Abstract

A method for tracking usage patterns of users of hyper-media systems, such as the World-Wide Web, that creates a usage log on a user's client computer and periodically transmits the usage log from the user's client machine to a usage tracking server computer to be incorporated in an overall usage log for a given information server computer. Alternatively, proxy server may be connected between a client computer and an information server with the proxy server acting as a client to the information server and creating a usage log of the user's client computer access to the information server computer to be sent to usage tracking computer. Each time a user connects to a Web site, the client computer or proxy server creates a usage log that records all objects retrieved from that particular Web site and other attributes of user processing such as time spent viewing an object, amount of an object viewed, etc. Periodically, upon the occurrence of one of more predefined events that signify the end of a session, computer or proxy server saves the usage log into a single, compressed file and transmits the resulting file to the server. Events that signify the end of a session and trigger the transmission of a usage log from the user's client computer or proxy server computer to the usage tracking server computer may include a predetermined time interval, accessing a predetermined number of objects, application program or operating system shut down, connecting to a different Web site, and/or modem shut down.