User station software that controls transport and presentation of content from a remote source

• US 6,611,862 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2000
• Issued: 08/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TMI Solutions LLC (Strategic Intellectual Solutions, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Richard R. Reisman
• Inventors: Reisman, Richard R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEYTON, TAMMARA R
• Application Number:
  US09/553,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20020129094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/31, 705/6, 705/1, 709/206, 709/215, 709/219, 709/221, 709/229, 709/230, 709/217, 709/227, 710/1, 707/1, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/18 Address timing or clocking circuits; Address control signal generation or management, e.g. for row address strobe [RAS] or column address strobe [CAS] signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method for operating a user station that is configured for communications with a multiplicity of independently-operated data sources via a non-proprietary network includes steps for creating a send data object that includes user demographics, and automatically sending the send data object to a selected one of the data sources upon establishing the communication link, without any triggering user action. Corresponding software and user stations are also described.

Claims

1. A software product for use at a user station, the user station including a processor and a storage device, the software product comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

enable a user at the user station to select content from each of a plurality of independent publishers;

effect transport of the selected content from each of the plurality of publishers to the user station over a communications network in accordance with an object manifest, the object manifest including an identification of the selected content, and a source address for each of the respective publishers; and

effect presentation of the selected content to the user at the user station with a user interface that is customized to the respective publishers.

2. The software product as set forth in claim 1, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via a network provider,

wherein the plurality of independent publishers available for selection are not determined by the network provider.

3. The software product as set forth in claim 2, wherein the communications network is the Internet.

4. The software product as set forth in claim 2, wherein the user interface is provided by the respective publisher.

5. The software product as set forth in claim 1, wherein the user interface is provided by the respective publisher.

6. The software product as set forth in claim 1, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via a network provider,

wherein the user interface is provided by the respective publisher independently of the network provider.

7. The software product as set forth in claim 1, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via a network provider,

wherein the user interface is provided without cooperation of the network provider.

8. The software product as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transport of the selected content to the user station is effected without user intervention.

9. The software product as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transport of the selected content to the user station is effected according to a schedule.

10. The software product as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transport of the selected content to the user station is effected according to a user-modifiable schedule.

11. The software product as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transport of the selected content to the user station is effected automatically and repeatedly.

12. The software product as set forth in claim 1, wherein the selected content is transported directly from each of the independent publishers to the user station.

13. The software product as set forth in claim 1, wherein the selected content is transported from each of the independent publishers to the user station, without first passing through a gateway.

14. The software product as set forth in claim 1, wherein the selected content includes a plurality of objects from different respective ones of the publishers.

15. The software product as set forth in claim 1, wherein the selected content is transported from each of the independent publishers to the user station, without first passing through an online service provider that serves multiple independent publishers.

16. The software product as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transport of the selected content to the user station is effected using a non-proprietary data transfer protocol.

17. The software product as set forth in claim 1, wherein the communications network is the Internet.

18. The software product as set forth in claim 1, wherein the selected content is transported from each of the independent publishers to the user station, without first passing through an information distribution service that serves multiple independent publishers.

19. The software product as set forth in claim 1, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

enable the user to effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via any selected one of a plurality of different available network providers.

20. A software product for use at a user station, the user station including a processor and a storage device, the software product comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

enable a user at the user station to select content from each of a plurality of independent services;

effect transport of the selected content from each of the plurality of services to the user station over a communications network in accordance with an object manifest, the object manifest including an identification of the selected content, and a source address for each of the respective services; and

effect presentation of the selected content to the user at the user station with a user interface that is customized to the respective services.

21. The software product as set forth in claim 20, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via a network provider,

wherein the plurality of independent services available for selection are not determined by the network provider.

22. The software product as set forth in claim 21, wherein the communications network is the Internet.

23. The software product as set forth in claim 21, wherein the user interface is provided by the respective services.

24. The software product as set forth in claim 20, wherein the user interface is provided by the respective services.

25. The software product as set forth in claim 20, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via a network provider,

wherein the user interface is provided by the respective service independently of the network provider.

26. The software product as set forth in claim 20, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via a network provider,

wherein the user interface is provided without cooperation of the network provider.

27. The software product as set forth in claim 20, wherein the transport of the selected content to the user station is effected without user intervention.

28. The software product as set forth in claim 20, wherein the transport of the selected content to the user station is effected according to a schedule.

29. The software product as set forth in claim 20, wherein the transport of the selected content to the user station is effected according to a user-modifiable schedule.

30. The software product as set forth in claim 20, wherein the transport of the selected content to the user station is effected automatically and repeatedly.

31. The software product as set forth in claim 20, wherein the selected content is transported directly from each of the independent services to the user station.

32. The software product as set forth in claim 20, wherein the selected content is transported from each of the independent services to the user station, without first passing through a gateway.

33. The software product as set forth in claim 20, wherein the selected content includes a plurality of objects from different ones of the respective services.

34. The software product as set forth in claim 20, wherein the selected content is transported from each of the independent services to the user station, without first passing through an online service provider that serves multiple independent publishers.

