System and method for creating and navigating a linear hypermedia resource program

• US 20070208825A1
• Filed: 05/01/2007
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hypermedia Navigation LLC (IPValuation Partners, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Texas Technology Ventures, LLP
• Inventors: Heinmiller, Wayne, Omanson, Richard, Morse, James, Sullivan, Barry, Light, Jordan, Genin, Kent, Bossemeyer, Robert, Stuckman, Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 7,478,144 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/20 Education
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

A method and system for creating and navigating linear hypermedia resource programs are disclosed. The system includes a distributed hypermedia resource network having a plurality of hypermedia resources residing on one or more remote information nodes. A common remote information node is in communication with a subscriber station and the remote information nodes in the distributed network. The common remote information node contains at least one linear hypermedia resource program consisting of pre-selected media elements from one or more hypermedia resources linked with exclusive linear links, each media element in the linear program having only one forward link to the next media element. The method includes the steps of downloading and displaying a media element in the linear program and responding to user commands to download and display the next media element in the linear program.

Claims

1-40. -40. (canceled)

41. A method of creating a linear Web program that includes activation of a forward link indicator that exclusively activates a link to a next program element of a linearly linked sequence of program elements, the method comprising:

selecting a first media element of the linear Web program;

selecting a second media element of the linear Web program;

selecting a third media element of the linear Web program; and

associating a plurality of program elements to the linear linked sequence of program elements, wherein each of the plurality of program elements includes an address of one of a plurality of media elements, and wherein the plurality of media elements include the first media element, the second media element and the third media element;

wherein the addresses of the plurality of media elements correspond to a single Website of the World Wide Web.

42. The method of claim 41 further comprising:

storing the linear Web program on a remote information node.

43. The method of claim 42 further comprising:

sending the linear Web program from the remote information node to a subscriber station at a user location over the Internet.

44. The method of claim 41 wherein the first media element, the second media element and the third media element are selected in response to user selections.

45. The method of claim 41 further comprising:

determining an order for the first media element, the second media element and the third media element;

wherein the step of creating the linear Web program includes assigning the first media element, the second media element and the third media element to positions in the linearly linked sequence in accordance with the order.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein the order is determined in response to user selections.

47. The method of claim 41 wherein the step of associating the plurality of program elements to the linear linked sequence of program elements includes associating the plurality of program elements by the linear linked sequence for navigation by activation of a backward link indicator that exclusively activates a link to a previous program element of the linearly linked sequence.

48. The method of claim 41 wherein the linear Web program satisfies an education purpose.

49. The method of claim 41 wherein each of the first media element, the second media element and the third media element comprise separate Web pages of the World Wide Web.

50. The method of claim 41 wherein the first media element, the second media element and the third media element are each stored on a remote information node.

51. A method comprising:

selecting a first media element of a linear Web program;

selecting a second media element of the linear Web program;

selecting a third media element of the linear Web program;

creating the linear Web program for navigation by a user by activation of a forward link indicator that exclusively activates a link to a next program element of a linearly linked sequence, by associating a plurality of program elements by the linear linked sequence, wherein each of the plurality of program elements includes an address of one of a plurality of media elements, and wherein the plurality of media elements include the first media element, the second media element and the third media element;

storing the linear Web program on a remote information node; and

sending the linear Web program from the remote information node to a subscriber station at a user location over the Internet.

52. The method of claim 51 wherein addresses of the plurality of program elements correspond to a single Website of the World Wide Web.

53. The method of claim 51 wherein the first media element, the second media element and the third media element are selected in response to user selections.

54. The method of claim 51 further comprising:

determining an order for the first media element, the second media element and the third media element;

wherein the step of creating the linear Web program includes assigning the first media element, the second media element and the third media element to positions in the linear Web program in accordance with the order.

55. The method of claim 54 wherein the order is determined in response to user selections.

56. The method of claim 51 wherein the step of creating the linear Web program includes associating the plurality of program elements by the linear linked sequence for navigation by a user by activation of a backward link indicator that exclusively activates a link to a previous program element of the linearly linked sequence.

57. The method of claim 51 wherein the linear Web program satisfies an education purpose.

58. The method of claim 51 wherein each of the first media element, the second media element and the third media element comprise separate Web pages of the World Wide Web.

59. The method of claim 51 wherein the first media element, the second media element and the third media element are each stored on the remote information node.

60. A method for use in a linear Web program for navigation by a user by activation of a forward link indicator that exclusively activates a link to a next program element of a linearly linked sequence, wherein the linear Web program includes a plurality of addresses that correspond to a plurality of Web pages of the World Wide Web, the method comprising:

selecting an order for the plurality of Web pages;

associating the plurality of addresses in accordance with the order in the linearly linked sequence; and

storing the linear Web program on a remote information node.

61. The method of claim 60 further comprising:

sending the linear Web program from the remote information node to a subscriber station at a user location over the Internet.

62. The method of claim 60 wherein the plurality of addresses correspond to a single Website of the World Wide Web.

63. The method of claim 60 wherein the step of associating the plurality of addresses in accordance with the order in the linearly linked sequence includes associating the plurality of program elements by the linear linked sequence for navigation by a user by activation of a backward link indicator that exclusively activates a link to a previous program element of the linearly linked sequence.

64. The method of claim 60 wherein the linear Web program satisfies an education purpose.