Providing access to information resources using a digital network protocol

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing an automatically upgradeable software application includes targeted advertising based upon demographics and user interaction with the computer. The software application includes a display region used for banner advertising that is downloaded over a network such as the Internet. The software application is accessible from a server via the network and demographic information on the user is acquired by the server and used for determining what advertising will be sent to the user. The software application further targets the advertisements in response to normal user interaction with the computer. A distribution tool is provided for software distribution and upgrading over the network. Also provided is a user profile that is accessible to any computer on the network. Furthermore, multiple users of the same computer can possess Internet web resources and files that are personalized, maintained and organized.

1 . Apparatus for use in providing a user of a computer with access to information resources via a digital network protocol, the apparatus comprising:
 a data storage device;   a first program module stored on the data storage device in a computer-readable format;   said first program module being operable upon execution by the computer to cause the display of a graphical user interface comprising a window separated into a number of regions;   a first one of said regions including a number of user-selectable items, one or more of which are each associated with a different data set, said data set(s) each representative of a different category of information and each of said data set(s) comprising a number of user-selectable links to different information resources;   a second one of said regions comprising an information display region;   a second program module operable upon execution to request informational data to be displayed in said information display region;   wherein said first program module is operable in response to user input to use a digital network protocol and retrieve an associated information resource using the digital network protocol, said first program module further being operable in response to the user input to notify said second program module of the user input, whereby said informational data is displayed in said second region of the graphical user interface of said first program module; and   wherein said second program module is operable in response to notifications from said first program module to request the informational data to be displayed from among a larger amount of said informational data, said second program module further being operable to store statistical data regarding the display of said requested informational data.   
     
     
         2 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the digital network protocol is a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), or both. 
     
     
         3 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the user input further comprises one or more keywords received at the computer from the user. 
     
     
         4 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the user input further comprises user selection of one of the links. 
     
     
         5 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the second program module is stored on the data storage device in computer readable form for execution by the computer. 
     
     
         6 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 5 , wherein the first program module further comprises a graphical user interface (GUI) and the second program module further comprises an advertising and data management (ADM) module. 
     
     
         7 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 5 , wherein the data storage device includes an update program module containing programming used to update one or both of the first and second program modules. 
     
     
         8 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 7 , wherein the update program module comprises a third program module separate from the first and second program modules. 
     
     
         9 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the data storage device includes an update program module containing programming used to update third party software stored on the data storage device. 
     
     
         10 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the data storage device includes a program module that enables distribution of third party software to the computer. 
     
     
         11 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein one of the program modules stored on said data storage device is operable upon execution to cause user financial information to be securely stored within a user profile and to enable the user to initiate a commercial transaction involving the transfer of the financial information between computers. 
     
     
         12 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein one of the program modules stored on said data storage device is operable upon execution to locate a URL or product information within recognized text obtained from a scanned document via an optical character recognition program. 
     
     
         13 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein one of the program modules stored on said data storage device is operable upon execution to download electronic copies of published materials from a network or a non-volatile storage device. 
     
     
         14 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein one of the program modules stored on said data storage device is operable upon execution to work in conjunction with suitable server software to provide a virtual pre-paid cash card for use by the user. 
     
     
         15 . A method of providing a user of a computer that uses the apparatus of  claim 1  with access to information resources via a digital network protocol, comprising the steps of:
 (a) obtaining advertiser registration information; 
 (b) receiving advertising material associated with the advertiser; 
 (c) obtaining from the advertiser information used in combination with user demographic data to provide reactive targeting of the advertising material to one or more users over one or more networks; 
 (d) sending the advertising material to the computer over the one or more networks for purposes of presentation to the user as informational data selected by the second program module; 
 (e) providing information to the advertiser concerning the sent advertising material; and 
 (f) carrying out a financial transaction with the advertiser related to the sent advertising material. 
 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the receiving step further comprises receiving from the advertiser one or more criteria used in selecting advertising material to be presented to the users. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein step (c) further comprises providing a keyword that is associated with the advertising material and is used to provide reactive targeting of the advertising material to one or more users. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the computer comprises a portable phone and wherein step (d) further comprises sending advertising material wirelessly to the portable phone over the one or more networks. 
     
     
         19 . A method of providing a user of a computer that uses the apparatus of  claim 1  with access to information resources via a digital network protocol, comprising the steps of:
 (a) receiving user demographic information at an advertising and data management (ADM) server, wherein the user demographic information is received from the computer using a digital network protocol; 
 (b) storing advertisements associated with advertisers on the ADM server; 
 (c) sending at least some of the advertisements to the computer using a digital network protocol; 
 (d) receiving user input entered at the computer via the first program module; 
 (e) selecting one of the advertisements based on the user demographic information, the user input, or both; and 
 (f) displaying the selected advertisement in the second region of the graphical user interface. 
 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein step (e) further comprises selecting the one or more advertisements using the second program module. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein step (e) further comprises selecting the one or more advertisements at the computer using the second program module. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein steps (d) and (e) are carried out at a server remote from the computer and wherein step (c) further comprises sending the selected advertisement to the computer after step (e). 
     
     
         23 . Apparatus for providing a user of the apparatus with access to information resources via a digital network protocol, the apparatus comprising:
 a computer having a processing device, display, and a data storage device storing program modules including first and second program modules;   said first program module presenting, on said display upon execution by said processing device, a graphical user interface (GUI) having a number of regions on said display including a first region containing a number of user-selectable items and a second region comprising an information display region;   said second program module, upon execution by said processing device, being operable to obtain informational data at said computer, said informational data being received at said computer via a wireless communication path using a digital network protocol;   wherein, said first program module is operable to access an information resource, the information resource being presented on the display and the informational data being presented on the display in the information display region of the graphical user interface.   
     
     
         24 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 23 , wherein said first program module is operable to access the information resource in response to user selection of one of the user-selectable items. 
     
     
         25 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 23 , wherein said data storage device is a non-volatile data storage device. 
     
     
         26 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 23 , wherein said first program module is operable to access the information resource over the wireless communication path. 
     
     
         27 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 23 , wherein the computer comprises a portable phone. 
     
     
         28 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 27 , wherein said first and second program modules together comprise an application stored on said phone. 
     
     
         29 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 27 , wherein the data storage device includes an update program module containing programming used to update third party software stored on the data storage device. 
     
     
         30 . Apparatus as defined in  claim 27 , wherein one of the program modules stored on said data storage device is operable upon execution to download electronic copies of printed materials from a network or a non-volatile storage device.