US 6,944,817 B1
`(10) Patent No:
`a2) United States Patent
`Danneels
`(45) Date of Patent:
`Sep. 13, 2005
`
`
`US006944817B1
`
`(54) METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOCAL
`GENERATION OF WEB PAGES
`Inventor: Gunner D. Danneels, Beaverton, OR
`(US)
`
`(75)
`
`:
`(73) Assignee:
`
`(*) Notice:
`
`,
`Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, CA
`(US)
`Subject to anydisclaimer, the term of this
`patentis extended or adjusted under 35
`US.C. 154(b) by 203 d
`—
`y
`ays:
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/589,535
`(22)
`Filed:
`Jun. 7, 2000
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`(63) Continuation of application No. 08/828,580, filed on Mar.
`31, 1997.
`Int. C1.)eee G06F 17/00; GO6F 17/30
`(ST)
`
`. 715/513; 715/500.1; 707/1;
`(52) U.S. Cl.
`...
`707/10
`(58) Field of Search oo... cee 707/500, 501,
`707/513, 526, 530, 1-6, 100; 709/200,
`201-203, 219, 225-227, 310-312
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`4,885,775 A
`12/1989 Lucas
`etal.
`5,530,852 A
`6/1996 Meske, Jr.
`..... 709/219
`5,727,156 A *
`3/1998 Herr-Hoyman et al.
`oieoe ‘
`Dyi908 “creneonctal seretesessess-corsa
`
`........ 507/501.
`5.987480 A * 11/1999 Donohueet al.
`6,012,070 A *
`1/2000 Cheng etal. ou. 707/505
`6,141,666 A * 10/2000 Tobin oo eee 707/513
`
`6,304,893 BL * 10/2001 Gish voeccccecseseseceeees 707/10
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`Laura Lemay, “Chapter 17, Basic Forms”, teach yourself
`WebPublishing with HTML 3.2 in a week, Sams.net Pub-
`lishing, Third Edition, 1996, pp. 463-488.
`Laura Temay, “Chapter 18, Beginning CGIScripting”, teach
`yourself WebPublishing with HTML 3.2 in a week, Sams.net
`Publishing, Third Edition, 1996, pp. 489-517.
`User Guide vol. I, Template Language Extension”, Inter-
`shop Communications, Chapter 4, 1997-1998, pp. 4449.
`User Guide vol. II, “Templates”, Intershop Communica-
`tions, Chapter 5, 1997-1998, pp. 62-169.
`*
`cited by
`i
`cited
`by examiner
`Primary Examiner—Alford W. Kindred
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Blakely, Sokoloff, Taylor &
`Zalman LLP
`
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`A method and apparatus for performing dynamic modifica-
`tion of templates based ona local user profile is provided. A
`documentis received from a server by a client. The docu-
`ment includes one or more placeholders. The placeholders
`mayheset off by escape sequences, for example. The client
`parses the documentto locate the one or more placeholders.
`The client substitutes for the one or more placeholders data
`that is based upon local content stored on the client. The
`local content may bestored in a local userprofile in the form
`of a database ora registry file, for example. The document
`maybe in the form of a generic Hypertext Markup Language
`(IITML)
`template.
`If this is the case,
`the substitution
`includes translating the generic HTML template into an
`HTMLdocumentby replacing the one or more placeholders
`Wilh HTMLexpressions.
