Method, apparatus and system for directing access to content on a computer network

• US 6,389,458 B2
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tumbleweed Holdings LLC (Equitable IP Corporation)
• Original Assignee: IdeaFlood, Inc.
• Inventors: Shuster, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Application Number:
  US09/183,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20010001863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/26, 705/238, 709/245, 709/202, 709/213, 709/219, 709/291, 707/10, 345/326, 345/339, 345/357
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Embodiments of the instant invention are directed to a method, apparatus and system for directing an on-line user to predetermined information. Preferred embodiments of the instant invention interface with the user'"'"'s browser to utilize the functions of the browser for directing user “traffic” on a network. In preferred embodiments, when a user accesses a web site page, a traffic control program is executed for the page, wherein the traffic control program controls the transmission (downloading) of data to the user computer and further creates a modified set of rules for at least one of the browser functions. Upon query (or other interaction) by the browser prior to closing page, the traffic control program interacts with the browser software to modify or control one or more of the browser functions, such that the user computer is further directed to a predesignated site or page (and displays a predesignated frame) upon execution of a browser function, instead of accessing the site or page typically associated with the selected browser function.

Claims

1. In a computer network comprising a plurality of recipient computers having browsers capable of displaying content pages within a frameset, wherein individual ones of the browsers have at least one frame-unloading function operable without activation of a link in a displayed content page to unload a frameset associated with the displayed content page, a method for apparently modifying operation of the at least one frameset-unloading function of a browser, thereby displaying a predetermined second content page upon activation of the at least one frameset-unloading function, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for a first content page from a recipient computer over the network;

transferring the first content page of the recipient computer after said receiving step;

transferring a frameset page with the first content page to the recipient computer, the frameset page specifying a frameset comprising at least one frame for displaying the first content page, wherein the frameset page includes an unload function configured to execute upon activation of the at least one frameset-unloading function of the browser without the selection of any link on the first content page, whereby the unload function causes the recipient computer to request a second content page;

receiving a request for the second content page from a recipient computer after the second transferring step; and

transferring the second content page to the recipient computer after the second receiving step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one frame-unloading function of the browser is activated by requesting a third content page not using a link displayed on the first content page, and the method further comprises preventing display of the third content page on the receipt computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transferring step further comprises transferring the first content page as an HTML page.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second transferring step further comprises transferring the frameset page with the unload function written in a browser script.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second transferring step further comprises transferring the frameset page including at least one hidden frame.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transferring step further comprises transferring the first content page comprising a page with at least one link to a traffic-controlled page.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transferring step further comprises transferring the first content page comprising a page with at least one link to a non-traffic-controlled page.

8. In a computer network system comprising a plurality of recipient computers having browsers capable of displaying content pages within a frameset, wherein individual ones of the browsers have at least one page-unloading function operable without activation of a link in a displayed content page to unload a displayed content page of a frameset, a method for apparently modifying operation of the at least one page-unloading function of a browser displaying a first content page, thereby displaying a predetermined second content page upon activation of the at least one page-unloading function, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for a first content page from a recipient computer over the network;

transferring the first content page to the recipient computer after said receiving step;

transferring a first control page and a second control page to the recipient computer with the first content page;

transferring a frameset to the recipient computer with the first content page, the frameset page specifying a frameset comprising at least two frames, a display frame for displaying the first content page, and a control frame for loading the first control page and the second control page in sequence, whereby activation of the at least one page-unloading function of the browser unloads the second control page and loads the first control page, activating a page-loading function on the first control page to cause the recipient computer to request a second content page for the display frame;

receiving a request for the second content page from a recipient computer after the third transferring step; and

transferring the second content page to the recipient computer after the second receiving step.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one page-unloading function of the browser is activated by requesting a third content page not using a link displayed on the first content page, and the method further comprises preventing display of the third content page on the recipient computer.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first transferring step further comprises transferring the first content page as an HTML page.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the second transferring step further comprises transferring the first control page with the page-loading function written in a browser script.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the third transferring step further comprises transferring the frameset page with the control frame formatted as a hidden frame.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the first transferring step further comprises transferring the first content page comprising a page with at least one link to a traffic-controlled page.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first transferring step further comprises transferring the first content page comprising a page with at least one link to a non-traffic-controlled page.

15. In a computer network comprising a plurality of recipient computers having browsers capable of displaying content pages, wherein individual ones of the browsers have at least one page-unloading function operable without activation of a link in a displayed content page to unload a displayed content page, a method for apparently modifying operation of the at least one page-unloading function of a browser displaying a first content page, thereby displaying a predetermined second content page upon activation of the at least one page-unloading function, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for a first content page from a recipient computer over the network;

transferring the first content page to the recipient computer after said receiving step, wherein the first content page is formatted for display on the recipient computer and wherein the first content page includes an unloaded function configured to execute upon activation of the at least one page-unloaded function of the browser without the selection of any link displayed on the first content page, whereby the unload function causes the recipient computer to request a second content page;

receiving a request for the second content page from a recipient computer after the second transferring step; and

transferring the second content page to the recipient computer after the second receiving step.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one page-unloading function of the browser is activated by requesting a third content page not using a link displayed on the first content page, and the method further comprises preventing display of the third page on the recipient computer.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first transferring step further comprises transferring the first content page as an HTML page.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first transferring step further comprises transferring the first content page with the page-loading function written in a browser script.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the first transferring step further comprises transferring the first content page with a frameset page.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the first transferring step further comprises transferring the first content page comprising a page with at least one link to a traffic-controlled page.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the first transferring step further comprises transferring the first content page comprising a page with at least one link to a non-traffic-controlled page.

