Data transmission and rendering techniques implemented over a client-server system

• US 7,493,554 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2007
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JUNE RAY LIMITED
• Original Assignee: IpVenture, Inc.
• Inventors: Paila, Narasimha Rao, Nguyen, Huy, Mayya, Ajit Ramachandra, Norrell, Shannon
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton, Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Maikhanh
• Application Number:
  US11/821,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20070250572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 715/200, 715/205, 715/229, 715/234, 715/248, 715/249, 715/256, 715/748, 715/749, 715/760, 715/762, 715/FOR.209, 715/201, 715/209, 715/210, 715/238, 715/273, 715/274, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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

Abstract

A technique is disclosed for generating formatted information for display on a computer system. The computer system may be configured to include at least one interface for communicating with a server computer system. A request is sent from the computer system to the server system. According to one embodiment, the request may correspond to an HTTP request for information relating to a specific HTML page or web page. A response is then received from the server system. According to one embodiment, the response includes response information comprising embedded instructions and data. The embedded instructions may include instructions for using the data to generate formatted markup information for display on the computer system. The embedded instructions are then executed on the data to thereby generate formatted markup information for display on the computer system. According to a specific embodiment, the formatted markup information corresponds to HTML data to be rendered for display on the computer system.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating ordering items by a customer via a network, the method comprising:

receiving, by a first computing device, a request from a second computing device via the network regarding a first set of formatted markup information to be displayed on the second computing device;

transmitting, by the first computing device, a response to the second computing device, the response being responsive to the request and including embedded instructions and embedded data,

wherein the first set of formatted markup information is generated for display on the second computing device by the second computing device executing at least a portion of the embedded instructions on the embedded data,

wherein the byte size of the embedded instructions and the embedded data is less than the byte size of the first set of formatted markup information, which improves transmission time for the response, and

wherein the method further comprises;

receiving, by the first computing device, another request from the second computing device via the network regarding additional formatted markup information to be displayed on the second computing device; and

transmitting, by the first computing device, another response to the second computing device, the another response being responsive to the another request and including another set of embedded data,

wherein the additional formatted markup information is generated for display on the second computing device by the second computing device executing at least a portion of the previously received embedded instructions on the another set of embedded data,

wherein the embedded instructions include scripting language code, and wherein the second computing device executes the scripting language code on the embedded data to generate markup language data to be rendered for display on the second computing device,

wherein the first set of formatted markup information to be displayed on the second computing device includes an item for the customer to select by placing a customer order via the second computing device, and

wherein after the customer has placed the order, upon customer request, formatted markup information regarding the order status of the customer order can be displayed on the second computing device, and

wherein the order is shipped to the customer based on a delivery time set by the customer.

2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the order status will indicate that the order has been shipped if the order has been shipped.

3. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein if at least one ordered item has not been fulfilled in the order after the order has been shipped, the order status will include an adjustment regarding the order.

4. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the order is fulfilled in a distribution center,

wherein at least one item in the order is transported in the distribution center and

wherein the at least one item is loaded into a vehicle to ship the order to the customer, with the status of the order updated in view of the shipment.

5. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 4,

wherein the at least one item is related to an identifier, and

wherein the identifier of the at least one item is scanned by a scanner in the distribution center.

6. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 5, wherein the method further comprises keeping track of the at least one item in the order via the identifier, as the at least one item is transported in the distribution center.

7. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 4,

wherein the at least one item in the order is in a container to transport in the distribution center,

wherein the container has an identifier, and

wherein the identifier of the container is scanned by a scanner in the distribution center.

8. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 7,

wherein the container is associated with the order, and

wherein the method further comprises keeping track of the container with the at least one item inside being transported in the distribution center.

9. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 4, wherein the method further comprises keeping track of the at least one item being loaded into the vehicle to be shipped to the customer.

10. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 4,

wherein the at least one item is put in a container, wherein the container has an identifier,

wherein the container is tracked via the identifier,

wherein the container is loaded into the vehicle to ship the order to the customer, and

wherein the method further comprises keeping track of the container being loaded into the vehicle to be shipped to the customer.

11. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the order is shipped to the customer via a vehicle,

wherein the vehicle has an identifier, and

wherein the method further comprises keeping track of the identifier of the vehicle associated with shipping the order.

12. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein a plurality of items in the order are delivered to the customer, and

wherein the method further comprises keeping track of an identifier associated to the order as the order is shipped to the customer, and updating the status of the order in view of the shipment.

13. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 12, wherein the plurality of items in the order are in a container when the order is shipped to the customer, and if the customer keeps the container when the order is delivered to the customer, the method further comprises keeping track of the container being kept by the customer.

14. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 13, wherein the container has an identifier, which is scanned to keep track of the container being kept by the customer.

15. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14, wherein during a subsequent order delivery to the customer, the method further comprises crediting a deposit credit to an account of the customer via the identifier of the container if the container is picked up from the customer.

16. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the customer order specifies a location where the customer receives the order, and

wherein during order delivery, at the location, a piece of information is scanned by a scanner to keep a record of an item in the order being delivered to the customer, and to update the status of the order.

17. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 16, wherein the piece of information is kept track of together with a time related to the delivery being made to the customer.

18. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 16, wherein an item received by the customer is scanned to keep a record of the item in the order being received by the customer, and to update the status of the order.

19. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the order is delivered to the customer and the customer rejects an item in the order, and

wherein the method further comprises keeping record of the item being rejected by the customer.

20. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 19,

wherein the item being rejected by the customer has an identifier, and

wherein the identifier is scanned to keep record of the item being rejected by the customer.

21. A computer-implemented method for facilitating ordering items by a customer via a network, the method comprising:

sending, by a first computing device, a request to a second computing device via the network for displaying formatted markup information on the first computing device;

receiving, by the first computing device, a response from the second computing device, the response including embedded instructions and embedded data; and

executing, by the first computing device, at least a portion of the embedded instructions on the embedded data to thereby generate the formatted markup information for display on the first computing device,

wherein the byte size of the embedded instructions and the embedded data is less than the byte size of the formatted markup information, which improves a response time to the request,

wherein the formatted markup information for display on the first computing device includes an item for the customer to select by placing a customer order via the first computing device,

wherein the order is fulfilled in a distribution center, with an item in the order being loaded into a vehicle from the distribution center to ship the order to the customer, and

wherein formatted markup information regarding the item being shipped to the customer can be displayed on the first computing device,

wherein the order is delivered to the customer,

wherein the method further comprises keeping record of at least the item in the order being rejected by the customer, and

wherein the method further comprises;

sending, by the first computing device, another request to the second computing device via the network for displaying additional formatted markup information on the first computing device;

receiving by the first computing device, another response from the second computing device, the another response including another set of embedded data; and

executing, by the first computing device, at least a portion of the previously received embedded instructions on the another set of embedded data to thereby generate the additional formatted markup information for display on the first computing device,

wherein the embedded instructions include scripting language code, and wherein the first computing device executes the scripting language code on the embedded data to generate markup language data to be rendered for display on the first computing device.