`
`9 Claims, 5 Drawing Sheets
`
`CLIENT 308
`
`SERVER 310
`
`
`
`od
`~~ %PLACEHOLDER1%
`
`__[WPLACEHOLDERZ6 ~~~
`322
`
`HTMLTEMPLATE 320
`
`
`
`
`
`Ll
`
`
`
`TAILORED OUTPUT
`325
`
`Zynga Ex. 1008,p. 1
`Zynga v. IGT
`IPR2022-00199
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`Zynga Ex. 1008, p. 1
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. 13, 2005
`
`Sheet 1 of 5
`
`US 6,944,817 B1
`
`INTERNET 130
`
`SERVER110
`
`
`CLIENT 105
`
`BROWSER
`
`TAILORED OUTPUT
`170
`
`
`
`FIG. 1
`(PRIOR ART)
`
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. 13, 2005
`
`Sheet 2 of 5
`
`US 6,944,817 B1
`
`AYXOWAW
`
`sng
`
`LO
`
`AINOGV3Y
`
`
`YOSSA00Nd
`
`C0e
`
`Zynga Ex. 1008, p. 3
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`IGT
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. 13, 2005
`
`Sheet 3 of 5
`
`US 6,944,817 B1
`
`CLIENT 305
`
`BROWSER
`330
`
`
`
`
`HELPER
`FILTER
`340
`
`| HTTP
`
`LOCAL
`USER
`PROFILE
`350
`
`321
`
`
`
`~~— %PLACEHOLDER1%
`~~
`
`%PLACEHOLDER2% ~~~
`
`
`
`322
`
`HTML TEMPLATE 320
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`TAILORED QUTFUT
`325
`
`FIG. 3
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. 13, 2005
`
`Sheet 4 of 5
`
`US 6,944,817 B1
`
`CLIENT 105
`
`SERVER 110
`
`REQUEST
`
`410
`
`
`HTML FORM
`
`
`STOCK QUOTES
`
`NUMBER PURCHASE
`TICKER
`SHARES
`PRICE
`
`
`CJ LIC4
`
`[C1 CI C4
`
`
`
`
`HTML FORM SUBMISSION
`
`420
`
`PORTFOLIO VALUE
`
`
`HTML DOCUMENT
`
`STOCKCURRENT NUMBER CURRENTPURCHASE (GAIN!
`SHARES VALUE=PRICE
`
`
`
`CLIENT 305
`
`REQUEST
`
`FIG. 4A
`(PRIOR ART)
`
`SERVER 310
`
`w STOCKGUOTES
`HTML FORM
`
`
`[__] C_]
`TicxeR
`
`
`
`
` HTML FORM SUBMISSION
`
`
`
` PORTFOLIO VALUE
`HTML TEMPLATE
`
`
`SHARES VALUE 189)
`STOCKCURRENTNUMBERCURRENThia (GAl
`
`INFORMATION
`460
`
`FIG. 4B
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. 13, 2005
`
`Sheet 5 of 5
`
`US 6,944,817 B1
`
`
`
`DISPLAY ATEMPLATE
`ONACLIENT
`
`
`REQUESTA
`DOCUMENT FROMA
`SERVER
`
` 510
`
`
`
`
`
`
`RECEIVEA GENERIC
`TEMPLATE FROM
`THE SERVER
`
`920
`
`530
`
`DISPLAY THE
`oO
`
`RESULTING
`DOCUMENT
`
`FIG. 5
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`US 6,944,817 B1
`
`1
`METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOCAL
`GENERATION OF WEB PAGES
`
`RELATED APPLICATIONS
`
`The present application is a continuation application of
`application No. 08/828,580 filed Mar. 31, 1997, entitled
`“METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOCAL GENERA-
`TION OF WEB PAGES”,and assignedto the assignee of the
`present invention.
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`The invention relates generally to the communication of
`documents from servers to clients. More specifically,
`the
`invention relates to a method and apparatus for local trans-
`lation of templates transmitted by a server.
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`The architecture of the World Wide Web (the Web)
`follows a conventional client-server model. The terms “cli-
`ent” and “server” are used to refer to a computer’s general
`role as a requester ofdata (the client) or providerof data (the
`server). Web clients and Web servers communicate using a
`protocol such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). In the
`Web environment, Web browsers reside on clients and Web
`documents (pages)
`reside on servers. The client-server
`model is used to communicate information between clients
`
`and servers. Web servers are coupled to the Internet and
`respond to document requests from Web clients. When a
`user selects a document by submitting its Uniform Resource
`Locator (URL), a Web browser, such as Netscape Navigator
`opens a connection to a server andinitiates a request(e.g.,
`an IITTP get) for the document. The server delivers the
`requested document, typically in the form of a static text
`document coded in a standard markup language such as
`Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). The document is
`static in the sense that it exists in a constant state and each
`user that requests the document will see more or less the
`same content
`(subject
`to differences in browser
`functionality).
`Currently, when an HTML documentneeds to be dynami-
`cally modified for a particular user,
`the Web server will
`solicit required data from the user by way of an HTML form.
