Apple Exhibit 1018 Page 00001
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`

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`U.S. Patent
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`Dec. 23, 2003
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`Sheet 1 0f5
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`US 6,668,353 B1
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`Page 00002
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`U.S. Patent
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`Dec. 23, 2003
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`Sheet 2 0f5
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`US 6,668,353 B1
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`

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`U.S. Patent
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`Dec. 23, 2003
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`Sheet3 0f5
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`U.S. Patent
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`Dec. 23, 2003
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`Sheet 4 of 5
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`US 6,668,353 B1
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`U.S. Patent
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`Dec. 23, 2003
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`Sheet 5 0f5
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`US 6,668,353 B1
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`US 6,668,353 B1
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`1
`SPACE/TIME PORTALS FOR COMPUTER
`SYSTEMS
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`1. Field of the Invention
`
`The present invention relates to computer networks, such
`as the Internet or World Wide Web, and, in particular, to
`portals used to retrieve customized sets of information
`during web browsing and other network access activities.
`2. Description of the Related Art
`Computer networks, such as the Internet or World Wide
`Web, enable users to access an almost unlimited amount of
`information. Although web browsers and other applications
`for Internet searching exist to enable users to locate any and
`all available information, many users are interested in
`receiving the same types of information during each of their
`web browsing sessions. For example, a particular user may
`be interested in the current prices of specific stocks that he
`owns, the latest scores for his favorite sports teams, his daily
`horoscope, and the weather report for his home town. For
`such users, personal portals are being provided by a number
`of Internet service providers and web servers.
`Apersonal portal is a network search tool that defines a set
`of user-selected information requests. Whenever the user
`accesses the network through his personal portal, the portal
`gathers information satisfying the specified requests from
`one or more network-based databases and presents that
`information to the user as a computer display with a com-
`posite format,
`thereby providing the user with what
`is
`essentially his own personal, customized web page. One
`such personal portal service is the “My Netscape” portal
`provided by Netscape Communications Corporation of
`Mountain View, Calif.
`The one or more databases from which information is
`
`gathered to satisfy the portal requests are frequently if not
`constantly updated so that the set of information provided to
`the user is current (e.g.,
`the current weather report,
`the
`horoscope for current date). Thus, every time the user
`accesses the network through his personal portal, the par-
`ticular information presented to the user will be different,
`even if the set of information requests defined by the portal
`have not changed. Some personal portals may even auto-
`matically update the information presented to the user in real
`time during a particular network access session as the
`databases from which that information is gathered are them-
`selves updated. Although a user may be able to modify
`manually his personal portal to change the defined set of
`information requests (e.g., adding and deleting stocks to
`refiect changes in the composition of his personal stock
`portfolio), nevertheless, between such manual changes to the
`portal definition, the set of portal requests is static, with only
`the databases of information being updated over time.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`invention is directed to portals that are
`The present
`automatically modified as a function of either space or time
`or both. With a so-called space/time portal of the present
`invention,
`the set of requests defined for the portal
`is
`modified automatically as a function of either a specified
`location or a specified time or both, independent of whether
`or not the information databases used to satisfy those portal
`requests are themselves also updated over time. Depending
`on the implementation, the specified location and/or time
`may be selected automatically or manually by the user.
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`In one embodiment, the present invention is a computer-
`based server configured to provide access to a user via a
`portal through which information is presented to the user in
`a composite format, wherein the portal defines a set of
`information requests used to gather the information pre-
`sented to the user, and the set of information requests for the
`portal is modified automatically as a function of a specified
`location, a specified time, or both.
`In another embodiment, the present invention is a method
`for presenting information to a user accessing a computer-
`based server, comprising the steps of (a) providing a portal
`to the user, wherein the portal defines a set of information
`requests used to gather the information presented to the user;
`(b) selecting a specified location, a specified time, or both
`corresponding to the user; (c) automatically modifying the
`set of information requests corresponding to the portal as a
`function of the specified location, the specified time, or both;
`and (d) using the modified portal to gather the information
`for presentation to the user in a composite format.
