METHOD OF CONTROLLING AN INFORMATION FLOW IN A DIGITAL NETWORK

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of controlling an information flow in a digital network. The method is characterised in that a control server is installed, to which some of the server is installed, to which some of the server units are linked via the network by storing a first instruction in them, which contains conditions for contracting the control server, that a server unit which is visited by a user computer and linked to the control server sends a second instruction to the user computer when the conditions for contracting are satisfied, which second instruction contains information intended for the control server and causes the user computer to contact the control server for sending the information to the same, that the control server sends a third instruction to the user computer, which third instruction contains conditions for renewed contacting of the control server, that the third instruction causes the user computer, when said conditions for renewed contacting of the control server are satisfied, to send a request to the control server to control the information flow, that the control server sends a fourth instruction to the user computer in response to this request when predetermined conditions are satisfied, which fourth instruction causes the user computer to contact, for information exchange, a server unit selected by the control server according to fixed rules, and that the user computer fetches information from this selected server unit and stores the inforamtion in the memory to show the same on its display.

Description: METHOD OF CONTROLLING AN INFORMATION FLOW IN A DIGITAL NETWORK Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of controlling an information flow in a digital network, which comprises a plurality of server units, which for informa- tion exchange are visitable by at least one user computer, which is connected to the network and has a program that controls the contact with the server units of the network, and a memory, in which information fetched from the server units is stored to be shown on a display connected to the user computer. Prior Art The method which is briefly described above is mostly used in connection with information exchange on the Internet. On the Internet, the user computers are generally so-called personal computers, which are well known to the one skilled in the art and thus will not be described in more detail . Programs which are used in these computers for controlling the contact with the Internet are often called browsers and do not need any further presentation either to the one skilled in the art . In particular the Internet is distinguished in that the information is arranged in a disorderly manner and therefore difficult to find for an inexperienced computer user. Moreover, the Internet is distinguished in that it may be difficult for individual net addresses or web sites to assert themselves in relation to other net addresses or web sites and therefore the information which is accessible at these places may get lost in the large amounts of information. Objects of the Invention In the light of these facts, a first object of the invention is to make it easier for a computer user, who in the following should be considered as included in the expression user computer, to find the information searched for in a computer network, and a second object of the invention is to make it easier for a server unit in the network to reach out with its information to user computers searching for the type of information that is provided by the server unit. Summary of the Invention According to the invention, these objects are achieved by a method of the type mentioned by way of introduction, comprising the steps of installing a control server, to which some of the server units are linked via the network by storing a first instruction in them, which contains conditions for contacting the control server; a server unit which is visited by a user computer and linked to the control server sending a second instruction to the user computer when the conditions for contacting are satisfied, which second instruction contains information intended for the control server and causes the user computer to contact the control server for sending the information to the same; the control server sending a third instruction to the user computer, which third instruction contains conditions for renewed contacting of the control server; the third instruction causing the user computer, when said conditions for renewed contacting of the control server are satisfied, to send a request to the control server to control the information flow; the control server sending a fourth instruction to the user computer in response to this re- quest when predetermined conditions are satisfied, which fourth instruction causes the user computer to contact, for information exchange, a server unit selected by the control server according to fixed rules; and the user computer fetching information from this selected server unit and storing the information in the memory to show the same on its display. By installing according to the invention a control server, which has contact with both a server unit, which is visited by a user computer, and several other server units included in the network, it will, if the server units are combined into units or clusters which are related as to information content, be possible to offer in a reliable manner another information alternative to the user computer, if the user computer rejects a previous alternative or has made a choice which indicates an in- terest within the field of information offered by another server unit connected to the control server. Similarly, it is, of course, also possible under corresponding conditions for the server units which are connected to the control server to use the control server to spread their information content, in competition with only a few other server units and according to fixed rules, to a user computer in search of such information. As a first alternative, the condition that the user computer interrupts in an undesirable manner the contact with a visited server unit is, as a condition for contacting the control server, integrated in said first instruction. This first alternative is particularly usable when the user computer has searched in