Apparatus and method for designating information to be retrieved over a computer network

• US 6,278,449 B1
• Filed: 09/03/1998
• Issued: 08/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugiarto, Basuki Afandi, Zhou, Joe Zexuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US09/146,855
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 345/334, 345/333, 345/335, 345/342, 345/340, 345/346, 345/356, 345/329, 345/357, 345/302, 707/501, 707/514, 707/515, 707/517, 707/513, 709/217, 709/203, 709/219
• US Class Current: 715/826
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for designating and retrieving information over the internet. At least one webpage is accessed and individual portions of the at least one webpage are designated, each of the individual portions being associated with an underlying information content. The designated individual portions of the at least one webpage are positioned within a single configuration display screen and the format of the single configuration display screen including the designated individual portions of each webpage are stored in a configuration file. The configuration file and underlying information content associated with each of the designated individual portions are retrieved and positioned on an output display screen in accordance with the configuration file.

Claims

1. A system for designating and retrieving information over a computer network, comprising:

means for designating individual portions of a plurality of screens accessible over said computer network and maintained at diverse locations including an underlying information content associated therewith;

means for positioning said designated individual portions of said plurality of screens within a single display screen;

means for storing indicators indicative of the location of current and future updated information corresponding to said designated individual portions in a configuration file at a centralized location; and

means for retrieving said configuration file at a location positioned apart from said centralized location, wherein said current and future updated information corresponding to underlying information content associated with each of said designated individual portions is retrieved and displayed on a display screen in accordance with said configuration file, said underlying information content corresponding to said indicators being retrieved and updated from over said computer network each time said configuration file is retrieved.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of screens are webpages downloaded from the world wide web via the internet.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for retrieving said configuration file is a wireless handheld device.

4. A system for designating and retrieving information over the internet, comprising:

means for accessing a plurality of web pages;

means for designating individual portions of said plurality of web pages maintained at diverse locations, each of said individual portions being associated with an underlying information content;

means for positioning said designated individual portions of said plurality of web pages within a single configuration display screen exhibiting a format;

means for storing the format of said single configuration display screen including indicators indicative of the location of current and future updated information corresponding to said designated individual portions of said at least one webpage in a configuration file at a centralized location;

means for retrieving said configuration file at a location positioned apart from said centralized location;

means for retrieving and updating current and future updated information corresponding to said underlying information content associated with each of said designated individual portions and corresponding to said indicators from over the internet each time said configuration file is retrieved; and

means for positioning said designated individual portions and said associated underlying information content in accordance with said configuration file on an output display screen.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said configuration display screen resides on a desktop computer system.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said output display screen comprises a display screen on a wireless handheld access device.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein said configuration file is stored on a central server separate from said configuration display screen and said output display screen.

8. The system of claim 4, further comprising means for including world wide web hypertext links within said configuration display screen.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said hypertext links allow a user to access additional world wide web information.

10. The system of claim 4, further comprising means for including links within said configuration display screen to provide access to at least one further user-defined configuration display screen in a hierarchical manner.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the format of said at least one further user-defined configuration display screen is maintained within said configuration file.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the format of said at least one further user-defined configuration display screen is maintained within a second configuration file similar to the first-mentioned configuration file.

13. A method for designating and retrieving information over a computer network, comprising the steps of:

designating individual portions of a plurality of screens accessible over said computer network and maintained at diverse locations including an underlying information content associated therewith;

positioning said designated individual portions of said plurality of screens within a single display screen;

storing indicators indicative of the location of current and future updated information corresponding to said designated individual portions in a configuration file from a location at a centralized location;

retrieving said configuration file apart from said centralized location; and

displaying on a display screen current and future updated information corresponding to said designated individual portions and said underlying information content associated with each of said designated individual portions in accordance with said configuration file, said underlying information content corresponding to said indicators being retrieved and updated from over said computer network each time said configuration file is retrieved.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said plurality of screens are webpages downloaded from the world wide web via the internet.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said configuration file is retrieved by a wireless handheld device.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of updating said underlying information content associated with each of said designated individual portions when retrieved.

