Method of downloading web content to a network kiosk in advance

• US 6,757,683 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2000
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Francis, John Brian, Goodwin, John C. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahmoudi, Hassan
• Application Number:
  US09/727,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20020065801A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,308 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/10, 707/104.1, 340/572.1, 235/383, 709/203, 709/227, 709/219, 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method of downloading web content during display of a web page which downloads and stores subsequent web content from a list of web content addresses. The method includes the steps of displaying a web page by the kiosk, determining links to web content at a subsequent depth in the web page from a list of web content addresses, and downloading and storing the web content at the subsequent depth and additional depths before displaying another web page until a download limit is exceeded.

Claims

1. A web content downloading method for a network kiosk comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a web page by the kiosk;

(b) increasing speed of displaying a subsequent web page by

(b-1) determining links to web content at a subsequent depth in the web page by the kiosk from a list of web content addresses stored in the kiosk;

(b-2) contacting a number of servers in a global network where the web content at the subsequent depth is stored by the kiosk;

(b-3) downloading no more than the web content identified by the links in the list from the servers in the global network by the kiosk;

(b-4) storing the web content at the subsequent depth in a storage medium of the kiosk before displaying another web page by the kiosk; and

(b-5) repeating steps (b-1) through (b-4) by the kiosk until a download limit identified in the list is exceeded;

(c) recording selection of the other web page by the kiosk;

(d) determining whether the web content associated with the other web page was stored in the storage medium by the kiosk;

(e) if the web content associated with the other web page was stored in the storage medium by the kiosk, obtaining the web content associated with the other web page from the storage medium, and displaying the web content associated with the other web page by the kiosk; and

(f) if the web content associated with the other web page was not stored in the storage medium by the kiosk, contacting the servers of the global network, downloading the web content associated with the other web page, and displaying the web content associated with the other web page while remaining connected to the global network by the kiosk.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein step (b-5) comprises the substep of:

(b-5) repeating steps (b-1) through (b-4) by the kiosk until a storage limit identified in the list is exceeded.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein step (b-5) comprises the substep of:

(b-5) repeating steps (b-1) through (b-4) by the kiosk until a depth limit identified in the list is exceeded.

4. A web content downloading method for a network kiosk comprising the steps of:

(a) storing a list of web content addresses in a storage medium by the kiosk;

(b) displaying a web page by the kiosk;

(c) increasing speed of displaying subsequent web pages by

(c-1) determining links to web content at subsequent depths in the web page by the kiosk;

(c-2) determining whether the links to the web content are in the list of web content addresses by the kiosk;

(c-3) if the links to the web content are in the list of web content addresses, contacting a number of servers in a global network where the web content at the subsequent depths is stored, downloading the web content from the global network, and storing the web content in the storage medium before displaying another web page by the kiosk; and

(c-4) repeating steps (c-1) through (c-3) by the kiosk until a download limit in the list is exceeded;

(d) recording selection of the other web page by the kiosk;

(e) determining whether the web content associated with the other web page was stored in the storage medium by the kiosk;

(f) if the web content associated with the other web page was stored in the storage medium by the kiosk, obtaining the web content associated with the other web page from the storage medium, and displaying the web content displaying the web content associated with the other web page by the kiosk; and

(g) if the web content associated with the other web page was not stored in the storage medium by the kiosk, contacting the servers of the global network, downloading the web content associated with the other web page, and displaying the web content associated with the other web page while remaining connected to the global network by the kiosk.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein step (c-4) comprises the substep of:

(c-4) repeating steps (c-1) through (c-3) by the kiosk until a storage limit identified in the list is exceeded.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein step (c-4) comprises the substep of:

(c-4) repeating steps (c-1) through (c-3) by the kiosk until a depth limit identified in the list is exceeded.

7. A network kiosk comprising:

a storage medium for storing a list of web content addresses;

a display; and

a computer connected to a global network which displays a web page, and which increases speed of displaying a subsequent web page by determining a link to web content at a subsequent depth in the web page and the subsequent web page from the list of web content addresses, by contacting a number of servers in a global network where the web content at the subsequent depth is stored and downloading the web content at the subsequent depth from the global network, and by storing the web content in the storage medium before displaying the subsequent web pages until a download limit identified in the list is exceeded;

wherein the computer also records selection of another web page, determines whether the web content associated with the other web page was stored in the storage medium, obtains the web content associated with the other web page from the storage medium and displays the web content associated with the other web page if the web content associated with the other web page was stored in the storage medium; and

wherein the computer also contacts the servers of the global network, downloads the web content associated with the other web page, and displays the associated with the other web page while remaining connected to the global network if the web content associated with the other web page was not stored in the storage medium.

8. A network kiosk comprising:

a storage medium for storing a list of web content addresses;

a display; and

a computer connected to a global network which stores a list of web content addresses in the storage medium, displays a web page, and which increases speed of displaying subsequent web pages by determining links to web content at subsequent depths in the web page and the subsequent web pages from the list of web content addresses, determining whether the links to the web content are in the list of web content addresses, contacting a number of servers of the global network, downloading the web content at the subsequent depths from the servers, storing the web content in the storage medium before displaying the subsequent web pages until a download limit identified in the list is exceeded if the links to the web content are in the list of web content addresses;

wherein the computer also records selection of another web page, determines whether the web content associated with the other web page was stored in the storage medium, obtains the web content associated with the other web page from the storage medium if the web content associated with the other web page was stored in the storage medium, and contacts and downloads the web content associated with the other web page from the global network while remaining connected if the web content associated with the other web page was not stored in the storage medium.