Session IP Timestamp User Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for identifying unique users accessing a website are inaccurate, intrusive, and fail to differentiate users behind proxy servers, raising privacy concerns and inefficiencies in web traffic analysis.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a unique identifier combining an Internet Protocol (IP) address and a synchronized time value associated with each client computer system to identify distinct users, allowing for non-intrusive and accurate tracking of individual users, even those accessing through proxy servers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If cookies are used to identify unique users, then user tracking capability is improved, but user privacy protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses session-specific identifiers that are temporary and discarded after use, rather than persistent cookies. Each identifier is valid only for a specific session duration and is then discarded, providing user tracking capability while minimizing privacy intrusion since the identifiers cannot be used to track users across multiple sessions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of identifier persistence from permanent (cookies) to temporary (session-based). By making identifiers short-lived and session-specific, the system maintains measurement precision for active users while reducing privacy harm since the identifiers expire and cannot be used for long-term tracking.
2Ease of manufacture
If IP address tracking is used to identify users, then implementation simplicity is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to proxy servers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the user identification process into multiple components: IP address, user agent string, and session timestamp. By combining these segmented pieces of information, the system maintains implementation simplicity while improving measurement precision, as the combination is unlikely to collide even when multiple users share the same IP address through proxy servers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple identification parameters (IP address, user agent, timestamp) into a single composite identifier. This combining approach resolves the proxy server problem by making it statistically improbable that different users will have identical composite identifiers, thereby improving measurement precision while keeping implementation relatively simple.
3Reliability
If user registration is required for identification, then identification reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service identification where the system automatically generates and manages session identifiers without requiring user action. Users simply access the website and are automatically assigned a session-specific identifier, eliminating the need for manual registration while maintaining reliable identification through the automated session management system.
4Ease of manufacture
If raw hit data is used for web traffic analysis, then data collection simplicity is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by generating unique session identifiers at the start of each user session before any web page requests are made. This preliminary identification allows the system to accurately attribute all subsequent hits to the correct user session, improving measurement precision for unique user counting while maintaining data collection simplicity through automated tracking.
Data Source
AI summary
An improved method and system for identifying individual users accessing a web site. A web site server is able to identify distinct users by using a unique identifier associated with each client computer system requesting access to the web site. The unique identifier comprises an Internet address, such as an Internet Protocol (IP) address, and a time value associated with each client computer system requesting access to the web site. On starting up a web browser, an application program or browser plug-in may synchronize the internal clock included with the client computer system with a global time standard. The synchronized time value may be based on an event associated with the client computer system, such as the start of a web browser. A web site server may determine the uniqueness of the client computer system by comparing unique identifier records of users accessing the web site. A user may be identified as distinct if no matching record exists in the database. Multiple client computer systems having a common Internet address may be identified by using this method. Users privacy is also protected as the unique identifiers are erased when the client computer system's user exits the web browser or powers down the computer.