Facilitating accessing and displaying network content

Abstract

An informational component for accessing and displaying content includes a definition for rendering a graphical user interface within which content may be served from one or more network locations and presented independent from another application. The informational component may include one or more of a definition of a content element. The definition of the content element may reference a network location from which the content element may be transmitted. The content element may be presented within the graphical user interface. A provider of an informational component or informational components may thus create customized displays within which intended content may be rendered. An application component may be used in association with the informational component to manage the collection, organization, sharing, and rendering of a plurality of such informational components.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A server in operative communication with a client computing device over a network, the server comprising:
 electronic memory having stored thereon a networked information monitor template, the networked information monitor template comprising:
 a definition of a viewer graphical user interface within which content in a web browser-readable language-may be presented; 
 a definition of a first content element for the networked information monitor template, the definition of the first content element referencing a first network location from which the first content element for the networked information monitor template is served over the network; 
 an element configured to cause said viewer graphical user interface to be displayed by the client computing device separately from any graphical user interface of any other application; 
 an element configured to cause the client computing device to request the first content element to be served from the first network location over the network; and 
 an element configured to cause the client computing device to present the first content element received from the first network location in the viewer graphical user interface; 
   wherein the definition of the viewer graphical user interface and/or the first content element define all controls for enabling a user to interact with the first content element specify through the viewer graphical user interface, and   one or more processors configured to execute one or more computer program modules, the one or more computer program modules being configured to receive a request for the networked information monitor template from the client computing device over the network, and responsive to the received request, to transmit the networked information monitor template to the client computing device over the network.   
     
     
         2 . The server of  claim 1 , wherein said definition comprises the definition of at least one control for controlling an aspect of said viewer graphical user interface. 
     
     
         3 . The server of  claim 2 , wherein said aspect is the location at which said viewer graphical user interface is presented on a display associated with the client computing device. 
     
     
         4 . The server of  claim 2 , wherein said aspect is the size of said viewer graphical user interface when presented on a display associated with the client computing device. 
     
     
         5 . The server of  claim 1 , wherein said networked information monitor template including information in extensible markup language (XML) format. 
     
     
         6 . The server of  claim 1 , wherein said definition specifies the appearance of said viewer graphical user interface. 
     
     
         7 . The server of  claim 6 , wherein said definition specifies an image to be rendered in said viewer graphical user interface. 
     
     
         8 . The server of  claim 7 , wherein said definition causes the first content element to be presented in association with said image. 
     
     
         9 . The server of  claim 7 , wherein said definition causes the first content element to be rendered at least in part within said image. 
     
     
         10 . The server of  claim 7 , wherein said definition further includes the definition of at least one control permitting the control over the image. 
     
     
         11 . The server of  claim 1 , wherein said definition further includes the definition of at least one control permitting the user to interact with the first content element in order to effectuate a change in the first content element for presentation within said viewer graphical user interface. 
     
     
         12 . The server of  claim 1 , wherein said content includes audio data, video data, graphics data, still image data, textual content and/or interactive content. 
     
     
         13 . The server of  claim 1 , wherein said networked information monitor template includes an element configured to cause the first content request for the first content element to be periodically sent by client computing device to the first network location referenced by the definition of the first content element included in the network monitor template. 
     
     
         14 . The server of  claim 1 , wherein said networked information monitor template further comprises a networked information monitor template identifier uniquely identifying the networked information monitor template. 
     
     
         15 . The server of  claim 16 , wherein said networked information monitor template identifier may be shared between users of a plurality of client computing devices such that requests for the networked information monitor template are receivable by the server from individual ones of the client computing devices over the network. 
     
     
         16 . The server of  claim 1 , wherein said networked information monitor further comprises a category label which permits the networked information monitor template to be sorted on the server with other such networked information monitor templates by category. 
     
