`
`a2) United States Patent
`US 7,603,382 B2
`(10) Patent No.:
`Oct. 13, 2009
`(45) Date of Patent:
`Halt, Jr.
`
`
`(54) ADVANCED INTERNET INTERFACE
`PROVIDING USER DISPLAY ACCESS OF
`CUSTOMIZED WEBPAGES
`
`(76)
`
`(*)
`
`Inventor: Gerald B. Halt, Jr., 2252 E. Deerfield
`Dr, Media, PA (US) 19063
`2
`?
`.
`.
`.
`.
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term ofthis
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`US.C. 154(b) by 550 days.
`
`.
`Notice:
`
`(21)
`
`Appl. No.: 10/982,574
`
`(22)
`
`Filed:
`
`Nov. 5, 2004
`
`(65)
`
`(63)
`
`(60)
`
`6S)
`
`(52)
`(58)
`
`(56)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`
`US 2005/0097095 Al
`
`May 5, 2005
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`Continuation of application No. 09/318,917, filed on
`May 26, 1999, now Pat. No. 6,816,849.
`Provisional application No. 60/086,671, filed on May
`26, 1998.
`Int. Cl.
`(2006.01)
`GO6F 17/30
`US. Ch oe 707/104.1; 715/205; 715/234
`Field of Classification Search.............. 707/104.1,
`707/102, 101, 200; 715/200, 205, 234, 760
`See application file for complete search history.
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`5,813,006 A
`5,819,271 A
`5,898,836 A *
`5,960,411 A
`
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`Polnerow et al.
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`
`............. 709/218
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`6,035,119 A *
`............. 717/100
`senee Himmel Ct AL.
`SOELSO) A :
`sesseseossees 709/245
`
`6,085,219 A
`7/2000 Moriya oo...cee eeeeeeeeeeeee 709/200
`6,128,663 A * 10/2000 Thomas.........c eee 709/228
`6,161,124 A
`12/2000 Tak:
`t al.
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`7/2001 Robertson
`6,311,196 B1* 10/2001 Aroraetal. we. 715/209
`BI *
`6,369,819
`4/2002 Pitkow et al.
`........0.... 345/440
`
`BI *
`6,411,996
`6/2002 Albers ............
`.. 709/223
`
`6,816,849 B1* 11/2004 Halt, Jr we 707/1
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`.......... 709/203
`
`Kristol et al., “HTTP State Management Mechanism’, The Internet
`Engineering Taskforce, Feb. 1997, http://www.ietf.org/rfe/rfe2 109.
`txt.
`
`* cited by examiner
`Primary Examiner—Chery] Lewis
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Sterne Kessler Goldstein &
`Fox PLLC
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`An Internet interface provided by an internet web server
`provides web pagespresents in a mannerwhichis tailored to
`an individualuser. The interface provides website navigation
`datato the user in accordance with personalpreferences pro-
`vided by the user. A site map program function then provides
`website navigation data to the user, in order to provide a
`display depicting portions of the website visited by the user.
`
`23 Claims, 8 Drawing Sheets
`
`|xo
`
`200
`
`
`USER 15
`
` INFORMATION
`
`USER 2
`
` INFORMATION
`
`TRANSPORT
`
`INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDER 2
`
`
`
`
`INFORMATION |
`
`PROVIDER1
`
`INFORMATION
`
`
`
`
`INFORMATION
`PROVIDER 3
`
`
`
`EX1041
`Roku V. Media Chain
`U.S. Patent No. 9,715,581
`
`EX1041
`Roku V. Media Chain
`U.S. Patent No. 9,715,581
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Oct. 13, 2009
`
`Sheet1 of 8
`
`US 7,603,382 B2
`
`12
`
`20
`
`INFORMATION
`USER 1
`
`INFORMATION
`USER 2
`
`INFORMATION
`TRANSPORT
`INFRASTRUCTURE
`
`
`
`USER 3
`
`INFORMATION
`
`INFORMATION
`
`USER N
`
`i
`
`FIG. 1
`PRIOR ART
`
`INFORMATION
`PROVIDER 14
`
`INFORMATION
`PROVIDER 2
`
`INFORMATION
`PROVIDER 3 |
`
`INFORMATION
`
`PROVIDER M
`
`26
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Oct. 13, 2009
`
`Sheet 2 of 8
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`US 7,603,382 B2
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`Sheet 7 of 8
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`US 7,603,382 B2
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`340A
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`340B
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`US 7,603,382 B2
`
`1
`ADVANCED INTERNET INTERFACE
`PROVIDING USER DISPLAY ACCESS OF
`CUSTOMIZED WEBPAGES
`
`CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED
`
`APPLICATION(S)
`
`This application is a continuation of U.S. patent applica-
`tion Ser. No. 09/318,917, U.S. Pat. No. 6,816,849, filed May
`26, 1999, whichin turn claimspriority from U.S. provisional
`application No. 60/086,671 filed May 26, 1998, which are
`incorporated by reference as if fully set forth.
