System for integrating access to proprietary and internet resources

• US 5,878,219 A
• Filed: 03/12/1996
• Issued: 03/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pampuch, John C., Vance, Robert B. Jr., MacNaughton, Bruce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice L.
• Application Number:
  US08/614,395
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.03, 395/200.09, 395/200.11, 395/610, 395/200.48, 395/684, 395/200.33, 395/200.47, 395/200.49, 707/513
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system is disclosed that integrates through a single client application access to information resources from a proprietary online service and the Internet. Using a single Web-based client, subscribers enter selections regarding the type of information they would like to retrieve. Relevant information is retrieved from the Internet using the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) addressing scheme of the Internet to locate information on the Internet. Relevant information is retrieved from the online service using extensions to the URL addressing scheme. The extensions map to a proprietary protocol used to obtain information resources from the online service. The client application understands the URLs and extended URLs and manages presentation of the information regardless of the source. Using the present invention, subscribers to online services are no longer required to toggle between a Web browser and service provider communication software in order to view content from both locations.

Claims

1. A computer information system, comprising:

information resources accessible in accordance with a first protocol;

information resources accessible in accordance with a uniform addressing scheme;

extensions to said uniform addressing scheme, said extensions mapped to said first protocol;

a first address in accordance with said uniform addressing scheme;

a second address in accordance with said extensions to said uniform addressing scheme;

servers capable of storing said information resources accessible in accordance with said first protocol and said information resources accessible in accordance with said uniform addressing scheme; and

a client application for communicating said first address and said second address to said servers to access said information resources accessible in accordance with said first protocol and said information resources accessible in accordance with said uniform addressing scheme, said client application capable of displaying content pages for said information resources accessible in accordance with said first protocol and said information resources accessible in accordance with said uniform addressing scheme.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said first protocol is a propriety protocol for accessing information resources from an online service.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said uniform addressing scheme is the Internet Uniform Resource Locator addressing scheme.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said client application is a Web-based product.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said addressing scheme is the Internet Uniform Resource Locator addressing scheme.

5. A system for locating information resources of a first type and information resources of a second type, comprising:

a protocol for locating said information resources of said first type;

an addressing scheme for locating said information resources of said second type;

extensions to said addressing scheme, said extensions mapped to said protocol for locating said information resources of said first type;

a client application capable of interpreting identifiers in accordance with said addressing scheme and said extensions to said addressing scheme; and

content pages for said information resources, said content pages displayed by said client application in accordance with said client application'"'"'s interpretation of said identifiers.