Abstract:
An automated tracking system and method is provided which allows the evaluation of the effectiveness of advertisements directing consumers to sites on the Internet. The tracking system uses the Web address entered by a consumer to identify the source of information leading the consumer to the Website of interest. As the consumer navigates the Website, the tracking system associates this source-identifying data with any product transactions effected by the consumer and records the information for reporting and analysis. The tracking system also retains the source-identifying data in the event the consumer leaves the Website and later returns or goes offline to purchase a product.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owners have no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserve all copyrights whatsoever.  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to an improved tracking system for evaluating the effectiveness of advertising and other information sources directing consumers to sites on the Internet.  
           [0003]    Various systems have been designed to measure the effectiveness of the wide variety of advertising and other information media based on resulting interest in the advertised product. Many such systems attempt to track goods or service sales and inquiries to the information source through which a consumer received an initial impression of the selected product. A typical system has included requesting this lead or source information from the consumer either through a sales order form, questions from a sales representative, or an after sale survey.  
           [0004]    More and more consumers now go online to locate products of interest. Consequently, many of today&#39;s print and television or radio advertisements include a uniform resource listing (URL), commonly known as a Web address, directing the consumer to a particular Website for further information about the advertised product. With the growth of commerce over the portion of the Internet known as the World Wide Web, new methods are needed to track consumers&#39; online activity as they make inquiries about, research, and eventually purchase products and services.  
           [0005]    Prior tracking methods include counting the number of visits or “hits” to a particular Website, but generally include no link to a specific advertising source. Methods have been developed for tracking a visit to a Website to a particular banner advertisement which is linked to the Website from another portion of the Internet. However, methods for linking online activity to print media or television and radio advertising have previously needed participation by the consumer. Requiring information to be obtained from the user creates the potential for receiving faulty information, receiving no information, and causing discouraging inconvenience to the buyer.  
           [0006]    Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for an automated system and method which is transparent to the consumer and retains the ability to evaluate the effectiveness of offline advertising even when purchases and product inquiries are made online.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention recognizes and addresses the foregoing disadvantages, and others, of prior art construction and methods.  
           [0008]    Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved design for an automated system and method for tracking online activity to the information or advertising source which initially led a consumer to a given Web address. More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for recording both online and offline product transactions along with the associated initiating information source for reporting and marketing analysis.  
           [0009]    It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method which is transparent to the consumer for linking an initial information source to final product transactions.  
           [0010]    It is an additional object of the present invention to retain intermediate sources of information, such as catalogs, so that information is recorded about all contributing sources from the customer&#39;s initial awareness of the product to the end sale.  
           [0011]    It is a still further object of the present invention to retain the initiating information source in the event that a user leaves the Website or goes offline and returns later to effect a product transaction.  
           [0012]    It is a still further object of the present invention to facilitate contractual arrangements in which the profits from a particular sale go to the party responsible for a consumer&#39;s initial awareness of the purchased product.  
           [0013]    Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.  
           [0014]    Some of these objects are achieved by the design of an automated tracking system and method based on a catalog of directory pathnames serving as source codes. Each advertising or information source to be considered within the system is encoded with a source code which serves to identify it as the lead which created a consumer&#39;s initial awareness of a product or service featured on a Website. The encoded source code includes a Web address followed by a source-identifying directory pathname. When a user decides to access the Website referenced by the advertisement or information source, the user will type in the entire Web address including the source-identifying information. The tracking system then uses each part of the Web address to build the series of display pages which make up the Website for display to the user.  
           [0015]    In a preferred embodiment, the source-identifying pathname is used as an index into a database which includes a catalog of predetermined product codes encompassing all products and services to be featured on the Website. As the user navigates the Website, using, for example, a browser, the tracking system builds Web pages which include the product codes retrieved from the database and derived using the pathname or source identifier. In one embodiment, each product code includes at least the pathname followed by a product identifier.  
           [0016]    In a preferred embodiment, the automated tracking system accepts user input with respect to product transactions as the user is navigating the Website. The tracking system records all such user activity including transaction information and the associated product information. In one embodiment, transaction types will include an inquiry, a search, and a purchase.  
           [0017]    In a preferred embodiment, the product information recorded includes the product codes used to build the Web pages. Accordingly, each product transaction recorded also contains the information included in the product code regarding the identification of the path or source code which was initially accepted from the user. The information recorded about product transactions is later used to formulate reports to indicate the effectiveness of advertising and information sources. In one embodiment, a user activity report can be sorted by source code so that the report indicates which products were purchased or researched as a result of a consumer viewing the identified advertisement. User activity reports might also be sorted based upon product identifier or transaction type.  
           [0018]    In a preferred embodiment, the tracking system would retain source-identifying information in the event that a user accesses a particular Website and then leaves the site or goes offline. In a preferred embodiment, when a user enters a particular pathname including a source code, the automated tracking system makes a request to a browser on the user&#39;s computer through which the user is accessing the Internet. The request includes the source code which the browser is asked to record on the user&#39;s computer for later retrieval. In one embodiment, the recording of this information is accomplished using a cookie.  
