Method system and program product for accessing a file using values from a redirect message string for each change of the link identifier

• US 6,523,063 B1
• Filed: 01/14/2000
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MetricStream, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zaplet, Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Axe, Brian, Hanson, Michael, Miller, Graham, Evans, Steven Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Application Number:
  US09/483,502
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204,206,217,219,229,235,245,248
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

A method and system is described that can be used to reliably, efficiently, and securely transmit information in a communications network. The information can be static or dynamic content. A server is configured with logic to encode and decode a link identifier into, safe character sets that are recognizable to many known web browsers. A redirect process is used to limit the amount of communication with the database. This means that the load and the cost of system operation can be reduced.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting information over a network, comprising:

receiving a link identifier associated with a file containing the information;

executing a first command to retrieve the link identifier;

converting the link identifier to a property set;

encoding the property set;

generating a redirect message string from the property set; and

accessing the file using values from the redirect message string for each change of the link identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises one of static and binary content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step further comprises:

receiving a virtual link identifier in an electronic message; and

parsing the electronic message to execute the first command.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the link identifier is a Universal Resource Locator.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing step further comprises caching the redirect message string and comparing the link identifier to the redirect message string.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the link identifier comprises a message ID.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the converting step further comprises loading a current state of the link identifier as an image description from the message ID.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the electronic message is an HTML encoded message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoding step further comprises encoding the property set using ASCII-based encoding.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoding step further comprises compressing the property string and obscuring the compressed property string.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the obscuring step further comprises mapping the obscured compressed property string into a set of safe character values.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing step further comprises decoding the redirect message string and retrieving the file from a server.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the retrieving step further comprises generating an image from values in the redirect message string.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the safe character values further comprise ASCII values.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the link identifier is configured for use with one of an electronic mail and Internet protocol.

20. The network system of claim 1, wherein the redirect message string is cached in one of the participant and the server.

16. A method for transmitting information over a network, comprising:

receiving a link identifier in an electronic message, the link identifier being associated with a file containing the information;

parsing the electronic message;

executing a first.command to retrieve the link identifier;

converting the link identifier to a property set;

encoding the property set, the property set being encoded into a safe character set;

generating a redirect message string from the property set; and

accessing the file using values from the redirect message string for each change of the link identifier.

17. A network system for transmitting information among a group of participants, comprising:

a server for generating and sending a link identifier associated with a file containing the information to a participant, the server further comprising an interface responsive to a first command to retrieve the link identifier;

a web application server for converting the link identifier to a property set, the web application server further comprising logic to encode the property set and to generate a redirect message from the property set; and

an image server for accessing the file using values from the redirect message string for each change of the link identifier.

18. The network system of claim 17, wherein the information comprises one of static and binary content.

19. The network system of claim 17, wherein the link identifier is a Universal Resource Locator.

21. A method of efficiently communicating information among participants in a group, comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

generating an electronic medium comprising one or more link identifiers, wherein each of the link identifiers is associated with corresponding dynamic content stored in a data store;

receiving a request to retrieve the dynamic content using the one or more link identifiers;

encoding the one or more link identifiers as one or more corresponding message strings;

generating a redirection response that includes the one or more corresponding message strings;

providing the redirection response to a client;

receiving a request to retrieve one or more image elements of the dynamic content using the message strings;

decoding the message strings to result in identifying one or more actual locations of the image elements; and

providing the image elements to the client as part of the dynamic content.

22. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein the electronic medium comprises an HTML-encoded electronic mail message, and wherein at least one of the link identifiers comprise an image tag associated with a universal resource locator that comprises a message identifier.

23. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein the electronic medium comprises an HTML-encoded electronic mail message, and wherein at least one of the link identifiers comprise an image tag associated with a universal resource locator that comprises a message identifier that is generated when the message is sent and that uniquely identifies the dynamic content.

24. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein the steps of encoding the one or more link identifiers further comprise the steps of:

determining a then-current state of the dynamic content based on the one or more link identifiers;

retrieving one or more image description elements based on the one or more link identifiers;

creating and storing a set of one or more properties of a dynamic image based on the image description elements and the then-current state;

creating and storing one or more text strings that encode the set of properties.

25. A method as recited in claim 24, wherein creating and storing one or more text strings comprises the steps of creating and storing one or more HTTP argument-value encoded text strings that may be communicated as part of an HTTP request.

26. A method as recited in claim 24, further comprising the step of transforming the one or more text strings by compressing or obscuring the text strings to result in creating or storing one or more transformed text strings.

27. A method as recited in claim 26, further comprising the step of converting the one or more transformed text strings for communication in a universal character set.

28. A method as recited in claim 24, wherein generating a redirection response comprises the steps of generating a redirect message string that identifies an image server that holds the image elements and that includes the one or more text strings.

29. A method as recited in claim 24, wherein decoding the message strings comprises the steps of:

retrieving the image elements based on decoding the text strings;

identifying one or more properties of the dynamic image based on decoding the message strings into the image description elements and the then-current state;

generating a graphic image based on the retrieved image elements and the properties of the dynamic image.

30. A method as recited in claim 21, further comprising the steps of responding to one or more subsequent requests to retrieve the dynamic content of members of the group using the one or more link identifiers by providing the redirection response that includes the one or more corresponding message strings without serving an entire static image to a requesting client.

31. An apparatus for efficiently communicating information among participants in a, group, comprising:

means for generating an electronic medium comprising one or more link identifiers, wherein each of the link identifiers is associated with corresponding dynamic content stored in a data store;

means for receiving a request to retrieve the dynamic content using the one or more link identifiers;

means for encoding the one or more link identifiers as one or more corresponding message strings;

means for generating a redirection response that includes the one or more corresponding message strings;

means for providing the redirection response to a client;

means for receiving a request to retrieve one or more image elements of the dynamic content using the message strings;

means for decoding the message strings to result in identifying one or more actual locations of the image elements; and

means for providing the image elements to the client as part of the dynamic content.

32. A computer-readable medium comprising one or more sequences of instructions for efficiently communicating information among participants in a group, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

generating an electronic medium comprising one or more link identifiers, wherein each of the link identifiers is associated with corresponding dynamic content stored in a data store;

receiving a request to retrieve the dynamic content using the one or more link identifiers;

encoding the one or more link identifiers as one or more corresponding message strings;

generating a redirection response that includes the one or more corresponding message strings;

providing the redirection response to a client;

receiving a request to retrieve one or more image elements of the dynamic content using the message strings;

decoding the message strings to result in identifying one or more actual locations of the image elements; and

providing the image elements to the client as part of the dynamic content.