International Business Machines Corporation

Prodigy Services Company

Allan M Wolf

Robert Filepp

Kenneth H Appleman

Alexander W Bidwell

Sam Meo

Duane E Tiemann

Francis C Young

Michael L Gordon

Lawrence Abrahams

Michael J Silfen

Florence M Lee

Aldo R Dalsass

Mel Bellar

James A Galambos

Robert D Cohen

James A Galambos, Deceased

Florence L Wong

Duane Tiemann

A method for presenting advertising in an interactive service provided on a computer network, the service featuring applications which include pre-created, interactive text/graphic sessions is described. The method features steps for presenting advertising concurrently with service applications at the user terminal configured as a reception system. In accordance with the method, the advertising is structured in a manner comparable to the service applications enabling the applications to be presented at a first portion of a display associated with the reception system and the advertising presented at a second portion. Further, steps are provided for storing and managing advertising at the user reception system so that advertising can be pre-fetched from the network and staged in anticipation of being called for presentation. This minimizes the potential for communication line interference between application and advertising traffic and makes the advertising available at the reception system so as not to delay presentation of the service applications. Yet further the method features steps for individualizing the advertising supplied to enhance potential user interest by providing advertising based on a characterization of the user as defined by the users interaction with the service, user demographics and geographical location. Yet additionally, advertising is provided with transactional facilities so that users can interact with it.

Method for presenting advertising in an interactive service

A method for presenting advertising in an interactive service provided on a computer network, the service featuring applications which include pre-created, interactive text/graphic sessions is described. The method features steps for presenting advertising concurrently with service applications at the user terminal configured as a reception system. In accordance with the method, the advertising is structured in a manner comparable to the service applications enabling the applications to be presented at a first portion of a display associated with the reception system and the advertising presented at a second portion. Further, steps are provided for storing and managing advertising at the user reception system so that advertising can be pre-fetched from the network and staged anticipation of being called for presentation. This minimizes the potential for communication line interference between application and advertising traffic and makes the advertising available reception system so as not to delay presentation of the service applications. Yet further the method features steps for individualizing the advertising supplied to enhance potential user interest by providing advertising based on a characterization of the user as defined by the users interaction with the service, demographics and geographical location. Yet additionally, advertising is provided with transactional facilities so that users can interact with it.

A method of operating a distributed processing, interactive computer network is described. The network is designed to provide very large numbers of simultaneous users access to large numbers of applications which feature interactive text/graphic sessions. The network includes one or more servers, interactive applications, and one or more reception systems, the reception systems being capable of communicating with the respective servers and receiving applications from them. In this arrangement, application are structured from packets termed &ldquo;objects&rdquo;, the objects including the display data and/or program code required to support execution of the application. When a request for an application is received at a reception system, if any objects for the application are unavailable from the reception system, the objects are requested from the server and supplied to the reception systems requesting the application objects. In accordance with the method, the respective reception systems include display interfaces for presenting applications to respective users the respective display interfaces featuring a plurality of display partitions. Also in accordance with the method, at least some of the respective applications are divided into sections, the respective sections being designed to form at least a part of an application display page. Further, application sections are constructed from objects such that display page parts of one or more respective applications may be controllably presented at the partitions of the interface to permit at least application page part nesting, scrolling and navigation, the objects being of multiple types and including display data and/or program code for enabling execution of applications and their presentation at the interface partitions of the respective user reception systems.

Interactive computer network and method of operation

A method is described for operating a distributed processing, interactive computer network. The network is intended to provide very large numbers of simultaneous users access to large numbers of applications which include pre-created, interactive text/graphic sessions. The network includes one or more servers, interactive applications, and one or more user reception systems. The respective reception systems are designed to and are capable of communicating with the respective servers and receiving applications from them. The respective reception systems feature a display interface, as well as reception system software, operating system software and CPU for executing the applications and presenting applications to respective users. The method features steps for preparing the applications in a high-level programing language so that the applications may be executed at the respective reception systems independently of the reception system CPU type and operating system type by interpreting the respective applications at runtime with an interpreter available at the respective reception systems. In accordance with the method, the applications are divided into sections and structured with objects of multiple types containing application display data and/or program code. The objects are distributed in the network and provided at run time at a reception system at which the respective applications are requested. The method further features steps for providing the respective application programs with a structure that features a header section, data structure section and code section implemented in objects. In this arrangement, method steps are provides to enable respective application programs code section to include one or more procedures for supporting system services, the procedures including a key word for identifying the respective procedures. Additionally, the method includes steps for enabling application program data structure section to identifying the data structure for the respective application programs. Further, the method includes steps for enabling the respective application program structure to include a header section that identifies the respective application program names.

