System and method for coordinating network access

• US 6,760,758 B1
• Filed: 08/31/1999
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Youngs, Edward, Lund, Arnold M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, CHUONG T
• Application Number:
  US09/386,655
• Time in Patent Office: 1,771 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/228, 709/237, 709/245, 709/246, 345/333, 340/7.48, 715/513-516, 707/100-102
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• 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 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A system and method for coordinating access to a network for a plurality of user devices includes a server configured to establish a placeholder at the server, and control logic configured to retrieve and display a subset of information indicated by the placeholder. The server is connected to the network, and the placeholder indicates information available from the network and is established upon demand from a requesting user device connected to the network and in communication with the server. The control logic retrieves and displays the information, upon demand, at a receiving user device having a device type, with the subset based on the device type.

Claims

1. A system for coordinating access to a network from a plurality of user devices, the system comprising:

a server connected to the network and configured to establish a placeholder at the server, the placeholder indicating information available from the network and being established upon demand from a requesting user device connected to the network and in communication with the server; and

control logic configured to retrieve the information indicated by the placeholder and to display a subset of the retrieved information, upon demand, at a receiving user device having a device type, the subset being based on the device type.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the placeholder includes information in a cache at the server.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the placeholder includes a link to a different server.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the placeholder includes a cookie.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the placeholder includes a browser.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the browser is configured to accept a cookie.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the browser is configured to store at least one user preference.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the browser is configured to store at least one user history entry.

9. The system of claim 5 wherein the browser is configured to store at least one user bookmark.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the control logic is located at the server.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the user device is connected to the network through a gateway, and wherein the control logic is located at the gateway.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the user device is connected to the network through a gateway, and wherein the server is a proxy-server that connects the gateway to the network.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the user device is connected to the network through a gateway, and wherein the server is remote from the gateway.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the server is configured such that the user device accesses the server and the server is operative as a proxy-server that controls access to the network for the user device.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the server is configured such that the user device periodically checks in with the server and the gateway controls access to the network for the user device.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is operative as a unified messaging server.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the information indicated by the placeholder is pretranslated into a plurality of subsets corresponding to a plurality of device types.

18. A method for coordinating access to a network from a plurality of user devices, the method comprising:

establishing a placeholder at a server connected to the network, the placeholder indicating information available from the network and being established upon demand from a requesting user device connected to the network and in communication with the server; and

retrieving the information indicated by the placeholder and displaying a subset of the retrieved information, upon demand, at a receiving user device having a device type, the subset being based on the device type.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the placeholder includes information in a cache at the server.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the placeholder includes a link to a different server.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the placeholder includes a cookie.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the placeholder includes a browser.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the browser is configured to accept a cookie.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the browser is configured to store at least one user preference.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the browser is configured to store at least one user history entry.

26. The method of claim 22 wherein the browser is configured to store at least one user bookmark.

27. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

pretranslating the information indicated by the placeholder into a plurality of subsets corresponding to a plurality of device types.

28. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

determining the subset of information to be displayed; and

thereafter, sending the subset of information to the user device.

29. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

sending the information indicated by the placeholder to the user device; and

thereafter determining the subset of information to be displayed.