`FIELD OF INVENTION
`
`This invention pertains to the global computing network
`otherwise knownasthe Internet or the World Wide Web. More
`
`particularly, the invention pertains to a system for selectively
`tailoring information delivered to an Internet user depending
`upon the particular needs of the user.
`BACKGROUND
`
`The Internet is a global computer network that is rapidly
`changing the landscape of the business community and has
`begun changethe way people perceive themselves ascitizens
`of the global community. By its very nature, the Internet
`provides a flexible vehicle to deliver information from any
`point on the globe to any other point on the globe. Providing
`such a vast amount of information on demandis a feat which
`
`is unparalleled in history in both size and scope. However, due
`to the limitations inherent with computer hardware, modems
`and telephonic systems, only a small portion of the capabili-
`ties of the Internet are utilized today. As the performance of
`computer hardware and software catches up with the expec-
`tations of the Internet-using community, the applications for
`whichthe Internet is used will increase tremendously.
`Useofthe Internet is in its infancy. Much to the chagrin of
`the Internet-using community, the press constantly features
`articles and commentary onthe Internet whichis overly sim-
`plistic and misleading. Muchofthe capabilities ofthe Internet
`remain more hype than fact. Since evolution ofthe Internetis
`in its rudimentary stages, no one can predict where the fron-
`tier will lead.
`
`Oneof the current problemswith the Internet is that inex-
`perienced people in the business community and the user
`community tendto view the Internetas a natural extension (or
`slight modification) of the currently existing media. For
`example, much ofthe public uses the Internet as a high tech
`phone book wherebya user can obtain detailed information
`regarding a company’s products, services or other back-
`ground information regarding a company. A perusal of home
`pages currently existing on the World Wide Web confirmsthat
`homepagesare currently a hybrid ofthe business-to-business
`Yellow Pages® directory and a television commercial. The
`homepages are unable to obtain any information regarding
`the specific Internet users which are contacting the home page
`norare they ableto deliver information tailored specifically to
`that user without the user experiencing a tedious “virtual
`gauntlet” of boring questions that they must answer time and
`time again for each home page that is accessed. Theinitial
`enthusiasm and mystique associated with the Internet will
`quickly evaporate unless Internet users and the business com-
`munity beginto utilize the Internet to its fullest potential.
`Accordingly, there exists a serious need fordelivering use-
`ful information to an Internet user that can be depended upon
`to deliver quality data as reliably as currentutilities are deliv-
`ered
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`SUMMARY
`
`The present invention is a system for delivering informa-
`tion from an information provider to an information user that
`is selectively tailored toward the capabilities of the informa-
`tion provider and the needs of the information user. The
`system includes an interactive interface which provides a
`medium for information users to communicate with informa-
`tion providers. More specifically, the system includes means
`for the informationuserto tailor the profile ofthe information
`user depending upon the needsor desires of the information
`user. Separate means permit the information providerto view
`the information userprofile and to structure the information
`seen bythe information user in a formatthat is most suitable
`to that information user.
