DYNAMICALLY MODIFYING A TOOLBAR

• US 20150046833A1
• Filed: 08/22/2014
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MyMail, Ltd. (MyMail Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: MyMail, Ltd. (MyMail Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Selgas, Thomas Drennan, Massing, Michael Brian, Gmuender, John Everett
• Granted Patent: US 10,228,838 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• 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 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention comprises a method of and apparatus for simplifying the process of access to a network for a roaming computer user, divides the responsibility of servicing a given user wanting to access the network between multiple parties and minimizes the possibility of improper dissemination of email header data as well as improper use of network resources (including server systems) by non-clients.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically modifying a toolbar using a remote source accessible through a network, wherein the toolbar is displayable on a user Internet device and includes one or more toolbar buttons that are defined by toolbar data stored in one or more toolbar-defining databases of the user Internet device, the toolbar data includes a plurality of toolbar button attributes associated with the one or more toolbar buttons of the toolbar, wherein at least one of the plurality of toolbar button attributes identifies a function to be performed by a specific toolbar button, the method comprising:

establishing a connection with a user Internet device, the connection initiated by the user Internet device;

receiving, at the remote source, information associated with the toolbar data stored in the one or more toolbar-defining databases of the user Internet device;

determining, based on the information associated with the toolbar data stored in the one or more toolbar-defining databases of the user Internet device, that the user Internet device should receive updated toolbar data; and

sending, from the remote source via the network to the user Internet device, the updated toolbar data to be stored in the one or more toolbar-defining databases of the user Internet device, wherein the toolbar of the user Internet device is configured to receive the updated toolbar data, and to perform an operation that includes at least one member of a group comprising (a) and (b);

(a) updating the toolbar data to include at least one new attribute of the toolbar data to change the toolbar by adding a toolbar button to the toolbar; and

(b) updating the toolbar data to modify an attribute of at least one of the one or more toolbar buttons of the toolbar,

wherein the information associated with the toolbar data includes at least one member of a group comprising a revision level, version, time, date, user ID, account owner ID, PAP ID, IP address, session keys, billing data, name, address, account information, connection history, procedures performed by a user, group ID, e-mail address, e-mail ID, e-mail password, residential address, phone number, and data about a user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating one or more advertisements to the user based on the data about the user.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising transmitting the one or more advertisements to the user Internet device

4. A method for dynamically modifying a toolbar using a remote source accessible through a network, wherein the toolbar is displayable on a user Internet device and includes one or more toolbar buttons that are defined by toolbar data stored in one or more toolbar-defining databases of the user Internet device, the toolbar data includes a plurality of toolbar button attributes associated with the one or more toolbar buttons of the toolbar, wherein at least one of the plurality of toolbar button attributes identifies a function to be performed by a specific toolbar button, the method comprising:

establishing a connection with a user Internet device, the connection initiated by the user Internet device;

receiving, at the remote source, information associated with the toolbar data stored in the one or more toolbar-defining databases of the user Internet device;

determining, based on the information associated with the toolbar data stored in the one or more toolbar-defining databases of the user Internet device, that the user Internet device should receive updated toolbar data; and

sending, from the remote source via the network to the user Internet device, the updated toolbar data to be stored in the one or more toolbar-defining databases of the user Internet device, wherein the toolbar of the user Internet device is configured to receive the updated toolbar data, and to perform an operation that includes at least one member of a group comprising (a) and (b);

(a) updating the toolbar data to include at least one new attribute of the toolbar data to change the toolbar by adding a toolbar button to the toolbar; and

(b) updating the toolbar data to modify an attribute of at least one of the one or more toolbar buttons of the toolbar,

wherein the information associated with the toolbar data includes at least one member of a group comprising a revision level, version, time, date, user ID, account owner ID, PAP ID, IP address, session keys, billing data, name, address, account information, connection history, procedures performed by a user, group ID, e-mail address, e-mail ID, e-mail password, residential address, phone number, and data about a user, wherein the data about the user is transparently collected by the remote source from the user Internet device.

5. A method for dynamically modifying a toolbar using a remote source accessible through a network, wherein the toolbar is displayable on a user Internet device and includes one or more toolbar buttons that are defined by toolbar data stored in one or more toolbar-defining databases of the user Internet device, the toolbar data includes a plurality of toolbar button attributes associated with the one or more toolbar buttons of the toolbar, wherein at least one of the plurality of toolbar button attributes identifies a function to be performed by a specific toolbar button, the method comprising:

establishing a connection with a user Internet device, the connection initiated by the user Internet device;

receiving, at the remote source, information associated with the toolbar data stored in the one or more toolbar-defining databases of the user Internet device;

determining, based on the information associated with the toolbar data stored in the one or more toolbar-defining databases of the user Internet device, that the user Internet device should receive updated toolbar data; and

sending, from the remote source via the network to the user Internet device, the updated toolbar data to be stored in the one or more toolbar-defining databases of the user Internet device, wherein the toolbar of the user Internet device is configured to receive the updated toolbar data, and to perform an operation that includes at least one member of a group comprising (a) and (b);

(a) updating the toolbar data to include at least one new attribute of the toolbar data to change the toolbar by adding a toolbar button to the toolbar; and

(b) updating the toolbar data to modify an attribute of at least one of the one or more toolbar buttons of the toolbar,

wherein the information associated with the toolbar data includes at least one member of a group comprising a revision level, version, time, date, user ID, account owner ID, PAP ID, IP address, session keys, billing data, name, address, account information, connection history, procedures performed by a user, group ID, e-mail address, e-mail ID, e-mail password, residential address, phone number, and data about a user; and

storing the data about the user in one or more network-accessible databases separate from the user Internet device.