Serving signals

• US 20050234865A1
• Filed: 06/07/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1995
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ablaise Limited
• Original Assignee: Ablaise Limited
• Inventors: Ritchie, Andrew M., Bradshaw, Jonathan M.
• Application Number:
  US11/145,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20050234865A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

Output signals are served from a serving device to a plurality of browsing devices connected to a network. The output signals represent commands executable by each browsable device so as to display viewable data in accordance with specified page formatting. Requests from browsing clients are identified which contain information relating to the data itself and the display format for the data. The data is read and processed so as to combine a representation of the viewable data with executable instructions. The signals are then supplied to requesting browsing devices, after effectively being assembled as a real time on-line process.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method of generating output data at a server for the distribution of data to one or more browsing devices connected to said server over a network, comprising the steps of:

maintaining a plurality of sets of formatting instructions;

receiving a request for viewable data from a browsing device, wherein said request includes a format identifier;

selecting text/graphics data in response to said format identifier;

combining said selected text/graphics data with a set of formatting instructions selected in response to said format identifier to produce output data; and

transmitting said output data to said browsing device, wherein

said sets of formatting instructions differ from one another by positioning portions of said selected text/graphics data at different locations on a page.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein said text/graphics data is stored in at least one database.

23. A method according to claim 21, wherein said sets of formatting instructions are stored in a database.

24. A method according to claim 21, wherein each of said sets of formatting instructions comprises at least one function.

25. A method according to claim 21, wherein each of said sets of formatting instructions comprises an HTML template.

26. A method according to claim 21, wherein said request includes a checksum.

27. A method according to claim 21 wherein said request is a URL.

28. A method according to claim 21, wherein said output data is in HTML.

35. A method according to claim 21, wherein said request additionally includes a user identifier, and said set of formatting instructions is selected in response to said format identifier and said user identifier.

29. A method of generating output data at a server for the distribution of data to one or more browsing devices connected to said server over a network, comprising the steps of:

maintaining a plurality of sets of formatting instructions;

maintaining a set of records;

receiving a request for viewable data from a browsing device, wherein the request includes a format identifier;

selecting text/graphics data from at least two of said records in response to said format identifier;

combining said selected text/graphics data with a set of formatting instructions selected in response to said format identifier to produce output data; and

transmitting the output data to said browsing device, wherein

said sets of formatting instructions differ from one another by positioning portions of said selected text/graphics data at different locations on a page.

30. A method according to claim 29, wherein said sets of formatting instructions are stored in a database.

31. A method according to claim 29, wherein each of said sets of formatting instructions comprises at least one function.

32. A method according to claim 29, wherein each of said sets of formatting instructions comprises an HTML template.

33. A method according to claim 29, wherein said request is a URL.

34. A method according to claim 29, wherein said output data is in HTML.

36. A method of generating output data at a server for the distribution of data to one or more browsing devices connected to said server over a network, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for viewable data from a browsing device, wherein the request includes a format identifier;

selecting text data and graphics data in response to said format identifier;

combining said selected data with a set of formatting instructions selected in response to said format identifier to produce output data, wherein

a plurality of possible sets of formatting instructions are available that differ from one another by positioning portions of said selected data at different locations on a page; and

transmitting the output data to said browsing device.

37. A method according to claim 36, wherein said sets of formatting instructions are stored in a database.

38. A method according to claim 36, wherein each of said sets of formatting instructions comprises at least one function.

40. A method according to claim 36, wherein said request is a URL.

41. A method according to claim 36, wherein said output data is in HTML.

42. A method of generating output data at a server for the distribution of data to one or more browsing devices connected to said server over a network, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for viewable data from a requesting browsing device, wherein the request includes a format identifier and a user identifier;

reading text/graphics data in response to said received request;

combining said text/graphics data with a set of formatting instructions selected in response to said user identifier and said format identifier to produce output data, wherein a plurality of possible sets of formatting instructions are available that differ from one another by positioning one or more portions of the text/graphics data at different locations on a page displayed at a browsing device; and

transmitting the output data to said requesting browsing device.

43. A method according to claim 42, wherein said text/graphics data is stored in at least one database.

44. A method according to claim 42, wherein said sets of formatting instructions are stored in a database.

45. A method according to claim 42, wherein each of said sets of formatting instructions comprises at least one function.

46. A method according to claim 42, wherein each of said sets of formatting instructions comprises an HTML template.

47. A method according to claim 42, wherein said request is a URL.

48. A method according to claim 42, wherein said output data is in HTML.

49. Apparatus for the distribution of data to one or more browsing devices connected to said apparatus over a network, comprising a processor, storage, memory and a network connection, wherein said processor is configured to perform the steps of:

maintaining a plurality of sets of formatting instructions;

receiving a request for viewable data from a browsing device, wherein said request includes a format identifier;

selecting text/graphics data in response to said format identifier;

combining said selected text/graphics data with a set of formatting instructions selected in response to said format identifier to produce output data; and

transmitting said output data to said browsing device, wherein

said sets of formatting instructions differ from one another by positioning portions of said selected text/graphics data at different locations on a page.

50. Apparatus according to claim 49, wherein said text/graphics data is stored in at least one database.

51. Apparatus according to claim 49, wherein said sets of formatting instructions are stored in a database.

52. Apparatus according to claim 49, wherein each of said sets of formatting instructions comprises at least one function.

53. Apparatus according to claim 49, wherein each of said sets of formatting instructions comprises an HTML template.

54. Apparatus according to claim 49, wherein said request includes a checksum.

55. Apparatus according to claim 49, wherein said request is a URL.

56. Apparatus according to claim 49, wherein said output data is in HTML.

57. Apparatus for the distribution of data to one or more browsing devices connected to said apparatus over a network, comprising a processor, storage, memory and a network connection, wherein said processor is configured to perform the steps of:

maintaining a plurality of sets of formatting instructions;

maintaining a set of records;

receiving a request for viewable data from a browsing device, wherein the request includes a format identifier;

selecting text/graphics data from at least two of said records in response to said format identifier;

combining said selected text/graphics data with a set of formatting instructions selected in response to said format identifier to produce output data; and

transmitting the output data to said browsing device, wherein

said sets of formatting instructions differ from one another by positioning portions of said selected text/graphics data at different locations on a page.

58. Apparatus for the distribution of data to one or more browsing devices connected to said apparatus over a network, comprising a processor, storage, memory and a network connection, wherein said processor is configured to perform the steps of:

receiving a request for viewable data from a browsing device, wherein the request includes a format identifier;

selecting text data and graphics data in response to said format identifier;

combining said selected data with a set of formatting instructions selected in response to said format identifier to produce output data, wherein

a plurality of possible sets of formatting instructions are available that differ from one another by positioning portions of said selected data at different locations on a page; and

transmitting the output data to said browsing device.

59. Apparatus for the distribution of data to one or more browsing devices connected to said apparatus over a network, comprising a processor, storage, memory and a network connection, wherein said processor is configured to perform the steps of:

receiving a request for viewable data from a requesting browsing device, wherein the request includes a format identifier and a user identifier;

reading text/graphics data in response to said received request;

combining said text/graphics data with a set of formatting instructions selected in response to said user identifier and said format identifier to produce output data, wherein a plurality of possible sets of format instructions are available that differ from one another by positioning one or more portions of the text/graphics data at different locations on a page displayed at a browsing device; and

transmitting the output data to said requesting browsing device.