Apparatus and accompanying methods for network distribution and interstitial rendering of information objects to client computers
First Claim
40. Apparatus for use in rendering an information object, through an executing web browser and in response to a first web page provided to the browser, the apparatus comprising:
- (A) a processor;
(B) a memory connected to the processor and storing both computer executable instructions and the first web page, the first web page having a plurality of computer readable instructions representing page content and code; and
(C) an output device responsive to the processor;
(D) wherein the processor, in response to the executable instructions and the code, executes, in conjunction with a web browser, an agent having an applet, wherein the applet;
(D1) issues a request, via a network connection, to a specified network server to download a manifest file for the information object from the specified network server, wherein the manifest file comprises a manifest of names of a plurality of predefined informational files that collectively comprise part of the information object, a network address at which each of the informational files can be accessed and associated configuration information necessary to properly render the information object;
(D2) accesses and downloads, to the memory, each informational file, specified in the manifest file, from its corresponding network address, to the extent said each informational file does not then reside within the memory; and
(D3) in response to an occurrence of a user-initiated event which initiates a transition from the first web page to a second web page and which signifies a start of an interstitial interval;
(D3a) ceases any further download of the manifest file or any informational file specified in the manifest file, to the extent any downloading of said manifest file or said any informational file is then occurring;
(D3b) initiates processing, through the browser, of informational files for a previously downloaded information object so as to render the previously downloaded object during the interstitial interval to the user; and
(D3c) deletes, from the memory, a manifest file and informational files for the previously for the previously downloaded information object once the previously downloaded information object has been rendered for a final time.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A technique for implementing in a networked client-server environment, e.g., the Internet, network-distributed advertising in which advertisements are downloaded, from an advertising server to a browser executing at a client computer, in a manner transparent to a user situated at the browser, and subsequently displayed, by that browser on an interstitial basis, in response to a click-stream generated by the user to move from one web page to the next. Specifically, an HTML advertising tag is embedded into a referring web page. This tag contains two components. One component effectively downloads, from an distribution web server and to an extent necessary, and then persistently instantiates an agent at the client browser. This agent “politely” and transparently downloads advertising files (media and where necessary player files), originating from an ad management system residing on a third-party advertising web server, for a given advertisement into browser cache and subsequently plays those media files through the browser on an interstitial basis and in response to a user click-stream. The other component is a reference, in terms of a web address, of the advertising management system. This latter reference totally “decouples” advertising content from a web page such that a web page, rather than embedding actual advertising content within the page itself, merely includes an advertising tag that refers, via a URL, to a specific ad management system rather than to a particular advertisement or its content. The ad management system selects the given advertisement that is to be downloaded, rather than having that selection or its content being embedded in the web content page.
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Citations
77 Claims
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40. Apparatus for use in rendering an information object, through an executing web browser and in response to a first web page provided to the browser, the apparatus comprising:
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(A) a processor;
(B) a memory connected to the processor and storing both computer executable instructions and the first web page, the first web page having a plurality of computer readable instructions representing page content and code; and
(C) an output device responsive to the processor;
(D) wherein the processor, in response to the executable instructions and the code, executes, in conjunction with a web browser, an agent having an applet, wherein the applet;
(D1) issues a request, via a network connection, to a specified network server to download a manifest file for the information object from the specified network server, wherein the manifest file comprises a manifest of names of a plurality of predefined informational files that collectively comprise part of the information object, a network address at which each of the informational files can be accessed and associated configuration information necessary to properly render the information object;
(D2) accesses and downloads, to the memory, each informational file, specified in the manifest file, from its corresponding network address, to the extent said each informational file does not then reside within the memory; and
(D3) in response to an occurrence of a user-initiated event which initiates a transition from the first web page to a second web page and which signifies a start of an interstitial interval;
(D3a) ceases any further download of the manifest file or any informational file specified in the manifest file, to the extent any downloading of said manifest file or said any informational file is then occurring;
(D3b) initiates processing, through the browser, of informational files for a previously downloaded information object so as to render the previously downloaded object during the interstitial interval to the user; and
(D3c) deletes, from the memory, a manifest file and informational files for the previously for the previously downloaded information object once the previously downloaded information object has been rendered for a final time. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77)
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59. In apparatus for use in rendering an information object, through an executing web browser and in response to a first web page provided to the browser, the apparatus having a processor, a memory connected to the processor and storing both computer executable instructions and the first web page, the first web page having a plurality of computer readable instructions representing page content and code, and an output device responsive to the processor, a method comprising the steps, performed by the processor in response to the executable instructions and the code, of:
(A) executing, in conjunction with a web browser, an agent having an applet, wherein the applet performs the steps of;
(A1) issuing a request, via a network connection, to a specified network server to download a manifest file for the information object from the specified network server, wherein the manifest file comprises a manifest of names of a plurality of predefined informational files that collectively comprise part of the information object, a network address at which each of the informational files can be accessed and associated configuration information necessary to properly render the information object;
(A2) accessing and downloading, to the memory, each informational file, specified in the manifest file, from its corresponding network address, to the extent said each informational file does not then reside within the memory; and
(A3) in response to an occurrence of a user-initiated event which initiates a transition from the first web page to a second web page and which signifies a start of an interstitial interval;
(A3a) ceasing any further download of the manifest file or any informational file specified in the manifest file, to the extent any downloading of said manifest file or said any informational file is then occurring;
(A3b) initiating processing, through the browser, of informational files for a previously downloaded information object so as to render the previously downloaded information object during the interstitial interval to the user; and
(A3c) deleting, from the memory, a manifest file and informational files for the previously for the previously downloaded information object once the previously downloaded information object has been rendered for a final time.
Specification