Method and apparatus for providing content to users

• US 10,200,498 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2016
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Shuster, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ludwig, Matthew J
• Application Number:
  US15/339,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20170244807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 715204, 715234, 715745, 715749, 709219, 709224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

Embodiments of the instant invention are directed to a method and apparatus for presenting unsolicited data to users without interrupting the user'"'"'s activities, wherein the presentation of the unsolicited data is monitored and is available for review by the user at the user'"'"'s convenience. Embodiments of the invention comprise a content and display manager, wherein the content and display manager include a display monitor, a content delivery system and a content controller. The display monitor selects the display of content to the users, in part, by reviewing a marker which defines the last time that content was displayed to the user and the type of content displayed. The content delivery system transmits a content window to a user computer via the controller.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing, by a server computer system and to a client computer system, first unrequested content and a cookie including a time stamp specifying when the first unrequested content is provided to the client computer system;

receiving, by the server computer system, a request from the client computer system for content of a web page;

determining, by the server computer system, whether a difference between the time stamp in the cookie and a current time satisfies a threshold; and

based on the determining, sending, by the server computer system, a response to the request, wherein the response includes the requested content and second unrequested content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the server computer system modifying the time stamp to specify when the second unrequested content is provided to the client computer system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the response includes another cookie that includes a time stamp specifying when the second unrequested content is provided to the client computer system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cookie further includes an identifier specifying the first unrequested content as being presented to the client computer system, and wherein the method further comprises:

the server computer system selecting the second unrequested content based on the identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the server computer system selecting the second unrequested content based on a response of a client to the first unrequested content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending includes causing a web browser of the client computer system to present the second unrequested content in a first browser window that appears in front of a second browser window being viewed at the client computer system.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

the server computer system moving the first browser window behind the second browser window.

8. A method, comprising:

a server computer system receiving, from a user computer system, a first request for content of a first web page;

in response to the first request;

the server computer system sending the requested content of the first web page and first unrequested content; and

the server computer system instructing the user computer system to store a cookie including a first time value identifying when the first unrequested content was sent;

the server computer system receiving, from the user computer system, a second request for content of a second web page;

the server computer system comparing the first time value with a second time value corresponding to when the second request is received; and

based on the comparing, the server computer system determining whether to provide second unrequested content in a response to the second request.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

in response to determining that a difference between the first and second time values satisfies a time interval, the server computer system providing the requested content of the second web page and the second unrequested content.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

in response to determining that a difference between the first and second time values does not satisfy a time interval, the server computer system providing the requested content of the second web page without providing the second unrequested content.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

the server computer system selecting the second unrequested content based on demographic information of a user of the user computer system.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

the server computer system causing an application of the user computer system to display a content window behind a primary window being viewed by a user, wherein the server computer system provides the second unrequested content to the content window while the content window is behind the primary window.

13. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium having program instructions stored thereon that are capable of causing a computer system to perform operations comprising:

providing content of a first web page, first unrequested content, and a cookie to a user computer system, wherein the cookie specifies a time value identifying when the first unrequested content is provided;

receiving, from the user computer system, the cookie and a request for content of a second web page;

determining whether a difference between the time value and a current time value satisfies a threshold; and

in response to determining that the difference satisfies the threshold, providing, to the computer system, the content of the second web page, second unrequested content, and another cookie specifying another time value identifying when the second unrequested content is provided.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the user computer system, another request for content of another web page; and

in response to determining that a difference between the other time value and a current time value does not satisfy the threshold, providing a response that includes content of the other web page and does not include a third unrequested content.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

instructing a web browser executing on the user computer system to present the second unrequested content in a content window separate from a primary window displaying content of the second web page.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

instructing the web browser to present the content window in front of the primary window such that the content window occludes at least a portion of the primary window.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

instructing the web browser to present the content window behind the primary window such that the primary window occludes at least a portion of the content window.