System for providing subscriber with access to a content area customized for the combination of subscriber's responses to topic prompt, subtopic prompt, and action prompt

• US 6,065,047 A
• Filed: 01/24/1996
• Issued: 05/16/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/1996
• 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: Vance, Robert B. Jr., Kauffman, Scott L., Carpenter, Kevin D., Yeauger, Gary A., Wylie, Susan D., Crosett, Alexander D. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hoa T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ton, David
• Application Number:
  US08/590,929
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102, 707/4, 710/62, 710/64, 348/6, 709/219, 709/250, 709/217, 709/218, 709/203, 345/326, 455/4.2
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

A system for navigating an online information system is disclosed. Subscribers provide topic and action preferences to traverse to a customized content area in which related tasks may be completed. Customized content areas are reached after subscribers make three or fewer selections. Paths to customized content areas are similar for all combinations of topics and actions so subscribers learn quickly how to navigate to any area of the information service.

Claims

1. A method for a subscriber to navigate a computer information service adapted to offer at least information retrieval, electronic mail, and chat services, comprising the steps of:

providing a computer application program for prompting said subscriber and determining said subscriber'"'"'s responses;

prompting said subscriber to select one of a plurality of topics;

determining said subscriber'"'"'s response to said topic prompt;

prompting said subscriber to select one of a plurality of subtopics;

determining said subscriber'"'"'s response to said subtopic prompt;

prompting said subscriber to select one of a plurality of actions;

determining said subscriber'"'"'s response to said action prompt; and

providing said subscriber with access to a content area customized for the combination of said subscriber'"'"'s responses to said topic prompt, said subtopic prompt, and said action prompt to said computer application program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein prompting said subscriber of an action occurs before prompting said subscriber for a topic.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein prompting said subscriber for a topic occurs before prompting said subscriber for an action.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said subscriber is prompted to select a topic and subtopic pair.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said subscriber is prompted for topic, subtopic, and action responses using icons that represent said topics, said subtopics, and said actions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein display characteristics of said topic icons or said subtopic icons are distinguishable from said action icons.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said subscriber may select one of four topics, one of ten subtopics, and one of six actions.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said subscriber is prompted for additional information based on said subscriber'"'"'s previous response.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein said icons may be selected using a single operation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said subscriber may perform in said content area specific tasks related to said subscriber'"'"'s responses to said topic prompt, said subtopic prompt, and said action prompt.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said specific tasks may be selected from the group of reading and composing electronic messages, reading online news, chatting online with subscribers, electronic shopping, and navigating a foreign electronic information service.

12. An online information service navigation system, said online information service adapted to offer at least information retrieval, electronic mail, and chat services, said system comprising:

a graphical user interface on a subscriber'"'"'s computer for prompting a subscriber for a topic response, a subtopic response, and an action response;

a connection between said subscriber'"'"'s computer and a host computer that is part of said online information service for transmitting and receiving packets;

at least one request packet for communicating said subscriber'"'"'s topic response, subtopic response, and action response to said host computer, said request packet assembled and transmitted to said host computer by said subscriber'"'"'s computer; and

at least one return packet assembled and transmitted by said host computer for providing said subscriber with access to a content area information customized for the combination of topic response, subtopic response, and actions response in said at least one request packet.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said topic response, said subtopic response, and said action response are represented by icons.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said icons may be selected using a single operation.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said topic and said subtopic icons are distinguishable from said action icons.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein said subscriber may perform additional tasks within said content area.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said additional tasks may be selected from the group of reading and composing electronic messages, reading online news, chatting online with subscribers, electronic shopping, and navigating a foreign electronic information service.

18. A computer information service navigation system, comprising:

a plurality of content areas, each of said content areas related to a topic, a subtopic, and an action;

a selected topic, subtopic, and action;

a content area based on said selected topic, subtopic, and action; and

a display for presenting said content area to a computer user.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein one of four topics, one of ten subtopics, and one of six actions may be selected.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said topic, said subtopic, and said action are represented by icons.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said icons may be selected using a single operation.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein said content areas have similar appearances and behavioral characteristics.

23. A system for navigating a computer information service adapted to offer at least information retrieval, electronic mail, and chat services, comprising:

a plurality of content areas;

a plurality of paths of equal length for traversing to said content areas;

a plurality of icons for traversing one of said plurality of paths;

means for selecting icons associated with one of said plurality of paths; and

a display for presenting one of said plurality of content areas customized for the combination of said icon selections.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said plurality of content areas have similar appearance and behavioral characteristics.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein said icons represent topics, subtopics, and actions.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein said icons may be selected in one of several orders.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein said paths are of length three or less.

28. A product for enabling users to access content areas on a computer network, at least one content area adapted to offer electronic mail services and at least one content area adapted to offer chat services, said product comprising:

a first entry selection point, including a navigational grid containing a plurality of rows and columns, wherein said rows define a first set of entry options and said columns define a second set of entry options;

means for selecting one of said set of first entry options or one of said set of second entry options on said first entry selection point; and

means for selecting one of said set of first entry options if one of said set of second entry options has been previously selected, or for selecting one of said set of second entry options if one of said set of first entry options has been previously selected on said first entry selection point.

29. The product of claim 28, wherein said navigational grid is transparent to said user.

30. The product of claim 28, further comprising a second selection point, said second selection point including a plurality of third options, said third options having a dependent relationship to one of said first or second entry options.

31. The product of claim 28, wherein said first set of entry options and said second set of entry options are presented to said user in a single presentation format.

32. The product of claim 28 in which said users may accomplish additional tasks at said content areas selected from said entry options.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said specific tasks may be selected from the group of reading and composing electronic messages, reading online news, chatting online with subscribers, electronic shopping, and navigating a foreign electronic information service.