Super Cookie Tracking Multiple Websites
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies are limited in their ability to efficiently collect, track, and analyze web activity data across multiple websites due to the 20-cookie limit per domain in the HTTP specification, which restricts the number of websites that can be tracked and leads to inaccurate statistics.
Innovation Solution
A system that stores web site data for multiple websites in a single cookie, using compression and encryption algorithms to efficiently utilize the limited cookie space, allowing for the tracking of numerous sites within each cookie, thereby extending the number of simultaneously tracked websites from 20 to several hundred or thousands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a separate domain is created for each website to be tracked, then the number of trackable websites increases, but the system complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple website tracking domains into a single domain by using a data structure called a 'super cookie' that can store tracking information for multiple websites. Instead of creating separate domains for each website (which would require multiple cookies), the invention combines all tracking functionality into one domain with one cookie that contains an array of website identifiers, effectively consolidating 20+ separate tracking systems into a single unified system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes a single cookie universal by enabling it to track multiple websites simultaneously. The 'super cookie' data structure is designed to store an array of website identifiers, allowing one cookie to serve the function of multiple cookies across different domains. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate tracking domains for each website.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the 20-cookie limit per domain is used, then implementation is simple, but the number of trackable websites is restricted to 20
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the nested doll principle by placing multiple website identifier arrays within a single cookie structure. The 'super cookie' contains an array of websites, where each website entry can itself contain an array of tracked sites. This nested structure allows the system to track hundreds or thousands of websites within the constraints of a single cookie, effectively nesting multiple levels of tracking data within one storage unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of cookie storage from storing single website identifiers to storing arrays of website identifiers. By modifying the data structure parameter from a simple string to a structured array format, the system can pack multiple website tracking capabilities into a single cookie, thereby increasing the number of trackable websites without exceeding the 20-cookie limit.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple domains are used to track more websites, then tracking capacity increases, but communication security and management become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges all tracking operations into a single secure domain, eliminating the need for multiple domains that would each require separate security configurations. By consolidating tracking functionality into one domain with a unified 'super cookie' approach, the system maintains a single security boundary, making communication security management simpler and more reliable while still enabling tracking of numerous websites.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods of tracking activity over networks and, in particular, tracking web activity over the Internet are described. Exemplary systems and methods may include a receiver for receiving a request from a visitor for a data object, a processor for providing a cookie to track the visitor's web activity, and a transmitter for transmitting the cookie to the visitor in response to the request. The cookie may comprise tracking information for a plurality of web sites visited by the visitor.