Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Remote data accessing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-08
2004-04-27
Alam, Hosain (Department: 2155)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Remote data accessing
C709S203000, C709S206000, C709S224000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06728761
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to Internet applications. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and method for tracking the use of an enterprise's commonly available resources over multiple uses for multiple sessions. More particularly, there is disclosed a system and method for keeping track of the usage of an e-mail support tool.
BACKGROUND
Web servers with web tools are commonly made available to web users through the Internet. Web tools provide numerous variety of on-line services such as sales, auctions, information services, virtual forums, customer support, and expert assistance services. It is typically desirable for web tool providers to track web user's use of their services from one session to another. Usage metrics such as time of use and specifically requested web page(s) are commonly tracked. In some systems, web tool providers offer numerous web tools (e.g., search engines, forums, help desks) within the same general web site such as with a customer support site. One or more actual servers may be used for providing one or more of these multiple web tools. In such cases, it is also desirable to track metrics (or usage parameters) such as web tool application type and particularly utilized server or servers.
Conventional tracking schemes have involved documenting usage parameters for a web tool within the actual web tool server that is providing the web tool. Unfortunately, with organizational systems that provide multiple web tools through numerous servers, this can be inefficient and difficult to carry out. User information must be separately extracted (and/or mined) from each server. Not only does this consume excessive resources, but it also makes it difficult to compare data from one web tool (or application) to another, as well as from one server to another—even when providing the same web tool.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an improved method and system for tracking the use of web resources, especially in systems that provide multiple web resources from multiple locations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a method for tracking the use of multiple resources, such as an e-mail support tool, provided from different servers. In one embodiment, the method initially involves eliciting from a user a query in connection with providing the requested service. A corresponding query is then generated from the elicited query. The generated query includes a command having embedded query information that is associated with the user's query. The user's query (usually by e-mail) is then made available to an agent (which is typically a computer running a particular application, but could be a person) for responding to the user's query by replying to the e-mail query. In replying to the e-mail query, the agent opens the user's e-mail query thereby executing the command. The execution of the command causes the agent computer to transmit to a server, designated within the command, a request that includes the embedded query information. The query information is then stored in a database in response to the request not being able to be processed by the designated server. The error log of the designated server controls storing of the data. In another embodiment, the command may also be (or exclusively) executed by a user computer when the user opens the agent's reply to the e-mail query. The user's system is caused to generate a URL to a special server, the URL contains user specific information. The special server cannot retrieve the information requested by the URL since it is actually not accessible, but instead the server logs the request and retains the request as a record for further tracking.
A system for tracking web users use of an e-mail support system tool is also provided by the present invention. In one embodiment, the system generally includes an e-mail support tool server, one or more web user computers, one or more agent computers and a designated server for receiving embedded query information for tracking the service. The e-mail support tool server is operably connected to the one or more web user computers. The e-mail support tool server has an e-mail support tool program for receiving support system queries from the one or more web user computers. The e-mail support tool server generates an e-mail query from each received support system query and inserts within each e-mail query a command having embedded query information. The one or more e-mail support agent computers are operably connected to the e-mail support tool server for receiving and opening the e-mail queries. The designated server is operably connected to the one or more support agent computers. The command within each e-mail query is executed by a support agent computer when the e-mail query is opened by the computer causing the computer to transmit to the designated server a request that includes the embedded query information from the command within the e-mail query. The query information is then stored in a database in response to the request being processed by the designated server.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
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Alam Hosain
Duong Oanh L
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