Method and system to create, transmit, receive and process information, including an address to further information

• US 6,065,048 A
• Filed: 10/29/1997
• Issued: 05/16/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Netdelivery Corp. (Patron Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Higley, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Application Number:
  US08/960,612
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.36, 395/200.48, 395/200.49, 395/200.75, 395/200.76, 707/501, 707/512, 707/513, 709/206, 709/218, 709/219, 709/245, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method and system for sending and receiving Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) in electronic mail over the Internet. An electronic mail document containing a URL may have several different types. If the message type indicates a URL, when the received URL type document is read or browsed using a multimedia Internet browser, the URL is looked up so that the information corresponding to the URL is displayed without necessarily displaying any portion of the received message. If the received document is of the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) type, the document may be displayed and a user may "click" on the URL to look up the information corresponding to the URL. If the received document is of the text type, the text may be converted to the HTML format and the HTML format document displayed so that a user may "click" on the URL in order to look up the information corresponding to the URL without the need to type in the URL address.

Claims

1. A method of receiving data and information at a computer, comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one message of a predetermined type over a network from a first computer system, said at least one message includes at least one reference to a predetermined location at a predetermined computer system;

decoding said at least one message at a second computer system in response to said predetermined type by retrieving information from said predetermined location automatically, without requiring user interaction.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said network utilizes a TCP/IP protocol.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of decoding said at least one message occurs in a single application process.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said predetermined type comprises a uniform resource locator type and the step of decoding said at least one message further comprises automatic dereferencing of a uniform resource locator contained in said at least one message.

5. Method as recited in claim 1 wherein said predetermined type comprises a markup language type and the step of decoding said at least one message further comprises automatic dereferencing of at least one uniform resource locator contained in a markup language document.

6. Method as recited in claim 5 wherein said markup language type is a hypertext markup language type and said markup language document is a hypertext markup language document.

7. Method as recited in claim 1 wherein said predetermined type comprises a text type and the step of decoding said at least one message further comprises automatic dereferencing of at least one uniform resource locator contained in a text document.

8. Method as recited in claim 1 wherein said predetermined type comprises a text type and the step of decoding said at least one message further comprises automatic conversion of a text document, containing said at least one reference, wherein said at least one reference is a reference to a markup language document.

9. Method as recited in claim 1 wherein said markup language document is a hypertext markup language document.

10. Method as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one message comprises information generated in response to a subscriber request.

11. Method as recited in claim 1 wherein said predetermined location contains at least one secondary reference to a secondary predetermined location.

12. Method as recited in claim 11 wherein the step of decoding further comprises retrieving information from said secondary predetermined location automatically, without requiring user interaction.

13. Method as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one message comprises a catalog, said catalog containing an entry which refers to said at least one reference.

14. Method as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one message comprises a publication, said publication containing an entry which refers to said at least one reference.

15. Method as recited in claim 4 wherein said uniform resource locator comprises a publication, said publication containing an entry which refers to at least one additional reference to an additional predetermined location.

16. Method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of receiving further comprises receiving said at least one message at a plurality of computer systems.

49. Method as recited in claim 10 wherein said subscriber request is to push information to said second computer.

52. Method as recited in claim 1 wherein said information comprises order information.

53. Method as recited in claim 1 wherein said information comprises information from a merchant.

54. Method as recited in claim 1 wherein said information comprises product information.

61. Method as recited in claim 10 wherein the step of receiving is in response to said subscriber request to push information to said second computer.

17. A method of delivering data and information between at least two computers, comprising the steps of:

sending at least one message of a predetermined type over a network from a first computer system, said at least one message includes at least one reference to a predetermined location;

receiving said at least one message at a second computer system; and

decoding said at least one message at said second computer system in response to said predetermined type by retrieving data from said predetermined location automatically, without requiring user interaction.

18. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein said network utilizes a TCP/IP protocol.

19. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein the step of decoding said at least one message occurs in a single application process.

20. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein said predetermined type comprises a uniform resource locator type and the step of decoding said at least one message further comprises automatic dereferencing of a uniform resource locator contained in said at least one message.

21. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein said predetermined type comprises a markup language type and the step of decoding said at least one message further comprises automatic dereferencing of at least one uniform resource locator contained in a markup language document.