`The present invention addresses the problem of informa-
`tion overload by accessing high priority and relevant infor-
`mation through intelligent filtering while accessing infor-
`mation using web technology. The space/time portals of the
`present
`invention allow users to locate themselves at a
`particular point
`in space and time using a web locator
`window with a personal view of their information. Space/
`time portals can be used to gather personal information as
`well as shared information from other sources based on a
`specified location and/or a specified time. The present inven-
`tion eases web navigation by decreasing web searches and
`eliminating web clicks to find essential information. The
`present invention is particularly well suited for, but certainly
`not limited to, the average business manager.
`A web designed around a database back-end tied to an
`integrated management application can provide custom
`information to a user via a personal web page. The locator
`window of the present invention pinpoints the user’s infor-
`mation requirements. The combination of a database back-
`end for all information storage and a dynamic web page
`displaying information specific to a user’s needs at a speci-
`fied location and time allows fast access to web-based
`information with minimal navigation. The database holds
`information from many people allowing cross-referencing
`and information viewing across many people or a group of
`people.
`A GPS (global positioning system) processor can be
`integrated to a user’s PC (personal computer) or PDA
`(personal data assistant) to determine his current location in
`space and a clock in the PC or PDA establishes a current
`location in time as default. As the user shifts views in space
`and time, information will be generated from sources and
`dynamically published to a web page. This web page may
`contain general
`information (such as news and events),
`personal information (such as action items, schedules, and
`meetings), and shared information (such as project
`calendars, action items owned by others, and project notes).
`The present
`invention relates to a new design for a
`personal web portal with dynamic page generation utilizing
`access methods that are highly accepted by the public, such
`as calendaring and mapping. The present invention allows
`users the option of multiple platforms (e.g., SUN
`workstations, Windows-based PCs, Apple Macintosh
`computers). The present
`invention enables collaboration
`between users through a common port of entry and extrac-
`tion.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present
`invention will become more fully apparent from the follow-
`
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`US 6,668,353 B1
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`3
`the appended claims, and the
`ing detailed description,
`accompanying drawings in which:
`FIG. 1 shows a generic representation of a composite
`display generated on a user’s monitor during network access
`through a space/time portal, according to one embodiment
`of the present invention;
`FIG. 2 shows a more detailed representation of the
`space/time locator cell of the composite display of FIG. 1;
`FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a network configuration
`used to support the use of a personalized space/time portal
`by a particular user, according to one embodiment of the
`present invention;
`FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram representing exemplary
`processing implemented at
`the user and at
`the network
`servers for the network of FIG. 3 for the beginning of a
`web-browsing session through a personalized space/time
`portal;
`FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram representing exemplary
`processing implemented at the user and at the web portal
`server for the network of FIG. 3 when the user uses the
`
`locator cell of FIG. 2 to change the selection of the specified
`location for the user’s personalized space/time portal; and
`FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram representing exemplary
`processing implemented at the user and at the web portal
`server for the network of FIG. 3 when the user uses the
`
`locator cell of FIG. 2 to change the selection of the specified
`time for the user’s personalized space/time portal.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`According to the present invention, a space/time portal is
`a portal whose defined set of information requests is auto-
`matically modified as a function of a specified location
`and/or a specified time. As the specified location and/or time
`changes,
`the set of information requests defined for the
`portal is automatically modified. As a result, not only is
`information itself updated as the databases from which the
`information is gathered are updated over time, but the types
`of information themselves defined by the portal requests also
`vary as the specified location and/or time varies. As with
`conventional portals, the information gathered during net-
`work access through a space/time portal may be gathered
`from a single network-based information database or from
`any number of different databases available on the network.