`Uponreceipt of the required data, the Web server performs
`the customization of the requested HTML document. HTML
`files are typically dynamically generated/modified by pro-
`grams residing on Webservers called CGI scripts. Common
`GatewayInterface (CGI)is a simple protocolthatfacilitates
`communication of information entered into HTML formsto
`
`CGIscripts. CGI scripts are commonly usedto access legacy
`information systems such as existing documents or data-
`bases. For example, a CGI script might query a database
`using the information from an HTMLform and output the
`results of the query to the clicnt. In other instances, CGI
`scripts may simply insert the information provided in the
`HTMLformdirectly into a requested HTML document.
`This conventional method of customizing HTML docu-
`ments for a particular useris illustrated by FIG. 1. In FIG.
`1, a client 105 is coupled to a server 110 throughthe Internet
`130. The client communicates with the server 110 via a
`browser 125 executing on the client 105. The server 110
`includes an HTTP interface 115 for recognizing and pro-
`cessing HTTP requests and a Common Gateway Interface
`(CGD) script 120 for processing information from HTML
`form 149.
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`2
`ment representing HTML form 149. The browser 125
`receives the encoded HTML document and renders HTML
`form 149 on the display (not shown). The HTMI. form 149
`includes two text entry fields 146 and 147 and a submit
`button 148. After the local user has completed HTML form
`149 and selected the submit button 148, the values entered
`into text fields 146 and 147 are transmitted by the browser
`125 to the server 110. Upon receiving the values for text
`fields 146 and 147, the server 110 executes CGI script 120
`which dynamically gencratcs output, typically representing
`an HTML document, based upon the values received. The
`output of CGIscript 120 is received by the browser 125 and
`displayed in the form of a tailored output 170. In this
`manner, the server 110 tailors a documentfor a particular
`user.
`
`The current use of HTML forms and CGIscriptsto tailor
`HTMLdocumentsis inefficient and undesirable under many
`circumstances. or example, to accommodate the current
`method of tailoring HTML documents,
`large amounts of
`data must sometimes be transmitted from the client to the
`server. Often the very same information is required to
`customize various pages of the Web, thus requiring the user
`to continually retype such information. Also, it should be
`appreciated that Web servers are optimized for transferring
`files rather than running CGI scripts. Moreover, a user may
`not want to transmit certain private information such as the
`user’s name, social security number, account numbers, and
`other sensitive information over the Internet.
`
`is desirable to provide a
`it
`In light of the foregoing,
`mechanism that allows the client to dynamically modify the
`content of an HTML document locally based upon infor-
`mation stored on the client system. It is further desirable to
`provide a mechanism for incorporating private information
`into an HTML documentreceived from a remote server
`
`the user having to risk transmitting the private
`without
`information through the Internet to the remote server.
`
`SUMMARYOF THE INVENTION
`
`A method and apparatus are described for performing,
`dynamic modification of templates based on a local user
`profile. A documentis received from a server by a client. The
`document includes one or more placeholders. The client
`parses the documentto locate the one or more placeholders.
`The client substitutes for the one or more placeholders data
`that is based upon local content stored on the client.
`According to another aspect of the present invention, the
`documentis a generic Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
`template. The substitution includes translating the generic
`HTMLtemplate into an HTML documentby replacing the
`one or more placeholders with HTML expressions.
`One advantage of using templatcs is the load on the
`server’s central processing unit can be reduced by allowing
`clients to perform some of the dynamic modification cur-
`rently performed by servers.
`Other features and advantages of the present invention
`will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from
`the detailed description which follows.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`The present invention is illustrated by way of example,
`and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accom-
`panying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer
`to similar elements and in which:
`
`In this example, when the client 105 sends a request for
`a document, the server transmits an encoded HTML docu-
`
`FIG. 1 illustrates a prior mechanism for tailoring Web
`pages for a particular user.
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`US 6,944,817 B1
`
`3
`FIG. 2 is an example of a typical computer system upon
`which one embodiment of the present
`invention can be
`implemented.
`FIG. 3 ilustrates a mechanism which provides for local
`generation of Web pages by a client according to one
`embodimentof the present invention.
`FIG. 4Aillustrates information passing that is required for
`the prior Web page tailoring method.
