Method and apparatus for access to, and delivery of, multimedia information

• US 20020124100A1
• Filed: 04/27/2000
• Published: 09/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intensifi Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Intensifi Incorporated
• Inventors: Adams, Jeffrey B
• Application Number:
  US09/560,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20020124100A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention enhance the speed of delivery of web content to users. In particular, an embodiment of the present invention is a method for speeding access to web content by a user which includes the steps of: (a) at or prior to display of web content, accessing a list of identifiers of further web content; (b) requesting web content pertaining to at least one of the identifiers before it is actually needed and; (c) optionally, tagging the requested web content with header information which indicates that the requested content will be considered “fresh” for some period of time and not to re-request the web content during its “fresh” time period.

Claims

1. A method for speeding access to web content by a user which comprises the steps of:

at or prior to display of web content, accessing a list of identifiers of further web content; and

requesting web content pertaining to at least one of the identifiers.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of accessing comprises accessing the list from a user device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the list is stored in web content.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the list is stored in web content.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of accessing comprises executing software stored in web content.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of accessing comprises executing software stored in the web content.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of executing comprises executing software stored in the web page in the user'"'"'s device upon display of the web content.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the list is stored in a data base accessible over a network.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the list is stored in a data base accessible over a network.

10. A method of preparing a list of identifiers of web content for use in speeding access to the web content by a user which comprises the steps of:

accessing a log of web content usage at a web site;

determining a list of identifiers of web content to be accessed by users of the web site; and

storing the list.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of storing comprises storing the list in a data base.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of storing comprises storing the list in a predetermined portion of web content.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of storing comprises storing the list in a data base.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of storing comprises storing the list in a predetermined portion of web content.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the date control information comprises expiration, cache-control size, and date information.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of augmenting comprises augmenting HTTP response headers with the date control information.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the web-content display apparatus comprises software execution apparatus which executes software stored in the web content.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the software stored in the web content, when executed by the software execution apparatus, accesses the list of identifiers.

13. A method of preparing a list of identifiers of web content for use in speeding access to the web content by a user which comprises the steps of:

accessing web content accessible from a web site;

determining a list of identifiers of web content to be accessed by users of the web site; and

storing the list.

16. A method for speeding access to web content by a user which comprises the step of augmenting web content with date control information when transmitting the web content to the user.

19. Apparatus for speeding access to web content by a user which comprises:

a web-content display apparatus, which is included in or loaded into a user device, which web-content display apparatus, at or prior to display of web content, accesses a list of identifiers of further web content; and

web-content request apparatus which requests web content pertaining to at least one of the identifiers.

22. An apparatus for speeding access to web content by a user which comprises:

a storage device; and

a user device connected to the storage device which stores a web-content display program for controlling the processor;

wherein

the processor is operative with the program, at or prior to display of web content, to acess a list of identifiers of further web content; and

to request web content pertaining to at least one of the identifiers.

23. Web content which comprises a program used to speed access to web content by a user device which comprises:

program code which causes the user device, at or prior to display of web content, to access a list of identifiers of further web content; and

program code which causes the user device to access web content pertaining to at least one of the identifiers.

24. A computer-readable medium encoded with web content which includes a program that causes a user device to speed access to web content, which program comprises:

program code which causes the user device, at or prior to display of web content, to access a list of identifiers of further web content; and

program code which causes the user device to access web content pertaining to at least one of the identifiers.