`Depending on the particular implementation, there are a
`number of different possible ways in which time and/or
`location can be specified. For example, time can be specified
`automatically to correspond to the user’s current time. That
`clock signal may be generated local to the user (e.g., the
`system clock of the user’s computer) or received from some
`appropriate remote source (e.g., the network server accessed
`by the user’s computer). Alternatively, time can be specified
`manually by the user to allow the user to select a date and/or
`time of day other than the current date and/or time of day.
`Analogously, location can be specified automatically to
`correspond to the user’s current location, e.g., as determined
`from GPS signals received by at
`the user’s computer.
`Alternatively, location can be specified manually by the user
`to allow the user to select a location other than the user’s
`current location.
`
`that a particular user typically
`Assume, for example,
`accesses the Internet through her personal space/time portal
`using her portable laptop computer from one of three
`different locations: her residence, her office, or her vacation
`home. Assume further that the user’s space/time portal is
`configured to specify location automatically based on GPS
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`the specified
`signals received at the laptop. In that case,
`location used to modify the user’s space/time portal will be
`the current location of the laptop. Assume also that the user
`has pre-selected a different set of information requests for
`each of her
`three typical network access locations
`(residence, office, and vacation home). In that case, when the
`user accesses the network using her laptop, the specified
`location will be automatically selected to be the user’s
`current location and her space/time portal will be automati-
`cally modified to select
`the set of information requests
`corresponding to that current location.
`For example, when she accesses the network from her
`residence, the space/time portal will be automatically modi-
`fied based on the specified location being her residence to
`gather and present information satisfying a pre-selected set
`of requests relevant to that location (e.g., the weather report
`for the vicinity of her residence, current road and traffic
`conditions for her commute to work, schedule of events for
`the local school district). Similarly, when she accesses the
`network from her office,
`the space/time portal will be
`automatically modified based on the specified location being
`her office to gather and present information satisfying a
`pre-selected set of requests relevant to that location (e.g., the
`weather report for the vicinity of her office, current road and
`traffic conditions for her commute back to her residence, her
`schedule of meetings for the day). Lastly, when she accesses
`the network from her vacation home, the space/time portal
`will be automatically modified based on the specified loca-
`tion being her vacation home to gather and present infor-
`mation satisfying a pre-selected set of requests relevant to
`that location (e.g., the weather report for the vicinity of her
`vacation home, available tee times at the golf courses near
`her vacation home, available reservation times at
`local
`restaurants).
`Instead of being modified automatically as a function of
`location, a space/time portal of the present invention can
`also be configured to be modified automatically as a function
`of time. Assume in the previous example that the user has
`defined her work and vacation schedule for the year using a
`network-based calendar application in which she specifies
`which days of the year she will be at work, which days she
`will spend at her residence, and which days she will be at her
`vacation home. In that case, the space/time portal can be
`configured to be modified as a function of the current time,
`e.g., as automatically determined from the local system
`clock in the user’s laptop. In particular, the current time is
`used to access the calendar application to determine which
`of three pre-selected sets of requests (i.e., corresponding to
`a work day, a home day, or a vacation day) is to be used to
`gather information through the space/time portal.
`In addition to being configured to select automatically the
`specified location and/or time used to modify the space/time
`portal, a space/time portal can be configured to have the
`specified location and/or time selected manually by the user.
`For example, assume in the previous example that the user
`is currently at her office on Monday morning, but she wants
`to plan her schedule for the upcoming weekend to be spent
`at her vacation home. Rather than have her space/time portal
`be automatically modified based on her current location (i.e.,
`office) and current time (i.e., Monday morning), the user can
`manually select the specified location for the space/time
`portal to be her vacation home. As such,
`the space/time
`portal will be modified to gather information corresponding
`to her vacation home. Depending on the set of portal
`requests defined for the specified location being her vacation
`home, this may not suit her needs. For example, knowing the
`available tee times for the golf courses in the vicinity of her
`
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`US 6,668,353 B1
`
`5
`
`vacation home for the current time (i.e., Monday morning)
`is not going to help her out for the coming weekend. In that
`case, the space/time portal can, be configured to allow her to
`select manually both the specified location and the specified
`time, so that, from her office on Monday morning, she can
`select both the specified location to be her vacation home
`and the specified time to be the next Saturday. As such, the
`user will be able to see the available tee times for an
`
`appropriate location and date.