           [0019]    Whenever the user accesses the given Website, the automated tracking system also requests that the browser check the user&#39;s computer for such stored information or cookie. The tracking system would then use pre-coded selection criteria to choose between the source-identifying pathname entered by the user and the source code previously stored or cookied on the user&#39;s computer to use as an index into the database of product codes. For instance, if the address typed in by the user consisted of the Web address with no source directory path, that is, the source directory path was null, the system would look to the cookie to see if the user had been previously directed to the Website through one of the encoded advertisements or information sources.  
           [0020]    In one embodiment, the directory pathname or source code entered by the user along with the Web address might indicate a catalog of products as the source of information. In that instance, the tracking system would look to the stored or cookied information on the user&#39;s computer to determine if the user had previously visited the Website to order the catalog. If the user was initially directed to Website by an advertisement source other than the catalog, a source code or pathname identifying that source will be recorded on the user&#39;s computer. In that case, both sources of information will be logged with any subsequent product transaction. In one embodiment, the catalog code will be included on the Web pages with the associated product codes.  
           [0021]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate the described embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of invention.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]    A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof and directed to one of the ordinary skill in the art, as set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended drawings in which:  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the components of an automated tracking system designed in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the processes associated with one embodiment of an automated tracking system and method designed in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the method from a consumer&#39;s point of view of an automated tracking system designed in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 4 a  is an example of one embodiment of an encoded information source for the automated tracking system illustrated in FIG. 2;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 b  is an example of one embodiment of an initial Web page for the automated tracking system illustrated in FIG. 2;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4 c  is an example of one embodiment of a product inquiry Web page of the automated tracking system illustrated in FIG. 2;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 4 d  is an example of one embodiment of a product purchase Web page of the automated tracking system illustrated in FIG. 2; and  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 5 is one embodiment of an activity report for the automated tracking system illustrated in FIG. 2.  
         [0031]    Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or elements of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0032]    Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit thereof. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used on another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.  
         [0033]    The present invention is concerned with an improved system and method for evaluating the effectiveness of advertising and other information sources by tracking a particular source to resulting online activity by consumers, such as product transactions. Accordingly, FIGS. 1 and 2 depict a presently preferred embodiment of an automated system  10  for tracking online product transactions made by a consumer  12  to the advertising or information source  14  through which the consumer  12  first gained an impression of the product.  
         [0034]    In a preferred embodiment, the automated tracking system  10  of the present invention contemplates the user/consumer  12  using a computer to access a wide area network, generally the Internet  16 , via a browser  18 . Commonly used browsers include Netscape Navigator™, and Internet Explorer™ by Microsoft® Corporation.  
         [0035]    The user requests access to a Website by entering the URL or Web address which was included in the advertising source  14 . The user&#39;s page request is routed over the Internet  16  to the appropriate Web server  20  for processing  22 . In a preferred embodiment, the present invention uses Windows 2000 Server™ by Microsoft® Corporation and its associated software, Internet Information Services™ (IIS) 5.0. In response to a request for displaying Web pages, the Web server  20  uses off-the-shelf (OTS) software designed for the task, such as Microsoft® Visual Basic® Scripting Edition.  
         [0036]    Prior to displaying the Web pages associated with the requested site to the user, the system  10  must build the appropriate Web pages using the server based on the information supplied by the user  12 . In describing this process, reference will also be made to FIGS. 3 and 4 a - d . FIGS. 4 a - d  show an exemplar series of Web pages using the present invention in an application relating to architectural designs.  
         [0037]    As shown in FIG. 3, the user/consumer initially becomes aware of a product or service through an information source or advertisement  24  such as the one  26  shown in FIG. 4 a . Each advertisement  26  is encoded with a Web address  28  directing the user  12  to an online site for more information about the company, product, or service featured in the ad. In a preferred embodiment, the encoded Web address  28  includes a standard URL  30  followed by an extended directory pathname  32  to serve as an indicator of source. The entire address  28  is entered  34  by the user  12  as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 b.    
         [0038]    Returning to FIG. 2, the automated tracking system and method  10  determines the source code  36  to be used in accessing the database  38  and building the Web pages  40  for display. To determine the source code  36 , the system  10  initially strips the directory pathname  32  from the Web address  28  entered by the user  12 . The source code component  36  of the system then makes a request of the browser  18  to retrieve from the user&#39;s  12  computer any previously stored source identifier.  
         [0039]    If no such stored identifier exists, the source code component merely requests that the browser  18  record on the user&#39;s  12  computer the current directory pathname  32  as a source identifier.  
         [0040]    In a preferred embodiment, this recordation is accomplished by the browser  18  using a cookie. A cookie is essentially a piece of data deposited onto the user&#39;s computer system which may be accessed whenever the user returns to the cookie-depositing site. Generally, the returning user must be using the same computer, browser, and login as when the deposit was made. This depositing of information is generally transparent to the user.  
         [0041]    Returning to the process, if the source code component  36  does find a source identifier cookied on the user&#39;s  12  computer, the component  36  must then determine whether to use the current directory path  32  entered by the user or the retrieved source identifier as the source code for building the Web pages to be displayed to the user.  
