Patent Abstract:
Delivering electronic content includes providing instructions that might cause a computer to collect information including a network address and transmitting the collected information to a receiving computer. The computer that receives the transmitted information selects electronic content based on the received information and sends the selected electronic content to the network address included in the received information. Access to the electronic content might be selectively granted based on criteria.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a continuation of U.S. patent Ser. No. 12/484,695 filed Jun. 15, 2009, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,086,746, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/889,610 filed Aug. 15, 2007, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,562,150, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/412,827 filed Apr. 28, 2006, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,272,655, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/231,714 filed Jan. 15, 1999, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,127,515, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention generally relates to delivering electronic content. 
     2. Related Art 
     The Internet offers a tremendous amount of information on a wide range of subjects. Many businesses and organizations offer world-wide-web sites that promote products, offer technical assistance, and provide other useful information. Search engines (e.g., Yahoo™) typically can provide lengthy lists of sites related to any topic of interest. Users typically do not want to take the time to investigate more than a handful of these sites. As a result, the vast number of web-sites makes it difficult for web-site providers to lure Internet users to their respective sites. 
     Since the inception of the web, web-pages have featured links to other sites. A link can appear as underlined text (e.g., “please visit deskgate”), as a picture, or as a sequence of images. Each link has an associated URL (universal resource locator) that identifies a web-site. A link can be programmed to transport a user to a link&#39;s associated URL when a user selects the link (e.g., by clicking a mouse button). 
     To attract users to a site, some businesses rent space on other web-pages. For example, as shown in  FIG. 1 , a newspaper web-page  100  includes a variety of links to other sites. As shown, the web-pane includes a banner  102  (i.e., a picture link in the shape of a banner) linked to a resort&#39;s web-site. By selecting the link, the user is transported to the resort&#39;s web-page as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     SUMMARY 
     In general, in one aspect, a method of delivering electronic content includes providing instructions that cause a first computer to collect information including an e-mail address, and transmitting the collected information to a second computer. The second computer processes the transmitted information by selecting electronic content for transmission to the e-mail address and e-mailing the selected electronic content. 
     Embodiments may include one or more of the following. The instructions can be web-page instructions such as HTML. The instructions can be of a form. The instructions can collect the information by querying the computer or by receiving user input. The information can include demographic information and/or system information. 
     The processing can be done by a program such as a script (e.g., a CGI script). A URL (universal resource locator) displayed at a browser using the instructions may not be altered by the transmitting of the collected information. The processing can select electronic content based on the transmitted information. The electronic content can include text, graphics, audio, video and/or executable instructions. 
     The information transmitted can include identification of the instructions that transmitted the information and/or identification of a site that transmitted the information. 
     In general, in another aspect, a method of delivering electronic content includes providing web-page form instructions that cause a first computer to interactively collect an e-mail address from a user and transmit information including the collected address information to a second computer. The method further includes processing the transmitted information at the second computer by using the transmitted information to select electronic content and e-mailing the selected electronic content to the transmitted e-mail address. 
     In general, in another aspect, a method of delivering electronic content includes storing electronic content corresponding to different sets of instructions, receiving a request for electronic content produced by one of the sets of instructions, the request including a network address, and selecting electronic content from the stored electronic content based on the received request. The selected electronic content is transmitted to the network address included in the request. 
     In general, in another aspect, a computer-implemented method of providing access to electronic content includes displaying in a browser a web-page that includes a link corresponding to electronic content and in response to a user&#39;s selection of the link, collecting information without modifying the web-page displayed in the browser. The collected information is transmitted to a remote server, and electronic content from the remote server is sent to the e-mail address based on the collected information. 
     In general, in another aspect, a computer program, disposed on a computer readable medium, includes instructions for causing a first computer&#39;s processor to receive information collected by instructions at a second computer, and based on the received information, select electronic content and transmit the electronic, content to an e-mail address included in the received information. 
     Advantages may include one or more of the following. By linking an e-mail based electronic content delivery system to a web-page, businesses can enjoy the benefits of reaching “web-surfers” without the cost and/or computer resources needed to maintain a web-site. Linking in this manner also provides Internet users with the ability to get more information about a topic without leaving a web-page and without waiting for graphics and other information, to be transmitted to their browser. A business providing electronic content can not only receive demographic data describing interested users, but also can determine which web-pages are most effective in producing requests for information. 
     Other advantages of the invention will become apparent in view of the following description, including the figures, and the claims. 
    
    
     
       DRAWING DESCRIPTIONS 
         FIG. 1  is a screenshot of web-page that includes a banner, according to principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a screenshot of a web-page reached via the banner of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a screenshot of a web-rage that includes a link, according to principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a screenshot of a submission confirmation window, according to principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a screenshot of an e-mail message including electronic content, according to principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a listing of web-page instructions, according to principles of the invention. 
         FIGS. 7A-7C  are diagrams illustrating delivery of electronic content, according to principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 7D  is a block diagram of an embodiment of electronic content, according to principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 7E  is a flow diagram showing steps of processing notification instructions, according to principals of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a flow chart of distribution software, according to principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 9  is an exemplary diagram of a computer system, according to principles of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a web-page  104  viewed by a network browser (e.g., Netscape™ Navigator) uses text and graphics to present information to a user. As shown, the text and graphics include information related to a business enterprise. The web-page  104  also includes a form  106  that accepts user input. As shown, the form  106  includes a text entry control  108 , and a submit button  110 . The form  106  also provides a graphic image  112  designed to attract attention. As shown, the form assumes the shape traditionally associated with banner-links (e.g., a bordered rectangle) but other shapes or formats could be used. The banner shape can communicate to a user that the form  106  is associated with a web-site other than the site the user is currently visiting. The form  106  can include other user input controls (not shown), for example, checkboxes that identify different areas of interest (e.g., “send me information on golf clubs” and “send me information on golf vacations”). 