`In the above examples, the modifications to the space/
`time portal were limited to three discrete sets of information
`requests that were pre-selected by the user for three different
`specified locations or three different specified times. The
`present invention can also be implemented to provide “con-
`tinuous” modification of space/time portals. For example, a
`space/time portal according to the present invention can be
`configured to provide the weather report for the region
`centered on the specified location, wherever that specified
`location is. If the specified location is automatically selected
`to be the user’s current
`location based on GPS signals
`received at the user’s laptop, then the space/time portal will
`provide the relevant weather report for the user’s current
`location, no matter where that current location is. Moreover,
`the specified location can be updated in real time as the
`user’s current location changes. For example, a mobile user
`in a car or airplane will automatically be presented with
`continuously updated information as the user’s current loca-
`tion changes.
`FIG. 1 shows a generic representation of a composite
`display 100 generated on a user’s monitor during network
`access through a space/time portal, according to one
`embodiment of the present invention. Display 100 is analo-
`gous to a user’s personal web page. According to the present
`invention, the information presented in one or more of the
`constituent cells of display 100 satisfies space/time portal
`requests that are modified automatically as a function either
`the specified location or the specified time or both. As
`shown, display 100 comprises the following constituent
`cells:
`
`A space/time locator cell 102 that enables the user to
`modify manually the selection of the specified location
`and/or time.
`A communications ticker cell 104 that displays a sum-
`mary of personalized news specifically relevant to the
`user;
`
`A news cell 106 that displays a summary of news items
`gathered through the space/time portal;
`A search area cell 108 that enables the user to perform
`text-based web searching;
`An integrated management application cell 110 that pro-
`vides link lists that enable the user to execute different
`
`web-based application programs;
`A business applications cell 112 that provides link lists
`that enable the user to execute different web-based
`
`business application programs;
`A services and transactions cell 114 that displays a
`summary of annual or periodic maintenance functions;
`A quick links cell 116 that provides a personalized list of
`links for the user;
`A training and reference cell 118 that provides access to
`various local training and/or reference services;
`A business communications cell 120 that renders web-
`
`based radio and/or television programming; and
`A portal communicator bar 122 that alerts the user of
`special events or items requiring attention relative to
`their position in space and time.
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`In the example presented earlier, display 100 may corre-
`spond to the information gathered and presented by the
`space/time portal on the user’s laptop when the specified
`location is the user’s office and/or the specified time is a
`work day. In one implementation, the user is presented with
`a series of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) asking the user
`to enter or select preferences corresponding to different
`types of information in order to customize the space/time
`portal.
`Navigation through the space/time portal corresponding
`to display 100 to retrieve specific information can be accom-
`plished a number of different ways. The user can use the
`search area cell 108 to access a search engine using text-
`based searching to retrieve specific information from differ-
`ent databases. Alternatively, the user can access information
`using the link lists provided in the various cells of display
`100. In addition, the user can use the space/time locator cell
`102 to select manually the specified location and/or the
`specified time used to modify automatically the space/time
`portal.
`FIG. 2 shows a more detailed representation of the
`space/time locator cell 102 of display 100 of FIG. 1. Locator
`cell 102 displays a map 202, a calendar 204, a time-of-day
`field 206, and a set of possible views 208 (i.e., default view,
`2”’ view, and 3”’ view).
`Using the computer’s mouse-driven pointer, the user can
`manually select the specified location for the space/time
`portal by selecting a specific point on the map 202. The
`specified location is then used to modify automatically the
`space/time portal.
