Displaying content from multiple servers

• US 7,058,892 B1
• Filed: 02/20/2002
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: MacNaughton, Bruce A., Turner, Leigh R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US10/079,228
• Time in Patent Office: 1,567 Days
• Field of Search: 345/738, 345/751, 345/733, 345/758, 345/753, 345/741, 345/742, 345/760, 345/971, 345/804, 345/779, 345/745, 345/744, 709/201, 709/203, 709217-219, 709/249, 719/329, 719/315, 719/313, 719/310, 715/501.1, 715/512, 715/513
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

A request is sent for a web page and the web page is received from a first server. The web page is displayed by a browser. An identification of the web page is sent to a second server. Content is received from the second server. The content is selected by the second server based on the identification sent to the second server. A toolbar that includes a button is displayed, and the received content is displayed in response to a user selecting the button.

Claims

1. A method performed by a client computer system executing a browser, the method comprising:

sending a request for a web page;

receiving the web page from a first server;

displaying the web page using the browser;

sending an identification of the web page to a second server;

receiving content from the second server, wherein the content is selected by the second server based on the identification sent to the second server;

displaying a toolbar, wherein the toolbar comprises at least one button; and

displaying the received content in response to a user selecting the button.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the received content comprises displaying the received content while the web page is displayed using the browser.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

displaying the web page using the browser comprises displaying the web page in a pane of the browser; and

displaying the received content comprises displaying the received content in a pane separate from the browser pane.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the identification is sent separately from the request for the web page sent to the first server.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the toolbar comprises a second button, the method further comprising initiating a chat session in response to a user selecting the second button.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the toolbar comprises a second button, the method further comprising adding the identification of the web page to a set of bookmarks shared by multiple online users in response to a user selecting the second button.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the toolbar comprises a second button, the method further comprising initiating an online game session in response to a user selecting the second button.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the received content comprises annotations associated with the web page.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the annotations are threaded messages provided by multiple users.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the received content comprises identifications of other online users currently viewing the web page.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the received content is related to the web page by subject matter.

12. A client computer system comprising:

a browser to send a request for a web page to a first server;

an application in communication with the browser to;

send an identification of the web page to a second server,

receive content from the second server, wherein the content is selected by the second server based on the identification sent to the second server,

display a toolbar, wherein the toolbar comprises at least one button; and

display the received content in response to a user selecting the button.

13. The client computer system of claim 12 wherein the application displays the received content while the web page is displayed using the browser.

14. The client computer system of claim 12 wherein:

the browser displays the web page in a pane of the browser; and

the application displays the received content in a pane separate from the browser pane.

15. The client computer system of claim 12 wherein the identification is sent separately from the request for the web page sent to the first server by the browser.

16. The client computer system of claim 12 wherein the toolbar comprises a second button, and the application initiates a chat session in response to a user selecting the second button.

17. The client computer system of claim 12 wherein the toolbar comprises a second button, and the application adds the identification of the web page to a set of bookmarks shared by multiple online users in response to a user selecting the second button.

18. The client computer system of claim 12 wherein the toolbar comprises a second button, and the application initiates an online game session in response to a user selecting the second button.

19. The client computer system of claim 12 wherein the received content comprises annotations associated with the web page.

20. The client computer system of claim 19 wherein the annotations are threaded messages provided by multiple users.

21. The client computer system of claim 12 wherein the received content comprises identifications of other online users currently viewing the web page.

22. The client computer system of claim 12 wherein the received content is related to the web page by subject matter.

23. A computer usable medium containing a computer program, the computer programming comprising instructions for causing a client computer system executing a browser to perform the following operations:

send an identification of a web page to a first server, wherein the identification is sent separately from a request for the web page sent to a second server by the browser;

receive content from the first server, wherein the content is selected by the first server based on the identification sent to the first server;

display a toolbar, where the toolbar comprises at least one button; and

display the received content in response to a user selecting the button.

24. The medium of claim 23 wherein, to display the received content, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing the client computer system to display the received content while the web page is displayed using the browser.

25. The medium of claim 23 wherein, to display the received content, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing the client computer system to display the received content in a pane separate from a pane of the browser.

26. The medium of claim 23 wherein the toolbar comprises a second button, the computer program further comprising instructions for causing the client computer system to initiate a chat session in response to a user selecting the second button.

27. The medium of claim 23 wherein the toolbar comprises a second button, the computer program further comprising instructions for causing the client computer system to add the identification of the web page to a set of bookmarks shared by multiple online users in response to a user selecting the second button.

28. The medium of claim 23 wherein the toolbar comprises a second button, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing the client computer system to initiate an online game session in response to a user selecting the second button.

29. The medium of claim 23 wherein the received content comprises annotations associated with the web page.

30. The medium of claim 29 wherein the annotations are threaded messages provided by multiple users.

31. The medium of claim 23 wherein the received content comprises identifications of other online users currently viewing the web page.

32. The medium of claim 23 wherein the received content is related to the web page by subject matter.

33. An apparatus comprising:

means for sending a request for a web page;

means for receiving the web page from a first server;

means for displaying the web page using a browser;

means for sending an identification of the web page to a second server;

means for receiving content from the second server, wherein the content is selected by the second server based on the identification sent to the second server;

means for displaying a toolbar, wherein the toolbar comprises at least one button; and

means for displaying the received content in response to a user selecting the button.

34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the means for displaying the received content comprises means for displaying the received content while the web page is displayed using the browser.

35. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein:

the means for displaying the web page using the browser comprises means for displaying the web page in a pane of the browser; and

the means for displaying the received content comprises means for displaying the received content in a pane separate from the browser pane.

36. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the identification is sent separately from the request for the web page sent to the first server.

37. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the toolbar comprises a second button, the apparatus further comprising means for initiating a chat session in response to a user selecting the second button.

38. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the toolbar comprises a second button, the apparatus further comprising means for adding the identification of the web page to a set of bookmarks shared by multiple online users in response to a user selecting the second button.

39. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the toolbar comprises a second button, the apparatus further comprising means for initiating an online game session in response to a user selecting the second button.

40. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the received content comprises annotations associated with the web page.

41. The apparatus of claim 40 wherein the annotations are threaded messages provided by multiple users.

42. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the received content comprises identifications of other online users currently viewing the web page.

43. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the received content is related to the web page by subject matter.