Information service that gathers information from multiple information sources, processes the information, and distributes the information to multiple users and user communities through an information-service interface
First Claim
1. A method for gathering, compiling, and distributing information from multiple information sources to users of an information service, the method comprising:
- continuously monitoring the information sources to extract information from the information sources and compile the extracted information in a catalog maintained on an information-service computing and data storage system;
receiving user information interests and user data from users and storing the received user information interests and user data within the information-service computing and data storage system; and
for each active user, continuously searching the catalog for information related to the user'"'"'s interests, extracting the information related to user'"'"'s interests, and providing the extracted information to the user through a user interface instantiated on any one or more of various types of information-rendering-and-display devices, including a personal computer and a set-top-box equipped television.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention include information services, methods and systems to facilitate gathering and management of information by home users and professional users of information gathering, processing, and distribution services, and user interfaces through which users communicate with information services. In one embodiment of the present invention, a central information gathering, processing, and distribution service provides a simple, but robust and highly functional, interface to remote home users and professional users to allow the home users and professional users to continuously receive updated information gleaned from continuous searching of the Internet and other information sources by the information service. The interface allows users to define, refine, and stably store interests that define information searches continuously carried out, on behalf of the user, by the information gathering, processing, and distribution service. The information service discovers and stores user preferences, interests, and bookmarked URLs and other information in a way that allows users within communities of users to share their stored interests, bookmarked information, and preferences among themselves.
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. A method for gathering, compiling, and distributing information from multiple information sources to users of an information service, the method comprising:
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continuously monitoring the information sources to extract information from the information sources and compile the extracted information in a catalog maintained on an information-service computing and data storage system;
receiving user information interests and user data from users and storing the received user information interests and user data within the information-service computing and data storage system; and
for each active user, continuously searching the catalog for information related to the user'"'"'s interests, extracting the information related to user'"'"'s interests, and providing the extracted information to the user through a user interface instantiated on any one or more of various types of information-rendering-and-display devices, including a personal computer and a set-top-box equipped television. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An information service that gathers, compiles, and distributes information from multiple information sources to users of the information service, the information system comprising:
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a back end that continuously monitors the information sources to extract information from the information sources and compile the extracted information in a catalog maintained on an information-service computing and data storage system; and
a middle layer that receives user information interests and user data from users and stores the received user information interests and user data within the information-service computing and data storage system, and that continuously invokes back-end searching facilities for searching the catalog for information related to the user'"'"'s interests, extracting the information related to user'"'"'s interests, and providing the extracted information to the user through a user interface instantiated on any one or more of various types of information-rendering-and-display devices, including a personal computer and a set-top-box equipped television. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A user interface instantiated on an information-service user'"'"'s information-rendering-and-display device, the user-interface comprising a number of pages including:
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a first page that displays the user'"'"'s information interests by name, allows the user to add, delete, and modify information interests, and that displays information related to a selected interest;
a second page that displays information related to user'"'"'s interests, as well as interests of other users recommended by the information service to the user;
a third page that displays information related to the user community to which the user belongs; and
a fourth page that allows the user to modify display parameters of the user interface and to input user information to the information service. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42)
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Specification