22. Method as recited in claim 21 wherein said markup language type is a hypertext markup language type and said markup language document is a hypertext markup language document.

23. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein said predetermined type comprises a text type and the step of decoding said at least one message further comprises automatic dereferencing of at least one uniform resource locator contained in a text document.

24. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein said predetermined type comprises a text type and the step of decoding said at least one message further comprises automatic conversion of a text document, containing said at least one reference, wherein said at least one reference is a reference to a markup language document.

25. Method as recited in claim 24 wherein said markup language document is a hypertext markup language document.

26. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein said at least one message comprises a information generated in response to a subscriber request.

27. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein said predetermined location contains at least one secondary reference to a secondary predetermined location.

28. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein the step of decoding further comprises retrieving information from said secondary predetermined location automatically, without requiring user interaction.

29. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein said at least one message comprises a catalog, said catalog containing an entry which refers to said at least one reference.

30. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein said at least one message comprises a publication, said publication containing an entry which refers to said at least one reference.

31. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein said uniform resource locator comprises a publication, said publication containing an entry which refers to at least one additional reference to an additional predetermined location.

32. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein the step of receiving further comprising receiving said at least one message at a plurality of computer systems.

50. Method as recited in claim 26 wherein said subscriber request is to push information to said second computer.

55. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein said data comprises data about an order.

56. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein said data comprises data from a merchant.

57. Method as recited in claim 17 wherein said data comprises product information data.

62. Method as recited in claim 26 wherein the step of receiving is in said subscriber request to push information to said second computer.

33. A method of delivering data and information between computers, comprising the steps of:

creating at least one message of a predetermined type, said at least one message includes at least one reference to a predetermined location at a predetermined computer system;

sending said at least one message over a network;

receiving said at least one message at a user computer system; and

decoding said at least one message at said user computer system in response to said predetermined type by pushing information from said predetermined location to said user computer system automatically, without requiring user interaction.

34. Method as recited in claim 33 wherein said network utilizes a TCP/IP protocol.

35. Method as recited in claim 33 wherein the step of decoding said at least one message occurs in a single application process.

36. Method as recited in claim 33 wherein said predetermined type comprises a uniform resource locator type and the step of decoding said at least one message comprises automatic dereferencing of a uniform resource locator contained in said at least one message.

37. Method as recited in claim 33 wherein said predetermined type comprises a markup language type and the step of decoding said at least one message comprises automatic dereferencing of at least one uniform resource locator contained in a markup language document.

38. Method as recited in claim 37 wherein said markup language type is a hypertext markup language type and said markup language document is a hypertext markup language document.

39. Method as recited in claim 33 wherein said predetermined type comprises a text type and the step of decoding said at least one message comprises automatic dereferencing of at least one uniform resource locator contained in a text document.

40. Method as recited in claim 33 wherein said predetermined type comprises a text type and the step of decoding said at least one message comprises automatic conversion of a text document, containing said at least one reference, wherein said at least one reference is a reference to a markup language document.

41. Method as recited in claim 40 wherein said markup language document is a hypertext markup language document.

42. Method as recited in claim 33 wherein said at least one message comprises a information generated in response to a subscriber request.

43. Method as recited in claim 33 wherein said predetermined location contains at least one secondary reference to a secondary predetermined location.

44. Method as recited in claim 43 wherein the step of decoding further comprises retrieving information from said secondary predetermined location automatically, without requiring user interaction.

45. Method as recited in claim 33 wherein said at least one message comprises a catalog, said catalog containing an entry which refers to said at least one reference.

46. Method as recited in claim 33 wherein said at least one message comprises a publication, said publication containing an entry which refers to said at least one reference.

47. Method as recited in claim 36 wherein said uniform resource locator comprises a publication, said publication containing an entry referring to at least one additional reference to an additional predetermined location.

48. Method as recited in claim 33 wherein the step of receiving further comprising receiving said at least one message at a plurality of user computer systems.

51. Method as recited in claim 42 wherein said subscriber request is to push information to said second computer.

58. Method as recited in claim 33 wherein said information comprises order information.

59. Method as recited in claim 33 wherein said information comprises information from a merchant.

60. Method as recited in claim 33 wherein said information comprises product information.

63. Method as recited in claim 42 wherein pushing information is in said subscriber request to push information to said second computer.