Kiosk controller that retrieves content from servers and then pushes the retrieved content to a kiosk in the order specified in a run list

• US 6,286,029 B1
• Filed: 04/28/1997
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sabre GLBL Inc. (Sabre Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sabre Incorporated (Sabre Corp.)
• Inventors: Delph, Daniel C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): CALDWELL, ANDREW T
• Application Number:
  US08/840,665
• Time in Patent Office: 1,590 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.31, 395/200.32, 395/200.33, 395/200.36, 395/200.38, 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 395/200.49, 709/201-203, 709/206, 709/208, 709/217-219, 709/204, 709/205, 709/236
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web

Abstract

An intermediate server, or kiosk controller, serves as an agent between content servers and kiosk computers. A control program loaded on the intermediate server directs the intermediate server to retrieve content data from various content servers on a network. The particular content to be retrieved is specified in a run list composed of location codes. The intermediate server then automatically transmits the content to the kiosks in the sequential order specified by the run list. The kiosks'"'"' screen displays are consistently refreshed based on the transmitted content. In a specific embodiment, a kiosk controller is connected via the Internet to various web servers. The kiosk controller retrieves web pages from the various web servers. The kiosk controller modifies all links contained within the web pages to point to the kiosk computer. The kiosk controller then sends the modified web pages to kiosks running browser programs.

Claims

1. An apparatus for sharing content data with a kiosk computer through a network, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of content servers interfaced with the network, the content servers each having content data;

a kiosk computer interfaced with the network;

an intermediate server interfaced with the network that controls the kiosk computer;

run list storage device interfaced with the intermediate server, the run list storage device storing a run list that represents a sequential order of content data associated with the content servers that is to be sent to the kiosk computer; and

a control program loaded on the intermediate server that prevents the kiosk computer from directly accessing the content servers, the control program operationally directing the intermediate server to;

retrieve the run list stored in the run list storage device;

retrieve the content data from each content server based on the run list; and

automatically transmit the content data of each content server, in the sequential order, to the kiosk computer, wherein a screen display of the kiosk computer is consistently refreshed based on the transmitted content data.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of kiosk computers, each said kiosk computer being interfaced with the network;

and

wherein said control program operationally directs said intermediate server to send the content data to each said kiosk computer.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of kiosk computers, each said kiosk computer being interfaced with the network;

and

wherein said control program operationally directs said intermediate server to send the content data to each said kiosk computer in the sequential order.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the network is the Internet, and the content data is comprised of at least one Web page stored on each content server.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 further comprising an input device interfaced with one or more said kiosk computers.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein:

the Web page includes a Web link; and

said control program directs said intermediate server to modify the Web link into modified Web links pointing to said intermediate server.

7. An apparatus for sharing content data with a kiosk computer through a network, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of content servers interfaced with the network, each of the content servers having content data stored at a content identification code;

an intermediate server interfaced with the network that controls the kiosk computer, the intermediate server having a location name and having a local storage device, the local storage device storing a run list comprising a first content identification code and at least one sequential content identification code stored in a predetermined order;

a kiosk computer interfaced with the network;

a control program loaded on the intermediate server such that the intermediate server prevents the kiosk computer from directly accessing the content server, the control program directing said intermediate server to;

receive information identifying the content servers from which the content data should be retrieved;

retrieve the content data from the content server;

automatically transmit the content data to the kiosk computer and consistently refresh a screen display of the kiosk computer.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein:

said local storage device further stores a pause time corresponding to each content identification code; and

said control program further directs said intermediate server to send client pull instructions to said kiosk computer, the client pull instructions comprising the pause time corresponding to the content data and the sequential content identification code.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein:

the content data comprises screen data and linking data; and

said control program directs said intermediate server to;

modify the linking data into modified linking data comprising the linking data appended to the location name of said intermediate server; and

substitute the modified linking data for the linking data in the content data sent to said kiosk computer.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 further comprising an input device interfaced with said kiosk computer.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said input device can activate the modified linking data, the modified linking device directing said control program to retrieve content data corresponding to the modified linking device.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9 further comprising a plurality of kiosk computers interfaced with the network;

and

wherein said local storage device stores a run list and pause time for each said kiosk computer, and said control program further directs said intermediate computer to;

retrieve content data for each run list;

modify content data for each run list;

send modified content data and client pull instructions to each kiosk computer.

13. A method for showing computer data with kiosk computers through a network, the method comprising the steps of:

interfacing a plurality of content servers, an intermediate server and a kiosk computer with a network, each content server having content data; and

directing, under control of a program stored in the intermediate server, the intermediate server to;

retrieve a run list from a run list storage device, wherein the run list represents a sequential order of content data associated with the content servers that is to be sent to the kiosk computer,

retrieve content data from each one of the content servers according to the run list, and

automatically transmit the retrieved content data to the kiosk computer in the sequential order, allowing a predetermined time period to pass between each transmission of the retrieved content.

14. The method according to claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

interfacing a plurality of kiosk computers to the network;

directing the intermediate server to transmit the content data to each kiosk computer; and

directing the intermediate server to store usage information reflecting the transmission of the content data to the kiosk computers.

15. The method according to claim 13 wherein the network comprises the Internet and the content data comprises a Web page.

16. An apparatus for sharing data through a network between a kiosk computer and a plurality of content servers, each content server having content data, the apparatus comprising:

an intermediate server interfaced with the network that controls the kiosk computer; and

a control program loaded on the intermediate server such that the intermediate server prevents the kiosk computer from directly accessing the plurality of content servers, the control program operationally controlling the intermediate server to;

retrieve a run list from a run list storage device, wherein the run list represents a sequential order of content data associated with the content servers that is to be sent to the kiosk computer,

retrieve the content data from each one of the content servers according to the run list; and

automatically transmit the retrieved content data to the kiosk computer in the sequential order, allowing a predetermined time period to pass between each transmission of the retrieved content data.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the intermediate server is interfaced with a plurality of kiosk computers, and wherein the control program operationally controls the intermediate server to send the content data to each of the kiosk computers in a sequential order.