`The system also enables the informationuserto operatively
`tailor their profile on a real time basis. Thus, the information
`provider maytailor the information provided to the Internet
`using community depending uponthe time of day, business
`conditions or otherfactors.
`Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
`provide an advanced Internet
`interface between Internet
`information users and Internet information providers.
`Other objects and advantages will become apparent to
`those skilled in the art after reading the detailed description of
`a presently preferred embodiment.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the interface between infor-
`mation users and information providers over the Internet
`according to the priorart.
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the web page structures
`according to the priorart.
`FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the interface between infor-
`mation users and information providers over the Internet
`according to the present invention.
`FIGS. 4A-4Care database structures of user information.
`FIG. 5A is a block diagram of information provider accord-
`ing to the present invention.
`FIG. 5B is a file structure of information identifiers accord-
`ing to the present invention.
`FIGS. 6A and 6Bare illustrations of web pages according
`to the present invention.
`FIG.7 is an illustration of a web page structure according
`to the present invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
`
`EMBODIMENT(S)
`
`The preferred embodiment will be described with refer-
`ence to the drawing figures wherein like numerals represent
`like elements throughout.
`A block diagram ofthe interface between current informa-
`tion users and information providers over the Internet is
`shown in FIG. 1. The information transport infrastructure 10
`includesall of the infrastructure 10 required to conveyinfor-
`mation betweenthe plurality of information providers 20, 22,
`24, 26 and plurality of information users 12, 14, 16, 18. This
`transport infrastructure 10 includes, but is not limited to, a
`wireless or wired public or private telephone system, a local
`area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) upon
`which the information users 12, 14, 16, 18 or information
`providers 20, 22, 24, 26 are resident, the plurality of way
`stations in between, and all of the computing resources
`required to deliver the information. It should be recognized
`that this infrastructure 10 could includethe local cable tele-
`
`
`
`US 7,603,382 B2
`
`3
`vision (CATV)infrastructure, telephone company infrastruc-
`ture or even the wires provided by the electric company over
`which information may be transmitted. It should also be
`recognized that the information maybe transmitted bysatel-
`lite or microwave meansand the present example should not
`be viewed as a specific limitation upon the scope of the
`present invention.
`As shownin FIG.1, as each information user 12, 14, 16, 18
`utilizes the Internet to access one or more information pro-
`viders 20, 22, 24, 26, each information provider 20, 22, 24,
`26, such as a Web page, will appear identical to each infor-
`mation user 12, 14, 16, 18. There is no tailoring of informa-
`tion to each information user 12, 14, 16, 18. Of course, an
`information user 12, 14, 16, 18 can run the aforementioned
`“virtual gauntlet” of questions to obtain the information they
`require, but this process is extremely frustrating and time
`consuming. Additionally, much of the information requested
`from the information user 12, 14, 16, 18 by an information
`provider 20, 22, 24, 26 is standard information such as an
`information user’s name, address andotherpersonalorfinan-
`cial information.
`
`Most Web pagesare structured as a logical tree and branch
`format as shownin FIG.2. First, the information user 12, 14,
`16, 18 accesses the desired home page 40. As the information
`user 12, 14, 16, 18 inputs information and makesselections,
`the information user 12, 14, 16, 18 gains accessto additional
`tiers of information. For example, if the first choice 42 is
`selected by information user 12, 14, 16, 18 on the homepage
`40, the information user 12, 14, 16, 18 will be shown a second
`tier of choices 50, 52,54. Selection ofthe first choice 50 from
`this secondtier of choices 50, 52, 54 will provide access to a
`third tier of information with three additional choices 56, 58,
`60. In this manner, the Web page 40 will provide incremental
`additional information in responseto the selections made by
`the information user 12, 14, 16, 18. Ultimately, the informa-
`tion user 12, 14, 16, 18 will acquire the information they need
`after one or more attempts or they will give up in frustration
`and access a competitor’s home page or makea telephonecall
`directly to the company.
