Systems, methods and computer program products for assigning, generating and delivering content to intranet users

• US 6,564,259 B1
• Filed: 10/26/2000
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kaminsky, David Louis, Blount, Brian, Baber, Stephen C., Britton, Kathryn Heninger, OʼMeara, Ann Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Philip B.
• Application Number:
  US09/697,582
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/220, 709/223-225
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer program products allow intranet administrators to assign, generate and deliver content to users of an intranet. Intranet users are defined and assigned to various defined user groups. Units of content available to users of an intranet are also defined and assigned to various defined content groups. The defined content groups are then associated with the defined user groups such that each of the defined user groups has at least one of the defined units of content associated therewith. A content page creation profile is provided for each defined user and is configured to control how content is displayed within a user'"'"'s customized content page. Through identified relationships of user groups and content groups, the units of content assigned to a user can be determined and a content page containing the assigned units of content can be created and delivered to a user.

Claims

1. A method of providing content to a user of a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:

assigning the user to at least one of a plurality of user groups, wherein each of the plurality of user groups is associated with at least one content group comprising a group of defined content units such that a number of the content units in the group is static to thereby assign content to the user;

creating a content page creation profile for the user, wherein the content page creation profile is configured to control how content is displayed to the user; and

generating a content page for the user wherein content is arranged on the content page according to the content page creation profile.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of delivering the content page to the user prior to receiving a request from the user for the content page.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the step of delivering the content page to the user prior to receiving a request from the user for the content page comprises:

prefetching the units of content assigned to the user;

exporting the prefetched units of content into a compressed content package; and

transmitting the compressed content package to the user device.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the step of prefetching the units of content assigned to the user comprises prefetching content accessible from hypertext links embedded within each unit of content.

5. A method according to claim 3 further comprising:

determining whether units of content assigned to the user have changed;

prefetching the changed units of content if one or more units of content assigned to the user have changed;

exporting the prefetched changed units of content into a content package; and

transmitting the compressed content package to the user device.

6. A method according to claim 3 further comprising the step of transforming prefetched units of content from a first format to a second format prior to exporting the prefetched units of content into a content package.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of generating a content page for the user comprises:

identifying the user;

identifying user groups to which the identified user is assigned;

identifying content groups associated with the identified user groups;

determining units of content assigned to the user based on the identified content groups; and

creating a content page to be displayed to the user, wherein the content page contains the units of content assigned to the user.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein the created content page contains an area wherein the user can modify how units of content are displayed.

9. A system of providing content to a user of a computer network, comprising:

means for assigning the user to at least one of a plurality of user groups, wherein each of the plurality of user groups is associated with at least one content group comprising a group of defined content units such that a number of the content units in the group is static to thereby assign content to the user;

means for creating a content page creation profile for the user, wherein the content page creation profile is configured to control how content is displayed to the user; and

means for generating a content page for the user wherein content is arranged on the content page according to the content page creation profile.

10. A system according to claim 9 further comprising means for delivering the content page to the user prior to receiving a request from the user for the content page.

11. A system according to claim 10 wherein the means for delivering the content page to the user comprises:

means for prefetching the units of content assigned to the user;

means for exporting the prefetched units of content into a content package; and

means for transmitting the content package to the user device.

12. A system according to claim 11 wherein the means for prefetching the units of content assigned to the user comprises means for prefetching content accessible from hypertext links embedded within each unit of content.

13. A system according to claim 11 further comprising:

means for determining whether units of content assigned to the user have changed;

means for prefetching the changed units of content if one or more units of content assigned to the user have changed;

means for exporting the prefetched changed units of content into a content package; and

means for transmitting the content package to the user device.

14. A system according to claim 11 further comprising means for transforming prefetched units of content from a first format to a second format prior to exporting the prefetched units of content into a compressed content package.

15. A system according to claim 9 wherein the means for generating a content page for the user comprises:

means for identifying the user;

means for identifying user groups to which the identified user is assigned;

means for identifying content groups associated with the identified user groups;

means for determining units of content assigned to the user based on the identified content groups; and

means for creating a content page to be displayed to the user, wherein the content page contains the units of content assigned to the user.

