Patent ID: 8244582
Filing Date: 2012-08-14
Classification: G06F,G06Q

Abstract:
1. An automated method of collecting profiles of Internet-using entities, the method comprising: (a) electronically receiving at a programmed computer system coupled to a global computer network, from at least one server controlled by one of a plurality of unaffiliated third parties, a partial profile of an entity that uses a user computer coupled to the global computer network and accessing a website, which partial profile is available to one of the third parties and contains at least one profile attribute related to the entity, and automatically with the computer system storing the received partial profile; (b) wherein receiving the partial profile is achieved as a result of automatic electronic URL redirection from a portion of a page of the website accessed by the user computer; (c) automatically with the computer system electronically adding the received partial profile to a maintained profile believed to be related to the same entity; (d) automatically with the computer system generating and storing an electronic record of which of the plurality of unaffiliated third parties contributed to the maintained profile particular profile attributes; (e) wherein the maintained profile, including the added partial profile, comprises data used in targeting third-party advertisements to the user computer over the global computer network.