Method and system for customizable network data retrieval

• US 6,904,450 B1
• Filed: 08/09/2000
• Issued: 06/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Connect Development Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Geodata Publishers, Inc.
• Inventors: King, Christopher R., Brasseux, Andrew L., Palmer, Duane T.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US09/635,373
• Time in Patent Office: 1,763 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/213, 709218-219, 707 9- 10, 715/526, 715/501.1
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A client-side director is presented. The director is free of a universal resource locator entry element and provides web-browsing capabilities to a user using services provided by an operating system. The director displays a web page associated with a first web site in the site list. The director may also be used to collect network performance statistics between the client and a remote site. A web page may be filtered by removing links listed as forbidden by site criteria. One or more content items may be generated by the users of the director and distributed by a channel server to other users. The channel server uses a unique identifier associated with each director and a subscriber database to determine which directors to send the content to. An identifier module and an identifier database are used by the channel to distribute the content to the directors.

Claims

1. A directed web browsing system comprising:

a customizable director residing at a client system and being free of a universal resource locator entry element, the customizable director operable to provide web browsing capabilities by pulling a plurality of web pages from a channel server, and comprising;

a border portion having a forward element, a play element and a back element;

a display portion operable to display a first web page, the first web page having a link, the link having an associated second web page; and

an exclusive set of first web pages associated with the customizable director and wherein a user associated with the customizable director is required to retrieve at least one of the first web pages prior to retrieving a second web page distinct from the first web pages.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the customizable director further comprises a timer module operable to determine the expiration of a cycle time associated with the first web pages and generated an indication that the cycle time has expired.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the customizable director further comprises a unique identifier and wherein the first web pages have an associated uniform resource locator.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the border portion further comprises at least one channel button operable to select a category of content from the channel server.

5. The directed web browsing system according to claim 1 and further comprising a filter module operable to modify the second web page in response to selecting the link based on site criteria associated with the customizable director.

31. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a cycle time associated with at least one of the first web pages.

6. A method for directed web browsing comprising:

providing a director residing at a client system, the director being free of a universal resource locator entry element, the director operable to provide web browsing capabilities by pulling a plurality of web pages from a channel server;

displaying, using the director, a first web page having a first link, the first link having an associated second web page;

selecting the first link;

determining whether a predetermined cycle time associated with the first web page has expired; and

displaying a third web page in response to the expiration of the predetermined cycle time.

7. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 6 and further comprising filtering the second web page in response to the selection of the first link based on site criteria associated with the web browser.

8. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 7, wherein filtering the second web page comprises:

comparing at least one second link associated with the second web page to at least one forbidden site associated with the site criteria; and

removing second links which match at least a portion of any of the forbidden sites associated with the site criteria.

9. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 6 and further comprising:

receiving a uniform resource locator from a user associated with the director; and

determining whether the uniform resource locator is associated with an allowed web site based on criteria associated with the director.

10. The method for controlled web browsing according to claim 6, where determining the expiration of the cycle time comprises:

counting down the cycle time; and

generating an indication that the cycle time has elapsed.

11. The method for controlled web browsing according to claim 10, wherein displaying the third web page comprises:

loading the third web page in response to the indication that the cycle time has elapsed; and

formatting the third web page based on hypertext markup language tags associated with the first web page.

12. A method for directed web browsing comprising:

customizing a director residing at a client system, the director being free of a universal resource locator entry element, the director operable to provide web browsing capabilities by pulling a plurality of web pages from a channel server;

determining a first web page to present to a user associated with the director, the first web page having a link associated with a second web page; and

preventing the user from requesting a third web page distinct from the first and second web pages by removing at least a portion of a uniform resource locator associated with the third web page from the first and second web pages.

13. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 12, wherein preventing the user from requesting the third web page comprises allowing the user to selected the third web page from a further link associated with either of the first and second web pages.

18. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 12, further comprising determining the expiration of a cycle time by:

counting down the cycle time;

determining a fourth web page to display to the user, the fourth web page being associated with the director; and

generating an indication that the cycle time has elapsed.

19. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 18, wherein displaying the fourth web page comprises:

loading the fourth web page in response to the indication that the cycle time has elapsed; and

formatting the fourth web page based on hypertext markup language tags associated with the first web page.

20. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 12 and further comprising filtering the second web page based on site criteria associated with the web browser.

21. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 12 and further comprising determining network performance statistics associated with a remote site.

22. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 21, wherein determining network performance statistics comprises:

receiving, at the director, a selection of a statistics enabled uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the remote site;

communicating a statistics enabled URL to the channel server;

receiving, at the director, a request to determine network performance statistics;

determining network performance data between the director and the remote site; and

communicating the network performance data to the channel server.

23. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 22, wherein the network performance data comprises a latency between the director and the remote site.

32. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 12, further comprising determining a cycle time associated with the first web page, the cycle time indicating the length of time the first web page is to be displayed to the user.

14. A method for directed web browsing comprising:

customizing a director residing at a client system, the director being free of a universal resource locator entry element, the director operable to provide web browsing capabilities by pulling a plurality of web pages from a channel server, wherein customizing the director comprises;

editing a border associated with the director;

editing a display area associated with the director;

adding at least one navigation element to the border; and

adding at least one sponsor related element to the border;

determining a first web page to present to a user associated with the director, the first web page having a link associated with a second web page;

determining a cycle time associated with the first web page, the cycle time indicating the length of time the first web page is to be displayed to the user; and

preventing the user from requesting a third web page distinct from the first and second web pages by removing at least a portion of a uniform resource locator associated with the third web page from the first and second web pages.

15. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 14, wherein the sponsor comprises a corporation.

16. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 14 and further comprising:

subscribing, by the user, to a channel available from a channel server; and

adding a channel button associated with the channel to the border.

17. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 16 and further comprising:

receiving a first item of content from the channel server; and

generating a second item of content for communication to the channel server and distribution to a further director distinct from the director.

24. A method for directed web browsing comprising:

providing a graphical user interface;

displaying a folder on the graphical user interface;

displaying a director icon in the folder, the director icon having an associated director residing at a client system, the director being free of a universal resource locator entry element, the director operable to provide web browsing capabilities by pulling a plurality of web pages from a channel server, the director having an associated exclusive set of first web pages associated with the director and wherein a user associated with the director is required to retrieve at least one of the first web pages prior to retrieving a second web page distinct from the first web pages;

selecting a selected one of the first web pages to present to a user associated with the director in responses to the selection of the associated director icon; and

preventing the user from requesting a third web page distinct from the first and second web pages by removing at least a portion of a uniform resource locator associated with the third web page from the first and second web pages.

25. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 24, wherein the first web pages comprise information associated with a sponsor associated with the director.

26. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 25, wherein the sponsor comprises a corporation.

27. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 24, wherein at least one of the second web pages comprises advertising information associated with a sponsor associated with the director.

28. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 24 and further comprising installing the folder along with the graphical user interface.

29. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 24, wherein the director icon comprises an online banking icon.

33. The method for directed web browsing according to claim 24, further comprising determining a cycle time associated with the first web page in response to the selection of the selected one of the first web pages, the cycle time indicating the length of time the selected one of first web pages is to be displayed to the user.

30. A channel server for directed web browsing comprising:

an identifier module;

an identifier database operable to communicate with the identifier module and storing at least one identifier;

a subscriber database operable to communicate with the identifier module and associating at least one of the identifiers with at least one channel;

a channel module operable to communicate with the identifier module and distribute content to the subscribers associated with the channels based on the channel;

a distribution module operable to communicate with the identifier module and retrieve content generated by a user associated with a director residing at a client system, the director operable to provide web browsing capabilities by pulling a plurality of web pages from a channel server; and

an electronic mail module operable to communicate with the identifier module and distribute anonymous electronic mail between directors.