Method for context personalized web browsing

• US 7,437,312 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2001
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Connexity, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bizrate.Com, Co.
• Inventors: Kamath, Anil, Tan, Phoumrin, Kulkarni, Prashant, Bhatia, Rajesh, Ganju, Nikhil
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith; Jeffrey A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunham; Jason B.
• Application Number:
  US09/933,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20020154162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,612 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/26.64
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0629 for generating comparisons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Computer software, systems and methods for providing context personalized browsing over computer networks. In the foregoing, an intelligent agent referred to as a “browser companion agent” includes a service component for holding one or more service modules that may assist a user by providing services that are contextually relevant to content on a browser on the user'"'"'s computer system. The agent also includes a data component for holding data objects related to and sharable by one or more service modules. The agent further includes a tracking component for tracking the pages on a browser and for communicating browser page data to a remote computer system that may respond to the agent with data or code for use by service modules. Contemplated service modules include a comparison shopping service, a transaction tracking service, and automated form filling service.

Claims

1. A method for context personal browsing comprising:

providing a remote computer system, the remote computer system receiving data from a client computer system having a browser companion agent including one or more associated service modules that assist a user of the client computer system by providing services that are contextually relevant to a content page on a browser of the client computer system, the data received by the remote computer system being determined according to the content page present on a browser of the client computer system;

automatically determining from the page data at least one set of data or executable code that corresponds to a service module associated with the browser companion agent;

sending the data or code to the browser companion agent for use by a service module;

wherein the data or code sent to the browser companion agent is determined by parsing the page for elements matching elements in a database, the elements in the database corresponding to the code or data to send to the remote computer system;

wherein the browser companion agent determines contextual relevance by coupling to a browser on the client computer system via an application interface; and

determining contextual relevance according to changes of the content pages on the browser; and

wherein the content page on the browser of the client computer system is received from a content provider system that is not the same as the remote computer system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the service module is one or more of a form filling service, a transaction tracking service, and a comparison shopping service.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the browser companion agent includes at least two of the service modules.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the data or code sent to the browser companion agent is determined by looking up in a database corresponding code or data to send to the remote computer system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the browser companion agent includes one or more of a form filling service module, a transaction tracking service module, and a comparison shopping service module.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the browser companion agent includes at least two of the service modules.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the browser companion includes one or more of a form filling service module, a transaction tracking service module, and a comparison shopping service module.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the browser companion includes at least two of the service modules.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein a data and/or service module comprises a COM object.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the browser comprises a version of a web browser and the companion agent comprises a browser helper object.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the data sent to the remote computer system comprises the location identifier for a page on the browser of the client computer system.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the location identifier comprises a URL for the page.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the data sent to the remote computer system comprises data about the content on the page on the browser of the client computer system.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the data sent to the remote computer system comprises data about the structure of the page on the browser of the client computer system.