U.S. patent application number 09/777918 was filed with the patent office on 2002-01-03 for popup advertising display in a web browser.
Invention is credited to Judson, David H..
Application Number | 20020002568 09/777918 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27067446 |
Filed Date | 2002-01-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020002568 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Judson, David H. |
January 3, 2002 |
Popup advertising display in a web browser
Abstract
A method of display as a user of the Internet uses a client
machine during an Internet transaction (e.g., e-mail, file
transfer, bulletin board, chat or browsing). The client machine
supports a graphical user interface and mechanisms that provide
such Internet services. The method locally stores information
content served during idle periods when the user's connection to
the network is live. During a given Internet transaction, the
information content is retrieved and displayed to provide
entertainment or information as the user waits for the Internet
transaction to be completed.
Inventors: |
Judson, David H.;
(Marblehead, MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
David H. Judson
4 Spray Avenue
Marblehead
MA
01945
US
|
Family ID: |
27067446 |
Appl. No.: |
09/777918 |
Filed: |
February 5, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09777918 |
Feb 5, 2001 |
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09055726 |
Apr 6, 1998 |
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6185586 |
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09055726 |
Apr 6, 1998 |
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08708795 |
Sep 9, 1996 |
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5737619 |
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08708795 |
Sep 9, 1996 |
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08543876 |
Oct 19, 1995 |
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5572643 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/201 ;
707/E17.119 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 16/957
20190101 |
Class at
Publication: |
707/513 |
International
Class: |
G06F 015/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of serving a page of information for delivery over a
computer network to a user's browser running on a client,
comprising: receiving a request for the page made from a user's
browser; and serving the page in response to the request from a
first server; wherein the page includes a link to a resource on the
computer network and code for generating a markup language page
having advertising content that is displayed interstitially in a
popup window independent of the page or the resource; wherein the
advertising content is served from a server distinct from the first
server.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of prior application Ser.
No. 09/055,726, filed Apr. 6,1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,586,
which application was a continuation of Ser. No. 08/708,795, filed
Sep. 9, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,619, which application was a
continuation-in-part of prior application Ser. No. 08/543,876,
filed Oct. 19,1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,643.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] This invention relates generally to computer networks and
more particularly to methods for enhancing the operation of a
client browser operating in a multi-server computer
environment.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] The worldwide network of computers commonly known as the
"Internet" has seen explosive growth in the last several years.
Mainly, this growth has been fueled by the introduction and
widespread use of so-called "web" browsers, which allow for simple
graphical user interface (GUI)-based access to network servers,
which support documents formatted as so-called "web pages". The
"World Wide Web" (WWW) is that collection of servers of the
Internet that utilize the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). HTTP
is a known application protocol that provides users access to files
(which can be in different formats such as text, graphics, images,
sound, video, etc.) using a standard page description language
known as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). HTML provides basic
document formatting and allows the developer to specify "links" to
other servers and files. Use of an HTML-compliant client browser
involves specification of a link via a Uniform Resource Locator or
"URL". Upon such specification, the client makes a tcp/ip request
to the server identified in the link and receives a "web page"
(namely, a document formatted according to HTML) in return.
[0006] There is a finite time period between the time the user
initiates the link and the return of the web page. Even when the
web page is returned quickly, there is an additional time period
during which formatting information must be processed for display
on the display interface. For example, most web browsers display
in-line image takes time to process and slows downs the initial
display of the document. The user typically "sees" an essentially
unrecognizable "image" on the display screen which only gradually
comes into focus. It is only after the entire image is downloaded
from the server and then processed by the browser that the user can
fully access the web page itself. This "waiting" period is even
longer when the client machine has a relatively slow modem, and
often the user will have to wait many seconds before being able to
see the in-line image and/or begin using the web page. This problem
will be exacerbated when the next generation browser technology
(such as Netscape Navigator 2.0) becomes more widely implemented
because such browsers are being designed to handle much more
complex download formats (for more interactive, dynamic
displays).
