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

• US 8,700,734 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2012
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.), EdgeCast Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Foley & Lardner LLP
• Inventors: Amon, Thomas C., Baer, Dan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rashid, Harunur
• Application Number:
  US13/412,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20120166528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 709/213, 709/217, 709/219, 705/14.1
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

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 web server, a first request from a client program for user-selected information;

determining, at the web server, if a provider-selected message has been previously transmitted to the client program within a first time period determined by the web server, the provider-selected message comprising an HTML document having a link associated with the user-selected information;

receiving, at the web server, a second request for user-selected information after the first time period determined by the web server;

determining, at the web server, if a second provider-selected message has been previously transmitted to the client program within a second time period determined by the web server, the second time period different from the first time period, the second provider-selected message comprising an HTML document having a link associated with the user-selected information;

if, based on the determining step, it is determined that the second provider-selected message has been previously transmitted to the client program within the second time period, then transmitting, from the web server, the user-selected information to the client program for display; and

if, based on the determining step, it is determined that the second provider-selected message has not been previously transmitted to the client program within second the time period, then;

a) transmitting, from the web server, the second provider-selected message to the client program for display, the second provider-selected message being configured to cause the client program to transmit a third request for the user-selected information; and

b) receiving, at the web server, the third request; and

c) transmitting, from the web server, in response to the third request, the user-selected information to the client program for display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein it is determined the second provider-selected message has not been previously transmitted to the client program within the time period, and wherein the second provider-selected message is transmitted without the user-selected information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second provider-selected message is configured to cause the client program to:

1) display the second provider-selected message for a limited time; and

     2) then automatically transmit the third request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein it is determined the second provider-selected message has been previously transmitted to the client program within the time period, and wherein the user-selected information is transmitted without the second provider-selected message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the link is a link to the user-selected information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the time period determined by the web server begins a third time period after transmission of the provider-selected message, and wherein the second time period determined by the web server begins a fourth time period after transmission of the second provider selected message, the third time period different from the fourth time period.

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

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

receiving, at the client computer, a provider-selected message for display, in response to the first request, the provider-selected message having not been previously received at the client computer within a first time period, the provider-selected message comprising an HTML document having a link associated with the user-selected information, the provider-selected message being configured to cause the client program to automatically send a second request for the user-selected information;

sending, from the client computer a third request to the web server for user-selected information after the first time period;

receiving, at the client computer, a second provider-selected message for display, in response to the third request, the second provider-selected message having not been previously received at the client computer within a second time period, the second time period different from the first time period, the second provider-selected message comprising an HTML document having a link associated with the user-selected information, the second provider-selected message being configured to cause the client program to automatically send a fourth request for the user-selected information;

displaying, at the client computer, the second provider-selected message for a limited time;

sending, from the client computer, the fourth request for the user-selected information, after displaying the second provider-selected message for the limited time;

receiving, at the client computer, the user-selected information for display, after sending the fourth request; and

displaying, at the client computer, the user-selected information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second provider-selected message is received without the user-selected information.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the second provider-selected message is displayed without the user-selected information.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the user-selected information is received without the second provider-selected message.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the user-selected information is displayed without the second provider-selected message.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining, at the client computer, that the link has been selected.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the link is a link to the user-selected information.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the link is a link to the user-selected information.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the time period begins a first period of time after receiving of the provider-selected message, and wherein the second time period begins a second period of time after receiving of the second provider selected message, the first period of time different from the second period of time.

16. A web server for delivering information across a computer network, the web server being connected to a client computer through the Internet, the web server being configured to:

a) receive a first request from the client program for user-selected information;

b) determine if a provider-selected message has been previously transmitted to the client program within a first time period determined by the web server;

c) receive a second request for user-selected information after the first time period determined by the web server;

d) determine if a second provider-selected message has been previously transmitted to the client program within a second time period determined by the web server, the second time period different from the first time period, the second provider-selected message comprising an HTML document having a link associated with the user-selected information;

e) transmit the user-selected information to the client program for display if it is determined the second provider-selected message has been previously transmitted to the client program within the second time period;

f)transmit the second provider-selected message to the client program for display if it is determined the second provider-selected message has not been previously transmitted to the client program within the second time period, the second provider-selected message being configured to cause the client program to transmit a third request for the user-selected information;

g) receive the third request; and

h) transmit, in response to the third request, the user-selected information to the client program for display.

17. The web server of claim 16, wherein the second provider-selected message is configured to cause the client program to 1) display the second provider-selected message for a limited time, and 2) then automatically transmit the third request for the user-selected information.

18. The web server of claim 16, further configured to transmit the second provider-selected message without the user-selected information, after determining the second provider-selected message has not been previously transmitted to the client program within the second time period.

19. The web server of claim 16, wherein the web server is further configured to transmit the user-selected information without the second provider-selected message, after determining the second provider-selected message has been previously transmitted to the client program within the second time period.

20. The web server of claim 16, wherein the time period determined by the web server begins a third time period after transmission of the provider-selected message, and wherein the second time period determined by the web server begins a fourth time period after transmission of the second provider selected message, the third time period different from the fourth time period.