Method and apparatus for associating an identifier with network traffic

Abstract

In an embodiment, a request initiated from a client device and addressed to a content server device over a network is intercepted at a routing device and tagged using a unique identifier. The tagged request is transmitted over the network to the content server device, which transmits a second request over the network to a tag-related process device configured to use the unique identifier to identify information associated with the client device. The content server device receives the information associated with the client device over the network in response to the second request, and content for delivery to the client device is customized at the content server device based on that information. The customized content is then transmitted over the network to the routing device to configure the routing device to deliver the customized content to the client device in response to the request from the client device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 intercepting, at a routing device, a first request initiated from a client device and addressed to a content server device over a network;   tagging, at the routing device, the first request by inserting a unique identifier associated with the client device into an extensible field of the first request, wherein the routing device accesses a network operation center device that authenticates the unique identifier to obtain the unique identifier;   transmitting, over the network, the tagged first request from the routing device to the content server device;   transmitting, over the network, a second request from the content server device to a tag-related process device configured to use the unique identifier associated with the client device to identify information associated with the client device;   receiving, over the network, the information associated with the client device at the content server device in response to the second request;   customizing, at the content server device, content for delivery to the client device based on the information associated with the client device; and   transmitting, over the network, the customized content to the routing device to configure the routing device to deliver the customized content to the client device in response to the first request.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein tagging the first request by inserting the unique identifier associated with the client device into the extensible field of the first request comprises:
 transmitting, from the routing device, a tag-related request for the unique identifier to the network operation center device in response to the first request; and   tagging, at the routing device, the first request using a response to the tag-related request received from the network operation center device.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the unique identifier is transmitted from the network operation center device to the tag-related process device based on the tag-related request. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the tag-related process device uses a real-time market segmentation system to associate the unique identifier with the information associated with the client device. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein at least some of the information associated with the client device is obtained by the tag-related process device from one or both of the network operation center device or one or more third party data providers. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the response to the tag-related request includes instance information associated with one or both of the client device or a user of the client device, and wherein the customized content includes directed media selected based on the instance information. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 transmitting, over the network, at least a portion of the tagged first request to a supplemental content server device;   transmitting, over the network, a third request from the supplemental content server device to the tag-related process device;   receiving, over the network, second information associated with the client device at the supplemental content server device from the tag-related process device in response to the third request;   transmitting, over the network, supplemental content from the supplemental content server device to the content server device, wherein the supplemental content is selected by the supplemental content server device based on the second information; and   transmitting, over the network, the supplemental content from the content server to the routing device to configure the routing device to deliver, in addition to the customized content, the supplemental content to the client device in response to the first request.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the supplemental content is used in an emergency response situation. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the unique identifier is encoded by the network operation center device, and wherein the tag-related process device is configured to decode the encoded unique identifier. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first request is a request for a destination site initiated from a web browser at the client device, wherein the content server device executes a web server process associated with the destination site, and wherein the customized content is rendered, using the web browser, at the client device within the destination site in response to the first request. 
     
     
         11 . A method, comprising:
 intercepting, at a routing device, a request initiated from a client device and addressed to a content server device over a network;   tagging, at the routing device, the request using tag information obtained by a network operation center device;   transmitting, over the network, the tagged request from the routing device to the content server device;   receiving, over the network, information associated with the client device at the content server device, wherein the information associated with the client device is from a tag-related process device that associates the tag information with the information associated with the client device; and   transmitting, over the network, content from the content server device to the routing device, wherein the content server device selects the content based on the information associated with the client device, and wherein the routing device is configured to deliver the content to the client device in response to the request.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the information associated with the client device is received at the content server device from the tag-related process device in response to a request addressed to the tag-related process device and initiated from one of the content server device or a supplemental content server device. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the tag-related process device receives the tag information from the network operation center device based on the request initiated from the client device, and wherein the tag-related process device uses a real-time market segmentation system to associate the tag information with the information associated with the client device. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the tag information includes instance information associated with one or both of the client device or a user of the client device, and wherein the content includes directed media selected based on the instance information. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the request is a request for a destination site initiated from a web browser at the client device, wherein the content server device executes a web server process associated with the destination site, and wherein the content is rendered, using the web browser, at the client device within the destination site in response to the request. 
     
     
         16 . A method, comprising:
 intercepting, at a routing device, a request initiated from a client device and addressed to a content server device over a network;   tagging, at the routing device, the request by inserting tag information associated with the client device into an extensible field of the request; and   transmitting, over the network, the tagged request from the routing device to the content server device,   wherein content to deliver to the client device in response to the request is selected, at the content server device or at a supplemental content server device in communication with the content server device, based on information associated with the client device obtained from a tag-related process device using at least a portion of the tagged request.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the routing device receives the tag information from a network operation center device configured to authenticate the client device. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the tag information is transmitted from the network operation center device to the tag-related process device based on the request initiated from the client device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the tag-related process device uses the tag information to identify the information associated with the client device. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the request is a request for a destination site initiated from a web browser at the client device, wherein the content server device executes a web server process associated with the destination site, and wherein the content is rendered, using the web browser, at the client device within the destination site in response to the request.