Client-Server Entity Tag Tracking for Persistent User Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current client-server network technologies for user tracking lack comprehensive and efficient methods to maintain persistent user identification across multiple servers and devices, leading to incomplete data collection and inaccurate commission calculations in affiliate tracking programs.
Innovation Solution
The method involves generating and caching an entity tag in the client-server network, which includes user identification, allowing for persistent tracking by associating it with content requests and enabling cookieless tracking techniques, while ensuring user consent and handling cross-domain restrictions through invisible iframes and AJAX requests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cookies are used for user tracking, then user identification can be maintained across sessions, but user privacy concerns and browser security restrictions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses entity tags as an intermediary mechanism between cookies and user tracking. Instead of directly using cookies which trigger privacy concerns, the system introduces entity tags that are cached by the browser and can be used for identification without the same level of user awareness or privacy intrusion. This intermediary approach allows tracking functionality while attempting to mitigate the harmful effects associated with traditional cookie-based tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the identification mechanism by using entity tags that mirror the functionality of cookies. Rather than relying on the cookie system that users are aware of and can control, the invention copies the essential tracking function through entity tags that are less conspicuous and can be cached automatically by the browser without user intervention, thereby reducing privacy concerns while maintaining identification reliability.
2Reliability
If entity tags are used for tracking, then user identification consistency is improved, but cross-domain restrictions and implementation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the tracking implementation into domain-specific entity tags. Instead of attempting to create a universal tracking mechanism that works across all domains, the system divides the approach into separate entity tags for each domain or server. This segmentation allows each entity tag to be optimized for its specific domain context, reducing the complexity of cross-domain implementation while maintaining identification consistency within each segment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal entity tag mechanism that can function across multiple domains and servers. The entity tag system is designed to be domain-agnostic, allowing the same basic mechanism to be deployed universally across different domains without requiring domain-specific customization. This multi-functionality reduces implementation complexity by providing a single, standardized approach that works across the entire client-server network.
3Measurement precision
If comprehensive user tracking is implemented, then data accuracy for commission calculations is improved, but system complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential identification data into a separate entity tag structure that is independent of the main transaction processing system. By separating the user identification function into distinct entity tags, the system can maintain accurate tracking data without entangling it with the complex commission calculation logic. This extraction reduces system complexity by isolating the tracking function while preserving measurement precision through dedicated identification markers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by establishing entity tags before transactions occur. Instead of attempting to track and calculate commissions after complex transactions have already taken place, the system pre-establishes entity tags that contain user identification information at the point of initial contact. This preliminary tagging simplifies subsequent data collection and commission calculations by having identification data readily available, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining accuracy.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure refers to a method in a client-server network, comprising: generating, in a client, a setting request for setting an entity tag in a server; receiving the setting request in the server; generating the entity tag in the server, the generating comprising providing a user identification in the server and including the user identification in the entity tag; generating a response to the setting request in the server, the response comprising the entity tag provided in an entity tag field of the response; receiving the response in the client; caching the entity tag in the client; generating, in the client, a content request for retrieval of content provided in a resource in the client-server network and identified by a resource locator, the generating comprising including the resource locator and the entity tag in the content request; and transmitting the content request from the client to the resource. Also, a client-server network is provided.