Passive Parameter Based Demographics Generation

Abstract

A method for characterizing website visitors based on visitor passive parameters and using the characterization to select and/or market website content. The passive visitor parameters include data in the browser agent, time of a website visit, IP address, etc. Such visitor passive parameters are available each time a visitor visits a website. In a first step, a first embodiment of the method anonymously compares the visitor passive parameters with known demographics, for example, at financial websites, to create a statistical mapping between the visitor passive parameters and the demographics. In a second step, the mapping is used to estimate demographics data for future website visitors and then site content provided to the future website visitors is based on the estimated demographics.

1 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . A method comprising:
 obtaining one or more parameters corresponding to at least one visitor to a website, wherein the one or more parameters are associated with information other than personal information of the at least one visitor; and   generating a correlation between the one or more parameters.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising:
 providing web content to another visitor of another website based on the correlation and one or more parameters associated with information other than personal information of the another visitor. 
 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the website is the another website. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more parameters comprise data in a browser agent of the at least one visitor. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more parameters comprise data in a browser agent, time of day when the at least one visitor visited the website, or IP address associated with the at least one visitor. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein generating a correlation between the one or more parameters comprises using direct mapping to estimate the likelihood that the at least one visitor has a specific characteristic to generate the correlation. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein generating a correlation between the one or more parameters comprises using Multi-Factor Mapping to estimate the likelihood that the at least one visitor has a specific characteristic to generate the correlation. 
     
     
         18 . A method comprising:
 obtaining two or more parameters corresponding to at least one visitor to a website, wherein one parameter of the two or more parameters is associated with personal information of the at least one visitor, wherein another parameter of the two or more parameters is associated with information other than personal information of the at least one visitor; and   generating a correlation between the two or more parameters.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising:
 providing web content to another visitor of another website based on the correlation and one or more parameters associated with information other than personal information of the another visitor. 
 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the website is the another website. 
     
     
         21 . A method comprising:
 obtaining a correlation generated from a plurality of parameters, wherein parameters in the plurality of the parameters are associated with information other than personal information of at least one visitor of a website; and   selecting one or more parameters out of the plurality of the parameters based on the correlation.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising:
 obtaining at least one parameter corresponding to another visitor of another website; 
 matching the at least one parameter to the selected one or more parameters; and 
 providing web content to the another visitor based on the selected one or more parameters matching the at least one parameter. 
 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the website is the another website. 
     
     
         24 . A method comprising:
 obtaining a correlation generated from a plurality of parameters, wherein one parameter of the plurality of parameters is associated with personal information of at least one visitor to a website, wherein another parameter of the plurality of parameters is associated with information other than personal information of the at least one visitor; and   selecting one or more parameters out of the plurality of parameters based on the correlation, wherein the one or more parameters are associated with the information other than personal information of the at least one visitor.