APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DYNAMICALLY COORDINATING THE DELIVERY OF COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA

• US 20100257442A1
• Filed: 06/22/2010
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DoDots Licensing Solutions LLC (Strategic Intellectual Solutions, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Mainstream Scientific, LLC (Innovation Management Sciences, LLC)
• Inventors: Malloy, Scot J., Gabbay, Lynn D., Chipkin, Adam M., Kim, Daniel S., KEMBEL, JOHN ALBERT, Kembel, Geoffrey S., Kembel, Jeremy L., Russell, John, Kembel, George Andrew, Wobbrock, Jake
• Granted Patent: US 9,426,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/221 Parsing markup language streams streaming G06F40/149
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

The invention provides a method of processing distributable computer readable media in a client/server computer system in a manner specified by a user. The method includes the steps of providing a login construct to a client computer from a server computer. A server computer accepts a login identifier from the client computer that corresponds to the user. The login identifier is used to locate an unprocessed user profile associated with the login identifier in a user profile database when the unprocessed user profile exists. A home networked information monitor is delivered to the client computer in accordance with instructions in a processed user profile. The home networked information monitor is capable of accessing each networked information monitor associated with the login identifier. Each networked information monitor is capable of processing distributable computer readable media.

Claims

1. A method of providing Internet content from a server device to a client device, comprising:

generating, by a first application being executed on a client device, a request to a uniform resource locator for content associated with the uniform resource locator, wherein the first application lacks native controls that enable a user to manually navigate the network;

receiving, in response to the request, data that is programmed in a format readable by a Web browser program that has native controls enabling a user to manually navigate the network, the data comprising (i) content to be displayed by the first application, and (ii) a definition that defines at least in part a feature of a graphical user interface within which the content is to be displayed, and

generating, by the first application being executed on the client device, a graphical user interface corresponding to the data received in response to the request, the graphical user interface displaying therein the content received in response to the request, wherein the graphical user interface is displayed on the client device separately and discretely from any graphical user interface associated with a Web browser program that has native controls enabling a user to manually navigate the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the graphical user interface includes a frame within which the content received in response to the request is presented, and wherein the definition defines a feature of the frame.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the feature of the frame includes one or more of a size, a dimension, a position on a display screen, or a color.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user via the graphical user interface, a control input to adjust the feature of the graphical user interface; and

adjusting the feature of the graphical user interface in accordance with the received control input.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating a transmission to the server device indicating the adjustment of the feature of the graphical user interface in accordance with the received control input such that future transmissions of the data to the client device defining feature of the graphical user interface include the adjustment of the feature of the graphical user interface.

6. A physical memory device having stored thereon a plurality of software components, said software components comprising:

a client parser application configured to coordinate the instantiation of networked information monitor on a computing platform with access to the physical memory device, said client parser application comprising;

instructions configured to cause the computing platform to access networked information monitor templates, wherein the networked information monitor templates comprise;

a first networked information monitor template associated with a first networked information monitor, the first networked information monitor comprising (i) a definition of a graphical user interface of the first networked information monitor within which content received in a protocol and format readable by a web browser having native network navigation controls may be presented, and (ii) an identifier for a first network location at which content for the first networked information monitor is accessible over a network, and

a second networked information monitor template associated with a second networked information monitor, the second networked information monitor template comprising (i) a definition of a graphical user interface of the second networked information monitor within which content received in a protocol and format readable by a web browser having native network navigation controls may be presented, and (ii) an identifier for a second network location at which content for the second networked information monitor is accessible over the network;

instructions configured to cause the computing platform to display separate graphical user interfaces for the individual networked information monitor, wherein the displayed graphical user interfaces for the networked information monitor are outside of the window of and independent of a web browser application having native network navigation controls, and wherein the graphical user interfaces comprise;

a first graphical user interface associated with the first networked information monitor, the first graphical user interface being defined by the first networked information monitor template, and

a second graphical user interface associated with the second networked information monitor, the second graphical user interface being defined by the second networked information monitor template;

instructions configured to cause the computing platform to transmit requests for content for the networked information monitor over the network, wherein the requests for content comprise;

a first request for content for the first application media package transmitted to the first network location, and

a second request for content for the second application media package transmitted to the second network location;

instructions configured to parse content received over the network in response to the requests for content for the networked information monitors, the content being received over the network in a format or protocol readable by a web browser having native network navigation controls; and

instructions configured to cause the computing platform to present the parsed content in the appropriate graphical user interface such that;

parsed content received in response to the first request is presented in the first graphical user interface, and

parsed content received in response to the second request is presented in the second graphical user interface.

7. The memory device of claim 6, wherein the client parser application further comprises instructions that enable the first networked information monitor and the second networked information monitor to exchange information therebetween within the computing platform such that one or more of the first graphical interface, the second graphical interface, the content presented in the first graphical interface, or the content presented in the second graphical interface reflect the information exchanged between the first networked information monitor and the second networked information monitor.

8. The memory device of claim 6, wherein the client parser application further comprises:

instructions configured to cause the computing platform to identify a user of the computing platform; and

instructions configured to cause the computing platform to access a user profile associated with the identified user of the computing platform.

9. The memory device of claim 8, wherein the instructions of the client parser application configured to cause the computing platform to access networked information monitor templates are configured to cause the computing platform to access the first networked information monitor template responsive to the first networked information monitor being identified in the user profile associated with the identified user.

