Apparatus and method for providing a provider-selected message in response to a user request for user-selected information

• US 7,933,969 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2006
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.), EdgeCast Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: VUCAST, LLC
• Inventors: Baer, Dan M., Amon, Thomas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Colin, Carl
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rashid, Harunur
• Application Number:
  US11/457,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20060247974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,748 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/213, 709/217, 705/14, 705/14.1
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for providing a provider-selected message in response to a user request for user-selected information is disclosed. The method includes receiving a request from a client program for user-selected information. If a provider-selected message has not been previously transmitted to the client program, the method further includes transmitting provider-selected information to the client program. If a provider-selected message has been previously transmitted to the client program, the method further includes transmitting the user-selected information. In one embodiment, the method also includes receiving a second request from the client program for the user-selected information after the provider-selected information is displayed for a limited time.

Claims

1. A method of delivering information across a computer network, comprising:

receiving, at a server computer, a first request from a client program for user-selected information;

transmitting, from the server computer, a provider-selected message to the client program for display, in response to the first request, if the provider-selected message has not been previously transmitted to the client program within a time period, the provider-selected message being configured to cause the client program to transmit a second request for the user-selected information;

receiving, at the server computer, the second request; and

transmitting, from the server computer, in response to the second request, the user-selected information to the client program for display, if the provider-selected message has been previously transmitted to the client program within the time period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the time period is determined by the server computer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the provider-selected message is configured to cause the client program to 1) display the provider-selected message for a limited time, and 2) then automatically transmit the second request for the user-selected information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the provider-selected message is configured to cause the client program to 1) display the provider-selected message for a limited time, and 2) then automatically transmit the second request for the user-selected information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the provider-selected message is transmitted without the user-selected information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the provider-selected message comprises a commercially-sponsored message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-selected information is transmitted without the provider-selected message.

8. An apparatus for delivering information across a computer network, comprising:

a computer network; and

a server configured to receive a first request for user-selected information from a client program;

wherein the server is configured to transmit a provider-selected message to the client program for display, in response to the first request, if the provider-selected message has not been previously transmitted to the client program within a time period;

wherein the server is further configured to transmit the user-selected information to the client program for display, if the provider-selected message has been previously transmitted to the client program within the time period;

wherein the provider-selected message is configured to cause the client program to transmit a second request for the user-selected information, and

wherein the server is further configured to receive the second request, and to transmit the user-selected information in response to the second request.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the time period is determined by the server.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the provider-selected message is configured to cause the client program to 1) display the provider-selected message for a limited time, and 2) then automatically transmit the second request for the user-selected information.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the provider-selected message is configured to cause the client program to 1) display the provider-selected message for a limited time, and 2) then automatically transmit the second request for the user-selected information.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the server is further configured to transmit the provider-selected message without the user-selected information.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the provider-selected message comprises a commercially-sponsored message.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the server is further configured to transmit the user-selected information without the provider-selected message.

15. A method of delivering information across a computer network, comprising:

sending, from a client computer, a first request to a server for user-selected information; and

receiving, at the client computer, a provider-selected message from the server for display, in response to the first request, if the provider-selected message has not been previously received within a time period, the provider-selected message being configured to cause the client program to send a second request for the user-selected information;

sending, from the client computer, the second request to the server for the user-selected information; and

receiving, at the client computer, the user-selected information from the server for display, in response to the second request, if the provider-selected message has been previously received within the time period.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the time period is determined by the server.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying, at the client computer, the provider-selected message for a limited time, before sending the second request to the server for the user-selected information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the provider-selected message is configured to cause the second request to be sent automatically.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying, at the client computer, the provider-selected message for a limited time, before sending the second request to the server for the user-selected information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the provider-selected message is configured to cause the second request to be sent automatically.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the user-selected information is received without the provider-selected message.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the provider-selected message is received without the user-selected information.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the provider-selected message is configured to cause the second request for the user-selected information, to be automatically sent from the client computer to the server.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the provider-selected message comprises a commercially-sponsored message.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the user-selected information is received without the provider-selected message.

26. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying the provider-selected message on a display at the client computer.

27. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying the user-selected information on a display at the client computer.

28. The method of claim 15, wherein the provider-selected message is received without the user-selected information.