     
         17 . The server of  claim 1 , wherein the network information monitor template further comprises a definition of a second content element for the network information monitor template, the definition of the second content element referencing a second network location from which the second content element for the networked information monitor template is served over the network, and wherein the method further comprises
 an element configured to cause the client computing device to request the second content element to be served from the second network location over the network; and   an element configured to cause the client computing device to present the second content element received from the second network location in said viewer graphical user interface;   wherein the definition of the viewer graphical user interface and/or the second content element define all controls for enabling a user to interact with the second content element through the viewer graphical user interface.   
     
     
         18 . A server in operative communication with a client computing device over a network, the server comprising:
 electronic storage having stored thereon:
 a first networked information monitor template comprising a first XML file, the networked information monitor template further comprising a definition of:
 a first viewer graphical user interface for presentation on a client computing device; 
 a first image to be presented within said first viewer graphical user interface; 
 an element configured to cause said first viewer graphical user interface to be presented on a display associated with the client computing device separately from any graphical user interface of any other application; 
 a first content element for the networked information monitor template, the definition of the first content element referencing a first network location from which the first content element for the networked information monitor template is served over the network; and 
 an element configured to cause the client computing device to present the first content element in the first graphical user interface; 
 
   wherein the definition of the first viewer graphical user interface and/or the first content element define all controls for enabling a user to interact with the first content element through the first viewer graphical user interface, and
 a second networked information monitor template comprising a second XML file; and 
   one or more processors configured to execute one or more computer program modules, the one or more computer program modules being configured to receive a single request for the both of the first networked information monitor template and the second networked information monitor template from the client computing device over the network, and responsive to the received single request, to transmit both of the first networked information monitor template and the second networked information monitor template to the client computing device over the network.   
     
     
         19 . The server of  claim 18 , wherein the second networked information monitor template comprises a definition of:
 a second viewer graphical user interface for presentation on the client computing device;   a second image to be presented within said second viewer graphical user interface;   an element configured to cause said second viewer graphical user interface to be presented on the display associated with the client computing device separately from any graphical user interface of any other application;   a second content element for the networked information monitor template, the definition of the second content element referencing a second network location from which the second content element for the networked information monitor template is served over the network;   wherein the definition of the second viewer graphical user interface and/or the second content element define all controls for enabling a user to interact with the second content element through the second viewer graphical user interface.   
     
     
         20 . The server of  claim 19 , wherein the first viewer graphical user interface, the first image, and the first content element are separate and discrete from the second viewer graphical user interface, the second image, and the second content element, respectively. 
     
     
         21 . The server of  claim 19 , wherein the first network location referenced by the definition of the first content element is separate and discrete form the second network location referenced by the definition of the second content element. 
     
     
         22 . A computer-implemented method of serving a networked information monitor template to one or more client computing devices over a network, the method being implemented in a server comprising electronic storage and one or more physical processors configured to execute one or more computer program modules, the method comprising:
 storing the networked information monitor template to the electronic storage, the networked information monitor template comprising:
 a definition of a viewer graphical user interface within which content in a web browser-readable language may be presented; 
 a definition of a first content element for the networked information monitor template, the definition of the first content element referencing a first network location from which the first content element for the networked information monitor template is served over the network; 
 an element configured to cause said user interface to be displayed by the client computing device separately from any graphical user interface of any other application; 
 an element configured to cause the client computing device to request the first content element to be served from the first network location over the network; and 
 an element configured to cause the client computing device to present the first content element received from the first network location in said viewer graphical user interface; 
   receiving, over the network from a first client computing device, a request for the networked information monitor template;   wherein the definition of the viewer graphical user interface and/or the first content element define all controls for enabling a user to interact with the first content element through the viewer graphical user interface, and   responsive to the received request, transmitting the networked information monitor template to the first client computing device over the network.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising:
 receiving, over the network from a second client computing device, a request for the networked information monitor template; and   responsive to the received request, transmitting the networked information monitor template to the second client computing device over the network.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein said definition further comprises the definition of at least one control for controlling an aspect of said viewer graphical user interface. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said aspect is the location at which said viewer graphical user interface is presented on a display associated with the first client computing device.