         [0042]    The logic for this determination is as follows. If the directory path  32  entered by the user is null, that is, the user merely entered a standard URL  30 , the source code to be used is the stored or cookied source identifier. If the cookie contains a source identifier and the user  12  has entered a new directory path  32 , the directory path  32  is used as the source code, and a request is made to the browser  18  to overwrite the source identifier in the cookie with the new directory path  32 .  
         [0043]    An alternative scenario to this, in one embodiment, is when the user enters a catalog number as the new directory path  32 . A catalog number indicates that the user is selecting products or services based on information obtained from catalog or other similar listing and description of the offerings of a company. In that instance, both the source identifier retrieved from the cookie and the catalog number entered as the directory path  32  will be used as the source code to build the Web pages.  
         [0044]    Once the source code has been determined, the component of the system which builds Web pages  40  uses the source code as an index to access the database  38  and retrieve information to be included in the Web pages. In one embodiment, the Web pages component  40  also uses the session state stored on the server  20  to determine which data to retrieve from the database. The information in the database can be tailored to the particular application utilizing the tracking system  10 , and can be creatively chosen to alter the Web pages depending upon the source-identifying data and any information that data conveys about the user/consumer  12 .  
         [0045]    In a preferred embodiment, the information retrieved from the database includes product codes to be associated with the various products featured on the Website. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 c , the product codes retrieved from the database  42  include the source code  44  serving as an indicator of source, and a product code  46  to indicate a particular product. As mentioned earlier, if a customer is working from a catalog, the product codes  42  may also include a catalog number  48 .  
         [0046]    Other information which the Web pages component  40  of the system  10  may retrieve from the database  38  in order to build the Web pages includes contract or pricing information which varies according to the information source responsible for the user&#39;s  12  visit to the Website. Essentially, the database  38  may be designed to contain any information which the designer of the Website would like to vary based upon where the consumer gained his initial impression of the Website and its offerings.  
         [0047]    For example, in one embodiment, the profits from a sale might be divided between the manufacturer of a product and the publisher of a trade magazine featuring that product. The tracking system  10  of the present invention allows the manufacturer of the product to determine with particularity which sales require such a profit split.  
         [0048]    The Web pages component  40  uses the data retrieved from the database along with the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) in the asp file to build the final Web pages. After the Web pages have been built and displayed to the user, the system  10  allows the user to navigate the Website using the Web server  20 . If a user decides to leave the Website or go offline before completing a product transaction, the associated source information is not lost because the source identifier cookied on the user&#39;s  12  computer remains and can be accessed if the user returns to the site to complete product transactions at a later date.  
         [0049]    If the consumer decides to go offline and make a purchase by telephone call to a customer representative, the source information is also retained. Because the product codes relayed to the customer representative were obtained by the consumer from the Website, the product codes recorded for the phone order also include the source-identifying information.  
         [0050]    As the user navigates the site, any transactions made with respect to products are recorded  50  in the database  38 . As shown in FIG. 3, examples of product transactions include, among others, inquiries  52  and sales  54 . The database entry associated with such a transaction would include a transaction type  51 , indicating for example whether it was a sale or an inquiry, along with the product code  46  which as described earlier includes all sourcing information.  
         [0051]    As an example, the entry for the purchase of a house plan shown in FIG. 4 d  would include the fact that it was a purchase as well as the product code W-GM 103 - 214 . The product code  46  ( 214 ) indicates the particular house plan purchased and the source code  44  (GM- 103 ) indicates that the user came to the Website and purchased this product as a result of viewing the magazine ad shown in FIG. 4 a.    
         [0052]    In a preferred embodiment, the information is stored in a relational database such as Microsoft® SQL Server™, and the data is manipulated using stored procedures written in a relational database language such as Transact-SQL.  
         [0053]    The final component of the system is the one for generating reports  56 . This component retrieves a variety of information from the database  38  and produces reports which include an analysis of that information for a user/analyst  58 . An example of such an activity report is shown in FIG. 5. The report  60  of FIG. 5 indicates an advertising source  62 , the products  64  included in that advertising source  62 , and the number of times that a product was sold  66  or viewed  68  as a result of being included in the ad source  62 . Other reports might include the dollar amount sold as a result of a particular advertisement, or might group advertisements according to type such as magazine, newspaper, radio, or television.  
         [0054]    It can thus be seen that the present invention provides a system and method for evaluating the effectiveness of individual advertising and information is sources which lead a customer to research or purchase products and services online. The system and method is transparent to the consumer and facilitates evaluation by tracking a source to resulting product transactions and recording this information for analysis and review.  
         [0055]    While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is to be understood that any and all equivalent realizations of the present invention are included within the scope and spirit thereof. Thus the embodiments depicted are presented by way of example only and are not intended as limitations upon the present invention. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described and shown, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in this art that the present invention is not limited thereto since many modifications can be made. Therefore, it is contemplated that any and all such embodiments are included in the present invention as may fall within the literal or equivalent scope of the appended claims.