Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090037393 | System and Method of Accessing a Document Efficiently Through Multi-Tier Web Caching - Upon receipt of a document request, a client assistant examines its cache for the document. If not successful, a server searches for the requested document in its cache. If the server copy is still not fresh or not found, the server seeks the document from its host. If the host cannot provide the copy, the server seeks it from a document repository. Certain documents are identified from the document repository as being fresh or stable. Information about each these identified documents is transmitted to the server which inserts entries into an index if the index does not already contain an entry for the document. If and when this particular document is requested, the document will not be present in the server, however the server will contain an entry directing the server to obtain the document from the document repository rather than the document's web host. | 02-05-2009 |
20100114965 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPROMPTU SHARED COMMUNICATION SPACES - Communications between entities who may share common interests. For entities determined to be sharing common interests (e.g., searching using the same terms or topics, browsing a page, a site or a groups of topically related sites), options for communication among the entities are provided. For example, a chat room may be dynamically created for persons who are currently searching or browsing the same or related information. As another example, a “homepage” may be created for each query and contain various types of information related to the query. A permission module controls which entities may participate, what types of information (and from what sources) an entity can (or desires to) receive, what types of information the entity may (or desires to) share. | 05-06-2010 |
20100174800 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DEVELOPING AN INSTANT MESSAGING NETWORK - An instant messaging (IM) system has an IM server connected to a communication network, and logic operable on the IM server enabling a first user to browse contacts associated with a second user. In some cases the first user can add and list contacts accessed by browsing the contacts associated with the second user. | 07-08-2010 |
20110179118 | Shared Communication Space Invitations - A computer-implemented method of providing invitations to a shared communication space, performed by a server system, includes providing the shared communication space, which includes content associated with a set of characteristics, and identifying a user, in accordance with a set of characteristics associated with the user and the set of characteristics associated with the content in the shared communication space. The method further includes sending to the identified user a invitation to participate in the shared communication space, and upon acceptance of the invitation by the user, enabling access by the user to the shared communication space by the user and enabling the user to exchange information with other participants in the shared communication space via the shared communication space. | 07-21-2011 |
20110307351 | MICRO-PAYMENT SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE - A micro-payment system has buyers, sellers, and a broker. The buyers establish accounts with the broker and provide payment information allowing the broker to invoice the buyers. The sellers establish accounts with the brokers and specify terms for accessing items, including electronic content, available from the sellers. The sellers also provide payment information that allows the broker to credit the sellers for sales of the items. The broker aggregates the buyers' micro-payment purchases and invoices the buyers. The broker also aggregates the sellers' micro-payment sales and credits the sellers. | 12-15-2011 |
20120130855 | MICRO-PAYMENT SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE - A micro-payment system has buyers, sellers, and a broker. The buyers establish accounts with the broker and provide payment information allowing the broker to invoice the buyers. The sellers establish accounts with the brokers and specify terms for accessing items, including electronic content, available from the sellers. The sellers also provide payment information that allows the broker to credit the sellers for sales of the items. The broker aggregates the buyers' micro-payment purchases and invoices the buyers. The broker also aggregates the sellers' micro-payment sales and credits the sellers. | 05-24-2012 |
20120226705 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR EMPLOYING USAGE STATISTICS IN DOCUMENT RETRIEVAL - Methods and apparatus consistent with the invention provide improved organization of documents responsive to a search query. In one embodiment, a search query is received and a list of responsive documents is identified. The responsive documents are organized based in whole or in part on usage statistics. | 09-06-2012 |
20120271852 | System and Method of Accessing a Document Efficiently Through Multi-Tier Web Caching - Upon receipt of a document request, a client assistant examines its cache for the document. If not successful, a server searches for the requested document in its cache. If the server copy is still not fresh or not found, the server seeks the document from its host. If the host cannot provide the copy, the server seeks it from a document repository. Certain documents are identified from the document repository as being fresh or stable. Information about each of these identified documents is transmitted to the server which inserts entries into an index if the index does not already contain an entry for the document. If and when this particular document is requested, the document will not be present in the server, however the server will contain an entry directing the server to obtain the document from the document repository rather than the document's web host. | 10-25-2012 |
20120317187 | Prioritized Preloading of Documents to Client - The present invention is directed to a client-server network system implementing a multi-tier caching strategy for a user to access a document efficiently. When serving a document to client, the document is examined for embedded references to other documents. The embedded references are extracted and then assigned a priority. the referenced documents are preloaded to the client prior to receiving a request for them. The referenced documents are obtained locally from the server cache or obtained from their respective web hosts and transmitted according to the assigned priority. | 12-13-2012 |
20120317188 | Refreshing Cached Documents and Storing Differential Document Content - The present invention is directed to a method for updating a cache. A server identifies whether certain preconditions have been met for a document in a cache from freshness parameters associated with a document identifier for the document. Then when the preconditions have been met, a first document content is retrieved from a remote host. A first content fingerprint for the first document content is calculated. The first document content is stored in the cache. Then a content difference is calculated between the first document content and a second document content, both associated with the document identifier. The content difference is stored. Then the document identifier is associated with the content difference. | 12-13-2012 |
20130006812 | MICRO-PAYMENT SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE - A micro-payment system has buyers, sellers, and a broker. The buyers establish accounts with the broker and provide payment information allowing the broker to invoice the buyers. The sellers establish accounts with the brokers and specify terms for accessing items, including electronic content, available from the sellers. The sellers also provide payment information that allows the broker to credit the sellers for sales of the items. The broker aggregates the buyers' micro-payment purchases and invoices the buyers. The broker also aggregates the sellers' micro-payment sales and credits the sellers. | 01-03-2013 |