Dynamic content change notification

• US 8,090,776 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2004
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Torres, Michael I., Rosato, Stephen P., Fluegel, Jason C., Jeyaseelan, Thomas A., Day, DeEtte M., Axelrod, Eyal Z., Gil, German A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Taha, Shaq
• Application Number:
  US10/978,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20060095397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,619 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]

Abstract

A content page is configured by a user and located on a network. Changes made to the content page are automatically communicated with notifications to a group of contacts for the user. Only contacts with permission to view the content page, or the changed content, will receive the notification and have permission to view the changes. A visual indicator notifies contacts that a content page of one of their contacts has been changed. When the visual indicator or some other contact indicator is selected by the user, a summary module can be provided. The summary module is a portal to network content, including the content page.

Claims

1. A method for providing a web page content change notification over a network, comprising:

determining a content change has occurred in at least one portion of a web page having an owner;

selecting one or more contacts associated with the web page owner to receive a notification of the content change, the one or more contacts selected from a list of contacts maintained in an instant messaging service, each selected contact having (i) authorization by the web page owner to view the portion of the web page where the content change occurred, and (ii) an associated instant messaging contact list to which the contact has added the web page owner; and

transmitting the notification via the instant messaging service to a messenger client of each of the one or more contacts selected to receive a-notification of the content change, the notification including summary information, the summary information including at least one and not more than a predetermined number of displayable components of the web page and an indication of the order in which the displayable components were added to the web page, the predetermined number of displayable components being less than the total number of displayable components in the web page, wherein when each contact among the one or more contacts selected to receive the notification logs in to the instant messaging service, said each contact'"'"'s associated instant messaging contact list is presented, automatically listing

a name of the web page owner,

an image from the owner'"'"'s web page displayed proximate the owner'"'"'s name, and

a visual indicator displayed adjacent the owner'"'"'s name, indicating that a content change has occurred in at least one portion of the web page associated with the owner, the visual indicator being selectable to request the owner'"'"'s web page data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining a content change includes;

receiving web page version request data from user; and

comparing web page data to the web page version request data, said transmitting the notification including transmitting the notification to the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

determining a content change includes;

determining if the web page data is more recent than the web page version request data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining a content change includes;

detecting new content being saved to a data storage device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

transmitting the notification to the one or more contacts includes;

transmitting the notification to an alert server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the web page includes one or more components, the one or more components including web page data and a filter parameter, the filter parameter determining if a notification should be generated for a content change in a web page component.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving the notification at a user interface;

providing a visual indicator at the user interface in response to notification.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual indicator is selectable by each authorized contact to request the owner'"'"'s web page data.

8. A method for providing a web page content change notification, comprising:

providing an instant messaging contact list for a user to manage one or more contacts shown in the instant messaging contact list, the instant messaging contact list providing, for each contact associated with a web page, an image from the contact'"'"'s web page proximate to an identifier of the contact;

determining that content on a web page associated with a contact identified in the instant messaging contact list has changed by,

sending a web page version request for the web page associated with the contact;

receiving version information for the web page in response to the web page version request;

determining if the received version information for the web page is more recent than a cached version of the web page;

receiving a notification for the user that content on the contact'"'"'s web paged has changed, if the user has been authorized by the contact associated with the web page to view the content that changed on the web page, the notification including summary information, the summary information including at least one and not more than a predetermined number of displayable components of the web page and an indication of the order in which the displayable components were added to the web page, the predetermined number of displayable components being less than the total number of displayable components in the web page; and

providing a visual indicator in the user'"'"'s instant messaging contact list indicating that a content change has occurred for the web page, the visual indicator being selectable to request the contact'"'"'s web page data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

said receiving a notification includes;

receiving an alert package.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

said providing a visual indicator includes;

providing a visual icon adjacent the image from the contact'"'"'s web page shown in the instant messaging contact list.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the web page includes one or more components, each of the one or more components including web page data and a filter parameter, the notification indicating the components having changed web page content.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

providing a visual indicator includes;

determining that one or more of the components having changed content indicated in the notification match a cached list of components; and

providing a visual indicator representing the matched components.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the instant messaging contact list is provided by a network browser.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the instant messaging contact list is a messaging interface.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the instant messaging contact list is provided by a stand-alone client.

31. The method of claim 8, wherein the visual indicator is selectable by the user to request the contact'"'"'s web page data.

16. A system for providing a notification over a network related to a web page having content, comprising:

a web page having content, wherein the web page comprises one or more components, and wherein each component includes different types of web page data;

a data storage device having a list of authorized viewers associated with the web page, wherein each authorized viewer on the list has (i) been authorized by the web page owner to view the content, and (ii) added the web page owner to the viewer'"'"'s own messenger contact list; and

a server with access to the web page content, the server configured to determine a change in content of the web page, and if a content change occurs, generate an alert package for the determined content change, wherein the alert package includes at least a component identifier identifying the changed component, and send the alert package to the list of authorized viewers as the notification, the notification including summary information, the summary information including at least one and not more than a predetermined number of displayable components of the web page and an indication of the order in which the displayable components were added to the web page, the predetermined number of displayable components being less than the total number of displayable components in the web page; and

a client associated with each authorized viewer for receiving the alert package, wherein when an authorized viewer logs in to their instant messaging service, the client automatically provides

an instant messaging contact list including a name for the web page owner,

an image from the owner'"'"'s website displayed adjacent the web page owner'"'"'s name, and

a visual indicator displayed adjacent the web page owner'"'"'s name indicating that a content change has occurred in at least one portion of the web page associated with the web page owner, the visual indicator being selectable to request data from the owner'"'"'s web page.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the server having access to a web page version information, the notification including the web page version information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the web page includes one or more components having web page data, the notification providing web page version information for each component having changed content.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the notification includes a new content indicator, the new content indicator indicating a content change for the web page.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a client providing a user interface, the client configured to receive the alert and display a visual indicator on the user interface indicating the changed content of the web page.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein:

said server is configured to send the alert to the client at initialization of a communication session by the client.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein:

said server is configured to send the alert to the client when a content change occurs in web page.

32. The system of claim 16, wherein the visual indicator is selectable by an authorized viewer to request data from the owner'"'"'s web page.

23. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage devices, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

determining a content change has occurred in a web page having an owner;

accessing a common contact list indicating one or more contacts that (i) have authorization from the web page owner to view a notification of the content change, and (ii) are listed on the web page owner'"'"'s instant messaging contact list; and

transmitting the notification to the one or more authorized contacts, the notification including summary information, the summary information including at least one and not more than a predetermined number of displayable components of the web page and an indication of the order in which the displayable components were added to the web page, the predetermined number of displayable components being less than the total number of displayable components in the web page, wherein when an authorized contact logs in to their instant messaging service, an instant messaging contact list is automatically provided listing

a name of the web page owner as a contact,

an image from the owner'"'"'s web page, and

a visual indicator adjacent the owner'"'"'s name, indicating that a content change has occurred in the web page associated with the owner.

24. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 23, wherein:

each of the authorized contacts are associated with a contact list that include the owner.

25. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 23, wherein:

the notification indicates when the content change occurred.

26. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 23, wherein:

the notification indicates the web page has changed.

27. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 23, wherein:

the web page includes one or more components, the one or more components including web page data and a filter parameter, the filter parameter determining if a notification should be generated for a content change in a web page component.

28. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 27, wherein:

the one or more filter parameters are configured by the owner.

29. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 24, wherein:

the notification is sent to a messenger server.

33. The one or more processor readable storage devices of claim 23, wherein the visual indicator is selectable by each authorized contact to request data from the owner'"'"'s web page.