`In addition to selecting the specified
`location, selecting a point on the map 202 may also result in
`a zooming operation that redisplays an expanded view of the
`map zooming in on the specified location. The zooming
`operation may also affect the size of the region of interest
`surrounding the specified location that is used to modify the
`space/time portal. The greater the zooming, the smaller the
`region of interest (e.g., statewide weather reports rather than
`countrywide weather reports being generated by the space/
`time portal). This zooming operation can be repeated to
`continue to refine the selection of the specified location and
`to continue to reduce the size of the region of interest
`surrounding the specified location (e.g., citywide weather
`reports rather than statewide weather reports).
`In an analogous fashion, the calendar 204 and the time-
`of-day field 206 can be used to select manually the specified
`time used to modify automatically the space/time portal.
`When only the calendar 204 is used, the resolution of the
`specified time used to modify the space/time portal may be
`limited to the day, the month of year, or even the year as a
`whole. The resolution of the specified time can be narrowed
`to include the time of day (or a range of time) in hours or
`even minutes using the time-of-day field 206 in conjunction
`with the calendar 204. Zooming in and out can also be
`implemented for calendar 204, with available displays cor-
`responding to representations of a single day, an entire
`month, or an entire year.
`The three available views 208 (i.e., default view, 2”’ view,
`and 3”’ view) allow the user to predefine up to three different
`sets of portal requests for different specified locations and/or
`specified times. Referring once again to the previous
`example, the default view may correspond to the space/time
`portal modified for the user’s residence, the 2”’ view may
`correspond to the-space/time portal modified for the user’s
`office, and the 3”’ view may correspond to the space/time
`portal modified for the user’s vacation home. These options
`allow the user to specify manually and quickly how the
`space/time portal should be modified for routine network
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`US 6,668,353 B1
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`7
`access sessions. In this example, the map 202, calendar 204,
`and time-of-day field 206 can be used to select manually
`combinations of specified location and time other than the
`three pre-defined views 208.
`FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a network configuration
`300 used to support the use of a personalized space/time
`portal by a particular user, according to one embodiment of
`the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, user 302 accesses,
`via network connection 304, an access and control server
`306 which implements a user registration system to manage
`and control the user’s access to the network. Access and
`control server 306 also implements a user statistics system
`to log the user’s navigation through the network.
`The user’s personal web page, such as display 100 of FIG.
`1, is generated by web portal server 308 which executes the
`user-configured space/time portal to gather the information
`for display 100. The information for the display is gathered
`by web portal server 308 using any of a number of different
`available servers, including database server 310, application
`server 312, news server 314, and monitor server 316. News
`server 314 provides a database of news-related information
`organized by time, location, company, categories, and indus-
`try. Database server 310 provides a database of other infor-
`mation organized by time, location, organization, category,
`author, and audience. Application server 312 provides inte-
`grated management applications,
`interfaces to legacy
`systems, and business applications. Monitor server 316
`provides access to other miscellaneous servers and services.
`All user-generated information is stored and published in
`self-publishing web application 318. User-specific prefer-
`ences and other criteria used to define the user’s space/time
`portal are stored on either access and control server 306 and
`web portal server 308.
`In network configuration 300 in FIG. 3, most if not all of
`the intelligence related to the space/time portal is resident on
`the network side of network connection 304. As such, the
`sophistication required at
`the user’s equipment 302 is
`minimal, thereby enabling the use of relatively simple and
`inexpensive user equipment (e.g., a television set-top box) to
`support web access via the space/time portals of the present
`invention.
