Method for providing customized Web information based on attributes of the requester

• US 6,138,142 A
• Filed: 12/20/1996
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Linsk, Steven J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): CALDWELL, ANDREW T
• Application Number:
  US08/771,706
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: 380/49, 395/200.31, 395/200.32, 395/200.33, 709/201-203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A block of content description language is requested from a server over a distributed network. The server retrieves demographic information associated with the requester, customizes the block of content description language based upon the demographic information, and provides the block of content description language to the requester. Customization may include providing selected advertising, or may prevent the retrieval of certain content to the requester.

Claims

1. A method of providing a block of content description language from a server to a requester over a distributed network, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) automatically retrieving demographic information stored on a computer system of the requester, the demographic information associated with the requester, said demographic information available unencrypted such that the demographic information is accessible by any server within the distributed network, the demographic information is retrieved from a lookup table based upon an IP address provided by the requester to the server;

(b) customizing the block of content description language based upon the demographic information; and

(c) providing the customized block of content description language to the requester.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step (a) further comprises determining the demographic information from one or more characters making up an IP address, the IP address being provided by the requester to the server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the demographic information indicates a foreign language preference, and the step (b) includes the step of:

(b) customizing the block of content description language by using the foreign language preference indicated by the demographic information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the demographic information is retrieved from a file on the computer system of the requester.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the demographic information is retrieved from a generic cookie stored on the computer system of the requester.

6. A method of providing a block of content description language from a server to a requester over a distributed network, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a request to provide a content description language document to the requester;

(b) automatically retrieving from a computer system of the requester previously-stored demographic information about the requester, said demographic information available unencrypted such that the demographic information is accessible by any server within the distributed network, the previously-stored demographic information is retrieved from a generic cookie stored on the computer system of the requester;

(c) customizing the content description language document based upon the previously-stored demographic information; and

(d) providing the customized content description language document to the requester.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the previously-stored demographic information is retrieved from a file on the computer system of the requester.

8. A method of providing a content description language document from a server to a requester over a distributed network, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a request to provide the content description language document to the requester;

(b) retrieving from a computer system of the requester previously-stored demographic information about the requester, said demographic information available unencrypted such that the demographic information is accessible by any server within the distributed network;

(c) making a determination whether to provide the requested content description language document to the requester based upon the previously-stored demographic information about the requester, the determination is based upon a geographic location of the requester; and

(d) providing the requested content description language document to the requester only if the determination of the step (c) is affirmative.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the determination of the step (c) is based upon a geographic location of the requester, wherein the geographic location of the requester is part of the IP address of the requester.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the previously-stored demographic information is retrieved from a file on the computer system of the requester.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the previously-stored demographic information is retrieved from a generic cookie stored on the computer system of the requester.

12. A method of providing a content description language document from a server to a requester over a network, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) automatically retrieving geographic information stored on a computer system of the requester, the geographic information associated with the requester, said geographic information available unencrypted such that the geographic information is accessible by any server within the network;

(b) determining whether to provide the content description language document to the requester based upon the geographic information;

(c) if the content description language document is to be provided to the requester responsive to the step (b) then

(i) customizing the content description language document based upon the geographic information, and

(ii) providing the content description language document to the requester; and

(d) if the content description language document is not to be provided to the requester responsive to the step (b) then

(i) providing the requester with an indication that the content description language document is not available.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the previously-stored demographic information is retrieved from a file on the computer system of the requester.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the previously-stored demographic information is retrieved from a generic cookie stored on the computer system of the requester.