Method for client-side personalization

• US 6,865,574 B1
• Filed: 06/01/2001
• Issued: 03/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ip Ot Sub Ulc
• Original Assignee: Vignette Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: McCullough, Sean M.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBINSON, GRETA LEE
• Application Number:
  US09/681,763
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/9, 709/203, 705/10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

A method for data processing system readable medium can be used for communications between a user and a network site. The method or medium may allow a user to determine what, if any, personal information should be transmitted to the network site. In one embodiment, the user may request personalization information including personalization rule(s) from the network site. The user can generate personalization logic based on the personalization information. In this manner, the user has better control over his or, her personal information. The server computer at the network site may benefit because it does not have to generate the personalization logic for the user. Accordingly, the server computer at the network site may be able to accommodate more users or can respond to them faster.

Claims

1. A method of communicating with a client data processing system comprising:

receiving a first communication from the client data processing system, wherein the first communication comprises a request for a personalization rule;

sending to the client data processing system the personalization rule; and

receiving a second communication from the client data processing system, wherein the second communication comprises a network address for a network site and information corresponding to the personalization rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication does not include the information corresponding to the personalization rule.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication comprises at least one of:

minimum information needed for an HTTP communication;

a linguistic language information;

a time-zone information;

an IP address; and

an information regarding a territory where the client data processing system is located, wherein the territory has a population of at least approximately 1,000 people.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second communication, and not the first communication, comprises at least one of:

a name of a user of the client data processing system;

a physical street address of the user, a mailing address of the user;

an age of the user;

a race of the user;

a religion of the user;

an income of the user;

a consumer item preference of the user;

a consumer brand preference of the user;

a color preference of the user;

an animal preference of the user; and

a cookie.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first communication comprises receiving a request for personalization logic information that can be used to construct data consistent with the personalization logic information, wherein the personalization rule is at least part of the personalization logic information.

6. A method of communicating with a network site comprising:

sending a first communication to the network site, wherein the first communication comprises a request for a personalization rule;

receiving from the network site the personalization rule; and

sending a second communication to the network site, wherein the second communication comprises a network address for the network site and a user information for a user corresponding to the personalization rule.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein sending the first communication comprises requesting personalization logic information that can be used to construct data for the user consistent with the user information, wherein the personalization rule is at least part of the personalization logic information.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising removing a cookie from a data processing system of the user before sending the first communication, wherein the cookie originated from the network site during a prior visit.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

using a browser having a browser preference on a data processing system to access a network, wherein using occurs during a first time period;

before using the browser to access the network after the first time period, changing the browser preference before sending the first communication.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising setting all preferences for a browser file to their settings when the browser file was first installed on a data processing system of the user, wherein the data processing system is used in sending the first communication.

11. A method for a user to communicate with a network site comprising:

receiving a first communication from a user, wherein, other than a network address for the user, the first communication does not include information substantially sufficient to specifically identify the user; and

receiving a second communication from the user, wherein the second communication comprises a network address for the network site and a user information corresponding to a personalization rule, wherein the user information is not part of the first communication.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising sending a personalization logic information in response to the first communication.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the user information can be stored in a file on a data processing system of the user; and

the user information, if within the file, would be sent over the network solely by using a browser on the data processing system when sending the first communication that is received by the network site.

14. A data processing system readable medium having code embodied therein, the code including instructions executable by a data processing system, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the data processing system to perform a method of communicating with a client data processing system, the method comprising:

receiving a first communication from the client data processing system, wherein the first communication comprises a request for a personalization rule;

sending to the client data processing system the personalization rule; and

receiving a second communication from the client data processing system, wherein the second communication comprises a network address for a network site and information corresponding to the personalization rule.

15. The data processing system readable medium of claim 14, wherein the first communication does not include the information corresponding to the personalization rule.

16. The data processing system readable medium of claim 14, wherein the first communication comprises at least one of:

minimum information needed for an HTTP communication;

a linguistic language information;

a time-zone information;

an IP address; and

an information regarding a territory where the client data processing system is located, wherein the territory has a population of at least approximately 1,000 people.

17. The data processing system readable medium of claim 14, wherein the second communication, and not the first communication, comprises at least one of:

a name of a user of the client data processing system;

a physical street address of the user;

a mailing address of the user;

an age of the user;

a race of the user;

a religion of the user;

an income of the user;

a consumer item preference of the user;

a consumer brand preference of the user;

a color preference of the user;

an animal preference of the user; and

a cookie.

18. The data processing system readable medium of claim 14, wherein receiving the first communication further comprises receiving a request for personalization logic information that can be used to construct data consistent with the personalization logic information, wherein the personalization rule is at least part of the personalization logic information.