`FIG. 4B illustrates how private information can be
`dynamically added to an HTMLtemplate by a client accord-
`ing to one embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of display-
`ing a template on a client according to one embodiment of
`the present invention.
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`A method and apparatus for dynamic modification of
`templates based on a local user profile is described. In the
`following description,
`for the purposes of explanation,
`numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a
`thorough understanding of the present invention.It will be
`apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present
`invention may be practiced without some of these specific
`details.
`In other
`instances, well-known structures and
`devices are shown in block diagram form.
`Hardware Overview
`
`Referring to FIG. 2, a computer system is shown as 200.
`The computer system 200 represents an exemplary client
`system upon which one embodimentof the present invention
`can be implemented.
`Computer system 200 comprises a bus or other commu-
`nication means 201 for communicating information, and a
`processing, means 202 coupled with bus 201 for processing
`information. Computer system 200 further comprises a
`random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage
`device 204 (referred to as main memory), coupledto bus 201
`for storing information and instructions to be executed by
`processor 202. Main memory 204 also may be used for
`storing temporary variables or other intermediate informa-
`tion during execution of instructions by processor 202.
`Computer system 200 also comprises a read only memory
`(ROM)and/orotherstatic storage device 206 coupled to bus
`201 for storing static information and instructions for pro-
`cessor 202. Data storage device 207 is coupled to bus 201 for
`storing information and instructions.
`A data storage device 207 such as a magnetic disk or
`optical disc and its corresponding drive can be coupled to
`computcr system 200. Computer system 200 can also be
`coupled via bus 201 to a display device 221, such as a
`cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a
`computer user. An alphanumeric input device 222, including
`alphanumeric and otherkeys,is typically coupled to bus 201
`for communicating information and commandselections to
`processor 202. Another type of user input device is cursor
`control 223, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction
`keys for communicating direction information and com-
`mandselections to processor 202 and for controlling cursor
`movementon display 221. Alternatively, other input devices
`such as a stylus or pen can be used to interact with the
`display. Another device which mayoptionally be coupled to
`bus 201 is a hard copy device 224 which may be used for
`printing instructions, data or other information on a medium
`such as paper, film, or similar types of media.
`A communication device 225 is also coupled to bus 201
`for accessing a remote server via the Internet, for example.
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`4
`The communication device 225 may include a conventional
`modem or any of a number of commercially available
`networking, peripheral devices such as those used for cou-
`pling to an Ethernet, token ring, or wide area networks.
`The present invention is related to the use of computer
`system 200 for dynamically modifying a template received
`from a server based upon a user profile stored in main
`memory 204 or on the data storage device 207. In one
`embodiment, as computer system 200 executes a program
`such as a Web browser, the processor 202 accesses data
`stored in a detailed local user profile on data storage device
`207 to facilitate modification of an HTMLtemplate received
`from a Webserver.
`
`Local Generation of Web Pages
`
`FIG. 3 illustrates a mechanism which provides for local
`generation of Web pages by a client according to one
`embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment,
`whenclient 305 receives a file having a file format of type
`“template,” described below,
`the client translates the file
`using a local user profile 350 to generate a tailored output
`325.
`
`Server 310 is a computer system such as a personal
`computer or a workstation. The server’s geographic prox-
`imity to client 305 is immaterial so long as a means of
`communication is provided between the server 310 and the
`client 305. For example, server 310 may be a remate Web
`server accessible to client 305 via the Internet or server 310
`
`may be a node in a local or wide area network which
`includes client 305. Server 310 stores a generic HTML
`template 320 which is appropriately parameterized so as to
`be applicable to all users. In this example, HTML template
`320 includes two placcholders, placcholder 1 321 and place-
`holder 2 322. After the client 305 replaces placeholders 321
`and 322 with local content,
`the tailored output 325 is
`displayed. While it should be apparent, it is worthy of note
`that in generating an HTML document from an HTML
`template, the client can replace the placeholders with any
`valid HTML expression.
`Similar to server 310, client 305 may also be a general
`purpose computer system or a workstation. Client 305 is
`shown exccuting a browser 330 and a helper filter 340.
`Browser 330 represents a Web browser, such as Netscape or
`Mosaic, that is capable of interfacing with external helper
`applications.