`The system 9 of the present invention for providing an
`advanced, selectively tailored Internet interface is shown in
`FIG. 3. As shown, both the information users 12, 14, 16, 18
`and the information providers 20, 22, 24, 26 are selectable
`and changeable entities; in contrast to the static entities that
`presently comprise the Internet. As shown, the information
`user 12, 14, 16, 18 maytailor their information userprofile as
`needed to acquire specific information. In this manner, one
`might even view the information user 12, 14, 16, 18 as having
`“multiple personalities.”
`As shown in FIG.4A,for example, the information user 12,
`14, 16, 18 may have a business profile 200 which is specifi-
`cally tailored toward the information user’s 12, 14, 16, 18
`business needs. The profile 200 comprises a file 202 having a
`plurality of fields 204 which hold data that the information
`user 12, 14, 16, 18 is male, Caucasian,fiscally conservative,
`politically conservative, is employed by a Fortune 500 com-
`pany, is employedin a sales position, has an undergraduate
`degree in economics, speaks English and is a U.S. resident.
`Alternatively, as shown in FIG.4B, the information user’s
`12, 14, 16, 18 profile 220 for accessing the Internet for plea-
`sure comprises a file 202 having a plurality of fields 204
`which hold data that the information user 12, 14, 16, 18 is a
`male, Caucasian, college graduate, has a liberal arts degree,
`homosexual, speaks several languages, has an annual income
`of $70,000-$100,000 socially liberal and fiscally liberal. It
`should be noted that a data file 250 having a standard format
`as shown in FIG. 4C may be adoptedbyall information users
`
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`12, 14, 16, 18 and information providers 20, 22, 24, 26 on the
`Internet. In this manner, a user may simply checkorfill-in any
`ofthose userprofile attributes 252A-252Nthat are applicable.
`As shown, there are almost an unlimited number of columns
`which maybecreated to identify all ofa user’s attributes 252.
`Additionally, a plurality of profiles 260A-260N may becre-
`ated by the user. For example, the user may create a business
`profile 260A for all of his or her business trades, and then
`create several personalprofiles 260B, 260C fortheir personal
`traits. This profile is stored in computer memory (not shown)
`and transferred to an information provider 20, 22, 24, 26
`when a Web pageis accessed. These multiple profiles 252.A-
`252N are not unlike the multiple personalities that currently
`exist in every day life for many individuals. In accordance
`with the teachings ofthe present invention, the profiles 252.A-
`252Nare selectively tailored to the needs of the information
`user 12, 14, 16, 18 at a particular time. Although several
`current Web pages permit a user to create a profile for that
`particular Web page,the information user 12, 14, 16, 18 must
`create this rudimentary profile each time they access the Web
`page. The present invention has the advantage that a detailed
`standard profile 252 may be created having an tremendous
`amountof detail and selectivity then this profile 252 may be
`utilized with any information providerthat accepts the stan-
`dard format.
`
`Referring to FIG. 5A, an information provider 300 in
`accordance with the present invention is shown. The infor-
`mation provider 300 is a virtual panoply ofinformation which
`is placed in a mosaic mostpleasing to the information users
`12, 14, 16, 18. The information on the Web page 302 may be
`thought of as a mosaicofelectronic tiles A, B, C1-C16, D, E,
`F, G each of which havea portion of the Web page 302. Each
`tile A-G is a result of a separate data stream 310-322 which
`individually updatesthe tiles A-G. The tiles A-G may change,
`and the format and location of the data streams A-G may
`change as a result ofthe changein the data streams. As shown,
`the tiles A-G may be changed on a yearly, quarterly, daily,
`hourly or constant basis. Additionally, as shown, the entire
`Web page 302 may be changed, or only one or more portions
`of the Web page 302 may be changedas will be explained in
`detail hereinafter.
`Each data stream 310-322 has a set of information identi-
`
`fiers for identifying the type of information provided by the
`data stream 310-322. For example, the data stream 310 which
`supplies section A may carry general information regarding
`the Web page’s ownersuch as a corporation. Thefile structure
`of the information identifiers 340A-340N is shown in FIG.