A method for locating application records in an interactive-service database is described. The method features steps for creating multiple search tables which represent subsets of the database to be interrogated; for example the applications of an interactive service. In accord with the method, steps are provided for arranging the tables with keyword, record locators, indexed to record identifiers. Additionally, the method includes steps for providing each table with a unique coding and steps for generating table codes at the user reception system in response to a query for a database record entered with a variety of search strategies; as for example, character string searching approximating the record sought, alphabetized record searching, subject matter category searching and personalized record searching, among others. Further, the method includes steps for comparing the table code generated with available table codes for the database to select a table suited for the query. Thereafter, the appropriate table is presented at the reception system so the table keywords can be reviewed and a desired record selected and presented.

Method for locating application records in an interactive-services database

A distributed processing, interactive computer network and method of operation is described. The network is designed to provide very large numbers of simultaneous users access to large numbers of applications which feature interactive text/graphic sessions. The network includes one or more host computers having application data stores; a plurality of concentrator computers, also including application data stores, the concentrator computers being connected in groups of one of more to each of the host computers; and a plurality of reception system computers connected in groups of one or more to each of the concentrator computers, the reception system computers being arranged so that respective users can request interactive applications at the reception system computers. In accordance with the design, the reception system computers also include application data stores. The method for operating the network includes steps for generating the interactive text/graphic sessions from objects that include data and/or program instructions. Additionally, the method features steps for distributing objects among the data stores of the network computers, and, thereafter, permitting the reception system computer at which an application is requested to selectively collect objects required for the application from the network and the respective reception system so that the requested application may be presented at the reception system based on the objects collected. This operation decreases processing demand on the higher-level network elements, permitting them to function primarily as data supply and maintenance resources, thereby reducing network complexity, cost and response time.

A method for presenting applications in an interactive service featuring steps for generating screen displays of the service applications at the reception systems of the respective users. Steps are provided for generating the application displays as screens having a plurality of partitions, the partitions being constructed from reusable elements. In accord with the method, the screens include at least a first partition at which an application may be presented and a second, concurrently displayed partition including command functions for managing the display. The method further includes steps for providing command functions that facilitate random navigation to new applications with a variety of different procedures which the user can choose from. In (preferred) one form, the functions are presented as a command bar located at the bottom of the screen. Further, the method includes steps for opening and closing windows on the display to enable presentation of additional data relating to the presented applications. Still further, the method includes steps for providing additional partitions for concurrently displaying other applications, which may include advertising.

Method for presenting applications in an interactive service

A distributed processing, interactive computer network and method of operation is described. The network is designed to provide very large numbers of simultaneoususers access to large numbers of applications which feature interactive text/graphic sessions. The network includes one or more host computers having application data stores; a plurality of concentrator computers, also including application data stores, the concentrator computers being connected in groups of one of more to each of the host computers; and a plurality of reception system computers connected in groups of one or more to each of the concentrator computers, the reception system computers being arranged so that respective users can request interactive applications at the reception system computers. In accordance with the design, the reception system computers also include application data stores. The method for operating the network includes steps for generating the interactive text/graphic sessions from objects that include data and/or program instructions. Additionally, the method features steps for distributing objects among the data stores of the network computers, and, thereafter, permitting the reception system computer at which an application is requested to selectively collect object required for the application from the network and the respective reception system so that the requested application may be presented at the reception system based on the objects collected. This operation decreases processing demand on the higher-level network elements, permitting them to function primarily as data supply and maintenance resources, thereby reducing network complexity, cost and response time.

A method for storing data in an interactive computer network is described. In preferred form, the method features steps for establishing data stores of prescribed capacities within a network for delivering an interactive service. The stored data is used in presenting the applications that makeup the service. The method features steps for associating storage control parameters with the application data to be stored and supplying data to the respective stores in excess of their respective capacities. The method includes steps for retaining data at the stores based on the respective prescribed storage control parameters and the date usage experience at the respective stores. In preferred form, the method features steps for providing the data stores with a temporary cache for storing data during a data use session and a variable-content, permanent, file for retaining data between data use sessions. The method configures the cache from available RAM and a prescribed disk file, and the stage from a content-variable, permanent disk file. Data is retained at the cache and subsequently at the stage based on control parameters associated with the data identification, storage candidacy and version, as combined with a least-recently-used criterion. Accordingly, over multiple use sessions, the stage self-configures with data tailored to use experience. Also in the preferred form of the method described, the data is arranged as objects having a header including the storage control parameters.

Method for storing data in an interactive computer network

An interactive computer system network enables a user to display desired information, such as news, financial and cultural information, and perform desired transactional services, such as banking and shopping, through any of a plurality of types of personal computers. User inputs are received by the personal computer and are translated into personal computer-independent data objects and executable code objects which are then processed by the network. These objects comprise partitioned applications required to process user inputs, portions of which are distributed and stored either locally within the personal computer or remotely in a host computer. User characteristics are monitored by the system in order to generate and display specific advertisements to the user based on individual usage characteristics and predetermined interests.

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Ridgefield, CT, United States of America

Allan M Wolf