Space/time portals for computer systems

• US 6,668,353 B1
• Filed: 03/25/1999
• Issued: 12/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia of America Corporation (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Yurkovic, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Application Number:
  US09/276,244
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: 707/501.1, 707/513, 705/14, 715/701.1, 715/513
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers

Abstract

A portal defines a set of information requests used to gather various types of information in order to present to a user a single composite display that essentially provides the user with his or her own personal web page or view of information. A space/time portal is a particular type of portal whose set of information requests is automatically modified as a function of a specified location or a specified time or both. In one configuration, the specified location and time are themselves selected automatically to modify the space/time portal in real time based on the current location and time for the user. In another configuration, the user can manually change the selection of the specified location and/or time. The space/time portal is then automatically modified based on the new selections, and the composite display is updated in real time accordingly.

Claims

1. A method for presenting information to a user accessing a computer-based server, comprising the steps of:

(a) enabling the user to define a plurality of information requests corresponding to different types of information, wherein;

a subset of the information requests is used to gather the information presented to the user during access to the server by the user; and

the types of information in the subset vary as a function of at least one of time and location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server;

(b) automatically determining the at least one of time and location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server;

(c) automatically modifying the types of information in the subset of information requests as the function of the at least one of time and location of the user; and

(d) automatically gathering the information corresponding to the modified types of information in the subset of information requests and presenting the gathered information to the user.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein:

the types of information in the subset vary as a function of both the time and the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server;

step (b) comprises the step of automatically determining both the time and the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server; and

step (c) comprises the step of automatically modifying the types of information in the subset of information requests as the function of both the time and the location of the user.

3. The invention of claim 1, wherein a portal provides the user with the access to the server, wherein the portal defines the plurality of information requests.

4. The invention of claim 1, wherein the gathered information is presented to the user in a composite format that enables that user to modify one or more of (1) the definition of the information requests and (2) how the subset of information requests varies as the function of the at least one of time and location.

5. The invention of claim 1, wherein the user is able to manually modify how the subset of information requests varies as the function of the at least one of time and location.

6. The invention of claim 5, wherein:

the types of information in the subset vary as a function of both the time and the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server;

step (b) comprises the step of automatically determining both the time and the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server; and

step (c) comprises the step of automatically modifying the types of information in the subset of information requests as the function of both the time and the location of the user;

a portal provides the user with the access to the server, wherein the portal defines the plurality of information requests; and

the gathered information is presented to the user in a composite format that enables that user to modify (1) the definition of the information requests and (2) how the subset of information requests varies as the function of the at least one of time and location.

7. The invention of claim 1, wherein:

the types of information in the subset vary as a function of the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server;

step (b) comprises the step of automatically determining the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server; and

step (c) comprises the step of automatically modifying the types of information in the subset of information requests as the function of the location of the user.

8. The invention of claim 7, wherein:

step (b) comprises the step of automatically changing the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server as a result of a change in actual location of the user relative to a previous access to the server by the user; and

step (c) comprises the step of automatically modifying the types of information in the subset of information requests as the function of the change in the location of the user.

9. A computer-based server for presenting information to a user, wherein:

the server enables the user to define a plurality of information requests corresponding to different types of information, wherein;

a subset of the information requests is used to gather the information presented to the user during access to the server by the user; and

the types of information in the subset vary as a function of at least one of time and location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server;

the server automatically determines the at least one of time and location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server;

the server automatically modifies the types of information in the subset of information requests as the function of the at least one of time and location of the user; and

the server automatically gathers the information corresponding to the modified types of information in the subset of information requests and presents the gathered information to the user.

10. The invention of claim 9, wherein:

the types of information in the subset vary as a function of both the time and the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server;

the server automatically determines both the time and the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server; and

the server automatically modifies the types of information in the subset of information requests as the function of both the time and the location of the user.

11. The invention of claim 9, wherein the server supports a portal that provides the user with the access to the server, wherein the portal defines the plurality of information requests.

12. The invention of claim 9, wherein the gathered information is presented to the user in a composite format that enables that user to modify one or more of (1) the definition of the information requests and (2) how the subset of information requests varies as the function of the at least one of time and location.

13. The invention of claim 9, wherein the user is able to manually modify how the subset of information requests varies as the function of the at least one of time and location.

14. The invention of claim 13, wherein:

the types of information in the subset vary as a function of both the time and the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server;

the server automatically determines both the time and the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server; and

the server automatically modifies the types of information in the subset of information requests as the function of both the time and the location of the user;

a portal provides the user with the access to the server, wherein the portal defines the plurality of information requests; and

the gathered information is presented to the user in a composite format that enables that user to modify (1) the definition of the information requests and (2) how the subset of information requests varies as the function of the at least one of time and location.

15. The invention of claim 9, wherein:

the types of information in the subset vary as a function of the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server;

the server automatically determines the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server; and

the server automatically modifies the types of information in the subset of information requests as the function of the location of the user.

16. The invention of claim 15, wherein:

the server automatically changes the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server as a result of a change in actual location of the user relative to a previous access to the server by the user; and

the server automatically modifies the types of information in the subset of information requests as the function of the change in the location of the user.

17. An apparatus for presenting information to a user, comprising:

(a) means for enabling the user to define a plurality of information requests corresponding to different types of information, wherein;

a subset of the information requests is used to gather the information presented to the user during access to the apparatus by the user; and

the types of information in the subset vary as a function of at least one of time and location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the apparatus;

(b) means for automatically determining the at least one of time and location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the apparatus;

(c) means for automatically modifying the types of information in the subset of information requests as the function of the at least one of time and location of the user; and

(d) means for automatically gathering the information corresponding to the modified types of information in the subset of information requests and presenting the gathered information to the user.

18. The invention of claim 17, wherein:

the types of information in the subset vary as a function of the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server;

means (b) comprises means for automatically determining the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server; and

means (c) comprises means for automatically modifying the types of information in the subset of information requests as the function of the location of the user.

19. The invention of claim 18, wherein:

means (b) comprises means for automatically changing the location of the user during the user'"'"'s access to the server as a result of a change in actual location of the user relative to a previous access to the server by the user; and

means (c) comprises means for automatically modifying the types of information in the subset of information requests as the function of the change in the location of the user.