17. A method for designating and retrieving information over the internet, comprising:

accessing a plurality of web pages;

designating individual portions of said plurality of web pages maintained at diverse locations, each of said individual portions being associated with an underlying information content;

positioning said designated individual portions of said plurality of web pages within a single configuration display screen exhibiting a format;

storing the format of said single configuration display screen including indicators indicative of the location of current and future updated information corresponding to said designated individual portions of said at least one webpage in a configuration file at a centralized location;

retrieving said configuration file at a location positioned apart from said centralized location;

retrieving and updating current and future updated information corresponding to said underlying information content associated with each of said designated individual portions and corresponding to said indicators from over the internet each time said configuration file is retrieved; and

positioning said designated individual portions and said associated underlying information content in accordance with said configuration file on an output display screen.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said configuration display screen resides on a desktop computer system.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said output display screen comprises a display screen on a wireless handheld access device.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of storing said configuration file on a central server separate from said configuration display screen and said output display screen.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of including world wide web hypertext links within said configuration display screen.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said hypertext links allow a user to access additional world wide web information.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of including links within said configuration display screen to provide access to at least one further user-defined configuration display screen in a hierarchical manner.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the format of said at least one further user-defined configuration display screen is maintained within said configuration file.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the format of said at least one further user-defined configuration display screen is maintained within a second configuration file similar to the first-mentioned configuration file.

26. A system for designating information to be retrieved over a computer network, comprising:

means for designating individual portions of a plurality of screens accessible over said computer network and maintained at diverse locations including an underlying information content;

means for positioning said designated individual portions of said plurality of screens within a single display screen; and

means for storing indicators indicative of the location of current and future updated information corresponding to said designated individual portions at a location positioned apart from a centralized location in a configuration file positioned at said centralized location, said underlying information content corresponding to said indicators being retrieved and updated from over said computer network each time said configuration is to be retrieved.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said plurality of screens accessible over said computer network are webpages downloaded from the world wide web via the internet.

28. A system for designating information to be retrieved over the internet, comprising:

means for accessing a plurality of web pages;

means for designating individual portions of said plurality of web pages maintained at diverse locations, each of said individual portions being associated with an underlying information content;

means for positioning said designated individual portions of said plurality of web pages within a single configuration display screen; and

means for storing the format of said single configuration display screen including indicators indicative of the location of current and future updated information corresponding to said designated individual portions of said at least one webpage at a location positioned apart from a centralized location in a configuration file positioned at said centralized location, said underlying information content corresponding to said indicators being retrieved and updated from over the internet each time said configuration file is retrieved.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein said configuration display screen resides on a desktop computer system.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein said configuration file is stored on a central server separate from said configuration display screen.

31. The system of claim 28, further comprising means for including world wide web hypertext links within said configuration display screen.

32. The system of claim 28, further comprising means for including links within said configuration display screen indicative of at least one further user-defined configuration display screen in a hierarchical manner.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the format of said at least one further user-defined configuration display screen is maintained within said configuration file.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the format of said at least one further user-defined configuration display screen is maintained within a second configuration file that is similar to the first-mentioned configuration.

35. A method for designating information to be retrieved over a computer network, comprising the steps of:

designating individual portions of plurality of screens accessible over said computer network and maintained at diverse locations including an underlying information content;

positioning said designated individual portions of said plurality of screens within a single display screen; and

storing said designated individual portions at a location positioned apart from a centralized location in a configuration file positioned at said centralized location, said underlying information content corresponding to said indicators being retrieved and updated from over said computer network each time said configuration is to be retrieved.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said plurality of screens are webpages downloaded from the world wide web via the internet.

37. A method for designating and retrieving information over the internet, comprising:

accessing a plurality of web pages;

designating individual portions of said plurality of web pages maintained at diverse locations, each of said individual portions being associated with an underlying information content;

positioning said designated individual portions of said plurality of web pages within a single configuration display screen; and

storing the format of said single configuration display screen including indicators indicative of the location of current and future updated information corresponding to said designated individual portions of said at least one webpage at a location positioned apart from a centrlized location in a configuration file positioned at said centralized location, said underlying information content corresponding to said indicators being retrieved and updated from over the internet each time said configuration file is retrieved.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said configuration display screen resides on a desktop computer system.

39. The method of claim 37, further comprising the step of storing said configuration file on a central server separate from said configuration display screen.

40. The method of claim 37, further comprising the step of including world wide web hypertext links within said configuration display screen.

41. The method of claim 37, further comprising the step of including links within said configuration display screen indicative of at least one further user-defined configuration display screen in a hierarchical manner.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the format of said at least one further user-defined configuration display screen is maintained within said configuration file.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the format of said at least one further user-defined configuration display screen is maintained within a second configuration file that is similar to the first-mentioned configuration file.