`Whenan application such as a Web browser encounters a
`file format that cannot be read byits built-in capabilities,it
`is commonfor the application to pass the file to an external
`helper application so that
`the file can be processed or
`translated into a form recognizable by the application. While
`Web browsers typically have built-in capability to read
`HTML-formatted documents as well as other graphic file
`formats such as GIF and JPEG,interpretation of other file
`formats sometimes requires external helper applications.
`External helper applications are commonly used for audio
`and video file formats, for example. To accommodate file
`formats that require helper applications, browsers maintain
`a mapping offile formats to helper applications. The map-
`ping may be based upon Multipurpose Internet Mail Exten-
`sions (MIME)types or based uponfile extensions (e.g., a
`“ zip” extension suggests the file is compressed).
`In one embodiment, browser 330 associates the file for-
`mat of template files with an external helper application such
`as helper filter 340. Helper filter 340 is configured to
`translate template files such as HTMT. template 320, into a
`form recognizable by browser 330. This translation and the
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`US 6,944,817 B1
`
`=>
`
`form of HTML template 320 will be discussed further below.
`Importantly, while in this embodimentthe helper filer 340 is
`shownas separate from the browser 330, it will be appre-
`ciated that the helper filter 340 need not be an external
`application. Thus,in alternative embodiments, the function-
`ality of helperfilter 340 can be incorporated into the browser
`330.
`
`Local user profile 350 is preferably a detailed user profile
`containing all information the user would like an application
`to have access to for template processing. In an example
`discussed below, investment portfolio information is stored
`in a local user profile. The investment portfolio information
`may include shares, purchase prices, ticker symbols, and
`other information relevant to evaluating a portfolio’s per-
`formance. In any event, the local user profile 350 should
`include at least data commonly used for tailoring HTML
`documentsto particular users such as the local user’s name,
`address, age, electronic mail (email) address, and phone
`numbers. In a computer system running Windows 95™, the
`local user profile 350 might be included within the Win-
`dows™registry file. However, the local user profile 350 is
`not limited to such a file. Rather, the local user profile 350
`can be maintained in a local database or any otherfile so
`long as helperfilter 340 is configured appropriately so as to
`find it. In any event, in the simplest case, the helper filter 340
`retrieves information from the local user profile 350 and
`substitutes such information for placeholders embedded in
`template files transmitted by servers such as server 310.
`More complex substitutions will be discussed further below.
`At this point, it is instructive to further describe template >
`files.
`
`20
`
`25
`
`Templates
`
`Templates may bestatic files residing onthe server or they
`may be dynamically generated by CGI scripts. As will be
`illustrated below, one advantage of using templates is the
`load onthe server’s CPU can be reduced by allowing clients
`to perform some of the dynamic modification currently
`performed by servers.
`A template file may be thought of as a generic template
`that is applicable to all users. Templates are generic in the
`sense that they include placcholders identifying locations in
`the file in which information specific to a particular user is
`to be substituted. Templates may additionally contain boil-
`erplate that is appropriate for all users. For example, an
`HTMLtemplate such as HTMLtemplate 320 might contain
`standard encoded HTMLdata relevant to all users and one
`or more placeholders to be replaced by information based on
`local user content. When the HTMLtemplate is received by
`a client such as client 305, the placeholders are used by
`helper filter 340 to retrieve local content from the local user
`profile 350.
`Preferably, the naming convention used for placeholders
`allows data in the local user profile 350 to be uniquely
`identified and retrieved. For example, a placeholder may be
`a logical name which can be used for a database lookup.
`Additionally, to facilitate parsing of placeholders, the place-
`holders canbe set off by an escape sequence suchas the “%”
`symbols as depicted in HIML template 320. It will be
`recognized that numerous other ways of marking placehold-
`ers are possible.
`Further, a hierarchy of placeholders may be established.
`Placeholders can be atoms or operations that operate on
`atomsarbitrarily complex. Some placeholders, set off by a
`first type of escape sequence(e.g., “%”), may be directly
`replaced by local content from a local user profile. However,
`
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`others, set off by a second type of escape sequence(e.g.,
`“@”), may require further local evaluation before substitu-
`tion is performed. It is appreciated that numerous other ways
`of implementing placeholders are possible.
