pages associated with the advertiser.
`
`[0054] While this invention has been particularly shown
`and described with references to preferred embodiments
`thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that
`various changes in form and details may be made therein
`without departing from the scope of the invention encom(cid:173)
`passed by the appended claims.
`
`What is claimed is:
`1. In a distributed computing system for displaying infor(cid:173)
`mation, a method comprising the steps of:
`
`displaying to a user a representation of an advertisement
`in electronic form;
`
`tracking user interaction with the advertisement;
`
`logging the user interactions while the advertisement is
`being displayed to the user; and
`
`sending user interaction log data to a remote server.
`2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the interaction log data
`is sent to the remote server when the display of the adver(cid:173)
`tisement is terminated by the user.
`3. A method as in claim 1 wherein the interaction log data
`is sent to the remote server upon the occurrence of a user
`interaction with the advertisement.
`4. A method as in claim 1 wherein the interaction log data
`is sent to the remote server periodically.
`5. A method as in claim 1 wherein the step of sending
`interaction log data additionally comprises the steps of:
`
`opening a connection to the remote server; and
`
`sending a message to the remote server over the connec(cid:173)
`tion, the message containing the interaction log data.
`6. A method as in claim 5 wherein the message is an HTTP
`GET message.
`7. A method as in claim 6 wherein the interaction log data
`is encoded as to appear as part of an extended address field
`in the HTTP GET message.
`
`8. A method as in claim 1 wherein the interaction log data
`includes mouse position and time of mouse hovering over
`advertisement.
`9. A method as in claim 1 additionally comprising the step
`of:
`
`downloading the advertisement from a second server
`different from the remote server.
`10. In a distributed computing system for displaying
`information, a method comprising the steps of:
`
`displaying to a user a representation of a page in elec(cid:173)
`tronic form, the page containing at least one advertise(cid:173)
`ment composed of two or more regions, each region
`containing a visual element of the advertisement;
`
`tracking user micro-interactions with each of the elements
`in the advertisement through the steps of:
`
`maintaining a list of elements displayed in the adver(cid:173)
`tisement;
`
`determining when a screen pointer hover occurs within
`a particular element of the advertisement, and the
`screen pointer hover occurring without requiring a
`user interaction on the element; and
`
`creating a micro-interaction data record in response
`thereto;
`
`logging the micro-interaction data records while the
`advertisement is being displayed to the user; and
`
`sending the micro-interaction data records to a remote
`server.
`11. A method as in claim 10 wherein the micro-interaction
`data records are sent to the remote server when the display
`of the advertisement is terminated by the user.
`12. A method as in claim 10 wherein the micro-interaction
`data records are sent to the remote server upon the occur(cid:173)
`rence of a user interaction with the advertisement.
`13. A method as in claim 10 wherein the micro-interaction
`data records are sent to the remote server periodically.
`14. A method as in claim 10 wherein the step of sending
`micro-interaction data records additionally comprises the
`steps of:
`
`opening a connection to the remote server; and
`
`sending a message to the remote server over the connec(cid:173)
`tion, the message containing the micro-interaction data
`records.
`15. A method as in claim 14 wherein the message is an
`HTTP GET message.
`16. A method as in claim 10 wherein the micro-interaction
`data records include information with respect to screen
`pointer position within the element.
`17. A method as in claim 16 wherein the micro-interaction
`data records include information indicating a time sequence
`of screen pointer positions within the element.
`18. A method as in claim 10 additionally comprising the
`step of:
`
`downloading the advertisement from a second server
`different from the remote server.
`19. In a distributed computing system for displaying
`information, a method comprising the steps of:
`
`displaying to a user a representation of an advertisement
`in electronic form;
`
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`US 2002/0111865 Al
`
`Aug. 15,2002
`
`5
`
`periodically tracking user interaction with the advertise(cid:173)
`ment;
`
`25. In a distributed system for displaying information, a
`method comprising the steps of:
`
`logging the user interactions while the advertisement is
`being displayed to the user; and
`
`displaying to a user a representation of an advertisement
`in electronic form;
`
`sending user interaction log data to a remote server.
`20. A method as in claim 19 wherein the periodicity of the
`tracking is variable.
`21. A method as in claim 19 wherein the periodicity of the
`tracking is logarithmic.
`22. In a distributed computing system for displaying
`information, a method comprising the steps of:
`
`displaying to a user a representation of an advertisement
`in electronic form;
`
`tracking user interaction with the advertisement;
`
`logging the user interactions while the advertisement is
`being displayed to the user; and
`
`periodically sending user interaction log data to a remote
`server.
`23. A method as in claim 22 wherein the periodicity of the
`sending is variable.
`24. A method as in claim 22 wherein the periodicity of the
`sending is logarithmic.
`
`tracking user interaction with the advertisement;
`
`logging the user interactions while the advertisement is
`being displayed to the user; and
`
`sending user interaction log data to a remote user inter(cid:173)
`action log aggregation device.
`26. In a distributed system for displaying information
`content, a method comprising the steps of:
`
`displaying to a user a representation of the information
`content in electronic form;
`
`tracking user interaction with the information content;
`
`logging the user interactions while the information con(cid:173)
`tent is being displayed to the user; and
`
`sending user interaction log data to a remote user inter(cid:173)
`action log aggregation device.
`
`* * * * *
`
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