Method and system for providing local information over a network

• US 7,418,402 B2
• Filed: 11/18/1999
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ThinkLogix, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: First Aura, LLC
• Inventors: McCrossin, James, Hiller, Dean, Kornutik, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Kalinowski, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAMPEN, KELLY SCAGGS
• Application Number:
  US09/443,038
• Publication Number:
  US 20030033247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,204 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4, 705/26, 705/27, 705/14, 705/1, 709/217, 709/227, 709/218, 709/200
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method and system is provided where a first computer (e.g., a central server) collects information to be presented to one or more users. The information is organized into a plurality of first web-sites where each of these web-sites is addressable by a unique Universal Resource Locator (URL). A physical location is associated with each of the first web-sites. One of the first web-sites may be provided to a user as a user web-site. When the user or other individual seeks to access the user web-site, links to a plurality of the first web-sites are provided based on a relationship between the physical locations associated with the first web-sites and the physical location associated with the user web-site.

Claims

1. A method of providing information to a user comprising:

collecting information at a first computer system;

creating a plurality of first web-sites at said first computer system from said information, each of said first web-sites being addressable by a unique Universal Resource Locator (URL) and each of said first web-sites being identified by a physical location;

assigning one of said first web-sites to a user as a user web-site; and

selecting links to a plurality of said first web-sites, other than said user web-site, for presentation on said user web-site based on a relationship between the physical locations identified by said first web-sites and the physical location identified by said user web-site.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said location associated with said user web-site is the physical location of a computer system of said user.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

specifying the physical location associated with said user web-site by said user.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the physical location associated with said user web-site is based on a current telephone number at which the user is located.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said user specifies said physical location at a first time, the method further comprising:

modifying said predetermined physical location by said user at a second time.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

accessing said user web-site by said user.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the user'"'"'s computer system is coupled to the first computer system via the Internet.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the user'"'"'s computer system is coupled to the Internet via a telephone connection and said physical location is based on a location of said telephone connection.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

defining a local area relative to said physical location associated with said user'"'"'s web-site such that the physical locations associated with said selected links to the plurality of first web-sites is in said local area.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said local area is a circular area having a predetermined radius from the physical location associated with said user'"'"'s web-site.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said local area is a political area including said the physical location associated with said user'"'"'s web-site.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said local area is a zip-code area including the physical location associated with said user'"'"'s web-site.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein said local area is a square area including the physical location associated with said user'"'"'s web-site.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein said local area is a circular area having a radius from said physical location associated with said user'"'"'s web-site such that said circular area includes a threshold amount of entities.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said entities are telephone number connection locations.

16. A method of providing information to a user comprising:

collecting information at a first computer system;

creating a plurality of first web-sites at said first computer system from said information, each of said first web-sites being addressable by a unique Universal Resource Locator (URL) and each of said first web-sites being identified by a physical location;

assigning one of said first web-sites to a user as a user web-site;

selecting links to a plurality of said first web-sites, other than said user web-site, for presentation on said user web-site based on a relationship between the physical locations identified by said first web-sites and the physical location identified by said user web-site; and

accessing said user web-site by a second user.

17. A system for providing information to a user comprising:

a first computer system adapted to collect information and organize said information into a plurality of first web-sites, each of said first web-sites being addressable by a Universal Resource Locator (URL) and each of said first web-sites being identified by a physical location, said first computer system further adapted to assign one of said first, web-sites to a user as a user web-site and present links to a plurality of said first web-sites, other than said user web-site, on said user web-site based on a relationship between the physical locations identified by said first web-sites and the physical location identified by said user web-site.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said first computer system is adapted to define a local area relative to said physical location associated with said user'"'"'s web-site such that the physical locations associated with said selected links to the plurality of first web-sites is in said local area.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said local area is a circular area having a predetermined radius from the physical location associated with said user'"'"'s web-site.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein said local area is a political area including said the physical location associated with said user'"'"'s web-site.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein said local area is a zip-code area including the physical location associated with said user'"'"'s web-site.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein said local area is a square area including the physical location associated with said user'"'"'s web-site.

23. The system of claim 18 wherein said local area is a circular area having a radius from said physical location associated with said user'"'"'s web-site such that said circular area includes a threshold amount of entities.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein said entities are telephone number connection locations.