10. The memory device of claim 9, wherein the second networked information monitor is a system networked information monitor, and wherein the instructions of the client parser application configured to cause the computing platform to access networked information monitor templates are configured cause the computing platform to access the second networked information monitor template on the basis of the second networked information monitor being a system networked information monitor and without regard for identification or non-identification of the second networked information monitor in the user profile associated with the identified user.

11. The memory device of claim 6, wherein the instructions of the client parser application configured to cause the computing platform to access networked information monitor templates are configured to cause the computing platform to access the networked information monitor templates from a remote host of the networked information monitor templates over the network.

12. The memory device of claim 6, wherein the client parser application further comprises instructions configured to cause the computing platform to obtain identifiers that identify individual networked information monitors, and wherein the instructions configured to cause the computing platform to access networked information monitor templates are configured to cause the computing platform to access networked information monitor templates that correspond to networked information monitors identified by obtained identifiers.

13. The memory device of claim 6, wherein the software components further comprise a web browser having native network navigation controls, wherein the web browser comprises:

instructions configured to cause the computer platform to display a graphical user interface that includes the native network navigation controls;

instructions configured to cause the computer platform to receive, over the network from a server, a web page having embedded therein a selectable control for requesting the first networked information monitor;

instructions configured to cause the computer platform to present the web page in the graphical user interface including the native network navigation controls;

instructions configured to cause the computer platform to obtain, responsive to user-selection of the selectable control embedded in the web page, an identifier that identifies the first networked information monitor.

14. The memory device of claim 13, wherein the instructions of the client parser application configured to cause the computing platform to access networked information monitor templates is configured to cause the computing platform to access the first networked information monitor template responsive to the web browser obtaining the identifier that identifies the first networked information monitor.

15. The memory device of claim 11, wherein the client parser application comprises a markup language parser, and wherein the networked information monitor templates comprise markup language files.

16. A computer-implemented method of obtaining and displaying content, wherein the method is implemented in a client computer system comprising one or more processors configured to execute one or more computer program modules, the method comprising:

obtaining, on electronic storage media associated with the client computer system, an identifier that identifies a networked information monitor;

executing, on the one or more processors of the client computer system, a client parser application, wherein the client parser application is configured to;

transmit, to a first server computer system via a network, a request for the networked information monitor identified by the identifier to a first server computer system;

receive, from the first server computer via the network, a networked information monitor template associated with the requested networked information monitor in response to the request, wherein the received networked information monitor template comprises (i) a definition of a graphical user interface of the networked information monitor within which content received in a protocol and format that are readable by a web browser having native network navigation controls may be presented, and (ii) an identification for a second network location associated with a second server computer system at which content for the networked information monitor is accessible;

store the received networked information monitor template to the electronic storage media;

display the graphical user interface of the networked information monitor based on the definition of the graphical user interface included in the received networked information monitor template outside of and disconnected from a window of a web browser application having native network navigation controls;

transmit, to the identified network location of the second server computer system via the network, a request for content for the networked information monitor, wherein the second server computer system is separate and remote from the first server computer system;

receive the requested content from the second server computer system over the network in a protocol readable by a web browser having native network navigation controls; and

present the received content for the networked information monitor in the graphical user interface of the networked information monitor.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein executing the client parser application on the one or more processors of the client computer system further comprises executing a client parser application further configured to:

identify a user of the client computer system;

obtain a user profile associated with the identified user, wherein the user profile includes the identifier that identifies the networked information monitor; and

store the user profile to the electronic storage media.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein executing the client parser application on the one or more processors of the client computer system further comprises executing a client parser application further configured to determine whether a current networked information monitor template that is associated with the networked information monitor and is stored to the electronic storage media is up to date, and wherein transmission of the request for the networked information monitor template to the first server computer system is performed responsive to a determination that the current networked information monitor template is not up to date.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising executing, on the one or more processors of the client computer system, a web browser having native network navigation controls and being configured to:

display a view of a web page in a graphical user interface that is separate from the graphical user interface of the networked information monitor, the web page having embedded therein a selectable control for requesting the networked information monitor;

accept a request from a user of the client computer system for the networked information monitor via user selection of the selectable control embedded in the web page; and

responsive to the request from the user of the client computer system for the networked information monitor, store the identifier that identifies the networked information monitor to the electronic storage media,

wherein executing the client parser application on the one or more processors of the client computer system further comprises executing a client parser application configured such that transmission of the request for the networked information monitor template by the client parser application is performed responsive to the request from the user of the client computer system for the networked information monitor and the storage of the identifier to the electronic storage media.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the received networked information monitor template further defines one or more user configurable controls for the networked information monitor.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more user configurable controls for the networked information monitor comprise one or more frame controls that enable a user of the client computer system to control one or more properties of a frame of the graphical user interface of the networked information monitor that is displayed by the client parser application.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more user configurable controls for the networked information monitor comprise one or more network navigation controls that enable a user of the client computer system to navigate the network to control the content that is presented in the graphical user interface of the networked information monitor that is displayed by the client parser application.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the networked information monitor template is a file in a markup format.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the first network location and the second network location are defined by a first uniform resource locator and a second uniform resource locator, respectively.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the first server computer system is associated with a first entity, and the second server computer system is associated with a second entity that is unaffiliated with the first entity.