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is thus a primary object of the invention to enhance the
operation of a web browser by causing the display of some useful
information to the user during the period of user "downtime" that
otherwise occurs between linking and downloading of a hypertext
document identified by the link. Such information may include,
without limitation, advertisements, messages, fill-in forms,
notices from a service provider, notices from another Internet
service (such as receipt of an e-mail message), or some third party
notice.
[0008] It is another more particular object of the invention to use
an Hypertext Markup Language comment (e.g., via an HTML comment
tag) in a web page to store an information object related to a link
and then formatting and displaying such information when the link
is activated.
[0009] It is still another object of the invention to embed an
information object within an existing web page so that the object
is masked until a link to another web page is activated. Upon
activation, the object is displayed to the user effectively as a
"mini" web page while the browser calls the link and awaits for a
reply and download.
[0010] For example, in one particular embodiment, the information
object includes copyright management information for a hypertext
document associated with a link in a currently-displayed page. Such
information may include the name or other identifying information
of a copyright owner, terms and conditions for uses of the work
within the hypertext document, and such other information as may be
prescribed or desired. When the user "hits" the link in the current
page, the copyright management information (which is already
present in the browser) is displayed as the new document is being
accessed and downloaded. The copyright management information, for
example, may inform the user of the terms and conditions of how the
copyrighted content being downloaded can then be reused. The "time"
period normally associated with the download is thus productive for
both the user (since he or she no longer has to sit and wait for
the display) as well as to the content provider.
[0011] According to the preferred embodiment, there is described a
method of browsing the World Wide Web of the Internet using an
HTML-compliant client supporting a graphical user interface and a
browser. The method begins as a web page is being displayed on the
graphical user interface, the web page having at least one link to
a hypertext document preferably located at a remote server. In
response to the user clicking on the link, the link is activated by
the browser to thereby request downloading of the hypertext
document from the remote server to the graphical user interface of
the client. While the client waits for a reply and/or as the
hypertext document is being downloaded, the browser displays one or
more different types of informational messages to the user. Such
messages include, without limitation, advertisements, notices,
messages, fill-in forms, copyright information and the like.
Preferably, the message information is in some way related to the
hypertext document being accessed and downloaded, as in the case of
copyright management information perhaps warning the user that the
material being downloaded is subject to certain use restrictions of
the copyright owner. Where the displayed information is related to
the link, it is desirable that such information be embedded within
the web page from which the link is launched. The information is
preferably "hidden" within the web page using a hypertext markup
comment tag.
[0012] The invention is preferably implemented in a computer having
a processor, an operating system, a graphical user interface and a
HTTP-compliant browser. In such case, the novel and advantageous
features of the invention are achieved using a first means,
responsive to activation of a link from a web page, for retrieving
an information object masked within the web page, and a second
means for displaying information from the information object on the
graphical user interface as the browser establishes the link.
Preferably, the information object is masked by an HTML comment
tag, which may include other HTML tags nested therein to format the
information in the object. This enables the support of complex
"mini" web pages that are displayed and accessible to the viewer
during otherwise non-productive periods when the browser is busy
processing links to other documents or web sites.
[0013] The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent
objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed
to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features
and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results
can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different
manner or modifying the invention as will be described.
Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the
invention may be had by referring to the following Detailed
Description of the preferred Embodiment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] For a more complete understanding of the present invention
and the advantages thereof, reference should be made to the
following Detailed Description taken in connection with the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates a computer network in which the present
invention is implemented;
[0016] FIG. 2 illustrates a client computer supporting an
HTML-compliant World Wide Web browser;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a flowchart diagram of a preferred method of the
present invention for dynamic display of an information object
during linking;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a representative graphical user interface
illustrating browser navigation tools;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a representative web page illustrating a hypertext
link;
[0020] FIG. 6 is a view of the HTML source code for the web page of
FIG. 5;
[0021] FIG. 7 is an example of a modified version of the HTML
source code for the web page illustrated in FIG. 5, showing an
information object embedded therein through a comment tag;
[0022] FIG. 8 is a representative screen display illustrating how
the information object appears as a "mini" web page upon activation
of the hypertext link in the web page of FIG. 5;
[0023] FIG. 9 illustrates a computer program product comprising a
substrate in which product data is encoded for carrying out various
function of the invention when the product is used to control a
processor;
[0024] FIG. 10 illustrates a portion of the computer network in
which this invention is implemented having a master server for use
in distributing information objects to a plurality of servers that
support hypertext documents; and
[0025] FIG. 11 illustrates a preferred method of downloading an
information object to a client computer to facilitate pre-caching
of the object.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRRED EMBODIMENT
[0026] As represented in FIG. 1, the Internet is a known computer
network based on the client-server model. Conceptually, the
Internet comprises a large network of "servers" 10 which are
accessible by "clients" 12, typically users of personal computers,
through some private Internet access provider 14 (such as Internet
America) or an on-line service provider 16 (such as America
On-Line, Prodigy, Compuserve, the Microsoft Network, and the like).
Each of the clients may run a "browser," which is a known software
tool used to access the servers via the access providers. A server
10 operates a so-called "web site" which supports files in the form
of documents and pages. A network path to a server is identified by
a so-called Uniform Resource Locator or URL having a known syntax
for defining a network connection.
[0027] The "World Wide Web" (WWW) is that collection of servers of
the Internet that utilize the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
HTTP is a known application protocol that provides users access to
files (which can be in different formats such as text, graphics,
images, sound, video, etc.) using a standard page description
language known as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). HTML provides
basic document formatting and allows the developer to specify
"links" to other servers and files. Use of an HTML-compliant client
browser involves specification of a link via the URL. Upon such
specification, the client makes a tcp/ip request to the server
identified in the link and receives a "web page" (namely, a
document formatted according to HTML) in return.
[0028] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a representative "client"
computer in which the present invention is implemented. The system
unit 21 includes a system bus or plurality of system buses 31 to
which various components are coupled and by which communication
between the various components is accomplished. The microprocessor
32 is connected to the system bus 31 and is supported by read only
memory (ROM) 33 and random access memory (RAM) 34 also connected to
system bus 31. The ROM 33 contains among other code the Basic
Input-Output system (BIOS) which controls basic hardware operations
such as the interaction and the disk drives and the keyboard. The
RAM 34 is the main memory into which the operating system and
application programs are loaded. The memory management chip 35 is
connected to the system bus 31 and controls direct memory access
operations including, passing data between the RAM 34 and hard disk
drive 36 and floppy disk drive 37. The CD ROM 42, also coupled to
the system bus 131, is used to store a large amount of data, e.g.,
a multimedia program or large database.
[0029] Also connected to this system bus 31 are various I/O
controllers: the keyboard controller 38, the mouse controller 39,
the video controller 40, and the audio controller 41. The keyboard
controller 38 provides the hardware interface for the keyboard 22,
the controller 39 provides the hardware interface for the mouse (or
other point and click device) 23, the video controller 40 is the
hardware interface for the display 24, and the audio controller 41
is the hardware interface for the multimedia speakers 25a and 25b.
A modem 50 enables communication over a network 56 to other
computers over the computer network.
[0030] The operating system 60 of the computer may be DOS, WINDOWS
3.x, WINDOWS '95, OS/2, AIX, or any other known and available
operating system, and each computer is sometimes referred to as a
machine. RAM 34 also supports a number of Internet access tools
including, for example, the HTTP-compliant web browser 62. Known
browser software includes Netscape, Netscape Navigator 2.0, Mosaic,
and the like. The present invention is designed to operate within
any of these known or developing web browsers, which are preferably
modified as described herein to achieve the dynamic display of
information objects during web site linking activities. RAM 34 may
also support other Internet services including simple mail transfer
protocol (SMTP) or e-mail, file transfer protocol (FTP), network
news transfer protocol (NNTP) or "Usenet", and remote terminal
access (Telnet).