`
`5B. Amongtheplurality of other data streams 312-324 may
`exist intellectual property information such as a company’s
`copyright and trademark notifications (section G) 318; direc-
`tions on howto reach the corporation’s headquarters (section
`F) 320, sales or service locations (section E) 322; and a
`plurality of other information related to a company’s products
`or services (sections B, C, D and H) 323, 314, 324, 312. It
`should be apparent even to those with rudimentary skills in
`the art that the foregoing discussion regarding the data
`streams 310-324 involving a company’s products or services
`mayapply equally to any ofthe other data streamsthat are set
`forth on a Web page 300.
`Thetailoring of a company’s information or services will
`now be explainedin detail hereinafter. The three data streams
`that will be selected are a company’s logo (section H) 312, a
`company’s productline (section D) 324 and the description of
`the product line (section B) 323. Although someofthe data
`streams may be individually linked, such as a product and the
`
`
`
`US 7,603,382 B2
`
`5
`description of the product andthe price of the product; they
`will be treated separately for simplification of the explana-
`tion.
`
`Tailoring ofthe data stream 312 ofthe company’s logo will
`now be described. As shownin FIG.6,this or any other data
`stream 310-324 maybe tailored toward the time of day. This
`will give the information user 12, 14, 16, 18 the pleasing
`experience that the Web page 302is “fresh.” For example as
`shown in FIG.6A, the logo H maybeprofiled by a rising sun
`during the early morning hours, a bright sun during the day
`and a setting sun in the late afternoon andearly evening hours.
`The moonandstars may comeoutafter nightfall, as shown in
`FIG. 6B, and would be an indication of the actualtime ofday.
`Although this may appear as a gimmick, the information user
`12, 14, 16, 18 may access the Web page 302 all day long
`without actually seeing the same Web page 302 twice.It
`should be recognized that other portions ofthe Web page 302
`maybelikewisetailored. This could also be a powerful mar-
`keting concept whereby the logo might change color for a
`certain period oftimeindicating that the company’s products
`are on sale, the stock is doing well or that the companyis
`hiring. Any aspect of the logo H may be changedto provide
`useful information to the information user 12, 14, 16, 18.
`Additionally depending upontheprofile 252 of the informa-
`tion the users 12, 14, 16, 18, a Japanese resident accessing a
`Web page may view a “sun rising” page, while simulta-
`neously a U.S. resident will see the moon,stars and nightcap.
`The profile 252 will be downloadedto the information pro-
`vider 20, 22, 24, 26.
`Referring back to FIG. 5A,the data stream 323 concerning,
`a company’s products B will now be described in detail
`hereinafter. This data stream 323 is shownin greater detail in
`FIG. 7. As shown,the data stream 323 may comprise a plu-
`rality of separate data streams 323A-323C which change ona
`basis set by the information provider 20, 22, 24, 26. Thefirst
`data stream 323A, for example, pertains to a company’s “high
`end”line of products 380, the second data stream 323B may
`comprise a company’s “middle end”line ofproducts 382, and
`the third data stream 323C may comprise the company’s “low
`end”line of products 384.
`Eachparticular data stream 323A-323C may comprise the
`same products throughoutthe day as shown in FIG.7, or may
`change periodically throughout the day, or based upon the
`time of day. For example, the high endline of products 380
`mayrelate to gourmet coffee; the middle endline of products
`mayrelate to your average “cup ofjoe” 382; andthe third data
`stream 323C mayrelate to your “get it hot” coffee line for
`people who are looking only for a caffeine intake and are
`willing to “choke down”any sludge 384. Thesethree lines of
`products 380-384 may be displayed until approximately
`11:00 a.m. Thereafter, three new high, middle and low end
`lines of products 380-384 are described such as a company’s
`soda or tea beverage line. In the evening, the three data
`streams 323A-323C may again change to liquors used for
`after dinner drinks.
