MONITORING APPLICATION FOR AUTOMATICALLY REQUESTING CONTENT

• US 20090076919A1
• Filed: 11/17/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Hoshiko LLC (Raoul Management LLC)
• Inventors: Shuster, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 7,783,753 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.610
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Embodiments of the instant invention are directed to a system, apparatus and method for monitoring a user'"'"'s activities and displaying and presenting unsolicited content to users over a wide area network. Embodiments of the instant invention include a monitoring system comprising an activity monitor and a content transfer and display means, wherein the activity monitor comprises an event identifier and a timer. The monitoring system monitors user activities, identifies trigger events, measures the elapsed time of inactivity of the user and initiates the presentation of unsolicited data, or content, to the user computer. In general, the monitoring system identifies trigger events and measures the elapsed time between trigger events. If the elapsed time between the trigger events exceeds a predefined time period the monitoring system causes unsolicited data to be presented on the user computer.

Claims

1-5. -5. (canceled)

6. A computer-readable medium holding encoded instructions for:

receiving, at a server, a request for first data from a client;

sending the first data together with a monitoring application to the client in response to receiving the request, wherein the monitoring application is configured to automatically execute on the client in response to use of the first data by the client, and to generate a request for second data after the first data has been presented in a first browser window on the client for a period of time determined by the monitoring application;

receiving a request for the second data from the client; and

sending the second data to the client in response to receiving the request for the second data.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, further holding encoded instructions for serving the monitoring application configured to terminate in response to closing of the first browser window on the client.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, further holding encoded instructions for serving the monitoring application configured to present the second data on the client in a second browser window.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, further holding encoded instructions for serving the monitoring application configured to replace at least a portion of the first data in the first browser window with the second data.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, further holding encoded instructions for serving the first data and the monitoring application together as components of a web page.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, further holding encoded instructions for serving the monitoring application configured to present the second data in a second browser window on the client.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further holding encoded instructions for serving the monitoring application configured to open the second browser window and at least initially display the second browser window as an in-focus window on the client.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further holding encoded instructions for serving the monitoring application configured to keep focus on the second browser window until the browser receives local input to remove focus from the second window.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further holding encoded instructions for serving the monitoring application configured to place the second browser window in an out-of-focus state until the browser receives local input to move focus to the second window.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further holding encoded instructions for serving the monitoring application configured to return focus to the first browser window in response to defined user input to the second browser window.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further holding encoded instructions for serving the second content including an interactive object for receiving the defined user input to the second browser window.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, further holding encoded instructions for serving the second data comprising an advertisement.

18. A system for serving data over a computer network, comprising:

a computer comprising at least one processor, the computer configured for;

receiving, at the computer, a request for first data from a client;

serving the first data to the client in response to receiving the request;

serving executable code together with the first data to the client, the executable code configured to automatically execute in response to display of the first data by the client, to thereby detect occurrence of a defined trigger event on the client, to measure an amount of time from the occurrence of the defined trigger event, and to initiate a request for second data from the computer, in response to the measured amount of time exceeding a defined threshold;

receiving a request for the second data from the client; and

serving the second data to the client in response to receiving the request for the second data.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer is further configured for serving the executable code configured to terminate in response to closing of a browser window displaying the first content on the client.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer is further configured for serving the executable code configured to present the second data on the client in a browser window.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer is further configured for serving the executable code configured to replace at least a portion of the first data displayed on the client with the second data.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer is further configured for serving the first data and the executable code together as components of a web page.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer is further configured for serving the executable code configured to present the second data in a second browser window on the client.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the computer is further configured for serving the executable code configured to open the second browser window and at least initially display the second browser window as an in-focus window on the client.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the computer is further configured for serving the executable code configured to keep focus on the second browser window until the browser receives local input to remove focus from the second window.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the computer is further configured for serving the executable code configured to place the second browser window in an out-of-focus state until the browser receives local input to move focus to the second window.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the computer is further configured for serving the monitoring application configured to return focus to a prior in-focus window in response to defined user input via the second browser window.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the computer is further configured for serving the second content including an interactive object for facilitating entry of the defined user input via the second browser window.

29. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer is further configured for serving the second data comprising an advertisement.