[0031] HyperText Markup Language uses so-called "tags," denoted by
the <> symbols, with the actual tag between the brackets.
Most tags have a beginning (<tag>) and an ending section,
with the end shown by the slash symbol (</tag>). There are
numerous link tags in HTML to enable the viewer of the document to
jump to another place in the same document, to jump to the top of
another document, to jump to a specific place in another document,
or to create and jump to a remote link (via a new URL) to another
server. Links are typically displayed on a web page in color or
with an underscore. In response to the user pointing and clicking
on the link, the link is said to be "activated" to begin the
download of the linked document or text. For more details on HTML,
the reader is directed to the HTML Reference Manual, published by
Sandia National Laboratories, and available on the Internet at
"http://www.sandia.gov/sci_compute/html.ref.html" or the HTML Quick
Reference, published by the University of Kansas, and available_on
the Internet at
"http://kuhttp.cc.ukans.edu/lynx_help/HTML_quick.html". Each of
these publications are incorporated herein by reference.
[0032] A known HTML tag is a "comment," which typically allows a
web page developer to include text that is to be ignored by the
browser. The syntax for a "comment" tag is denoted
<!--text-->. HTML is an evolving language. Recent standards
for new versions of this language propose to add SGML comment
syntax to HTML elements. This proposal would begin a comment with a
double dash encountered inside any HTML element (but no inside
quotes), and treat every thing as comments (including any " ", " ",
or quote character) until the next occurring double dash. Such
syntax allows HTML elements within a comment.
[0033] According to the present invention, an information "object"
is preferably placed within a comment tag of a web page and thus is
"ignored" by the browser in the formatting of the document then
being displayed. This information object, however, is also saved to
a separate file or cache within the client. A particular web page
may have multiple information objects, with one or more objects
associated with one or more links in the documents. Thus, for
example, if the document has two links, one information object is
associated with the first link and a second information object is
associated with a second link, and so on. Or, multiple information
objects may be associated with a single link. Or, the information
object(s) may have no direct relation to the content of any link in
the document. While in the preferred embodiment an HTML "comment"
tag is used to mask the information object, those skilled in the
art will recognize that other HTML commands and tags may be used
for this purpose as well, including, for example, a tag dedicated
to masking an information object within the currently-displayed
page. For example, an information object may be hidden within a
clickable image identified with an ismap tag. Also, an information
object may be formatted as a "mini" web page by nesting HTML
elements within a particular HTML comment tag.
[0034] As noted above, a web browser 62 running on the client uses
a TCP/IP connection to pass a request to a web server running a
HTTP "service" (under the WINDOWS operating system) or "daemon"
(under the UNIX operating system). The HTTP service then responds
to the request, typically by sending a "web page" formatted in the
Hypertext Markup Language, or HTML, to the browser. The browser
then displays the web page using local resources (e.g., fonts and
colors).
[0035] A preferred operation of the inventive method is illustrated
in the flowchart of FIG. 3. The method begins at step 70 as a
current web page is being displayed on the graphical user interface
of the computer. It is assumed that this web page has embedded
therein one or more comment tags, each of which (or perhaps several
of which in combination) define an information object. Generally,
although not required, each information object will be provided for
one or more links in the web page being displayed. However, because
the information object is embedded within a comment tag, it is
hidden or "masked" and thus is ignored by the display routines of
the browser. In step 72, the method saves or stores the information
object in memory or some dedicated portion of the RAM (e.g., a
cache) so that it may be easily and quickly obtained. At step 74, a
test is made to determine whether a link associated with the
information object has been activated. If so, the method continues
at step 76 and issues a tcp/ip request to the network (assuming the
link was to a URL). Step 78 represents the handshaking period
during which the client waits for the appropriate response from the
server. During this period, the client retrieves the information
object (at step 80) and outputs the information (in step 82) to the
user on the display. Steps 80 and 82 are shown in parallel to the
handshaking and wait step 78 to emphasize the inventive concept of
displaying useful information to the viewer during the link
process. At step 84, a test is then performed to determine whether
the download and refresh of the display is complete. If so, the
routine saves the information object at step 86 and opens up access
to the hypertext document at step 88.
