METHOD OF BACKGROUND DOWNLOADING OF INFORMATION FROM A COMPUTER NETWORK

• US 20020178232A1
• Filed: 12/10/1997
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Consenda, Inc., Supermedia Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Consenda, Inc.
• Inventors: FERGUSON, XAVIER
• Granted Patent: US 6,769,019 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The invention is an advertiser-supported interactive Web accelerator. It is a method for maximizing the use of available bandwidth while browsing the World Wide Web section of the Internet, by allowing users to dynamically pre-select content to be viewed next. The method reduces or eliminates the waiting associated with using the World Wide Web. The method utilizes an interface which displays itself in accompaniment with known Web browser software, onto which the user can dynamically select hyperlinks from a Web page displayed in the window of a browser by “dragging-&-dropping” them with a pointing device, such as a mouse. This procedure allows for the real-time background downloading of Web pages which the user designates as the next Web pages he/she wants to view, while he/she is viewing other content. These dragged-&-dropped links are downloaded in the background according to a sophisticated schedule of bandwidth priority when the connection between the client and the server is idle, and stored in a cache on the user'"'"'s hard drive as Q-Links. The Q-Links stored in the hard drive cache are presented in a list in the interface of the invention. When the user is ready to view the previously selected pages, the user can click on any of the Q-Links in the list, which displays that content directly from hard drive cache to the browser. Since the requested pages now come from the hard drive instead of from across the Internet, the method significantly reduces or eliminates the user'"'"'s the wait time for downloading.

The interface of the invention also has an area to display advertisements. The user can click on the advertisement and is transferred to that advertiser'"'"'s Web page. These advertisements are rotated with periodic downloads from a head-end computer across the Internet. Additionally, the invention has a monitoring system to determine the user'"'"'s utilization of the invention. Data concerning users'"'"' interactions with advertisements and Q-Links is reported from the invention with periodic uploads to a database stored in a head-end computer across the Internet. This data assists in the targeting of customized advertising and the selling of the advertising space.

Claims

1. A method of background downloading of information from a computer network comprising the steps of:

a) connecting a client computer, comprising a monitor, a mouse or other pointing device, a storage device for information, and a modem, to a network by means of the modem;

b) retrieving a plurality of information files from the network, opening one of the plurality of files and displaying the information in the file on the client computer monitor;

c) designating information for downloading from the information file onto the storage device by means of the mouse or other pointing device;

d) closing the file containing the information on the client computer monitor;

e) retrieving information from the plurality of other files from the network, opening the files and displaying the information in the file on the client computer monitor;

f) downloading and storing information from the information designated for downloading while information from other files is displayed on the client computer monitor;

g) repeating steps b, c, d, e, and f until all retrieved files are opened on the client computer monitor, all files have been designated for downloading, and all designated files have been downloaded and placed onto the storage device; and

h) reviewing all files downloaded onto the storage device.