Method and apparatus for downloading auxiliary data to a client from a network during client idle periods

• US 6,237,039 B1
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WebTV Networks Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Perlman, Stephen G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, TAK KAM
• Application Number:
  US09/107,651
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/219, 709/224, 709/237, 370/229, 707/500
• US Class Current: 709/237
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/19 at layers above the network layer network arrangements for networked applications for scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9057 Arrangements for supporting packet reassembly or resequencing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9073 Early interruption upon arrival of a fraction of a packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for downloading auxiliary data to a client during idle periods and for displaying the auxiliary data while the client is fetching information from the network is disclosed. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the state of a client device is first determined, wherein the client device is in a fetching state while processing a user request and the user is waiting or in an idle state while not processing a user request and the user is not waiting for the client system. Auxiliary data is then downloaded from a server to the client device when the step of determining determines that the client device is in an idle state. Additionally, the downloaded auxiliary data is buffered in an auxiliary buffer. The auxiliary data is then processed to generate an output and the output is displayed on the client device while the client device is in a fetching state.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for a client device to automatically download auxiliary data from a server on a network for display on said client device during a period of latency associated with a fetching state of the client device, said computer-implemented method comprising the steps of:

examining activity of said client device, as opposed to monitoring communication activity of a network connection associated with said client device, to identify a state of said client device wherein said client device is capable of being in any of a fetching state, an idle state, and a responding state;

upon examining activity of said client device, determining that said client device is currently in said idle state;

in response to determining that said client device is in said idle state, automatically downloading said auxiliary data from said server to said client device;

examining activity of said client device and determining that said client device is currently in said fetching state; and

in response to determining that said client device is in said fetching state, displaying said auxiliary data on said client device during a period of latency associated with said fetching state.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 further including the step of:

buffering said downloaded auxiliary data in an auxiliary buffer on said client device.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2, wherein the step of displaying said auxiliary data on said client device comprises the steps of:

processing said downloaded auxiliary data in said auxiliary buffer to generate an output; and

displaying said output on said client device, said output representing said auxiliary data.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2 wherein said step of buffering said auxiliary data further includes the steps of:

marking said auxiliary buffer as current;

inserting said downloaded auxiliary data into said auxiliary buffer; and

marking said auxiliary buffer as ready.

5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2 wherein said auxiliary data is advertising data.

6. The computer-implemented method according to claim 5 wherein said step of displaying said auxiliary data includes the step of selecting context sensitive advertising data from said auxiliary data and displaying said context sensitive advertising data.

7. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2 wherein said step of displaying said auxiliary data includes the step of selecting context sensitive auxiliary data to display.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary data comprises advertising data, such that the step of displaying said auxiliary data on said client device comprises the step of displaying said advertising data on said client device.

9. A computer-implemented method for a client device to automatically download auxiliary data from a server on a network for display on said client device during a period of latency associated with a fetching state of the client device, said computer implemented method comprising the steps of:

examining activity of said client device, wherein said client device is capable of being in any of a fetching state, an idle state, and a responding state, and determining that said client device is currently in said idle state;

automatically downloading said auxiliary data from said server to said client device in response to determining that said client device is in said idle state;

buffering said downloaded auxiliary data in an auxiliary buffer;

determining that said client device is currently in said fetching state;

processing said auxiliary data in said auxiliary buffer to generate an output while said client device is in said fetching state; and

displaying said output on said client device during a period of latency associated with said fetching state.

10. The computer-implemented method according to claim 9 wherein said step of buffering said auxiliary data further includes the steps of:

marking said auxiliary buffer as current;

inserting said downloaded auxiliary data into said auxiliary buffer; and

marking said auxiliary buffer as ready to display.

11. The computer-implemented method according to claim 10 wherein said client device includes a plurality of auxiliary buffers, one of which being said auxiliary buffer into which said auxiliary data has been inserted, said step of processing said auxiliary data in said auxiliary buffer to generate said output includes the steps of:

recognizing that said auxiliary buffer into which said downloaded auxiliary data has been inserted has been marked as ready to display; and

in response to the step of recognizing, selecting said auxiliary buffer into which said auxiliary data has been inserted from among said plurality of auxiliary buffers.

12. The computer-implemented method according to claim 9 wherein said step of displaying said output on said client device during a period of latency associated with said fetching state continues after said client device is disconnected from said network.

13. A computer program product for implementing, in a client device included in a network that also includes a server, a method for said client device to automatically download auxiliary data from said server for display on said client device during a period of latency associated with a fetching state of the client device, said computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium carrying computer-executable instructions for implementing the method, said computer-executable instructions being capable of placing the client device in any of a fetching state, an idle state, and a responding state with respect to data transmitted to the client device from the server, said computer-executable instructions, when executed by said client device, performing the steps of;

examining activity of said client device, as opposed to monitoring communication activity of a network connection associated with said client device, to identify the state of said client device;

upon examining activity of said client device, determining that said client device is currently in said idle state;

in response to determining that said client device is in said idle state, automatically downloading said auxiliary data from said server to said client device;

examining activity of said client device and determining that said client device is currently in said fetching state; and

in response to determining that said client device is in said fetching state, displaying said auxiliary data on said client device during a period of latency associated with said fetching state.

14. A computer program product as recited in claim 13, wherein said auxiliary data includes advertising data, such that said client device displays said advertising data when said client device is in said fetching state.

15. A computer program product as recited in claim 13, wherein:

said client device includes a plurality of auxiliary buffers into which auxiliary data can be buffered; and

said computer-executable instructions, when executed by said client device, further perform the step of marking each of said plurality of auxiliary buffers, wherein each of said auxiliary buffers can be marked as being either available, ready to display, or current.

16. A computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of automatically downloading said auxiliary data from said server to said client device comprises the step of buffering said auxiliary data into a buffer that is marked as being available.

17. A computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of displaying said auxiliary data on said client device comprises the step of obtaining said auxiliary data from a buffer that is marked as being ready to display.