[0036] FIG. 4 shows the browser navigation tool prior to download
of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office page (available at
http://www.uspto.gov). FIG. 5 shows the web page as it exists on
the display. This web page has various links including "Welcome to
the United States Patent and Trademark Office." FIG. 6 shows the
HTML source code used to generate the web page of FIG. 5, and FIG.
7 shows this source code modified to include an information object
75 within a comment tag. This object displays the message "The PTO
Welcomes You" when the "Welcome to the United States Patent and
Trademark Office" link is activated. FIG. 8 shows the effect of
this information object when the routine of FIG. 3 is carried
out.
[0037] Although the invention has been described in terms of a
preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that
various modifications of the invention can be practiced within the
spirit and scope of the appended claims. Thus, for example, the
information supplied to the user during the period between link
activation and downloading of the hypertext document need not be
merely a visual output. It is also envisioned that some or all
parts of a particular message be conveyed to the user aurally (via
a multimedia speaker set, for example) as well as on the display
screen. The message itself may be retained on the screen as an
in-line image or other text along with the downloaded hypertext
document, and the browser includes appropriate means to queue the
message to print and/or to save the message or allow the user to
compose a response to the message. One such technique for
responding to the message uses the HTML "fill-in" form tags. The
browser may be suitably programmed to queue the mini web page for
background printing whenever the link is activated.
[0038] Moreover, although in the preferred embodiment it is
envisioned that the hypertext document (associated with the web
page link) is located on a remote server, this is not a limitation
of the invention. The display of informational messages may be
effected whenever a link is activated, regardless of the location
of the target document. Also, while the preferred embodiment has
been described in the context of an Internet browser, the
techniques of the invention apply whether or not the user accesses
the Worldwide Web via a direct Internet connection (namely using an
Internet access provider) or indirectly through some on-line
service provider (such as America On-Line, Prodigy, Compuserve, the
Microsoft Network, or the like). Thus the "computer network" in
which the invention is implemented should be broadly construed to
include any client-server model from which a client can link to a
"remote" document (even if that document is available on the same
machine or system).
[0039] It should also be appreciated that while in the preferred
embodiment the information object is formatted and displayed upon
activation of a link in a web page being currently displayed, this
is not a limitation of the invention either. The information object
need not be embedded within an existing web page, but rather may be
embedded within the home page of the browser or supported elsewhere
within the client itself. Thus, the information object may be
displayed whenever a call to a web page is made, such as when a
search to a particular URL is initiated, or when a
previously-stored URL is launched (e.g., from a "View Bookmark"
pull-down menu). Moreover, the client may store random information
objects in the form of information advertisements (which in turn
may include gif files to produce images) so that the browser may
call any such information at random. The browser may even be
programmed to select which of the plurality of information objects
to display based on a comparison of the type of web pages accessed
by the user. Thus, for example, if the user accesses web pages
relating to a particular service, the browser may be programmed to
identify this access history and select predetermined information
objects that will be of interest to the user (given that
history).
[0040] The information objects may themselves be HTML "fill-in"
forms that are retained on the display screen and may be filled in
with information that the browser can then deliver back to some
third party service provider. This enables the information objects
to be used as mini survey forms for interactive, on-line surveys
and the like, which would be especially advantageous for web site
providers or other third parties. The information object may
include its own embedded link so that the user can link to another
URL directly from the object itself. Thus, for example, where the
object is an advertisement, a user could read the ad and then
hyperlink to the web page of the company that sponsors the ad.
