Patent ID: 8170993

Claim:
A method for capturing and presenting node sequence data, the method comprising: providing a first user interface display area displaying a target path comprising a sequence of checkpoint nodes in a defined order, wherein each of the checkpoint nodes comprises at least one checkpoint representing at least one network location such that the target path is indicative of a sequential traversal of network locations; providing a second user interface display area displaying a checkpoint list comprising a plurality of user selectable checkpoints, wherein each of the checkpoints of the checkpoint list is associated with at least one network location, and wherein each of the checkpoints of the checkpoint list is selectable to generate a new checkpoint node comprising the selected checkpoint or to add the selected checkpoint to an existing checkpoint node of the target path, wherein the first user interface display area and the second user interface display are simultaneously displayed such that user may view the target path and checkpoint list simultaneously; receiving a user input indicative of a selection of a checkpoint of the checkpoint list and a selection of an existing checkpoint node of the target path to add the selected checkpoint to, wherein the checkpoint node selected already comprises at least one checkpoint representing at least one network location; in response to receiving the user input: adding the checkpoint selected to the checkpoint node selected such that checkpoint node selected comprises a group checkpoint node representing a group of network locations; and displaying, in the first user interface display area, a modified target path comprising the group checkpoint node; retrieving, from a stored log, a plurality of records comprising node sequence data; filtering the retrieved records to identify a subset of the retrieved records as matching the modified target path, wherein filtering the retrieved records comprises, for each retrieved record: a) determining whether the retrieved record includes a sequence of nodes that matches the sequence of checkpoint nodes in the defined order of the modified target path, wherein a sequence of nodes that matches the sequence of checkpoint nodes comprises, for each checkpoint node of the modified target path, at least one node associated with one or more network locations that match one or more network locations represented by the respective checkpoint node, wherein a node of the retrieved sequence of nodes that matches the group checkpoint node comprises a network location that matches any of the network locations of the group of network locations represented by the group checkpoint node; b) if the determining step is resolved in the affirmative, identifying the record as matching the modified target path; and c) if the determining step is resolved in the negative, not identifying the record as matching the modified target path; and outputting a report based on the records identified as matching the modified target path.