User identification in the header of data packets

Abstract

Several ways of identifying users and collecting demographic information and market information are disclosed, including branding a browser with a unique identification in each user request, identifying a user by his key strokes or mouse clicks, gathering demographic information using multiple data sets and by monitoring network traffic. Additionally, user requested content is distinguished from other, non-user content, and the performance of a server can be monitor and analyzed from a client a client perspective. Further, an Internet user's Internet data is routed to a known domain on the Internet, from which it is routed on to the intended recipient. The domain includes proxy servers which proxy the user's data requests to the domain, and database servers, which filter and build a database of the user's Internet usage. Particular data concerning certain behaviors of interest, such as purchasing data, is filtered into the database, and can form the basis for numerous market measures.

1 . A method of identifying a computer user on a network, comprising:
 instructing a computing device used by multiple members of a household to include, in a data field of a request for data sent from a browser program running on the computing device, identification data that uniquely identifies the computing device on the network and that includes information about a user of the computing device that identifies the user from among the multiple members of the household;   receiving the data field from the computing device with the request for data made by the computing device;   parsing the data field to extract the identification data; and   identifying the computing device and the user from the extracted identification data.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data field is a machine-persistent tag placed in a header of an HTTP request. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the machine-persistent tag includes data indicating a preferred language of a user. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 readdressing the requests for data received from the computing device to indicate that the requests for data originated in an intermediary domain;   recording information related to at least part of the requests for data; and   sending the readdressed requests for data onto the network.   
     
     
         5 . A method of identifying a computer user on a network, the method comprising:
 connecting a computing device used by a user to a network;   generating, at a browser program running on the computing device, requests for data;   altering a data field in the generated requests for data such that the data field includes identification data that uniquely identifies the computing device, wherein:
 the altered data field includes information about a user of the computing device, multiple members of a household use the computing device, 
 the information about a user of the computing device identifies the user from among the members of the household; and 
   sending the requests for data onto the network with the altered data field, wherein sending requests onto the network comprises sending requests onto the network with the information that identifies the user from among the members of the household.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising configuring software running on the computing device to address at least some of the requests for data to a known proxy server in the intermediary domain. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising recording information related to at least part of the request for data to build a database, wherein the database includes information regarding at least one of user age, user income level, user education level, household size, time of transmission of at least one of the requests for data, location of the computing device, date of transmission of at least one of the requests for data, currency paid, type of product purchased, type of service purchased, network address of the intended recipient of at least one of the requests for data, click-through address, banner advertisement impression, and permission e-mail received. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the altered data field is a machine-persistent tag placed in a header of an HTTP request. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the machine-persistent tag includes data indicating a preferred language of a user. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein altering the data field comprises adding one or more strings that include information about a user of the computing device to the data field, and sending the requests for data comprises sending requests onto the network with the strings that include information about the user of the computing device. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the information about a user of the computing device includes demographic information, and sending the requests for data comprises sending requests onto the network with the demographic information. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the information about a user of the computing device identifies the user from among a group of users included in a panel of users, and sending the requests for data comprises sending requests onto the network with the information that identifies the user from among the group of users. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the altered data field includes information configured to separate groups of users included in a panel of users, and sending the requests for data onto the network comprises sending requests onto the network with the information configured to separate the groups of users. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising specifically identifying the user based on the information about the user. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the data that identifies the computing device is included in each request for data sent from the browser running on the computing device. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the request for data includes more than one data field and the more than one data field is altered to include the identification information, and sending the requests comprises sending requests onto the network with the more than one altered data field. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising receiving instructions operable to cause a browser program running on the computing device to alter the data field generated by the browser program. 
     
     
         18 . A computer-readable medium storing a computer program configured to identify a computer user on a network, the program comprising one or more code segments configured to:
 instruct a computing device used by multiple members of a household to include, in a data field of a request for data sent from a browser program running on the computing device, identification data that uniquely identifies the computing device on the network and that identifies the user from among multiple members of the household;   receive the data field from the computing device with the request for data made by the computing device;   parse the data field to extract the identification data; and   identify the computing device and the user from the extracted identification data.   
     
     
         19 . The medium of  claim 18  further comprising one or more code segments configured to:
 readdress the requests for data received from the computing device to indicate that the requests for data originated in an intermediary domain;   record information related to at least part of the requests for data; and   send the readdressed requests for data onto the network.   
     
     
         20 . A computer-readable medium storing a computer program configured to identify a computer user on a network, the program comprising one or more code segments configured to:
 connect a computing device used by a user to a network;   generate, at a browser program running on the computing device, requests for data;   alter a data field in the generated requests for data, such that the data field includes identification data that uniquely identifies the computing device, wherein:
 the altered data field includes information about a user of the computing device, 
 multiple members of a household use the computing device, and 
 the information about a user of the computing device identifies the user from among the members of the household; and 
   send the requests for data onto the network with the altered data field, wherein the one or more code segments configured to send the requests onto the network comprises the one or more code segments being configured to send the requests onto the network with the information that identifies the user from among the members of the household.   
     
     
         21 . A method of identifying a computer user on a network, comprising:
 generating, at a browser program running on a computing device used by multiple members of a household, a request for data, the request for data comprising a resource location in a first data field, and identification data in a second data field, wherein:
 the identification data uniquely identifies the computing device on a network, 
 the identification data includes information about a user of the computing device, and 
 the information about a user of the computing device identifies the user from among the multiple members of the household; and 
   sending the request for data onto the network with the first data field including the resource location and the second data field including the identification data.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein generating the request with the identification data in the second data field comprises including the identification data in the second field based on data included in a preference associated with the browser program. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising resetting the second data field upon initiation of the browser program. 
     
     
         24 . A method of identifying a computer user on a network, comprising:
 instructing a computing device used by multiple members of a household to include, in a request for data sent from a browser program running on the computing device identification data, the request for data comprising a resource location in a first data field and identification data a second data field wherein:
 the identification data uniquely identifies the computing device on a network, 
 the identification data includes information about a user of the computing device, and 
 the information about a user of the computing device identifies the user from among the multiple members of the household; and 
   parse the second data field to extract the identification data; and   identify the computing device and the user from the extracted identification data.