Web-site delivery

• US 6,096,096 A
• Filed: 12/13/1996
• Issued: 08/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Silicon Graphics Incorporated (Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Murphy, Thomas Patrick, Ratcliffe, David Thompson, Cameron, III, Andrew J., Attarwala, Yusuf M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz, Tariq R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dam, Tuan Q.
• Application Number:
  US08/766,731
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326, 345/965-968, 345/961-962, 345/977, 345/329, 345/335, 345/346, 345/348, 707/501, 707/513, 707/10, 707/1, 709/227, 709/217, 709/220, 709/222, 709/224, 709/232, 705/26, 705/27, 717/11, 717/1, 703/23
• US Class Current: 717/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

A method and system for emulating on-line accessing of information in an off-line environment. In one embodiment, information initially configured to be displayed via an on-line connection is stored onto a plurality of portable storage media. The portable storage media is adapted to be used by an end-user in an off-line environment. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the information is arranged on the plurality of storage media such that off-line accessing of the information emulates on-line accessing of the information. That is, in the present invention, information is presented to an off-line end-user in a manner which emulates the manner in which the same information would have been presented to the end-user in an on-line environment. In one embodiment, the present invention stores Web site information onto the plurality of portable storage media. In so doing, an off-line end-user is able to access conventional Web site information in a manner which emulates typical on-line retrieval of the Web site information.

Claims

1. A method for emulating on-line accessing of information in an off-line environment comprising the steps of:

storing onto portable storage media, information configured to be displayed via an on-line connection, said portable storage media adapted to be used by an end-user in an off-line environment;

arranging said information on said portable storage media, wherein off-line accessing of said information emulates on-line accessing of said information such that linked information can be accessed in said off-line environment in the same manner as said linked information would be accessed via said on-line connection; and

establishing a virtual document root for said information stored on said portable storage media, said virtual document root emulating the document root for said information when accessed via said on-line connection.

2. The method for emulating on-line accessing of information in an off-line environment as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of storing information onto portable storage media further comprises the step of:

storing Web site information onto said portable storage media.

3. The method for emulating on-line accessing of information in an off-line environment as recited in claim 2 further comprising the step of:

storing Web site information onto a compact disc.

4. The method for emulating on-line accessing of information in an off-line environment as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of storing information onto portable storage media further comprises the step of:

storing said information onto said portable storage media from the same source tree used to create said information configured to be displayed via said on-line connection.

5. The method for emulating on-line accessing of information in an off-line environment as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of arranging said information on said portable storage media such that off-line accessing of said information emulates on-line accessing of said information further comprises the steps of:

storing said information onto a first and a second portable storage media; and

guiding an end-user to access said second portable storage medium when said information requested by said end-user is not on said first portable storage medium presently in use by said end-user.

6. The method for emulating on-line accessing of information in an off-line environment as recited in claim 5 wherein said step of arranging said information on said portable storage media such that off-line accessing of said information emulates on-line accessing of said information further comprises the step of

storing common files on each of said first and second portable storage media such that said common files are accessible to an end-user regardless of which of said first and second portable storage media is presently in use by said end-user.

7. The method for emulating on-line accessing of information in an off-line environment as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of:

storing information from a computer system onto said portable storage media, said information for facilitating off-line accessing of said information by an end-user, said information adapted to be transferred from said portable storage media to local storage space of another computer system used by said end-user to access said information.

8. The method for emulating on-line accessing of information in an off-line environment as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of:

storing initialization software, a Web browser, a Web server, and a search server onto said portable storage media.

9. A computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer to perform the steps of:

providing access to information stored onto portable storage media, said information configured to be displayed via an on-line connection, said portable storage media adapted to be used by an end-user in an off-line environment;

displaying said information to said end-user in said off-line environment to emulate accessing said information via an on-line connection such that linked information can be accessed in said off-line environment in the same manner as said linked information would be accessed via said on-line connection; and

accessing said information stored on said portable storage media via a virtual document root which emulates a document root of said information when accessed via said on-line connection.

10. The computer-usable medium of claim 9 further having computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer to perform the step of:

providing access to Web site information stored onto said portable storage media.