`Finally, applications running on clicnts need to be able to
`distinguish templates from traditional HTML documents
`and other file formats. Therefore,
`template files can be
`identified by a file extension such as “.tem” and/or by an
`experimental MIME type accompanying the file transfer
`such as “application/x-filter.” In this manner, applications
`receiving templates will recognize them as such and can
`process them accordingly with the assistance of a helper
`application such as helperfilter 340, for example.
`
`Investment Portfolio Evaluation Example
`
`FIG. 4Aillustrates information passing that is required for
`the prior Web page tailoring method. Initially, a request is
`madeby the client 105 for an HTML form from the server
`110. The server 110 transmits HTML form 410to the client.
`
`In this example, HTML form 410 is for the purpose of
`retrieving from the server 110 current share priccs of par-
`ticular stocks in the local user’s portfolio. In order to receive
`an accurate portfolio valuation, the local user is required to
`submit at least the ticker symbols of the stocks owned and
`the corresponding numberof shares for each ticker symbol.
`To get further information such as the net
`increase or
`decrease in value for a particular stock, additional informa-
`tion such as the purchase price, and any commission paid for
`each stock might be required. At any rate, after the necessary
`information is submitted to the server, the server incorpo-
`rates the information into an HTML documentsuch as 420.
`This scenario illustrates some of the disadvantages of server-
`side customization of Web pages. For cxample, the server
`110 must perform all the customization of HTML document
`420 locally using server CPU resources. Also, the client 105
`must potentially transmit a significant amount of informa-
`tion to the server 110 some of which is simply transmitted
`back to the client within HTML document 420. Further, the
`local user may consider some of this information to be
`private.
`
`Investment Portfolio Evaluation Example Without
`Transmission of Private Information
`
`FIG. 4B illustrates how private information can be
`dynamically added to an HTML template by the client
`according, to one embodimentof the present invention.It is
`desirable to offload servers when possible. Therefore,
`generally, when data is locally available on a client or
`readily capable of determination by the client,
`the data
`should not be transmitted to a server simply to have it
`incorporated into an IITML documentbythe server. Rather,
`from the perspective of the server, a more efficient approach
`is to have such data incorporated by the client. Local
`generation of an HTML documentis particularly desirable
`from the user’s perspective when private information is
`involved. For example,
`in the current portfolio valuation
`example, it is acceptable to transmit information such as the
`ticker symbolsthat will be used to access a databaseresiding
`on the server. However, there is no need to transmit private
`information such as the purchase price and numberof shares
`for each stock to the server, and it is inefficient to do so.
`As above, the client 305 initially requests a document
`from the server 310. In response to the client request, server
`310 transmits HTML form 430 to client 305. Again, the
`HTMI. form received is for the purpose of evaluating the
`local user’s stock portfolio. Importantly, however, in this
`
`Zynga Ex. 1008, p. 9
`Zynga v. IGT
`IPR2022-00199
`
`Zynga Ex. 1008, p. 9
` Zynga v. IGT
` IPR2022-00199
`
`

`

`US 6,944,817 B1
`
`7
`example, the user need not provide what may be considered
`private information to the server 310. After receiving the
`ticker values, the server 310 provides an HTMT. template to
`the client 305 rather than a fully tailored HTML document
`as above. The HTMLtemplate includes placeholders for
`numberof shares(e.g., % #_shares_1%, % #_shares_2%,
`etc.) and placeholders for purchase prices (e.g., %
`purchase_price 1%, % purchase_price_2%, etc.). The
`HTMLtemplate further includes placeholders that will
`require local cvaluation such as the current valuations of
`particular stocks (e.g., @ % #_shares_1%*12.50@). The
`helper filter 340 replaces the placeholders with the appro-
`priate private information 460 from the local user profile
`350, performs any required calculations, and produces
`HTML document 440 for rendering by the browser 330.
`Advantageously, in the manner described above, a local user
`need not risk exposure of private information and server
`CPU resources can be conserved.
`
`Exemplary Method of Displaying a Template
`
`20
`
`8
`of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the present
`invention is not limited to any particular form of template.