vain for information in a server unit, which is indicated by the server unit being left without the user computer having in any way used the offered information, for instance, by placing an order . As a second alternative, the condition that the user computer interrupts in a desirable manner the con- tact with a visited server unit is, as a condition for contacting the control server, integrated in said first instruction. This second alternative is particularly usable when the user computer might take an interest in related information after having found the information originally searched for, which is indicated by the server unit being left after the offered information has been used by the user computer, for instance, by the user computer having placed an order with the server unit. According to the invention, address information about the visited server unit is preferably integrated in the information which is included in said second instruction. It will be understood that such address information facilitates the handling in the control server when the latter is to find an alternative server unit for the user computer among the connected server units. In addition, as a condition for renewed contacting of the control server a time condition is preferably integrated in said third instruction, which time condition inhibits renewed contacting of the control server for a predetermined time. The purpose of this condition is in particular to avoid that a user computer is unnecessarily often offered information from different alternative server units. Preferably, information fetched from said second instruction about the behaviour of the user computer in the visited server unit is integrated in said request to control the information flow. Also this solution aims at facilitating the handling and results in the control server directly having necessary decision data for the further control of the information flow. In addition, the condition that a server unit linked to the control server is selected at the most as often as it causes the sending of a request to control the information flow to the control server is suitably integrated in said rules. This solution aims in particular at achieving equity between the server units which are connected to the control server, thus creating a fundamental condition for otherwise competing server units to take an interest in being connected to the control server. Furthermore, said fourth instruction preferably comprises the instruction to show the information shown from the selected server unit in a new window on the display. This solution is advantageous, in particular as it does not affect the previous window on the display and the new window is easy to close if the information shown is not desirable. Finally, addresses of a plurality of server units, which must contain mutually related information, are preferably put together in the control server as a cluster, from which the control server selects a server unit. Thus, it is possible, in a rapid and very simple manner, to pass on a visiting user computer from one server unit, which includes a certain type of information, to the next server unit, which includes related information. Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figs 1 and 2 schematically show parts of a data network, in which the method according to the invention is used. Description of a Preferred Embodiment The object of the preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention is to use the method to build a service, by means of which commercial web sites 2, 3, which are part of a data network 1, in this case the Internet, can almost double the traffic they had without the service. The traffic increase should consist of visitors from the right target group, i.e. those who have shown an interest in that offered by a web site 2, 3. In order to achieve this, use is made of a method according to the invention, the participating web sites 2, 3 modifying their so-called HTML pages such that visitors, who do not convert, i.e. do not buy anything, register themselves, open an account, etc, are under certain conditions offered another related web site 3 as they leave the web site 2. To make various web sites 2, 3 choose to connect to the service, the participating web sites 2, 3 are offered, on the one hand, the possibility of laying down conditions on which another related web site 2, 3 is to be offered and, on the other, the possibility of being informed by statistics about the increase in visitors who come from other web sites 2 , 3 to their own web site 2, 3, and in visitors who are sent from their own web site 2 , 3 to other web sites 2, 3. In this connection, a visitor is a person who visits a certain web site 2 by means of a computer 4 and thus shows an interest in a certain subject. When visiting a web site 2, the computer 4 fetches a minimal Java script 12, whose only function is to fetch a longer script 13 from a traffic control server 8, to which the operator of the method according to the invention has access. The script 13 which is delivered to a browser 5 in the computer 4 is adapted to the information coming after the information that comes to the control computer 8 (SID, referring document and possibly cookies) . Depending on the status of the web site 2 in the control server 8, an empty script or a script which does not open a new window can be delivered. A web site cookie (included in 12) is created by the web site 2 in question when the web site 2 wants to exclude a certain visitor from the control server 8. Since the cookie is set by the web site 2, only the web site 2 is able to read it. This, in turn, makes it necessary for the Java script which is served by the control server 8 to know the syntax, read the cookie and on the basis thereof decide whether a proposal is to be shown or not . A first cookie (included in 12') is set at a first contact with the control server 8 (the Java script server) . The cookie is persistent, i.e. lives forever unless it is removed by the user. The content is only a unique identifier (an integer) . Yet another cookie (included in 14) is set when an alternative is shown to the user. The lifetime of the cookie is preferably set at 30 minutes and during this time no new alternatives will be shown. Web sites 2, 3 that are involved in the method must modify the so-called BODY tag in the HTML