11. The computer-usable medium of claim 10 further having computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer to perform the step of:

providing access to Web site information stored onto a compact disc.

12. The computer-usable medium of claim 9 further having computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer to perform the step of:

retrieving from said portable storage media, initialization software, a Web browser, a Web server, and a search server; and

locally storing said initialization software, said Web browser, said Web server, and said search server with respect to said end-user.

13. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

an address/data bus coupled to said processor;

a computer readable memory coupled to communicate with said processor, said processor for performing the steps comprising of;

providing access to information stored onto portable storage media, said information configured to be displayed via an on-line connection, said portable storage media adapted to be used by an end-user in an off-line environment;

displaying said information to said end-user in said off-line environment to emulate accessing said information via an on-line connection such that linked information can be accessed in said off-line environment in the same manner as said linked information would be accessed via said on-line connection; and

accessing said information stored on said portable storage media via a virtual document root which emulates a document root of said information when accessed via said on-line connection.

14. The computer system of claim 13 wherein said processor is further adapted to perform the step of:

providing access to Web site information stored onto said portable storage media.

15. The computer system of claim 14 wherein said processor is further adapted to perform the step of:

providing access to Web site information stored onto a compact disc.

16. The computer system of claim 13 wherein said processor is further adapted to perform the steps of:

retrieving from said portable storage media, initialization software, a Web browser, a Web server, and a search server; and

locally storing said initialization software, said Web browser, said Web server, and said search server with respect to said end-user.

17. A method for transporting a Web site, via portable storage media, from one computer system to another computer system comprising the steps of:

storing from a first computer system, onto portable storage media, information configured to be displayed via an on-line connection;

arranging said information on said portable storage media, wherein off-line accessing of said information emulates on-line accessing of said information such that linked information can be accessed in said off-line environment in the same manner as said linked information would be accessed via said on-line connection;

loading said information from said portable storage media into a second computer system, wherein off-line accessing of said information from said second computer system emulates on-line accessing of said information from said first computer such that linked information can be accessed in said off-line environment in the same manner as said linked information would be accessed via said on-line connection; and

establishing a virtual document root for said information stored on said portable storage media, said virtual document root emulating the document root for said information when accessed via said on-line connection.

18. The method for transporting a Web site, via portable storage media, from one computer system to another computer system as recited in claim 17 wherein said step of storing information onto portable storage media further comprises the step of:

storing Web site information onto said portable storage media.

19. The method for transporting a Web site, via portable storage media, from one computer system to another computer system as recited in claim 18, further comprising the step of:

storing Web site information onto a compact disc.

20. The method for transporting a Web site, via portable storage media, from one computer system to another computer system as recited in claim 17 wherein said step of storing information onto portable storage media further comprises the step of:

storing said information onto said portable storage media from the same source tree used to create said information configured to be displayed via said on-line connection.

21. The method for transporting a Web site, via portable storage media, from one computer system to another computer system as recited in claim 17 wherein said step of arranging said information on said portable storage media such that off-line accessing of said information emulates on-line accessing of said information further comprises the steps of:

storing said information onto a first and a second portable storage media; and

arranging said information on said first and second portable storage media such that an end-user is prompted to access said second portable storage medium when said information requested by said end-user is not on said first portable storage medium presently in use by said end-user.

22. The method for transporting a Web site, via portable storage media, from one computer system to another computer system as recited in claim 21 wherein said step of arranging said information on said storage media such that off-line accessing of said information emulates on-line accessing of said information further comprises the step of:

storing common files on each of said first and second portable storage media such that said common files are accessible to an end-user regardless of which of said first and second portable storage media is presently in use by said end-user.

23. The method for transporting a Web site, via portable storage media, from one computer system to another computer system as recited in claim 17 further comprising the step of:

storing information from said first computer system onto said portable storage media, said information for facilitating off-line accessing of said information by an end-user, said information adapted to be transferred from said portable storage media to local storage space of said second computer system used by said end-user to access said information.

