System providing methods for dynamic customization and personalization of user interface

• US 7,424,459 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2002
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: LightSurf Technologies, Inc. (VeriSign, Inc.)
• Inventors: McCanlies, Elizabeth, Egli, Paul, Bodmer, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEUNG, MARY DA ZHI WANG
• Application Number:
  US10/125,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20030167234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,337 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 705 64- 67, 705/74, 705 26- 27, 707 1- 10, 707100-104, 707/205, 709/201, 715/500
• US Class Current: 705/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system providing methods for dynamically generating personalized content is described. Specific items of content which may be personalized or customized are identified. Subdirectories are created for each value of such personalized content. Files specific to each value of personalized content are created and placed in these subdirectories. When a user requests a particular web page or item of content, a token is retrieved identifying the personalized content to be generated for that particular user. Personalized content is then dynamically generated by construction of a path to at least one subdirectory containing personalized content. The path to such subdirectory containing personalized content is dynamically constructed based upon the token identifying such personalized content.

Claims

1. A method of providing branded services to a plurality of partners comprising:

electronically receiving, by a supplier having a service internet site, a request from a user to access a service provided by the supplier, wherein the request was originally received by, and forwarded from, a gateway internet site operated by one of a plurality of originating partners;

electronically identifying an originating partner from which the request was forwarded from the plurality of originating partners;

identifying a web page template having a core portion that includes content that remains uniform regardless of the gateway internet site from which the request was received and a customizable portion that includes partner specific content that changes based upon an identity of the gateway internet site from which the request was received, wherein the core portion is larger than the customizable portion;

retrieving partner specific settings and preferences to include in the customizable portion of the web page template;

using the core portion, the customizable portion and the partner specific settings and preferences to generate a user interface for the service; and

displaying the user interface for the service to show the originating partner'"'"'s style, appearance, and branding to the user, thereby enabling the supplier to utilize a single service internet site having a plurality of branded user interfaces.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises a branded universal resource locator (URL).

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a separate database segment within the main database for each partner, the separate database segment storing the partner-specific aspects of the service.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

maintaining a single user interface, the user interface including references to the partner specific aspects of the service, such that when the user interface is loaded, the references are retrieved, to create the partner-specific user interface.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

using a key from the user request to reference data templates that are used to create the user interface.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the partner specific aspects of the database are stored in a database, and each partner has a separate database segment.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the user to log in into the partner branded service, the login being specific to the originating partner, such that the user may have separate accounts on more than one of the plurality of partner branded services.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

permitting the user to access the data available through the originating partner'"'"'s login, thus separating the user experience between partners serviced through the same service deployment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises partner branded cascading style sheets, such that a single user interface deployment may be used for all partners.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises partner branded elements maintained in partner specific directories, such that a single user interface deployment may be used for all partners.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining common email templates with sections included to provide partner specifics and branding, so that notifications and order confirmations appear partner specific.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining html includes on a file system to provide the branding for each partner, the branding items are commonly referred in the pages with the partner is substituted to complete the path.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the html includes one or more of the following:

headers, footers, and specific graphics.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing different product and pricing information for separate partners.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of supported features; and

a directory to list the supported features enabled for a partner.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a database to store customization data for a web page, the customization data being associated with one or more partner internet sites from a plurality of gateway partner internet sites; and

a supplier server, connected with the plurality of partner internet sites via a network, the supplier server having;

a service internet site, to receive a request from a user for a web page, wherein the request was originally received by, and forwarded from, a partner internet site, the partner internet site being from the plurality of gateway partner internet sites; and

a web page template, having a core portion that includes content that remains uniform regardless of which of the plurality of gateway internet sites the request was received from and a customizable portion that includes partner specific content that changes based upon an identity of the partner internet site from which the request was received, wherein the core portion is larger than the customizable portion;

the supplier server to retrieve partner specific customization data from the database to include in the customizable portion of the web page template, the partner specific customization data associated with the partner internet site, to customize the web page utilizing the core portion, the customizable portion and the customization data, thereby generating a customized web page, and to display the customized web page to the user.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the database includes a separate database segment for each partner, the separate database segment storing the partner-specific aspects of the service.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a page template to display the web site, a single page template corresponding to each page, the page template including references to the partner specific aspects of the service, such that when the page template is loaded, the references are retrieved to create the partner-specific web page.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the references are retrieved from one or more of the following:

the database and a file system.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the user may log in into the partner internet site, the login being specific to the originating gateway, such that the user may have separate accounts on more than one of the plurality of partners and still be within the same service deployment.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a database to store user data, the user data specific to the originating gateway'"'"'s log-in, providing separate the user experiences between partners serviced through the same server.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the user interface comprises cascading style sheets, such that a single design may be used regardless of the partner'"'"'s identity.