documents which include the scripts for calling a function when leaving the page . A group of web sites 2 , 3 in one and the same niche are put together as a cluster 10, in which other web sites are, according to fixed rules, suggested to visi- tors leaving the web site 2, 3. Thus, a customer of the control server 8 is always a web site 2, 3 participating in a cluster 10. The control server 8 comprises three main parts, namely a script sending part 11, a bounce sending part 12 and a support part 13, and communicates with a database 14, in which all data is stored. The script sending part 11 delivers the Java scripts to the web sites included in the various clusters 10. The bounce sending part 12 ensures that a web site 2, 3 gets exactly as much traffic back as it sends into a cluster 10. When a new window 9 is opened, a request is passed on to the bounce sending part 12 which quickly picks out the address of the web site 2, 3 which is to be opened in the new window 9. The support part 13 is the interface with the users of the control server 8 , both on the customer and the provider side. The person skilled in the art will understand that the terminology used in the above description is based on the described Internet application, whereas the terminology used in the introduction and the claims is chosen with a view to not limiting the method according to the invention to such an application. Thus, the inventive method may very well be used also in other data networks and in telecommunication networks, in which alternative services are accessible via a display of a telephone.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A method of controlling an information flow in a digital network (1) , which comprises a plurality of server units (2, 3), which for information exchange are visitable by at least one user computer (4) , which is connected to the network (1) and has a program (5) that controls the contact with the server units (2, 3) of the network (1) , and a memory (6) , in which information fetched from the server units (2, 3) is stored to be shown on a display (7) connected to the user computer (4), c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that a control server (8) is installed, to which some of the server units (2, 3) are linked via the network (1) by storing a first instruction (II) in them, which contains conditions for contacting the control server (8) , that a server unit (8) which is visited (COM1) by a user computer (4) and linked to the control server (8) sends a second instruction (12) to the user computer (4) when the conditions for contacting are satisfied, which second instruction (12) contains information intended for the control server (8) and causes the user computer (4) to contact the control server (8) for sending (12') the information to the same, that the control server (8) sends a third instruction (13) to the user computer (4) , which third instruction (13) contains conditions for renewed contacting of the control server (8) , that the third instruction (13) causes the user computer (4) , when said conditions for renewed contacting of the control server (8) are satisfied, to send a request (13') to the control server (8) to control the information flow, that the control server (8) sends a fourth instruction (14) to the user computer (4) in response to this request (13') when prede- termined conditions are satisfied, which fourth instruction (14) causes the user computer (4) to contact (COM2) , for information exchange, a server unit (3) selected by the control server (8) according to fixed rules, and that the user computer (4) fetches information from this selected server unit (3) and stores the information in the memory (4) to show the same on its display (7) . 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that as a condition for contacting the control server (8) the condition that the user computer (4) interrupts in an undesirable manner the contact with a visited server unit (2) is integrated in said first in- struction (II) . 3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 , c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that as a condition for contacting the control server (8) the condition that the user computer (4) interrupts in a desirable manner the contact with a visited server unit (2) is integrated in said first instruction (II) . 4. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1-3, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that address information about the visited server unit (2) is integrated in the information which is included in said second instruction (12) . 5. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1-4, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that as a condition for renewed contacting of the control server (8) a time condi- tion, which for a predetermined time inhibits renewed contacting of the control server (8) , is integrated in said third instruction (13) . 6. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1-5, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that information fetched from said second instruction (12) about the behaviour of the user computer (4) in the visited server unit (2) is integrated in said request (13') to control the information flow. 7. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1-6, c ha r a c t e r i s e d in that the condition that a server unit (2, 3) linked to the control server (8) is selected at the most as often as it causes the sending of a request (13 ' ) to control the information flow to the control server (8) is integrated in said rules. 8. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1-7, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that said fourth instruction (14) comprises the instruction to show the information shown from the selected server unit (3) in a new window (9) on the display (7) . 9. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1-8, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that in the control server (8) addresses of a plurality of server units (2, 3), which must contain mutually related information, are put together as a cluster (10) , from which the control server (8) selects a server unit (2, 3) .

Inventors: HOLLANDER JONAS, HOLLANDER, JONAS
Applicants: HOLLANDER JONAS, LEMONBOX AB, HOLLANDER, JONAS
Application year: 2001
Main classification: H04L29
IPC codes: G06F17, H04L29