24. The method for transporting a Web site, via portable storage media, from one computer system to another computer system as recited in claim 17 further comprising the step of:

storing initialization software, a Web browser, a Web server, and a search server onto said portable storage media.

25. A method for emulating on-line accessing of information in an off-line environment comprising the steps of:

storing onto portable storage media, information configured to be displayed via an on-line connection, said portable storage media adapted to be used by an end-user in an off-line environment;

storing a first portion of said information onto a first portable storage medium via a virtual document root which emulates a document root of said information when accessed via said on-line connection;

storing a second portion of said information onto a second portable storage medium via said virtual document root which emulates said document root of said information when accessed via said on-line connection; and

arranging said information on said portable storage media, wherein off-line accessing of said information emulates on-line accessing of said information such that linked information can be accessed in said off-line environment in the same manner as said linked information would be accessed via said on-line connection.

26. The method for emulating on-line accessing of information in an off-line environment as recited in claim 25, said method further comprising the step of:

prompting said end-user to switch from using said first portable storage medium to using said second portable storage medium when information requested by said end-user resides on said second portable storage medium instead of said first portable storage medium.

27. A computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer to perform the steps of:

providing access to information stored onto portable storage media, said information configured to be displayed via an on-line connection, said portable storage media adapted to be used by an end-user in an off-line enviroment;

displaying said information to said end-user in said off-line enviroment to emulate accessing said information via an on-line connection such that linked information can be accessed in said off-line enviroment in the same manner as said linked information would be accessed via an on-line connection;

storing a first portion of said information onto a first portable storage medium via a virtual document root which emulates a document root of said information when accessed via said on-line connection; and

storing a second portion of said information onto a second portable storage medium via said virtual document root which emulates said document root of said information when accessed via said on-line connection.

28. The computer-usable medium of claim 27 further having computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer to perform the step of:

prompting said end-user to switch from using said first portable storage medium to using said second portable storage medium when information requested by said end-user resides on said second portable storage medium instead of said first portable storage medium.

29. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

an address/data bus coupled to said processor;

a computer readable memory coupled to communicate with said processor, said processor for performing the steps comprising of;

providing access to information stored onto portable storage media, said information configured to be displayed via an on-line connection, said portable storage media adapted to be used by an end-user in an off-line environment;

displaying said information to said end-user in said off-line environment to emulate accessing said information via an on-line connection such that linked information can be accessed in said off-line environment in the same manner as said linked information would be accessed via said on-line connection;

storing a first portion of said information onto a first portable storage medium via a virtual document root which emulates a document root of said information when accessed via said on-line connection; and

storing a second portion of said information onto a second portable storage medium via said virtual document root which emulates said document root of said information when accessed via said on-line connection.

30. The computer system of claim 29 wherein said processor is further adapted to perform the step of:

prompting said end-user to switch from using said first portable storage medium to using said second portable storage medium when information requested by said end-user resides on said second portable storage medium instead of said first portable storage medium.

31. A method for transporting a Web site, via portable storage media, from one computer system to another computer system comprising the steps of:

storing from a first computer system, onto portable storage media, information configured to be displayed via an on-line connection;

arranging said information on said portable storage media, wherein off-line accessing of said information emulates on-line accessing of said information such that linked information can be accessed in said off-line environment in the same manner as said linked information would be accessed via said on-line connection;

loading said information from said portable storage media into a second computer system, wherein off-line accessing of said information from said second computer system emulates on-line accessing of said information from said first computer such that linked information can be accessed in said off-line environment in the same manner as said linked information would be accessed via said on-line connection;

storing a first portion of said information onto a first portable storage medium via a virtual document root which emulates a document root of said information when accessed via said on-line connection; and

storing a second portion of said information onto a second portable storage medium via said virtual document root which emulates said document root of said information when accessed via said on-line connection.

32. The method for transporting a Web site, via portable storage media, from one computer system to another computer system as recited in claim 31 wherein said step of storing information onto portable storage media further comprises the step of:

prompting said end-user to switch from using said first portable storage medium to using said second portable storage medium when information requested by said end-user resides on said second portable storage medium instead of said first portable storage medium.