[0041] As noted above, the information object may be automatically
or selectively queued to the client printer upon display. This
would enable the viewer to generate merchandise coupons and the
like related to the web page being accessed. Thus the web site
provider could offer the viewer some added incentive for accessing
its web page by causing the printing of a redeemable coupon or
other information token (e.g., a discount card, a receipt, etc.).
All of these actions are initiated during the otherwise downtime
between web page access and download, thereby significantly
increasing the value of the on-line informational content provided
to the user.
[0042] As used herein, the "information object" or "information"
output to the viewer during the link process should be broadly
construed to cover any and all forms of messages, notices, text,
graphics, sound, video, tables, diagrams, applets and other
content, and combinations of any of the above.
[0043] One of the preferred implementations of the "browser" of the
invention is as a set of instructions in a code module resident in
the random access memory of the user's personal computer. Until
required by the computer, the set of instructions may be stored in
another computer memory, for example, in a hard disk drive, or in a
removable memory such as an optical disk (for eventual use in a CD
ROM) or floppy disk (for eventual use in a floppy disk drive). As
seen in FIG. 9, for example, the invention may be implemented as a
computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage
medium 90 having a substrate 92, and program data 94 encoded on the
substrate. The program data 94 implements various means for
carrying out the above-described functions. The medium 90 may be a
separate physical media such as a CD-ROM or floppy diskette, or it
may comprise the client computer's hard drive, cache or other
available memory, as would be the case if the program data or
portions thereof are downloaded via the Internet.
[0044] In addition, although the various methods described are
conveniently implemented in a general purpose computer selectively
activated or reconfigured by software, one of ordinary skill in the
art would also recognize that such methods may be carried out in
hardware, in firmware, or in more specialized apparatus constructed
to perform the required method steps.
[0045] The present invention is designed to be implemented with
conventional HTML and enhancements thereto (including HTML 2.0,
HTML 3.0, HTML with third party-supplied extensions such as NHTML,
and the like), by an HTML-compliant browser, such as Netscape,
Netscape Navigator 2.0, Mosaic, MSN, as such existing or developed
programs are modified to include the functionality of the invention
described above. The functionality may be built into the browser or
added as a plug-in. Netscape Navigator 2.0 has in-line support for
platform-independent application objects (e.g., applets written in
Java, from Sun Microsystems). An applet resides on the server
associated with a web page and is downloaded to the client browser
after a link is established to the web page. The browser includes
an engine for executing the downloaded applets. With this type of
browser, the invention caches or otherwise stores a downloaded
applet and later uses it, preferably when a new, related link is
established. Thus, an "information object" according to the
invention may include an applet which, for example, may generate an
animated figure or icon, some aural output, a scrolling display, or
a combination thereof. One of ordinary skill, however, will
recognize that the inventive features of the invention, including
the masking of "mini" hypertext documents within a web page and
display of such documents upon link activation, may be applied to
other Internet services as well as to HTTP compliant browsers.
Thus, the invention would be useful to provide information to a
user during an FTP access, an on-line chat, a posting to a bulletin
board, or even during the sending and retrieval of e-mail. All such
variations are considered within the scope of the invention.
[0046] FIG. 10 illustrates how information objects (e.g.,
product/service advertisements) may be distributed to one or more
servers in the computer network, and FIG. 11 illustrates a
preferred technique for downloading a hypertext document (with its
associated information object) to the client machine. Turning
initially to FIG. 10, a server 100 provides various control
functions and includes an associated information warehouse 102,
which is preferably configured as a physically secure electronic
repository for the storage of product/service descriptions and
associated data. Server 100 may be controlled by an entity that
contracts with one or more product/service providers 104 who desire
to advertise their products or services through the information
objects Entities 104 provide the advertisements, or descriptions
and data used to create the advertisements, to the information
warehouse preferably in an electronic manner. The information
warehouse then electronically delivers the advertisements to one or
more of the web servers 106 at which hypertext documents are
supported. Advertisements can thus be "refreshed" or updated at any
time or at regular intervals irrespective of whether the hypertext
documents supported on web servers 106 change. Information objects
may then be stored in the web server 106 in a dedicated area or
directly embedded or associated with particular hypertext documents
stored there.
