Web based communication of information with reconfigurable format

• US 20090099938A1
• Filed: 07/14/2002
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scott C Harris
• Original Assignee: Scott C Harris
• Inventors: Harris, Scott C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,352,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30

Abstract

A system of using an interactive device such as an e-mail pager to obtain information from a publicly available source, such as the Internet. The e-mail pager may send information in its native format to a service that acts as an intermediary. That service takes the information and uses it to assemble a request to the actual information source, such as a Web page being accessed. If a web page is being accessed, the request is in HTML, and may include personal logon information. The response from the web page is also in HTML, and this information is received by the service, and salient information is taken from the HTML file. The information is reformatted, e.g. according to a template, into the e-mail pager'"'"'s native format, and sent to the pager. Another embodiment describes opening multiple pages, and assembling their content into a single web page.

Claims

1. (canceled)

8. A system, comprising:

a web server, producing a web page which is available on the Internet; and

an information translating part associated with said web server which receives e-mail messages and translates said e-mail messages into a form which can interact with said web page being produced by said web server;

wherein said web server is a server that hosts auctions of items for sale and maintains auction bids for items for sale over the Internet, and

wherein said information translating part also sends e-mail messages that include information about items in said auctions for sale over the Internet, on which items a user has been outbid.

2. A system as in claim 8, wherein said e-mail messages include e-mail messages in plain text form.

3. A system as in claim 8, further comprising an e-mail pager, producing said e-mail messages.

4. A system as in claim 8, further comprising a cellular telephone, producing said e-mail messages.

5. A system as in claim 8, wherein said information translating part receives and translates a user ID and password as part of said email messages.

6. A system as in claim 8, wherein said information translating part accepts e-mail messages which include instructions to change bids on items in auctions for which a user has been previously outbid.

7. A system as in claim 8, wherein said information translating part also sends e-mail messages indicative of information about said auctions.

9. A system as in claim 8, wherein said information translating part produces and sends messages which include a session identification indicator that identifies said auction information.

10. A system as in claim 9, wherein said information translating part detects a reply to one of said plain text messages which reply including said session identification indicator, and takes action on a specified auction based on said session identification indicator.

11. A system as in claim 8, wherein said information translating part also sends e-mail messages indicative of actions occurring on said web page.

12. A system as in claim 11, wherein said e-mail messages include a session ID indicative of said actions.

13. A system as in claim 12, wherein said session ID is included as part of a return address in the e-mail message.

14. A system as in claim 13, wherein the session ID is used to interact with said actions on said Web page.

15. A system as in claim 10, wherein said action includes placing a new bid.

16. A system as in claim 8, wherein said information translating part detects a new bid amount as part of a sent message.

17. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

22. A method, comprising:

producing a web page on a server that is connected to the Internet; and

receiving a first e-mail message on the server, which e-mail has instructions to interact with said web page;

wherein said web page is a web page for a server that hosts Internet based auctions;

wherein said receiving comprises receiving an instruction to bid on an item on an Internet based auction; and

wherein said item is an item on which a user has been previously outbid.

18. A method as in claim 22, further comprising sending a second e-mail that has instructions on a specific interaction with said web page.

19. A method as in claim 22, wherein said first e-mail includes information that requests specified information from said web page, and further comprising sending a response including said specified information.

23. A method as in claim 22, wherein said web page is an e-commerce site.

24. A method as in claim 22, wherein said web page is a web page for a server that hosts Internet based auctions.

25. A method as in claim 24, wherein said e-mail message includes a session ID indicative of an individual auction on said web page.

26. A method as in claim 19, wherein said e-mail message with information includes information about said auctions on which a user has been previously outbid.

27. A method as in claim 26, further comprising replying to said e-mail with instructions to increase a bid.

28. A method as in claim 18, wherein said e-mail message includes session ID information that represents said individual auction on which said user has been previously outbid.

29. A method as in claim 28, further comprising replying to said e-mail message with said session ID information, and modifying a bid on said web page responsive to said replying.

30. A method as in claim 29, wherein said session ID is part of a return address for said e-mail.

31. A method as in claim 29, wherein said replying includes specifying an amount of a bid to be placed.

32. A method as in claim 22, wherein said e-mail message includes a session ID indicative of an individual item on said web page.