`
`Referring to the high end product description data stream
`323A,this data stream 323A maybeselectively tailored in a
`different manneras will be described in detail hereinafter. For
`example, the data stream 323A may actually comprise three
`separate lines of data 323A1, 323A2, 323A3, onetailored
`towards very conservative, serious or older individuals
`323A1, one tailored towards “nofrills” type people who seek
`only raw data regarding a product, such as health conscious
`individuals 323A2; and a third data stream that is playful,
`light and funny for the common Internet surfer 323.A3.
`Accordingly, going along with the present example the high
`end line of coffee products may be described in the conser-
`vative data stream as “a succulent blend of Columbian and
`Arabica beans whichare blended for an exquisite taste and are
`dry roasted to relieve the coffee of any bitterness.” This type
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`of explanation is specifically tailored to “high income and
`high end serious and conservative individuals whoare look-
`ing for a premium product.” The description of the high end
`product for the “data seeking” type ofindividual may read as
`follows “a blend of 60% Arabica, 40% Columbian coffee
`beansis blended andfreeze dried at minus 60 degrees Celsius.
`A six ounce cup contains 100 calories, zero gramsoffat...”
`For those generation X’ers who are accustomedto a “loud”
`advertising style, the following will suffice: “Yo! This cup of
`joe will be blow you away. Bethefirst of your friends to drink
`this liquid gold and have the bragging rights that you,truly,
`have it together.” As can be seen by these differing descrip-
`tions, a conservative individual would clearly be turnedoffby
`the in-your-face mannerof the third data stream. Likewise,
`younger individuals would mostlikely be bored bythefirst
`description. In this manner, a companycancaterto all needs
`without having to boil down andsanitize a particular Web
`page to meet a majority market, while alienating minorities.
`The most beneficial aspect of the present invention which
`permits a companyto tailor the delivery of information to a
`specific user without requiring theuser to input a lot of mun-
`dane and unnecessary information will now be described in
`detail. When an individual accessesa particular Web page, the
`individual’s current profile that the individual has selected,
`(for example 252A), is automatically downloaded to that Web
`page. The Web page manager matchesthe user’s profile to the
`information identifier’s 340A-340N. Depending upon the
`numberof matches, the managerselects the data stream that
`corresponds most closely with the profile 252A.In this man-
`ner, the Web page managertailors the Web pageto the specific
`individual based on the profile. The Web page manager
`selects most appropriate data streams forthe current informa-
`tion user 12, 14, 16, 18 depending upon the currently avail-
`able data streams andthe profile of the individual. Although
`there may be a standard Internet protocol developed which
`mayrequire an information user 12, 14, 16, 18 to input their
`profile in a standard format such as 100 different sorting
`aspects, this is not required. The Web page managerwill use
`those downloaded portions and will tailor the Web page
`accordingly.
`This system allows the information providerto selectively
`provide informationto the information user withoutthe infor-
`mation user’s knowledge or without irking the information
`userbytelling them they need a password,or they need to be
`amember.It permits those membersto get to the information
`seamlessly. For example, low end users may receive coupons,
`high end users may receive product warranty information
`Anotherfeature of the present invention is thatit includes the
`ability to access a web site and map the entire web site. For
`example, as shown in FIG. 2, when an information user
`selects choice 1 Ai, the person does not know whatexists in
`choice 1 Ci until they get there. Often, the person forgets the
`other choices available. The present invention may either map
`the route which the person has gone andprovidea tree and
`branch diagram as a picture-in-picture window within the
`screen or may mapthe entire web site upon accessing the Web
`page. For example, when a person access a website, the web
`site navigator resident within the information user’s browser
`may quickly go in and access every page of the website. It
`will then summarize, and categorize the information in a
`concise mannerand provide a branch andtree type map.
`Althoughthe invention has been described in part by mak-
`ing detailed reference to certain specific embodiments, such
`details is intended to be instructive rather than restrictive. It
`will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many
`variations may be made in the structure and modeof opera-
`tion without departing from the spirit and scopeof the inven-
`tion as disclosed in the teachingsherein.
`Although the features and elements of the present inven-
`tion are described in the preferred embodiments in particular
`
`
`
`US 7,603,382 B2
`
`7
`combinations, each feature or element can be used alone
`(without the other features and elements of the preferred
`embodiments) or in various combinations with or without
`other features and elements of the present invention.
