Method and System for use with the Internet

• US 20090254835A1
• Filed: 06/14/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clientconnect Limited (Clientconnect Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Conduit Limited (KGB)
• Inventors: Malachi, Guy, Shilo, Ronen, Erez, Dror, Bilczyk, Gabriel, Zagury, Ehud
• Granted Patent: US 7,870,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method of increasing the awareness of users of the Internet to services and products provided by web sites, wherein the method includes establishing a hosting web site on the Internet having a data processor for registering web site owners (WSO'"'"'s) as subscribers to a hosting service. The method also includes storing a program of a browser add-on in the web site, and incorporating a set of customizable characteristics, wherein each WSO subscriber is enabled on said hosting web site to customize said browser add-on for defining specific look and functionalities of the browser add-on. The method further includes registering WSO'"'"'s as subscribers to the hosting service, providing the data processor with a data base for each WSO subscriber, storing the customization data of the browser add-ons in the data bases of the respective WSO subscribers, generating code to be integrated in a web site of the WSO, wherein the code includes a unique identifier of the customization data stored at the hosting web site, in the data base of the respective WSO subscriber. Whenever a user of the Internet activates the code in the WSO subscriber web site, another step provides downloading the browser add-on and the customized data related to the WSO subscriber from the data processor of the hosting web site to the personal computer (PC) of the Internet user and integrating the browser add-on in a web browser installed in the PC.

Claims

1. A method executed at a hosting site comprising the steps of:

a party providing information to said hosting site to register said WSO with said hosting site;

establishing ID information for said party;

interacting with said party to create customization data representing a set of customization characteristics, which data is configured to be combined with a program module that creates an add-on element within a window of a browser, and which data imparts specific look and functionalities to said add-on element; and

storing the created customization data, in a manner that

(a) provides for downloading said customization data to a user computer that contains said program module, in response to said user computer requesting said customization data, and

(b) permits modifying said customization data when said ID information is supplied.

2. A method executed at a hosting site comprising the steps of:

a party providing information to said hosting site to register said WSO with said hosting site;

establishing ID information for said party;

interacting with said party to create customization data representing a set of customization characteristics, which data is configured to be combined with a program module that creates an add-on element within a window of a browser, and which data imparts specific look and functionalities to said add-on element; and

storing the created customization data, in a manner that

(a) provides for downloading said customization data to a user computer that contains said program module, in response to said user computer requesting said customization data,

(b) permits modifying said customization data when said ID information is supplied, and

(c) provides for re-downloading said customization data to said user in response to a request.

3. The method of claim 2 where said re-downloading in response to a request is executed when the customization data that is stored in said hosting site is an updated version of the customization data that was previously downloaded to the user.

4. A method executed at a hosting site comprising the steps of:

a party providing information to said hosting site to register said WSO with said hosting site;

interacting with said party to create customization data that, when combined with an add-on program module that is incorporated in a browser program that is executed within a computer of a user, appears as an add-on element within a window generated by the browser program, wherein (a) information in the customization data imparts characteristics to the add-on element as chosen by the WSO in course of said interacting and (b) the add-on program module comprises code that causes a request to be sent to the hosting site to upload to said user computer said customization data;

establishing ID information for said party;

storing the created customization data in a database, in association with an identifier that is at least a part of said ID information, to thereby create a presence of said party at said hosting site, which presence enables a party that presents a request that includes said identifier to modify said customization data in said database.