Method for Distributing Content to a User Station

• US 20070220107A1
• Filed: 06/08/2007
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TMI Solutions LLC (Strategic Intellectual Solutions, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Twintech E.U.
• Inventors: REISMAN, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,653,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/18 Address timing or clocking circuits; Address control signal generation or management, e.g. for row address strobe [RAS] or column address strobe [CAS] signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method for controlling a user station configured for communications with a multiplicity of independently-operated data sources via a non-proprietary network includes steps for providing a user interface to enable a user at the user station to select multiple ones of the multiplicity of independently-operated data object sources to be polled; automatically polling each of the selected data object sources in order to determine availability of desired data at each of the selected data object sources; and automatically transporting desired data determined to be available from each of the selected data object sources to the user station. Software and a user station for implementing the method are also described.

Claims

1-115. -115. (canceled)

116. A method for distributing content to a user station, comprising:

providing a first portable storage medium, the first portable storage medium including first fixed content and computer executable software;

wherein when the first portable storage medium is used at the user station, the computer executable software can be installed on the user station to (i) enable a user at the user station to access first remote content from a first remote content source, the first remote content relating to the first fixed content and (ii) enable the user to access second remote content from a second remote content source, the second remote content relating to second fixed content, the second fixed content being different from the first fixed content, and the second fixed content being included on a second portable storage medium.

117. The method of claim 116, wherein the first portable storage medium further includes a specification of predefined transport tasks, and wherein the user station initiates connections to the first remote content source in accordance with the predefined transport tasks.

118. The method of claim 116, wherein the first remote content is provided to the user with a first look and feel specific to the first fixed content and wherein the second remote content is provided to the user with a second look and feel specific to the second fixed content.

119. The method of claim 118, wherein the first look and feel is customized by an author of the first fixed content and wherein the second look and feel is customized by an author of the second fixed content.

120. The method of claim 116, wherein each of the first remote content and the second remote content includes a web page.

121. The method of claim 116, wherein the first remote content is coded with a markup language available on the first remote content source and wherein the second remote content is coded with a markup language available on the second remote content source.

122. The method of claim 116, wherein the computer executable software can be installed on the user station to (iii) establish connections between the user station and the first and second remote content sources.

123. The method of claim 122, wherein the connections are initiated by the user.

124. The method of claim 122, wherein the connections made in accordance with a specification included in at least one of the first fixed content and the second fixed content.

125. The method of claim 122, wherein the connections are transparent to the user.

126. The method of claim 116, wherein the first fixed content can be presented to the user together with the first remote content in such a manner that the user perceives a seamless integration of the first fixed content and the first remote content and wherein the second fixed content can be presented to the user together with the second remote content in such a manner that the user perceives a seamless integration of the second fixed content and the second remote content.

127. The method of claim 116, wherein the first portable storage medium further includes link data identifying the first remote content source.

128. A first portable storage medium comprising:

first fixed content; and

computer executable software;

wherein when the first portable storage medium is used at a user station, the computer executable software can be installed on the user station to (i) enable a user at the user station to access first remote content from a first remote content source, the first remote content relating to the first fixed content and (ii) enable the user to access second remote content from a second remote content source, the second remote content relating to second fixed content, the second fixed content being different from the first fixed content, and the second fixed content being included on a second portable storage medium.

129. The first portable storage medium of claim 128, further comprising a specification of predefined transport tasks, wherein the user station initiates connections to the first remote content source in accordance with the predefined transport tasks.

130. The first portable storage medium of claim 128, wherein the first remote content is provided to the user with a first look and feel specific to the first fixed content and wherein the second remote content is provided to the user with a second look and feel specific to the second fixed content.

131. The first portable storage medium of claim 130, wherein the first look and feel is customized by an author of the first fixed content and wherein the second look and feel is customized by an author of the second fixed content.

132. The first portable storage medium of claim 128, wherein each of the first remote content and the second remote content includes a web page.

133. The first portable storage medium of claim 128, wherein the first remote content is coded with a markup language available on the first remote content source and wherein the second remote content is coded with a markup language available on the second remote content source.

134. The first portable storage medium of claim 128, wherein the computer executable software can be installed on the user station to (iii) establish connections between the user station and the first and second remote content sources.

135. The first portable storage medium of claim 134, wherein the connections are initiated by the user.

136. The first portable storage medium of claim 134, wherein the connections are made in accordance with a specification included in at least one of the first fixed content and the second fixed content.

137. The first portable storage medium of claim 134, wherein the connections are transparent to the user.

138. The first portable storage medium of claim 128, wherein the first fixed content can be presented to the user together with the first remote content in such a manner that the user perceives a seamless integration of the first fixed content and the first remote content and wherein the second fixed content can be presented to the user together with the second remote content in such a manner that the user perceives a seamless integration of the second fixed content and the second remote content.

139. The first portable storage medium of claim 128, wherein the first portable storage medium further includes link data identifying the first remote content source.

140-175. -175. (canceled)