`
`FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram representing exemplary
`processing implemented at the user 302 and at the network
`servers 306 and 308 for network 300 of FIG. 3 for the
`
`beginning of a web-browsing session through the user’s
`personalized space/time portal. When user 302 initiates
`access to the network (block 402), access and control server
`306 authenticates the user and login information for access
`to the network (block 404). Directory server (block 406)
`provides further information about
`the user (e.g., office
`location and organization within company) for use in deter-
`mining access privileges and filtering information for the
`user. Using self-publishing web application 318, web portal
`server 308 executes the user’s personal space/time portal
`(block 410) as modified by an automatically selected speci-
`fied location and/or an automatically selected specified time
`(block 412) to generate a composite display of information
`for presentation on the user’s monitor (block 408).
`After the connecting to the network through the portal, the
`user is able to use her personal web page to change the
`selection of defaults and the definitions of portal requests
`(block 414). In response, web portal server 308 records and
`stores the updated user preferences for future use.
`In
`addition, web portal server 308 modifies the space/time
`portal in real time based on any changes made by the user
`to the specified location and/or time and updates accordingly
`the composite display of information presented to the user
`(block 416).
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`FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram representing exemplary
`processing implemented at the user 302 and at the web portal
`server 308 for network 300 of FIG. 3 when the user uses
`
`locator cell 102 of FIG. 2 to change the selection of the
`specified location for the user’s personalized space/time
`portal. Using the computer mouse, the user selects a point on
`map 202 of locator 102 to select a new specified location
`(block 502). In response, web portal server 308 updates the
`display of map 202 to show the selected area with more
`detail (block 504). In addition, web portal server 308 modi-
`fies the user’s space/time portal based on the new specified
`location and regenerates the personal web page showing
`information related to new specified location (block 504). As
`the user continues to modify the selection of the specified
`location using map 202 (block 506), web portal server 308
`continues to update the display of map 202 to zoom in on the
`specified location and regenerate the personal web page
`accordingly (block 508).
`FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram representing exemplary
`processing implemented at the user 302 and at the web portal
`server 308 for network 300 of FIG. 3 when the user uses
`
`locator cell 102 of FIG. 2 to change the selection of the
`specified time for the user’s personalized space/time portal.
`Using the computer mouse, the user access calendar 204 of
`locator 102 to select a year, month, and day corresponding
`to a new specified time (block 602). In response, web portal
`server 308 updates the display of calendar 204 to show the
`selected time with more detail (e.g., representing a single
`day instead of a month) (block 604). In addition, web portal
`server 308 modifies the user’s space/time portal based on the
`new specified time and regenerates the personal web page
`showing information related to new specified time (block
`604). The user can select the specified time with even more
`precision (i.e., hours and minutes) using the time-of-day
`field 206 of locator 102 (block 606). In response, web portal
`server 308 updates the display of the time-of-day field 206
`showing more detail and again regenerate the personal web
`page accordingly (block 608).
`In addition to network 300 of FIG. 3, the present invention
`can be applied to a variety of other network configurations.
`For example, although the invention has been described in
`the context of internets, such as the World Wide Web, the
`invention can also be implemented in the context of other
`types of computer networks, including intranets.
`The equipment used by a user to navigate the network
`through a space/time portal can be any suitable type of
`equipment used for such a purpose including a computer
`terminal, a personal computer (PC), a portable laptop
`computer, a television set-top box, or a personal data assis-
`tant (PDA). These examples include equipment that has a
`fixed location (e.g., a computer terminal, a PC, or a set-top
`box) as well as mobile equipment whose location can vary
`over time (e.g., a laptop or a PDA). Similarly, the commu-
`nication links by which users access the network include
`permanent hard-wired links (e.g., computer network cabling
`or multi-media cable television service), temporary hard-
`wired links (e.g., a phone line with a quick-connect jack to
`be plugged into a laptop or PDA with a modem), and
`wireless connections (e.g., used by a wireless PDA).
`Although the space/time portals described above are
`personal space/time portals that each individual user can
`customize, the present invention can also be applied to other
`portals including vertical portals, which are shared portals
`that are customized for groups of users. Even in the case of
`a vertical or other shared space/time portal, however, the set