16. A system according to claim 15 wherein the created content page contains an area wherein the user can modify how units of content are displayed.

17. A computer program product for providing content to a user of a computer network, the computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code means embodied in the medium, the computer readable program code means comprising:

computer readable program code means for assigning the user to at least one of a plurality of user groups, wherein each of the plurality of user groups is associated with at least one content group comprising a group of defined content units such that a number of the content units in the group is static to thereby assign content to the user;

computer readable program code means for creating a content page creation profile for the user, wherein the content page creation profile is configured to control how content is displayed to the user; and

computer readable program code means for generating a content page for the user wherein content is arranged on the content page according to the content page creation profile.

18. A computer program product according to claim 17 further comprising computer readable program code means for delivering the content page to the user prior to receiving a request from the user for the content page.

19. A computer program product according to claim 18 wherein the computer readable program code means for delivering the content page to the user comprises:

computer readable program code means for prefetching the units of content assigned to the user;

computer readable program code means for exporting the prefetched units of content into a compressed content package; and

computer readable program code means for transmitting the compressed content package to the user device.

20. A computer program product according to claim 19 wherein the computer readable program code means for prefetching the units of content assigned to the user comprises computer readable program code means for prefetching content accessible from hypertext links embedded within each unit of content.

21. A computer program product according to claim 19 further comprising:

computer readable program code means for determining whether units of content assigned to the user have changed;

computer readable program code means for prefetching the changed units of content if one or more units of content assigned to the user have changed;

computer readable program code means for exporting the prefetched changed units of content into a content package; and

computer readable program code means for transmitting the content package to the user device if the user device does not contain the content package.

22. A computer program product according to claim 19 further comprising computer readable program code means for transforming prefetched units of content from a first format to a second format prior to exporting the prefetched units of content into a content package.

23. A computer program product according to claim 17 wherein the computer readable program code means for generating a content page for the user comprises:

computer readable program code means for identifying the user;

computer readable program code means for identifying user groups to which the identified user is assigned;

computer readable program code means for identifying content groups associated with the identified user groups;

computer readable program code means for determining units of content assigned to the user based on the identified content groups; and

computer readable program code means for creating a content page to be displayed to the user, wherein the content page contains the units of content assigned to the user.

24. A computer program product according to claim 23 wherein the created content page contains an area wherein the user can modify how units of content are displayed.

25. A method of providing content to a user of a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:

assigning content to the user;

creating a content page creation profile for the user, wherein the content page creation profile is configured to control how content is displayed to the user;

generating a content page for the user wherein content is arranged on the content page according to the content page creation profile;

determining whether units of content assigned to the user have changed;

prefetching the changed units of content if one or more units of content assigned to the user have changed;

exporting the prefetched changed units of content into a content package; and

transmitting the content package to the user device.

26. A system of providing content to a user of a computer network, comprising:

means for assigning content to the user;

means for creating a content page creation profile for the user, wherein the content page creation profile is configured to control how content is displayed to the user;

means for generating a content page for the user wherein content is arranged on the content page according to the content page creation profile;

means for determining whether units of content assigned to the user have changed;

means for prefetching the changed units of content if one or more units of content assigned to the user have changed;

means for exporting the prefetched changed units of content into a content package; and

means for transmitting the content package to the user device.

27. A computer program product for providing content to a user of a computer network, the computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code means embodied in the medium, the computer readable program code means comprising:

computer readable program code means for assigning content to the user;

computer readable program code means for creating a content page creation profile for the user, wherein the content page creation profile is configured to control how content is displayed to the user;

computer readable program code means for generating a content page for the user wherein content is arranged on the content page according to the content page creation profile;

computer readable program code means for determining whether units of content assigned to the user have changed;

computer readable program code means for prefetching the changed units of content if one or more units of content assigned to the user have changed;

computer readable program code means for exporting the prefetched changed units of content into a content package; and

computer readable program code means for transmitting the content package to the user device.