Web portholes: using web proxies to capture and enhance display real estate
First Claim
1. A method comprising the steps of:
- receiving, at a porthole engine an initial request for requested content;
wherein the initial request comes from a browser executing on a client;
wherein the initial request includes an address for the requested content, but does not include any embedded-item flag;
wherein said client is connected to a network through said porthole engine;
wherein said requested content resides on an origin server located separate from said porthole engine on said network;
said porthole engine responding to said initial request by sending to said client frame data that defines at least a first frame and at least a second frame, wherein said requested content is to be displayed as an embedded item in said first frame and wherein unrequested content is to be displayed as an embedded item in said second frame;
causing the client to decode the sent frame data, including decoding tags for embedded items;
causing the client to send to the porthole engine a second request for the requested content as an embedded item and the unrequested content as an embedded item;
wherein the second request includes said address for the requested content, and also includes an embedded-item flag that indicates to the porthole engine that the second request is for an embedded item;
in response to detecting that the second request includes the embedded-item flag, responding to the second request by obtaining the requested content from the origin server without sending additional frame data to said client; and
causing the client to display said requested content and said unrequested content as embedded items on a single display screen of said client.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Techniques are disclosed for allowing a specialized proxy server called a “porthole engine” to deliver unrequested content to users browsing the Internet. In one embodiment, a user requests a web page. In response, the user receives the requested web page accompanied by unrequested information that an organization wishes the user to see. The requested web page and the unrequested information are displayed on the user'"'"'s display, either within the browser of the user, or as part of a separate window. In one embodiment, the requested web page and the unrequested information are displayed in frames. In an alternative embodiment, the unrequested information is implemented according the capabilities of the particular browser software, customized to the browsing consumer, targeted to explicit and inferred characteristics of the consumer, and branded to the organization providing access.
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Citations
54 Claims
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1. A method comprising the steps of:
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receiving, at a porthole engine an initial request for requested content; wherein the initial request comes from a browser executing on a client; wherein the initial request includes an address for the requested content, but does not include any embedded-item flag; wherein said client is connected to a network through said porthole engine; wherein said requested content resides on an origin server located separate from said porthole engine on said network; said porthole engine responding to said initial request by sending to said client frame data that defines at least a first frame and at least a second frame, wherein said requested content is to be displayed as an embedded item in said first frame and wherein unrequested content is to be displayed as an embedded item in said second frame; causing the client to decode the sent frame data, including decoding tags for embedded items; causing the client to send to the porthole engine a second request for the requested content as an embedded item and the unrequested content as an embedded item; wherein the second request includes said address for the requested content, and also includes an embedded-item flag that indicates to the porthole engine that the second request is for an embedded item; in response to detecting that the second request includes the embedded-item flag, responding to the second request by obtaining the requested content from the origin server without sending additional frame data to said client; and causing the client to display said requested content and said unrequested content as embedded items on a single display screen of said client. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for allowing a porthole engine to deliver unrequested content to users that access requested content through the porthole engine, the computer-readable medium comprising instructions for performing the steps of:
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receiving, at a porthole engine an initial request for requested content; wherein the initial request comes from a browser executing on a client; wherein said client is connected to a network through said porthole engine; wherein said requested content resides on an origin server located separate from said porthole engine on said network; said porthole engine responding to said initial request by sending to said client frame data that defines at least a first frame and at least a second frame, wherein said requested content is to be displayed as an embedded item in said first frame and wherein unrequested content is to be displayed as an embedded item in said second frame; causing the client to decode the sent frame data, including decoding tags for embedded items causing the client to send to the porthole engine a second request for the requested content as an embedded item and the unrequested content as an embedded item; wherein the second request includes said address for the requested content, and also includes an embedded-item flag that indicates to the porthole engine that the second request is for an embedded item; in response to detecting that the second request includes the embedded-item flag, responding to the second request by obtaining the requested content from the origin server without sending additional frame data to said client; and causing the client to display said requested content and said unrequested content as embedded items on a single display screen of said client. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A computer system comprising:
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a client that includes memory operatively coupled to a processor; at least one origin server; and a porthole engine; wherein said porthole engine is operatively coupled between the client and the at least one origin server through a network; wherein said porthole engine is configured to deliver unrequested content to users of said client that access requested content that resides at said at least one origin server through said porthole engine; and wherein upon a user using said client to initiate an initial request for said requested content through said porthole engine, said porthole engine is configured; to receive said initial request from a browser executing on the client; wherein said initial request includes an address for the requested content, but does not include any embedded-item flag; to respond to said initial request by sending to said client frame data that defines at least a first frame and at least a second frame, wherein said requested content is to be displayed as an embedded item in said first frame and wherein unrequested content is to be displayed as an embedded item in said second frame; to cause the client to decode the sent frame data, including decoding tags for embedded items; to cause the client to send to the porthole engine a second request for the requested content as an embedded item and the unrequested content as an embedded item; wherein the second request includes said address for the requested content, and also includes an embedded-item flag that indicates to the porthole engine that the second request is for an embedded item; in response to detecting that the second request includes the embedded-item flag, responding to the second request by obtaining the requested content from the origin server without sending additional frame data to said client; and to cause the client to display said requested content and said unrequested content as embedded items on a single display screen of said client. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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Specification