Distributing information in a markup languge within a computer system

• US 20020116511A1
• Filed: 12/19/2001
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boehme, Thomas Friedhelm, Schaeck, Thomas, Weber, Roland, Rindtorff, Klaus
• Granted Patent: US 8,161,183 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing

Abstract

Computer-based methods and systems are described wherein at least one content provider, a portal and a user are coupled to a communications network or content delivery network. The content provider provides means for generating information in a markup language and for sending the information to a portal. The portal comprises means for combining information received from one or more content providers and for sending the combined information to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-based method of providing information between a plurality of nodes coupled to a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a portal node, information from at least one content provider node, wherein the information has been generated in a markup language at the at least one content provider node;

combining, at the portal node, the received information; and

sending, from the portal node, the combined information to a user node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises fragments of information generated in the markup language at the at least one content provider node, and wherein the combining step comprises combining the fragments of information into the combined information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one specific portlet is located at the at least one content provider node for generating the information in the markup language.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the portal node comprises a generic portlet for combining the received information from the at least one content provider into the combined information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the combined information is configured for displaying on a browser at the user node.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the markup language is the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information received from the at least one content provider node is associated with a fee.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of accepting a fee before the receiving step.

9. A computer-based method of providing information between a plurality of nodes coupled to a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

generating, within at least one content provider node, information in a markup language;

sending, from the at least one content provider node, the generated information to a portal node for combining and sending the information to a user node.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the generating step comprises generating fragments of information in the markup language, and wherein the sending step comprises sending the fragments of information to a portal node for combining and sending to a user node.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one content provider node comprises at least one specific portlet for generating the information in a markup language.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one generic portlet is located at the portal node for combining the received information from the at least one content provider into the combined information.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the information sent to the user node is configured for displaying on a browser at the user node.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the markup language is the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of associating the generated information with a fee.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of charging a fee before the sending step.

17. A computer program product for use in a content delivery network comprising a plurality of nodes, the product comprising a machine readable medium containing one or more programs which when executed implement the steps of:

receiving, at a portal node, information from at least one content provider node, wherein the information has been generated in a markup language at the at least one content provider node;

combining, at the portal node, the received information; and

sending, from the portal node, the combined information to a user node.

18. A computer program product for use in a content delivery network comprising a plurality of nodes, the product comprising a machine readable medium containing one or more programs which when executed implement the steps of:

generating, within at least one content provider node, information in a markup language;

sending, from the at least one content provider node, the generated information to a portal node for combining and sending the information to a user node.