Method and system for providing local information over a network

• US 20090037282A1
• Filed: 08/06/2008
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ThinkLogix, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Fan Chiang Holdings LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hiller, Dean, McCrossin, James, Kornutik, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,860,758 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.640
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method and system is provided where a first computer (e.g., a central server) collects information to be presented to one or more users. The information is organized into a plurality of first web-sites where each of these web-sites is addressable by a unique Universal Resource Locator (URL). A physical location is associated with each of the first web-sites. One of the first web-sites may be provided to a user as a user web-site. When the user or other individual seeks to access the user web-site, links to a plurality of the first web-sites are provided based on a relationship between the physical locations associated with the first web-sites and the physical location associated with the user web-site.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A method of performing a transaction comprising:

collecting information at a first computer system from a merchant, said information being organized into a first web-site being addressable by a unique Universal Resource Locator (URL) and having a physical location associated therewith; and

providing said information from said merchant to a user at a second computer system if said physical location is within a local area.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said local area is a circular area having a predetermined radius from a predetermined physical location.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein said local area is a political area including a predetermined physical location.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein said local area is a zip-code area including a predetermined physical location.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein said local area is a circular area having a radius from a predetermined physical location such that said circular area includes a threshold amount of entities.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein said entities are telephone number locations.

31. The method of claim 25 wherein said local area is a square area including the physical location associated with said user'"'"'s web-site.

32. The method of claim 25 wherein said local area is a predetermined radius from a physical location of said second computer system.

33. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

specifying a predetermined physical location by said user; and

determining said local area based on said predetermined physical location.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein said user specifies said predetermined physical location at a first time, the method further comprising:

modifying said predetermined physical location by said user at a second time.

35. The method of claim 25 wherein said second computer is coupled to the Internet via a telephone connection and said local area is based on a location of said telephone connection.

36. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.

37. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.

38. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.

39. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.

40. The method of claim 29 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.

41. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.

42. The method of claim 31 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.

43. The method of claim 35 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.