ONLINE MACHINE DATA COLLECTION AND ARCHIVING PROCESS

1 . A process for collecting machine identifying information associated with a digital online access device used for accessing a host computer system over a digital network, said host computer system generating an interaction record of an access therewith by said access device, and said process comprising:

capturing a machine fingerprint that identifies said access device accessing said host computer system wherein said machine fingerprint comprises a hashed attribute string that is a concatenation of attributes associated with said access device;

generating an interaction identification string upon said access device accessing said host computer system;

associating said interaction identification string with said machine fingerprint; and

associating said interaction identification string with said interaction record generated upon said access device accessing said host computer system.

2 . A process as set forth in claim 1 further comprising capturing a digital address of said access device on said digital network.

3 . A process as set forth in claim 1 wherein said hashed attribute string comprises a configuration setting of said access device.

4 . A process as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

communicating a self-identification routine to said access device upon said access device accessing said host computer system;

said access device executing said self-identification routine;

said self-identification routine querying a configuration setting of said access device to derive said machine fingerprint; and

said self-identification routine communicating said machine fingerprint to a remote location for association with said interaction identification string.

5 . A process as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

said host system operating a host web site including an interaction page generated by interaction page code processed by said access device upon accessing said host web site; and

coding, within said interaction code, a self-identification routine which causes said access device to communicate said machine fingerprint when said access device processes said interaction page code.

6 . A process as set forth in claim 3 further comprising coding said self-identification routine in such a manner that said machine fingerprint and said interaction identification string are communicated to a third party web site at which said machine fingerprint and said interaction identification string are stored.

7 . A process for identifying a customer computer involved in an online transaction between a customer using a customer browser operating on said customer computer and a merchant operating a merchant web site, said method comprising the steps of:

capturing a machine fingerprint of a customer computer upon said customer computer accessing said merchant web site wherein said machine fingerprint comprises a hashed attribute string associated with one or more attributes of said customer computer;

generating a transaction identification string and associating said string with said machine fingerprint;

storing said machine fingerprint and said transaction identification string in a machine data archive;

upon said customer completing a transaction through said merchant web site, storing said transaction identification string with a transaction record formed during said transaction to thereby associate said machine fingerprint with said transaction record through said transaction identification string.

8 . A process as set forth in claim 7 further comprising capturing an IP address of said customer computer.

9 . A process as set forth in claim 7 wherein said machine fingerprint comprises a configuration setting of said customer computer.

10 . A process as set forth in claim 7 comprising communicating said machine fingerprint and said transaction identification string to a third party web site for storage.

11 . A process as set forth in claim 7 further comprising causing said customer computer to communicate said machine fingerprint and said transaction identification string to a third party web site for storage.

12 . A process as set forth in claim 7 further comprising:

communicating a self-identification routine to said customer computer upon said customer computer accessing said merchant web site;

said customer computer executing said self-identification routine;

said self-identification routine querying a configuration setting of said customer computer to derive said machine fingerprint; and

said self-identification routine communicating said machine fingerprint to a remote location for association with said interaction identification string.

13 . A process as set forth in claim 12 further comprising coding said self-identification routine in such a manner that said machine fingerprint and said interaction identification string are communicated to a third party web site at which said profile parameter and said interaction identification string are stored.

14 . A process as set forth in claim 12 wherein said querying step further comprises:

querying said customer browser for a plurality of configuration settings;

forming an attribute string from said plurality of configuration settings; and

hashing said attribute string to form said machine fingerprint of said customer computer.

15 . A process as set forth in claim 12 wherein said customer computer accesses said merchant web site by way of a proxy, and said communicating step further comprises communicating said machine fingerprint and said transaction identification string to said remote location using a protocol which bypasses said proxy.