35. The software product as set forth in claim 20, wherein the transport of the selected content to the user station is effected using a non-proprietary data transfer protocol.

36. The software product as set forth in claim 20, wherein the communications network is the Internet.

37. The software product as set forth in claim 20, wherein the selected content is transported from each of the independent services to the user station, without first passing through an information distribution service that serves multiple independent publishers.

38. The software product as set forth in claim 20, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

enable the user to effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via any selected one of a plurality of different available network providers.

39. A software product for use at a user station, the user station including a processor and a storage device, the software product comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

enable a user at the user station to select a plurality of remote information object sources from a multiplicity of available remote information object sources operated by independent publishers;

effect transport of content from each of the selected plurality of information object sources to the user station over a communications network in accordance with an object manifest, the object manifest including an identification of the content, and a source address for each of the selected information object sources; and

enable presentation of the transported content to the user at the user station with a look and feel that is specific to the respective publishers.

40. The software product as set forth in claim 39, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via a network provider,

wherein the multiplicity of remote information object sources available for selection are not determined by the network provider.

41. The software product as set forth in claim 40, wherein the communications network is the Internet.

42. The software product as set forth in claim 39, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via a network provider,

wherein the look and feel is determined independently of the network provider.

43. The software product as set forth in claim 39, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via a network provider,

wherein the look and feel is determined without cooperation of the network provider.

44. The software product as set forth in claim 39, wherein the transport of the content to the user station is effected without user intervention.

45. The software product as set forth in claim 39, wherein the transport of the content to the user station is effected according to a schedule.

46. The software product as set forth in claim 39, wherein the transport of the content to the user station is effected according to a user-modifiable schedule.

47. The software product as set forth in claim 39, wherein the transport of the content to the user station is effected automatically and repeatedly.

48. The software product as set forth in claim 39, wherein the content is transported directly from each of the selected information object sources to the user station.

49. The software product as set forth in claim 39, wherein the content is transported from each of the selected information object sources to the user station, without first passing through a gateway.

50. The software product as set forth in claim 39, wherein the content is transported from each of the selected information object sources to the user station, without first passing through an online service provider that serves multiple independent publishers.

51. The software product as set forth in claim 39, wherein the transport of the content to the user station is effected using a non-proprietary data transfer protocol.

52. The software product as set forth in claim 39, wherein the communications network is the Internet.

53. The software product as set forth in claim 39, wherein the content is transported from each of the selected information object sources to the user station, without first passing through an information distribution service that serves multiple independent publishers.

54. The software product as set forth in claim 39, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

enable the user to effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via any selected one of a plurality of different available network providers.

55. The software product as set forth in claim 39, wherein the content includes a plurality of information objects from respective ones of the selected information object sources.

56. A software product for use at a user station, the user station including a processor and a storage device, the software product comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

enable a user at the user station to select a plurality of remote information object sources from a multiplicity of available remote information object sources,

effect transport of content from each of the selected plurality of information object sources to the user station over a communications network in accordance with an object manifest, the object manifest including an identification of the content, and a source address for each of the selected information object sources; and

enable presentation of the transported content to the user at the user station with a look and feel that is specific to the respective information object sources.

57. The software product as set forth in claim 56, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via a network provider,

wherein the multiplicity of remote information object sources available for selection are not determined by the network provider.

58. The software product as set forth in claim 57, wherein the communications network is the Internet.

59. The software product as set forth in claim 56, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via a network provider,

wherein the look and feel is determined independently of the network provider.

60. The software product as set forth in claim 56, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via a network provider,

wherein the look and feel is determined without cooperation of the network provider.

61. The software product as set forth in claim 56, wherein the transport of the content to the user station is effected without user intervention.

62. The software product as set forth in claim 56, wherein the transport of the content to the user station is effected according to a schedule.

63. The software product as set forth in claim 56, wherein the transport of the content to the user station is effected according to a user-modifiable schedule.

64. The software product as set forth in claim 56, wherein the transport of the content to the user station is effected automatically and repeatedly.

65. The software product as set forth in claim 56, wherein the content is transported directly from each of the selected information object sources to the user station.

66. The software product as set forth in claim 56, wherein the content is transported from each of the selected information object sources to the user station, without first passing through a gateway.

67. The software product as set forth in claim 56, wherein the content is transported from each of the selected information object sources to the user station, without first passing through an online service provider that serves multiple independent publishers.

68. The software product as set forth in claim 56, wherein the transport of the content to the user station is effected using a non-proprietary data transfer protocol.

69. The software product as set forth in claim 56, wherein the communications network is the Internet.

70. The software product as set forth in claim 56, wherein the content is transported from each of the selected information object sources to the user station, without first passing through an information distribution service that serves multiple independent publishers.

71. The software product as set forth in claim 56, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor:

enable the user to effect a network connection between the user station and the communications network, via any selected one of a plurality of different available network providers.

72. The software product as set forth in claim 56, wherein the content includes a plurality of information objects from respective ones of the selected information object sources.