33. (canceled)

34. A method, comprising:

producing a web page on a server that is connected to the Internet; and

receiving a first e-mail message on the server, which e-mail has instructions to interact with said web page;

wherein said web page is a web page for a server that maintains banking information; and

wherein said e-mail message includes instructions to request a bank balance.

35. A method, comprising:

producing a web page on a server that is connected to the Internet; and

receiving a first e-mail message on the server, which e-mail has instructions to interact with said web page; and

wherein said web page is a web page for a server that maintains stock portfolio information.

36. A method as in claim 35, wherein said e-mail message includes instructions to request information on stocks whose prices have changed by a specified amount.

37. (canceled)

38. A method, comprising:

hosting a web page on a server connected to the Internet which displays information; and

sending an e-mail message that has user specified information instructing interacting with said web page on the Internet;

wherein said web page is one which maintains Internet based auctions, and said sending comprises sending an e-mail about said Internet based auctions on which the user has been previously outbid; and

sending a message to said server instructing said server to increase a bid on one of said auctions.

39. A method as in claim 38, wherein said sending comprises sending an e-mail with information that specifies changes on said Web page.

40. A method as in claim 39, further comprising replying to said e-mail with instructions to carry out some action relative to content on said web page.

44. A method as in claim 38, wherein said e-mail message includes a session ID indicative of the information being sent.

45. A method as in claim 44, further comprising replying to said e-mail including said session ID to produce an instruction regarding said information.

41. (canceled)

42. (canceled)

43. (canceled)

46. A system, comprising:

a Web server, producing web pages indicative of information about balances in a user'"'"'s personal account that is stored and which can change based on user interaction;

a communications server, operating to receive e-mails with instructions to retrieve information related to said balances.

47. A system as in claim 46, wherein said communications server also sends e-mails based on the content of said web server, said e-mails including session identification information.

48. A system as in claim 47, wherein said session identification uniquely identifies a specific operation to be carried out on said web server, and wherein said e-mails include instructions to change contents include said session identification therein.

51. A system as in claim 46, wherein said web server is a web server that maintains banking information, and said e-mail includes instructions to request a bank balance.

52. A system as in claim 46, wherein said web server is a web server that maintains stock portfolio information, and said e-mail includes instructions to request information on stocks which have changed.

49. (canceled)

50. (canceled)

53. (canceled)

54. A system, comprising:

a web server, producing web pages indicative of information, and displaying said web pages over the Internet;

a communications server, communicating with said web server, and sending e-mails indicative of said information based on specified criteria, said e-mails including a session identification information which represents uniquely a specific item on said web server, and receiving e-mails and determining said session identification information in said received e-mails and modifying said information on said web server based on said session identification information in the received e-mails; and

wherein said web server maintains banking information, and said session identification information represent individual transactions.

58. A system as in claim 54, wherein said web server maintains banking information, and said session identification information represent individual transactions.

55. (canceled)

56. (canceled)

57. (canceled)

59. A method, comprising:

maintaining a web site indicative of Internet auctions, in which internet auctions items for sale receive bids from users;

sending an e-mail to a specific user indicating that the specific user has been outbid on an item, said e-mail including identification information;

replying to said e-mail with a new bid amount and said identification information; and

using information in the reply to said e-mail to change a bid amount on said web site for said Internet auctions on said item.

60. A method as in claim 59, wherein said identification information is included as part of a return address for an e-mail.

61. A method as in claim 59, wherein said identification information is included as part of text of said e-mail.

62. A method, comprising:

maintaining a web site of Internet auctions, which web site allows placing bids on individual items, said bids being placed via an HTML page;

sending an e-mail to user in non HTML format, indicating that the user has been outbid on one of said items being hosted on said web site;

receiving a reply to said e-mail, and checking said e-mail to determine said one of said items, and placing a new bid based on said e-mail.

63. A method as in claim 62, wherein said reply includes an amount of a new bid to be placed.

64. A method as in claim 62, wherein said e-mail which is sent includes identification information indicative of said one of said items, and said reply also includes said identification information, said checking comprising checking said identification information.