`For example,
`the method and apparatus of the present
`invention are not limited to HTML templates. Rather, the
`disclosed method and apparatus is useful for incorporating
`local user content into other templates as well. For example,
`the assignees of the present invention anticipate templates
`will be useful in connection with the transmission of bulk
`email to several users. Using templates the email greeting
`mayhave the form, “Dear % uscrname %,” for example. It
`will be evident
`that various further modifications and
`changes may be made without departing from the broader
`spirit and scope of the invention. The specification and
`drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative
`rather than a restrictive sense.
`Whatis claimedis:
`
`1. A method performed by a Web client comprising:
`sending a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Proto-
`col (TCP/IP) request for a Hypertext Markup Language
`(HTML) document to a remote Web server;
`receiving the requested HTML document using TCP/IP,
`the HTML documentincluding one or more placehold-
`ers;
`
`parsing the received HTML documentfor the one or more
`placeholders;
`creating a customized HTML documentby replacing the
`placcholders in the HTML document using local con-
`tent on the Web client; and
`displaying the customized HTML document using a Web
`browser executing on the Web client.
`2. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the custom-
`ized HTML document comprises, for each of the one or
`more placeholders, replacing the placeholder with local
`content directly if the placcholdcr is of a first type, and
`evaluating the placeholder using local content to determine
`a result and replacing the placeholder with the result if the
`placeholder is of a second type.
`3. The method of claim 1, wherein the local content
`comprises a user profile.
`4. Amachine-readable medium containing data represent-
`ing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a Web
`client, cause the Web client to perform operations compris-
`ing:
`sending a Transmission Control ProtocolMInternet Proto-
`col (TCP/IP) request for a Hypertext Markup Language
`(HTML) document to a remote Web server;
`receiving the requested HTML document using TCP/IP,
`the HTML documentincluding one or more placehold-
`ers;
`
`Zynga Ex. 1008, p. 10
`Zynga v. IGT
`IPR2022-00199
`
`FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of display-
`ing a template on a client according to one embodimentof
`the present invention. At step 510, a client such as client 305
`requests a document from a server such as server 310. In
`response to the request,
`the server transmits a generic
`template such as HTML tcmplate 320 to the clicnt.
`Alternatively,
`the server may send an unsolicited generic
`template. The unsolicited generic template may be an email
`message, for example.
`At step 520, the client receives the generic template from
`the server. If the server also transmitted information iden-
`tifving the file format of the generic template such as a
`MIMEtype,the clicnt can determine the appropriate method
`of processing the template based upon the MIMEtype. For
`example, the application receiving the template may pass the
`template to a helper application such as helper filter 340 if
`the receiving application cannotinterpret the templateitself.
`In any event, the generic template includes one or more
`placeholders, as described above. The placeholders occupy
`positions in the template where substitution of local content
`is required. At step 530, the templateis locally translated by
`the client. This translation includes parsing the template to
`locate placeholders,
`retrieving local
`information corre-
`sponding to each particular placeholder from a storage area
`on the client such as local user profile 350, and substituuing
`the local information for the one or more placeholders in the
`template. In an alternative embodiment, the helperfiler 340
`additionally includes an evaluator. The evaluator is capable
`of performing simple calculations and calculations as com-
`plex as spreadsheet functions. ‘The evaluator is useful for
`parsing the received HTML documentfor the one or more
`processing placeholders that include arithmetic operations
`placeholders;
`involving local content, for example. In this embodiment,
`the translation processing discussed above further includes
`creating a customized HTML documentby replacing the
`evaluation of such placeholdersprior to the substitution step.
`placeholders in the HTML document using local con-
`tent on the Webclient; and
`At step 540,
`the resulting translated document is dis-
`played bythe client. For example, if the resulting translated
`displaying the customized HTML document using a Web
`document is an HTML document, a browser such as browser
`browser executing on the Webclient.
`330 can interpret and render the document onto a local
`5. The machine-readable medium of claim 4, wherein
`display. It should be noted that the output of the helper filter
`creating the customized HTML document comprises, for
`340 is not limited to HTML documents. The helper filter 340
`each of the one or more placeholders, replacing the place-
`may output other recognizable document formats such as
`holder with local content directly if the placeholder is of a
`that of an excel spreadsheet.
`first type, and evalua