Advanced internet interface

• US 6,816,849 B1
• Filed: 05/26/1999
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Gerald B. Halt, Jr.
• Inventors: Halt, Gerald B. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Greta
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US09/318,917
• Time in Patent Office: 1,994 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-3, 707/10, 707/104.1, 707/102, 707/4, 707/9, 707/500, 707/513, 715/513, 715/508, 715/507, 345/747, 345/745, 345/738, 345/744, 345/760, 345/762, 345/749, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/223
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

An Internet interface is disclosed for tailoring of a web page to an individual user without requiring a user to disclose information that specifically identifies the user. The interface includes a user portion and a web page portion. The user portion includes a data file having information related to the user and means for automatically transmitting the data file upon initially accessing the web page. The web page portion includes data organized into sections and subsections. The web page also includes means for receiving the data file and means for analyzing and presenting the data based on information within the data file.

Claims

1. An Internet interface for tailoring of a web page to an individual user without requiring a user to disclose information that identifies the user, the interface having a user portion and a web page portion;

the interface comprising;

said user portion comprising;

a data file hang a plurality of user-selectable fields, each field for describing a personal characteristic of said user; and

means for automatically transmitting said data file upon initially accessing said web page; and

said web page portion comprising;

said web page comprising data organized into a plurality of discrete sections, each section having a plurality of mutually exclusive subsections;

means for receiving said data file; and

means for analyzing said plurality of user-selectable fields of said data file with respect to said plurality of discrete sections; and

means for selecting one of said mutually exclusive subsections for each section in response to said analysis;

whereby said web page presents a plurality of sections that are specifically tailored for each user, each of which is related to one or more of said personal characteristics.

2. An Internet interface comprising a user unit and a web page unit for interfacing an information user with an information provider;

said information provider providing at least N discrete data streams, the interface comprising;

said user unit comprising;

means for automatically generating an information user profile having at least one user-selectable data field, said at least one user-selectable data field for identifying characteristics particular to said user, said characteristics selected from the group of age, race, sex, income and native language; and

means for automatically transmitting said information user profile over the Internet to the information provider upon accessing said information provider; and

said web page unit comprising;

means for receiving said information user profile;

means for analyzing said information user profile with respect to N discrete data streams; and

for each of said N discrete data streams, means for selecting one data stream that are specifically tailored for each user from among a plurality of mutually exclusive data streams located within each of the N discrete data streams and outputting said selected data stream, said selection being in response to said analysis of the received information user profile.

3. An Internet interface according to claim 2 wherein said information provider includes a plurality of data streams, each said data stream including an information identifier for identifying the type of information provided by said data stream.

4. An Internet interface according to claim 3, whereby said data streams may be individually linked.

5. An Internet interface according to claim 4 whereby the content of said data streams changes on a basis set by said information provider.

6. An Internet interface according to claim 5 whereby each said data stream is selectively tailored to one of said data fields.