Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-02
2004-08-03
Kincaid, Kristine (Department: 2174)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S215000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06771289
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to visualizing traffic on Internet world-wide-web sites, and more particularly to such visualization that is cluster-based in nature.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Browsing the Internet has become an exceedingly popular application for computers and computer-like devices. In particular, sites on the world-wide-web (WWW, or web) have seen increasing visitation. A web site includes a number of web pages, identified by Uniform Resource Locator (URL) addresses. For example, a home page of a web site may be addressed as http://www.mypage.com/index.html.
As web sites have become more popular, tracking their usage has becoming important, especially for commercial sites. Operators of web sites, for example, are interested in determining how users proceed through the site in a single session. A session is when a user views one or more pages of the web site, in a particular order, before going to a different web site. By being able to determine how users are proceeding through their sites, operators are able to better understand their users, and how to make their web sites better.
For this and other reasons, therefore, there is a need for the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to visualizing web traffic in a cluster-based manner. In one embodiment, a number of windows are displayed, corresponding to a number of clusters into which users have been partitioned based on similar web browsing behavior. The windows are ordered from the cluster having the greatest number of users to the cluster having the least number of users. Each window has one or more rows, where each row corresponds to a user within the cluster. Each row has an ordered number of visible units, such as blocks, where each block corresponds to a web page visited by the user. The blocks can be color coded by the type of web page they represent. In one embodiment, the corresponding cluster models for the clusters are alternatively displayed in the windows. The windows desirably can be made larger or smaller, as well as be scrolled through via scroll bars.
Thus, embodiments of the invention allow web site operators to view first-hand how users are visiting their web sites. The visual approach of embodiments of the invention provides for advantages as compared to non-visual approaches, since usage data for web sites can be increasingly large. Without a visual approach, for instance, it is more difficult for operators to make conclusions as to usage of their web sites, as compared to using a visual approach.
The invention includes computer-implemented methods, machine-readable media, computerized systems, and computers of varying scopes. Other aspects, embodiments and advantages of the invention, beyond those described here, will become apparent by reading the detailed description and with reference to the drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 6400381 (2002-06-01), Barrett et al.
patent: 6470383 (2002-10-01), Leshem et al.
patent: 6546393 (2003-04-01), Khan
patent: 6598054 (2003-07-01), Schuetze et al.
Cadez Igor
Heckerman David E.
Meek Christopher A.
White Steven J.
Amin & Turocy LLP
Kincaid Kristine
Microsoft Corporation
Nguyen Thomas T.
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