Control of software interface with information input to access window

• US 7,523,161 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: RPX-LV Acquisition LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Inventors: Philyaw, Jeffry Jovan
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Donabed, Ninos
• Application Number:
  US11/039,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20050132003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/229, 705/27
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A method is disclosed for controlling the software interface of a user'"'"'s computing device to display information on a display in proximity to the physical location of the user'"'"'s computing device. The interface is operable to display to a user on the display at least one access window that is operable to access information about a product, which access window requires the user to input a unique string of characters associated with the product, which user'"'"'s computing device is connected to a network at a user location on the network. In response to the input of the unique string of characters, the user'"'"'s computing device is controlled from a remote intermediate location on the network to connect over the network to a content provider location on the network, which content provider has an associative relationship with the string of characters at the remote intermediate location on the network.

Claims

1. A method for connecting a user interface at a user location to a desired location on a network, comprising the steps of:

providing a display at the user location for presenting thereon to a user an access data entry field in conjunction with non-access data entry fields;

in response to viewing the access data entry field, the user selectively inputting in a manual operation one or more characters into the displayed access data entry field, which one or more characters represent to the user a product code for a product, which product is associated with the desired location and which one or more characters are input one at a time;

in response to the step of inputting and at the completion thereof, transferring the one or more characters of the product code to an intermediate site on the network in accordance with intermediate site routing information that is associated with the access window that defines the location on the network of the intermediate site;

at the intermediate site, searching a routing database disposed at the intermediate site, which routing database contains a plurality of associations between product codes and routing information of defined locations on the network, the step of searching operable to determine if there is a match of the received product code with routing information of a defined location on the network, which matching routing information corresponds to the routing information necessary to route the user at the user location on the network to the desired location on the network;

if a match is found, returning the matched routing information of the defined location on the network in association with instructional code to the user interface; and

connecting the user interface to the desired location on the network using the matched routing information of the desired location on the network such that the instructional code controls the step of connecting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characters that form the product code in the step of inputting are input via a keyboard.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characters that form the product code in the step of inputting are input by voice.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transferring the product code to the intermediate site includes the step of transmitting an information packet to the network that includes as a source address routing information to the user location on the network and as a destination address the intermediate routing information and appended thereto the product code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediate routing information resides at the user location.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the information packet contains a user ID which is unique to the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying is further operable to display to the user non-access data fields that, when one or more characters are entered therein, no information therein will be sent to the intermediate site.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein upon entry of one or more characters into the non-access data fields, the user site will not be connected to another location on the network.

9. A method for interfacing an advertiser server on a remote location on a global communication network to a potential customer at a customer location on the global communication network (GCN), comprising the steps of:

providing a visual display to the customer on the customer'"'"'s computer;

providing a defined access field within the display to allow non-routing information to be input to the defined access data field;

detecting manual input by the potential customer at the customer'"'"'s computer of the non-routing information;

if input by manual input is detected, then examining the manually input non-routing information at an intermediate node that is associated with the access data field to determine if it has been pre-associated with the advertiser server on the global communication network, which pre-association indicates that a connection is to be made between the customer location, wherein the manually input non-routing information was input, and the advertiser server;

if non-routing information is determined at the intermediate node to have a pre-association with the advertiser server on the global communication network, the intermediate node causing connection of the customer location, wherein the pre-associated non-routing information was manually input, to the remote location associated with the advertiser server on the global communication network; and

receiving at the customer'"'"'s computer transmitted information from the advertiser server over the global communication network after connection.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the non-routing information comprises a plurality of characters that are input one character at a time.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of detecting manual input by the potential customer comprises the step of detecting manual input of the non-routing information with a keyboard to the defined access field.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of detecting manual input by the potential customer comprises the step of detecting manual input of the non-routing information with voice prompts.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of examining comprises:

transferring the manually input non-routing information to the intermediate node on the global communication network according to intermediate node routing information that defines the location of the intermediate node on the network;

storing in a relational database at the intermediate node a plurality of associations between routing information for a plurality of advertiser servers on the global communication network and predetermined non-routing information;

comparing the received non-routing information from the customer location to the associations stored in the relational database; and

if a match occurs between the received non-routing information and the stored associations, forwarding the routing information for the matching association from the intermediate node back to the customer'"'"'s computer at the customer location on the global communication network to indicate a pre-association wherein the step of connecting utilizes the routing information returned thereto for connecting the customer location to the remote location.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of transferring the manually input non-routing information to the intermediate node comprises:

launching an interconnection program for interconnecting to the GCN;

providing a pre-determined route to the intermediate node using intermediate routing information defining the location of the intermediate node on the GCN; and

connecting to the intermediate node and transferring the manually input non-routing information thereto.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the customer computer has associated therewithin a unique ID and further comprising the step of transferring the unique ID to the intermediate node and wherein the relational database has associated therewith a user profile for each potential customer accessing the intermediate node and transferring information thereto, wherein receipt of the user ID updates user profile information associated therewith.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of connecting the customer location to the remote location transfers information regarding user profile information stored at the intermediate node.