Method and system for providing local information over a network

• US 7,860,758 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2008
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ThinkLogix, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: First Aura, LLC
• Inventors: McCrossin, James, Kornutik, Richard, Hiller, Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): CAMPEN, KELLY SCAGGS
• Application Number:
  US12/222,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20090037282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/1, 705/27, 705/14.1, 705/41, 709/217, 709/227, 709/218, 709/200
• US Class Current: 705/14.58
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method and system is provided where a first computer (e.g., a central server) collects information to be presented to one or more users. The information is organized into a plurality of first web-sites where each of these web-sites is addressable by a unique Universal Resource Locator (URL). A physical location is associated with each of the first web-sites. One of the first web-sites may be provided to a user as a user web-site. When the user or other individual seeks to access the user web-site, links to a plurality of the first web-sites are provided based on a relationship between the physical locations associated with the first web-sites and the physical location associated with the user web-site.

Claims

1. A method of performing a transaction comprising:

collecting information at a first computer system from a merchant, said information being organized into a first web-site being addressable by a unique Universal Resource Locator (URL) and having a physical location associated therewith; and

providing said information from said merchant to a user at a second computer system if said physical location is within a local area.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said local area is a circular area having a predetermined radius from a predetermined physical location.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said local area is a political area including a predetermined physical location.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said local area is a zip-code area including a predetermined physical location.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said local area is a circular area having a radius from a predetermined physical location such that said circular area includes a threshold amount of entities.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said entities are telephone number locations.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said local area is a square area including the physical location associated with said user'"'"'s web-site.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said local area is a predetermined radius from a physical location of said second computer system.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

specifying a predetermined physical location by said user; and

determining said local area based on said predetermined physical location.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said user specifies said predetermined physical location at a first time, the method further comprising:

modifying said predetermined physical location by said user at a second time.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said second computer is coupled to the Internet via a telephone connection and said local area is based on a location of said telephone connection.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

billing said merchant when providing said information from the merchant to the second computer system.