In-place content substitution via code-invoking link

• US 20050229252A1
• Filed: 04/07/2004
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Reddish, Andrew D., Dong, Wenlong, Rogerson, Dale E., Chandrashekar, Sridhar, McRoberts, J. Shane, Chavda, Praful
• Granted Patent: US 7,822,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

Content including links to behaviors (code which can be executed and return supplemental content for insertion, or can modify existing content) is stored, and at run-time, the links to behaviors are followed and the supplemental content or the modifications to existing comment are used to create a final version of content which will be presented to the user. Security enhancements including a security check ensure that only behaviors which are secure will be run. Default content may be provided, which may be inserted if the security check is not passed, or if the content returned from the behavior is unusable for some reason.

Claims

1. A method for providing in-place content substitution comprising:

parsing content comprising at least one behavior link until one behavior link from among said at least one behavior link is found, said behavior link corresponding to a behavior influencing said content;

running said behavior linked to by said behavior link;

producing updated content based on the result of said running of said behavior.

2. The method of claim 1, where said step of running said behavior occurs only if said behavior passes a security check.

3. The method of claim 2, where default content is included in said updated content if said behavior does not pass said security check.

4. The method of claim 1, where production of updated content based on the result of said running of said behavior comprises:

determining if the result of said running of said behavior produces a usable result;

if said running of said behavior produces a usable result, including said usable result in said updated content; and

if said running of said behavior does not produce a usable result, including default content in said updated content.

5. The method of claim 1, where said running of said behavior linked to by said behavior link comprises:

determining said at least one state of a computing environment; and

producing content based on said determination.

6. The method of claim 5, where said determination of said state of a computing environment comprises consulting a state monitor.

7. The method of claim 5, where said at least one state of a computing environment comprises a state selected from the following group:

a state of a hardware element of said computing environment, a state of software present in said computing environment, user preferences in said computing environment, and controls set in said computing environment.

8. The method of claim 1, where said production of updated content based on the result of said running of said behavior comprises removing some portion of said parsed content.

9. The method of claim 1, where said production of updated content based on the result of said running of said behavior comprises setting some portion of said accepted content to not be displayed.

10. The method of claim 9, where said setting some portion of said accepted content to not be displayed comprises allowing a user to see said portion of accepted content only on request.

11. At least one of an operating system, a computer readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of computer-executable instructions, a co-processing device, a computing device, and a modulated data signal carrying computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

12. A method for producing state-dependent content for display comprising:

authoring content to be displayed;

adding at least one behavior link to said authored content, said behavior link corresponding to a behavior;

delivering said authored content and said at least one added behavior link content for the production of presentational content by a transformation based on the influencing said content result of running said behavior.

13. At least one of an operating system, a computer readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of computer-executable instructions, a co-processing device, a computing device, and a modulated data signal carrying computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 12.

14. A system for providing in-place content substitution comprising:

a parser for parsing content comprising at least one behavior link until one behavior link from among said at least one behavior link is found, said behavior link corresponding to a behavior influencing said content;

a behavior executor for running said behavior linked to by said behavior link;

a transformer for producing updated content based on the result of said running of said behavior.

15. The system of claim 14, where said running said behavior occurs only if said behavior passes a security check.

16. The system of claim 15, where default content is included in said updated content if said behavior does not pass said security check.

17. The system of claim 14, where said transformer comprises:

a usability determiner for determining if the result of said running of said behavior produces a usable result; and

a content updater for, if said running of said behavior produces a usable result, including said usable result in said updated content, and for, if said running of said behavior does not produce a usable result, including default content in said updated content.

18. The system of claim 14, where said behavior executor comprises:

a state monitor for determining said at least one state of a computing environment; and

content production means for producing content based on said determination.

19. The system of claim 18, where said at least one state of a computing environment comprises a state selected from the following group:

a state of a hardware element of said computing environment, a state of software present in said computing environment, user preferences in said computing environment, and controls set in said computing environment.

20. The system of claim 14, where said production of updated content based on the result of said running of said behavior comprises removing some portion of said parsed content.

21. The system of claim 14, where said production of updated content based on the result of said running of said behavior comprises setting some portion of said accepted content to not be displayed.

22. The system of claim 21, where said setting some portion of said accepted content to not be displayed comprises allowing a user to see said portion of accepted content only on request.

23. A system for producing state-dependent content for display comprising:

an authoring tool for authoring content to be displayed;

a link adder for adding at least one behavior link to said authored content, said behavior link corresponding to a behavior;

a packager for delivering said authored content and said at least one added behavior link content for the production of presentational content by a transformation based on the influencing said content result of running said behavior.