22. For a computer network comprising a plurality of recipient computers having browsers capable of displaying content pages within a frameset, wherein individual ones of the browsers have at least one frame-unloading function operable without activation of a link in a displayed content page to unload a frameset associated with the displayed content page, a system for apparently modifying operation of the at least one frameset-unloading function of a browser, thereby displaying a predetermined second content page upon activation of the at lest one frameset-unloading function, comprising:

a provider computer adapted to connect to a computer network, said provider computer operable to serve information to a recipient computer upon request therefrom;

a memory connected to said provider computer;

a first content page stored in the memory, the first content page formatted for display in at least one frame of a display on a recipient computer; and

a frameset page for the first content page stored in the memory, the frameset page specifying a frameset comprising at least one frame for displaying the first content page, wherein the frame set page includes program instructions for an unload function configured to execute upon activation of the at least one frameset-unloading function of the browser without the selection of any link on the first content page, whereby the unload function is configured to cause the recipient computer to request a second content page.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the at least one frame-unloading function of the browser is activated by requesting a third content page not using a link displayed on the first content page, and the program instructions in the frameset page include instructions for preventing display of the third content page on the recipient computer.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the first content page is an HTML page.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the program instructions of the frameset page are written in a browser script.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the frameset page includes instructions for creating at least one hidden frame.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the first content page comprises at least one link to a traffic-controlled page.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein the first content page comprises at least one link to a non-traffic-controlled page.

29. For a computer network comprising a plurality of recipient computers having browsers capable of displaying content pages within a frameset, wherein individual ones of the browsers have at least one page-unloading function operable without activation of a link in a displayed content page to unload a displayed content page, a system for apparently modifying operation of the at least one page-loading function of a browser, thereby displaying a predetermined second content page upon activation of the at least one page-loading function, comprising:

a provider computer adapted to connect to a computer network, said provider computer operable to serve information to a recipient computer upon request therefrom;

a memory connected to said provider computer;

a first content page stored in the memory, the first content page formatted for display in at least one frame of a display on a recipient computer;

a first control page and a second control page stored in the memory; and

a frameset page stored in the memory for the first content page, the first control page, and the second control page, the frameset page specifying a frameset comprising at least two frames, a display frame for displaying the first content page, and a control frame for loading the first control page and the second control page in sequence, whereby activation of the at least one page-unloading function of the browser unloads the second control page and loads the first control page, activating a page-loading function of program instructions on the first control page to cause the recipient computer to request a second content page for the display frame.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the at least one page-unloading function of the browser is activated by requesting a third content page not using a link displayed on the first content page, and the program instructions of the first control page include instructions for preventing display of the third content page on the recipient computer.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the first content page is an HTML page.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein the program instructions of the first control page are written in a browser script.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein the frameset page includes instructions for formatting the control frame as a hidden frame.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein the first content page comprises at least one link to a traffic-controlled page.

35. The system of claim 29, wherein the first content page comprises at least one link to a non-traffic-controlled page.

36. For a computer network comprising a plurality of recipient computers having browsers capable of displaying content pages, wherein individual ones of the browsers have at least one page-unloading function operable without activation of a link in a displayed content page to unload a displayed content page, a system for apparently modifying operation of the at least one page-unloading function of a browser displaying a first content page, thereby displaying a predetermined second content page upon activation of the at least one page-unloading function, comprising:

a provider computer adapted to connect to a computer network, said provider computer operable to serve information to a recipient computer upon request therefrom;

a memory connected to said provider computer;

a first content page stored in the memory, the first content page formatted for display in at least one frame of a display on a recipient computer and the first content page including program instructions for an unload function configured to execute upon activation of the at least one page-unloading function of the browser without the selection of any link displayed on the first content page, whereby the unload function causes the recipient computer to request a predetermined second content page.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the at least one page-unloading function of the browser is activated by requesting a third content page not using a link displayed on the first content page, and the program instructions of the first content page include instructions for preventing display of the third content page on the recipient computer.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the first content page is an HTML page.

39. The system of claim 36, wherein the program instructions of the first content page are written in a browser script.

40. The system of claim 36, further comprising a frameset page stored in the memory for transfer to the recipient computer with the first content page.

41. The system of claim 36, wherein the first content page comprises at least one link to a traffic-controlled page.

42. The system of claim 36, wherein the first content page comprises at least one link to a non-traffic-controlled page.