Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Bella Acharya

Jack Litewka

William A Spencer

Stephen H Buroker

Tom A Sponheim

Jamie A Spooner

Methods and a data structure for assigning URLs (e.g., to radio-station-streaming-media-content sources) to graphical objects (such as buttons) are disclosed. Zip codes are used to identify and assign geographically relevant URLs to buttons. A graphical user interface enables a user to select from a plurality of radio buttons and menu entries in order to identify search results satisfying the user's selection criteria. Information identifying a user's button assignments or preferences (such as the user's zip code) is stored in various data fields in a cookie data structure. The computer-executable instructions use the information contained in the data structure in order to assign the URL to the button each time the Web page is displayed.

Radio station buttons

Methods for assigning URLs to graphical objects (such as buttons) are disclosed. In one aspect, zip codes are used to identify and assign geographically relevant URLs to buttons. In a second aspect, a graphical user interface enables a user to select from a plurality of radio buttons and menu entries to identify search results satisfying the user's selection criteria. In a third aspect, search results are displayed in an IFRAME so that the Web page need not be replotted each time the server identifies URLs satisfying the user selection criteria. In a fourth aspect, information identifying a user's button assignments or preferences (such as the user's zip code) is stored in various data fields in a cookie data structure. The computer-executable instructions use the information contained in the cookie data structure to assign the URL to the button each time the Web page is displayed.

Methods and a data structure for assigning URLs (e.g., to radio-station-streaming-media-content sources) to graphical objects (such as buttons) are disclosed. In one aspect of the present invention, zip codes are used to identify and assign geographically relevant URLs to buttons. In a second aspect of the invention, a graphical user interface enables a user to select from a plurality of radio buttons and menu entries in order to identify search results satisfying the user's selection, criteria. In a third aspect of this invention, search results are displayed in an IFRAME so that the Web page need not be replotted each time the server identifies URLs satisfying the user selection criteria. In a fourth aspect of this invention, information identifying a user's button assignments or preferences (such as the user's zip code) is store in various data fields in a cookie data structure. The computer-executable instructions use the information contained in the cookie data structure in order to assign the URL to the button each time the Web page is displayed.

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Kirkland, WA, United States of America

Bella Acharya