`Hereafter,
`a wireless
`transmit/receive unit
`(WTRU)
`includesbut is not limited to a user equipment, mobile station,
`fixed or mobile subscriber unit, pager, or any other type of
`device capable of operating in a wireless environment. When
`referred to hereafter, a base station includes but is not limited
`to a Node-B, site controller, access point or any other type of
`interfacing device in a wireless environment.
`Whatis claimedis:
`
`1. A system for providing web pages accessed from a web
`site in a manner which presents the web pagestailored to an
`individual user, comprising:
`an interactive interface configured to provide dynamic web
`site navigation data to the user, the interactive interface
`comprising:
`a display depicting portions of the website visited by the
`user as a function of the web site navigation data; and
`a display depicting portions of the website visited by the
`user as a function of the user’s personal characteristics.
`2. The system of claim 1, wherein the display depicting
`portions of the web site visited by the user includes a map
`depicting a route of web pagesvisited by the user.
`3. The system of claim 1, wherein the display depicting
`portions of the website visited by the user includes a map of
`web pagesvisited by the user, presented in a tree and branch
`diagram in combination with at least a portion of the entire
`website accessible by the user.
`4. The system of claim 1, wherein the display depicting
`portions of the website visited by the user includes an indi-
`cation ofweb pagesvisited bythe user, presentedas a picture-
`in-picture window within the display in combination with at
`least a portion of the entire web site accessible by the user.
`5. The system of claim 1, wherein theinteractive interface:
`includes a data file generated from user activity based on
`user data transmitted in response in part to user selec-
`tions of a plurality of user-selectable fields, each field
`describing a personal characteristic of the user; and
`is configured to automatically transmit data corresponding
`to the user selections upon initially accessing the web
`pages, wherein an analysis of the user selections pro-
`vides a selection of a plurality of discrete web pages
`specifically tailored to the user; and the display depict-
`ing portions of the website visited by the user includes
`data derived from at least one of the user data and user
`
`activity based on the userdata.
`6. The system of claim 1, wherein theinteractive interface
`is further configured to generate a site map according to at
`least one of a route which the user has taken or a plurality of
`discrete sections tailored for the user, thereby providing a
`diagram in accordance with the userselections.
`7. A methodof generating a web page comprising:
`generating a plurality of data streams, wherein each data
`stream is associated with a particular portion of the web
`page, and wherein each data stream is stored in a com-
`puter memory; and
`changingat least one of the particular portions of the web
`page as a function of time.
`8. The method of claim 7, wherein one of the particular
`portions presents a company logo, wherein the company logo
`is profiled by different symbols depending upon the time of
`day.
`9. The method of claim 7, wherein the different symbols
`indicate the time ofday.
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`10. The method of claim 7, whereinat least a part of one of
`the particular portions presents information associated witha
`company, wherein the at least part of one of the particular
`portions changescolorfor a certain period of time to indicate
`an event or condition associated with the company.
`11. The method of claim 7, wherein the event or condition
`is associated with the price of products sold by the company.
`12. The method of claim 7, wherein the event or condition
`is associated with the type of products sold by the company.
`13. The method of claim 7, wherein the event or condition
`is associated withthe price of stock associated with the com-
`pany.
`14. The method of claim 7, wherein the event or condition
`is associated with employment opportunities offered by the
`company.
`15. The method of claim 7, wherein the particular portions
`present different products at different times during each day.
`16. A method comprising:
`receiving data which defines a plurality of user profile
`attributes in each of a plurality of user profiles;
`storing the plurality ofuserprofiles, each user profile com-
`prising data descriptive of a user;
`in response to a request from an information provider,
`transferring data from a specified user profile to the
`information provider; and
`providing dynamic website navigation data via an inter-
`active interface, the interactive interface comprising:
`a display depicting portions of a website visited by the user
`as a function of website navigation data; and
`a display depicting portions of a website visited by the user
`as a function of the plurality of fie