Content recipient access to software notes posted at content provider site

• US 20020143900A1
• Filed: 03/29/2001
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Yeung, Herbert Kam-wah, Rupert, Althea M., Kenner, Martin A., Westover, Brian
• Application Number:
  US09/821,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20020143900A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

First program code is executed at a content recipient so as to identify a content provider having posted content of interest to the content recipient. Second program code is executed at the content recipient so as to automatically access the content provider and initiate receipt by the content recipient of the posted content.

Claims

1. A method performed at a content recipient comprising:

executing first program code at the content recipient so as to identify a content provider having posted content of interest to the content recipient; and

,

executing second program code at the content recipient so as to automatically initiate a request for the posted content.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising terminating the automatic initiation of the request for the posted content without communicating with the content provider to effect the termination.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the executing of the second program code at the content recipient so as to automatically initiate a request for the posted content comprises executing second program code at the content recipient so as to automatically and recurrently initiate requests for the posted content.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising terminating the automatic initiation of the request for the posted content without communicating with the content provider to effect the termination.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed without identifying the content recipient to the content provider.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising terminating the automatic initiation of the request for the posted content without communicating with the content provider to effect the termination.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein executing second program code at the content recipient so as to automatically initiate a request for the posted content comprises executing second program code at the content recipient so as to automatically and recurrently initiate requests for the posted content.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising terminating the automatic and recurrent initiation of the requests for the posted content without communicating with the content provider to effect the termination.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising executing third program code at the content recipient so as to provide notice to the content recipient that no posted content has been received by the content recipient in response to execution of the second program code.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising executing third program code at the content recipient so as to receive the posted content at the content recipient in response to execution of the second program code.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising executing fourth program code at the content recipient so as to provide notice to the content recipient that the posted content has been received at the content recipient in response to execution of the second and third program code.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein executing the third program code comprises executing the third program code so that the posted content is displayed behind a session if the session is active.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising executing fourth program code at the content recipient so as to provide notice to the content recipient that the posted content has been received at the content recipient in response to execution of the second and third program code, wherein the notice is displayed even if the session is active.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the notice is an icon.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising executing fifth program code at the content recipient so that, upon an action related to the notice, the posted content burns through the session so that the posted content is visible to a user.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising executing fifth program code at the content recipient so that, upon an action related to the notice, the posted content is displayed in front of the session so that the posted content is visible to a user.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising electronically receiving the second program code at the content recipient from the content provider.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the stored program code, when executed by a computing device, provides notice that the posted content has been received in response to the request.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the stored program code, when executed by a computing device, displays the posted content behind a session if the session is active.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein the stored program code, when executed by a computing device, provides notice that the posted content has been received in response to the request.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the stored program code, when executed by a computing device, provides notice that the posted content has been received in response to the request, and wherein the notice is displayed even if a session is active.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein the notice is an icon.

24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the stored program code, when executed by a computing device, and upon an action related to the notice, burns the posted content through a session so that the posted content is visible to a user.

25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the stored program code, when executed by a computing device, and upon an action related to the notice, displays the posted content in front of a session so that the posted content is visible to a user.

26. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the stored program code, when executed by a computing device, automatically and recurrently initiates requests for the posted content.

27. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the initiating of requests and the receiving of the posted content are performed without identifying the content recipient to the content provider.

28. The computer readable storage medium of claim 27 wherein the stored program code, when executed by a computing device, automatically and recurrently initiates requests for the posted content.

29. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the stored program code, when executed by a computing device, provides notice that no posted content has been received in response to the request.

30. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the stored program code is electronically received from a remote site and is stored by the computer readable storage medium.

18. A computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium storing program code which, when executed by a computing device, performs the following functions:

automatically initiating a request for the download of content posted by a content provider; and

,

receiving the downloaded posted content in response to the request.

32. A method comprising:

executing first program code at a content provider so as to post content for access by a content recipient;

executing second program code at the content recipient so as to automatically (i) access the content provider and (ii) initiate receipt by the content recipient of the posted content.

31. The computer readable storage medium of claim 34 wherein the remote site is the content provider.

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising terminating the automatic access and initiation functions of the second program code without communicating with the content provider to effect the termination.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein executing the second program code at the content recipient comprises executing the second program code at the content recipient so as to automatically and recurrently (i) access the content provider and (ii) initiate the receipt by the content recipient of the posted content.

35. The method of claim 32 performed without identifying the content recipient to the content provider.

36. The method of claim 32 further comprising executing third program code at the content recipient so that the posted content is displayed behind a session if the session is active.

37. The method of claim 36 further comprising executing fourth program code at the content recipient so as to provide notice to the content recipient that the posted content has been received at the content recipient in response to execution of the second program code, wherein the notice is displayed even if the session is active.

38. The method of claim 37 further comprising executing fifth program code at the content recipient so that, upon an action related to the notice, the posted content burns through the session so that the posted content is visible to a user.

39. The method of claim 37 further comprising executing fifth program code at the content recipient so that, upon an action related to the notice, the posted content is displayed in front of the session so that the posted content is visible to a user.

40. The method of claim 32 further comprising executing third program code at the content provider so as to determine whether the content recipient possesses the second program code and, if the content recipient does not possess the second program code, to download the second program code to the content recipient.

41. The method of claim 32 further comprising electronically receiving the second program code at the content recipient from the content provider.

42. The method of claim 32 further comprising electronically receiving the second program code at the content recipient.