Calculating and displaying the cost of downloading web content

• US 20030187806A1
• Filed: 03/28/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Banerjee, Dwip N., Hamzy, Mark Joseph, Brown, Michael Wayne, Ravi, Kumar
• Application Number:
  US10/112,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20030187806A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/84 Types of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/81 Notifying aspects, e.g. notifications or displays to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8129 Type of notification

Abstract

A method for calculating and displaying the cost of downloading web content, including downloading to a browser a first web page, the first web page including at least one hyperlink anchor element, in which the hyperlink anchor element includes a URI identifying a second web page, the hyperlink anchor element includes text including a hyperlink anchor. Typical embodiments include determining a download cost for the second web page and displaying the cumulative download cost for the second web page, taking into account bandwidth cost, usage cost, and any user credits.

Claims

1. A method for calculating and displaying the cost of downloading web content, the method comprising:

downloading to a browser, a first web page, the first web page comprising at least one hyperlink anchor element, the hyperlink anchor element comprising a URI identifying a second web page and text comprising a hyperlink anchor,

determining a download cost for the second web page;

displaying the download cost for the second web page.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a download cost for the second web page further comprises:

dividing an estimated file size for the second web page by a download bandwidth, thereby yielding a quotient; and

multiplying the quotient by a bandwidth usage cost.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first web page comprises a download cost markup element for the second web page, the download cost markup element comprises the URI identifying the second web page and a second web page size, and determining a download cost for the second web page further comprises:

determining a download bandwidth;

determining a bandwidth cost in dependence upon the download bandwidth;

dividing the second web page size by the download bandwidth, thereby yielding a quotient; and

multiplying the quotient by the bandwidth usage cost.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein determining a bandwidth cost in dependence upon the download bandwidth further comprises downloading from a remote web site the bandwidth usage cost.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a download cost for the second web page further comprises:

constructing, in the browser, a query URI representing a query of a download cost database through a download cost web server for the download cost for the second web page, wherein

the query URI comprises the URI identifying the second web page and a download bandwidth, and

the download cost database comprises data fields for URIs identifying web pages, download bandwidths, and download costs; and

transmitting the query URI to the download cost web server in an HTTP ‘

get’

message; and

receiving, as a query result from the download cost web server, the download cost for the second web page.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first web page comprises a download cost markup element for the second web page, the download cost markup element comprises the URI identifying the second web page and a web site usage charge parameter identifying a web site usage charge for downloading the second web page, and determining a download cost for the second web page further comprises:

reading, from the web site usage charge parameter, a web site usage charge for downloading the second web page; and

adding the web site usage charge to the download cost for the second web page.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the first web page comprises an HTML document, the HTML document comprises a header, and the download cost markup element comprises a <

meta>

tag in the header of the HTML document.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first web page comprises a download cost markup element for the second web page, the download cost markup element comprises the URI identifying the second web page and a web site usage credit parameter identifying a web site usage charge for downloading the second web page, and determining a download cost for the second web page further comprises:

reading, from the web site credit parameter, a web site usage credit for downloading the second web page; and

subtracting the web site usage credit from the download cost for the second web page.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the first web page comprises an HTML document, the HTML document comprises a header, and the download cost markup element comprises a <

meta>

tag in the header of the HTML document.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the download cost for the second web page comprises a numeric download cost, the hyperlink anchor element comprises text comprising a hyperlink anchor, and displaying the download cost for the second web page further comprises:

converting the numeric download cost for the second web page to a text download cost for the second web page;

inserting the text download cost into the hyperlink anchor; and

displaying the first web page.

11. A system for calculating and displaying the cost of downloading web content, the system comprising:

means for downloading to a browser, a first web page, the first web page comprising at least one hyperlink anchor element, the hyperlink anchor element comprising a URI identifying a second web page and text comprising a hyperlink anchor,

means for determining a download cost for the second web page;

means for displaying the download cost for the second web page.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein means for determining a download cost for the second web page further comprises:

means for dividing an estimated file size for the second web page by a download bandwidth, thereby yielding a quotient; and

means for multiplying the quotient by a bandwidth usage cost.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the first web page comprises a download cost markup element for the second web page, the download cost markup element comprises the URI identifying the second web page and a second web page size, and means for determining a download cost for the second web page further comprises:

means for determining a download bandwidth;

means for determining a bandwidth cost in dependence upon the download bandwidth;

means for dividing the second web page size by the download bandwidth, thereby yielding a quotient; and

means for multiplying the quotient by the bandwidth usage cost.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein means for determining a bandwidth cost in dependence upon the download bandwidth further comprises means for downloading from a remote web site the bandwidth usage cost.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein means for determining a download cost for the second web page further comprises:

means for constructing, in the browser, a query URI representing a query of a download cost database through a download cost web server for the download cost for the second web page, wherein

the query URI comprises the URI identifying the second web page and a download bandwidth, and

the download cost database comprises data fields for URIs identifying web pages, download bandwidths, and download costs; and

means for transmitting the query URI to the download cost web server in an HTTP ‘

get’

message; and

means for receiving, as a query result from the download cost web server, the download cost for the second web page.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the first web page comprises a download cost markup element for the second web page, the download cost markup element comprises the URI identifying the second web page and a web site usage charge parameter identifying a web site usage charge for downloading the second web page, and determining a download cost for the second web page further comprises:

means for reading, from the web site usage charge parameter, a web site usage charge for downloading the second web page; and

means for adding the web site usage charge to the download cost for the second web page.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the first web page comprises an HTML document, the HTML document comprises a header, and the download cost markup element comprises a <

meta>

tag in the header of the HTML document.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the first web page comprises a download cost markup element for the second web page, the download cost markup element comprises the URI identifying the second web page and a web site usage credit parameter identifying a web site usage charge for downloading the second web page, and means for determining a download cost for the second web page further comprises:

means for reading, from the web site credit parameter, a web site usage credit for downloading the second web page; and

means for subtracting the web site usage credit from the download cost for the second web page.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the first web page comprises an HTML document, the HTML document comprises a header, and the download cost markup element comprises a <

meta>

tag in the header of the HTML document.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein the download cost for the second web page comprises a numeric download cost, the hyperlink anchor element comprises text comprising a hyperlink anchor, and means for displaying the download cost for the second web page further comprises:

means for converting the numeric download cost for the second web page to a text download cost for the second web page;

means for inserting the text download cost into the hyperlink anchor; and

means for displaying the first web page.

21. A computer program product for calculating and displaying the cost of downloading web content, the computer program product comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading to a browser, a first web page, the first web page comprising at least one hyperlink anchor element, the hyperlink anchor element comprising a URI identifying a second web page and text comprising a hyperlink anchor,

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining a download cost for the second web page;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for displaying the download cost for the second web page.

22. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining a download cost for the second web page further comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for dividing an estimated file size for the second web page by a download bandwidth, thereby yielding a quotient; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for multiplying the quotient by a bandwidth usage cost.

23. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the first web page comprises a download cost markup element for the second web page, the download cost markup element comprises the URI identifying the second web page and a second web page size, and means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining a download cost for the second web page further comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining a download bandwidth;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining a bandwidth cost in dependence upon the download bandwidth;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for dividing the second web page size by the download bandwidth, thereby yielding a quotient; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for multiplying the quotient by the bandwidth usage cost.

24. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining a bandwidth cost in dependence upon the download bandwidth further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading from a remote web site the bandwidth usage cost.

25. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining a download cost for the second web page further comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for constructing, in the browser, a query URI representing a query of a download cost database through a download cost web server for the download cost for the second web page, wherein

the query URI comprises the URI identifying the second web page and a download bandwidth, and

the download cost database comprises data fields for URIs identifying web pages, download bandwidths, and download costs; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for transmitting the query URI to the download cost web server in an HTTP ‘

get’

message; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving, as a query result from the download cost web server, the download cost for the second web page.

26. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the first web page comprises a download cost markup element for the second web page, the download cost markup element comprises the URI identifying the second web page and a web site usage charge parameter identifying a web site usage charge for downloading the second web page, and determining a download cost for the second web page further comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for reading, from the web site usage charge parameter, a web site usage charge for downloading the second web page; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for adding the web site usage charge to the download cost for the second web page.

27. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the first web page comprises an HTML document, the HTML document comprises a header, and the download cost markup element comprises a <

meta>

tag in the header of the HTML document.

28. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the first web page comprises a download cost markup element for the second web page, the download cost markup element comprises the URI identifying the second web page and a web site usage credit parameter identifying a web site usage charge for downloading the second web page, and means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining a download cost for the second web page further comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for reading, from the web site credit parameter, a web site usage credit for downloading the second web page; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for subtracting the web site usage credit from the download cost for the second web page.

29. The computer program product of claim 28 wherein the first web page comprises an HTML document, the HTML document comprises a header, and the download cost markup element comprises a <

meta>

tag in the header of the HTML document.

30. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the download cost for the second web page comprises a numeric download cost, the hyperlink anchor element comprises text comprising a hyperlink anchor, and means, recorded on the recording medium, for displaying the download cost for the second web page further comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for converting the numeric download cost for the second web page to a text download cost for the second web page;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for inserting the text download cost into the hyperlink anchor; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for displaying the first web page.