Facilitating access to a resource of an on-line service

• US 20040260817A1
• Filed: 06/19/2003
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bourges-Waldegg, Daniela, Hild, Stefan G., Binding, Carl
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,786 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Methods, systems and apparatus for facilitating access by a user to a resource of an on-line service via a data communications network, the resource being accessible via an entry page of the service. A method includes checking whether a user condition, prestored in the network, is satisfied, the user condition being associated with the user and relating to the resource. If the condition is not satisfied, the entry page is sent to the user via the network. If the condition is satisfied, the entry page is modified by adding an indication relating to the resource. The modified entry page in then sent to the user advantageously, the method also includes transmitting to the user a notification message in response to, and indicative of, the condition being satisfied.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

facilitating access by a user to a resource of an on-line service, via a data communications network, the resource being accessible via an entry page of the service, the method comprising;

checking whether a user condition, prestored in the network, is satisfied, the user condition being associated with the user and relating to the resource;

identifying the user from a service access request submitted by the user over the network;

if the condition is not satisfied, sending the entry page to the user via the network; and

,

if the condition is satisfied, modifying the entry page by adding an indication relating to the resource and sending the modified entry page to the user.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication relating to the resource comprises the resource.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication relating to the resource comprises a link to the resource.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, including transmitting to the user a notification message in response to, and indicative of, the condition being satisfied.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, including storing the condition in the network.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

checking whether any one of a plurality of user conditions, prestored in the network, is satisfied, each of the conditions being associated with a different resource accessible via the entry page of the service;

if none of the conditions are satisfied, sending the entry page to the user via the network; and

, if one or more of the conditions are satisfied, modifying the entry page by adding an indication relating to the or each corresponding resource and sending the modified entry page to the user.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the or each indication comprises the corresponding resource.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein an or each indication relationship comprises a link to the corresponding resource.

9. A method as claimed in claim 6, including transmitting to the user a notification message in response to, and indicative of, the or each condition being satisfied.

10. A method as claimed in claim 6, including storing the or each condition in the network.

11. A computer program element comprising computer program code means which, when loaded in a processor of a server computer system for connection to a data communications network, configures the processor to perform a method as claimed in of claim 1.

12. A server computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a network adapter for connecting the server system to a data communications network;

a bus subsystem interconnecting the central processor unit; and

a computer program element as claimed in claim 11 stored in the memory.

18. A server computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a bus subsystem interconnecting the central processor unit; and

apparatus as claimed in claim 1, connected to the bus subsystem.

20. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for facilitating access by a user to a resource of an on-line service, said method steps comprising the steps of claim 1.

13. Apparatus for facilitating access by a user, via a data communications network, to a resource of an on-line service, the resource being accessible via an entry page of the service, the apparatus comprising:

a comparator for determining whether a user condition, prestored in the network, is satisfied, the user condition being associated with the user and relating to the resource;

an identifier identifying the user from a service access request submitted by the user over the network;

a page modifier connected to the comparator for modifying the entry page by adding an indication relating to the resource if the condition is satisfied; and

a network adapter connected to the comparator for sending one of the entry page and the modified entry page to the user based on the determination by the comparator.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the indication relating to the resource comprises the resource.

15. Apparatus method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the indication relating to the resource comprises a link to the resource.

16. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13, including a message generator concerted to the comparator for transmitting to the user a notification message in response to, and indicative of, the condition being satisfied.

17. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13, comprising a condition store for storing the condition in the network.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing facilitation of access by a user to a resource of an on-line service, the computer readable program code means in said computer program product comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the functions of claim 13.

19. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing facilitation of access by a user to a resource of an on-line service, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the steps of claim.