[0047] An information object may include high bandwidth content
including high resolution graphics, audio and video. In some
instances then, the object may be relatively large in size such
that "in-lining" the object an embedded link (e.g., within an HTML
comment tag) may not be the most efficient way of downloading. In
such case, it will be desirable (although not required) to store
the information object in the web server 106 separate from any
particular hypertext document so that the object may be downloaded
to the client machine (with a hypertext document) by being
"appended" at the distal or "backend" of the hypertext document
that may be used to bring the object down to the client machine.
(Of course, as noted above, information objects may be stored at
the client machine in other ways besides being brought down by
hypertext documents). This technique is illustrated in FIG. 11.
[0048] The method begins at step 110 by downloading a first (or
"source") hypertext document (which then becomes the "current web
page" within the context of FIG. 3). This document includes an
associated information object, such as an advertising graphic that
will be associated with some user-selectable display graphic (e.g.,
a link) in the first hypertext document. At step 112, the browser
at the client machine displays at least a portion of the first
hypertext document (e.g., introductory text) while the download of
the document (and the information object) continues at step 114 as
a background process. By "background process," it is meant that the
process goes on without being directly or indirectly apparent to
the user. This ensures that the user can begin browsing the first
hypertext document irrespective of whether the download of the
information object is complete. At step 116, the routine continues
by storing the information object in a storage of the client
machine (e.g., a dedicated cache) as the user browses the first
hypertext document. This technique ensures that delivery of
relatively large information objects does not otherwise slow down
the browsing session. To complete the routine, the user activates
the user-selectable clickable graphic at step 118 to link to a
second (or "target") hypertext object. As discussed above, this
retrieves the information object for display on the client
interface as the new link is established. This is step 120.
[0049] Under some circumstances, it may be desirable to download
the first hypertext document completely and then download the
information object separately (e.g., after a time delay), again
preferably as a background process. In this manner, the user would
not be directly aware that the information object was downloaded as
he or she would be browsing the first hypertext document in the
foreground. As far as the user is concerned, the first hypertext
document is wholly "present" in the client (and is displayed), even
though some of the information object is still being downloaded.
Thus, as used herein, the concept of "appending" the information
object to a hypertext document should be broadly construed to cover
both the direct attachment of the object to the document (either
directly or otherwise) as well as the serial transmission of the
document and then the object (even if there is some finite time
delay between such transmissions).
[0050] Delaying the download of the information object in this
fashion can be advantageous, especially in the situation where the
user receives the first hypertext document but then quickly decides
to proceed to a URL that is not associated with a link in the
document or to link to another URL (in the displayed document) that
does not have an associated information object. In either case, the
object would not be downloaded at all because the link with which
it is associated would not be activated. Thus, it may be desirable
to build in a fixed time delay between downloading of the first
hypertext document and the information object(s) associated
therewith so that if one or more predetermined events occur at the
browser (with respect the document), no object download takes
place.
[0051] Alternatively, information objects may be conveniently
downloaded to the browser whenever there is "idle" time during the
connection between the client and a server. Thus, an information
object need not be appended to a hypertext document at all, but
merely downloaded to the client during a period when the user is
browsing the current page. Information objects downloaded in this
manner are preferably stored in cache in a background process and
may or may not be associated with a particular link in the current
page. Upon link activation or some other event, however, an object
is displayed to the user to provide seamless browsing.
[0052] Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and
desire to secure by Letters Patent is set forth in the following
claims.
* * * * *
References