US 7,457,873 B2
Method and system for providing centralized web usage tracking
Rico Mariani, Kirkland, Wash. (US); Tarek Najm, Kirkland, Wash. (US); Ramesh Manne, Redmond, Wash. (US); Lee Wang, Kirkland, Wash. (US); Tara Prakriya, Redmond, Wash. (US); and Madhan Subhas, Kirkland, Wash. (US)
Assigned to Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Wash. (US)
Filed on Sep. 15, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/532,305.
Application 11/532305 is a division of application No. 11/278302, filed on Mar. 31, 2006.
Prior Publication US 2007/0233882 A1, Oct. 04, 2007
Int. Cl. G06F 15/173 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 709—224  [709/200; 709/203; 709/217; 709/218; 709/219; 709/223; 709/225; 709/226; 709/238] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, implemented in a logging server, comprising:
configuring the logging server for collecting usage information about accesses by one or more client computers to a plurality of web pages on a plurality of web servers storing the plurality of web pages;
configuring the plurality of web pages to include tracking tags, wherein each of the tracking tags comprises a reference for accessing an image stored on the logging server when rendering the web page including the tracking tag, and wherein each of the tracking tags further includes the information about the access by one of said client computers to the web page having the tracking tag;
accessing, by the client computers, the plurality of web pages on the web servers storing the web pages;
transmitting, to the client computers from the web servers, the web pages accessed including the tracking tags;
rendering each web page transmitted to each client computer, wherein the rendering of each transmitted web page on each client computer comprises sending a request by the client computer to the logging server for delivery of the image stored on the logging server identified by the reference in the tracking tag for the web page;
receiving, at the logging server from the client computers, the requests for delivery of the image corresponding to the tracking tags for each of the plurality of web pages accessed; and
logging, at the logging server, the information about the accesses included within the tracking tags for providing details of usage of the web by users of the client computers initiating the requests.