     Unlike a conventional banner-link, interaction with the form  106  does not transport the user to a different web-site. Instead, submitting entered information into the form (e.g., by typing information into the text box and then clicking the submit button  110 ) transmits the information entered by the user to a remote web-server without changing the current URL being displayed by the browser. The remote web-server uses the transmitted information, to select and deliver electronic content (e.g., text, graphics, audio, video, and executable instructions) via e-mail. Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/199,150 entitled “Tracking Electronic Content” filed Nov. 24, 1998, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,751,670, describes an electronic content delivery system, and is incorporated by reference. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , as shown, a user has entered a network e-mail address into the text field  108  and clicked the submit button  110 . This action initiates transmission of the entered information to the remote web-server. After submitting the information, a window  114  appears informing a user that the information has been transmitted. The feedback provided by the window  114  prevents users from making repeated submissions in the mistaken belief their request failed. 
       FIG. 5  shows the interface for an e-mail client. After the remote web-server has received the transmitted information, it selects the appropriate electronic content and e-moils the selected electronic content to the specified e-mail address. The requestor then can view or otherwise access the delivered content using the e-mail client. As shown, the electronic content may be transmitted as an e-mail attachment  120 . By delivering electronic content via e-mail, users can request information without interrupting their use of a currently displayed web-page  104  and without waiting for a linked site&#39;s web-page to load. Additionally, a business can deliver the content to an Internet user without the cost and expense of maintaining a web-site or reserving an Internet address. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , a network browser constructs a web-page&#39;s appearance from web-page instructions  104 . These instructions  104  can be expressed in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), Java, or other formats. When a user visits a web-page, the instructions  104  for the page are transmitted to the user&#39;s computer for processing by the user&#39;s browser. The instructions  104  describe the appearance and behavior of web-page elements. For example, the instructions describe the form  106 , the graphic image  112 , the text control  108 , and submit button  110 . The instructions  104  include instructions  120  for transmitting collected information to the remote web-server for processing. As shown, the instructions  106  identify a program  122  at a remote wet-server and specify values for different parameters  124   a - 124   c . The remote server program processes the parameters to select electronic content to deliver to a specified e-mail address  108 . As shown, the program is a CGI (Common Gateway Interface) script, however, programs written in other programming languages can also process the collected information (e.g., a Perl script or a Java or C++ program). 
     As shown, the instructions  106  transmit the e-mail address  124   c  interactively collected from a user and an identification of the electronic content  124   b  to deliver to the e-mail address specified  124   c . Instead of hard-coding the content to deliver  124   b , the instructions  120  can transmit an I.D. that identifies electronic content to transmit. For example, different I.D.s can be assigned to different sets of instructions  120 . That is, an I.D. for the golf promotion form may be “001” while the I.D. for a car promotion form may be “002”. Though the same instructions  120  can be incorporated into different web-pages, the remote server can use the I.D. to select the electronic content to transmit (e.g., information on the golf or car promotion). By using an I.D. instead of hard-coding a reference to electronic content, electronic content transmitted to a user can be easily altered. 
     The instructions  106  can be copied into different web-pages to reach more web users. To identify the site that produced a request for electronic content, the instructions  106  can transmit a site identification token  124   a  of the site transmitting the information. This information can be hard-coded (as shown) or dynamically determined by interacting with a browser&#39;s API (Application Programming Interface). By transmitting the site token  124   a , the remote web-server can identify which web-pages produced the most number of requests for content. 
     The instructions  106  can be configured to interactively collect a wide variety of information from a user in addition to an e-mail address. Such information can include demographic information (e.g., name, address, and age) or information describing a user&#39;s interests. The electronic content transmitted by the remote server can be selected based on this information. 
     Additionally, the instructions  106  can dynamically access a body of information stored, for example, on the user&#39;s computer, and then transmit that information to the remote web-server. For example, the instructions can access a Windows™ registry on the user&#39;s computer to collect user and system information relating to the computer executing the instructions. 
     Though the instructions  106  shown produce a form, the instructions  106  that collect an e-mail message by querying a user&#39;s computer (e.g., by accessing the Windows™ registry) could instead present a simple picture or text (e.g., “Click here for e-mail information on golf”). When a user clicks on the picture or text, the instructions  106  dynamically collect the user&#39;s e-mail address and other information from the system and transmit the collected information to the remote server without requiring any data entry by the user. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7A-7C , a remote web-server  132  delivers electronic content  138  based on a user&#39;s interaction with a web-page  104 . As shown in  FIG. 7A , a user&#39;s computer  126  runs browser software  128 . When the user navigates (e.g., by following a link or entering a URL) to a web-site, the web server  130  for that web-site transmits web-page instructions  104  to the user&#39;s computer  176 . The user&#39;s browser  126  processes the web-page instructions  104  for display (as shown in  FIG. 3 ). 
     Referring to  FIG. 7B , the web-page  104  includes instructions  106  for collecting and transmitting information to the remote server  132 . When a user submits a request for electronic content (e.g., clicking the submit button  110 ), the information  124  collected from a user and/or system is transmitted to the remote web-server  132 . As described above, the information  124  includes an e-mail address and can include other information such as an I.D. and/or the address of the site  126  producing the request  124 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 7C , the remote web-server  132  includes a program  134  for processing the transmitted information  124 . The program  134  can be a CGI script or alternatively a Perl, Java, or C++ program. The remote web-server also stores electronic content  138  for transmission to a requesting user. The remote web-server  137  also may include a table  136  that stores the electronic content  138  that should be sent in response to an I.D. included received information. The remote web-server  132  selects and transmits the electronic content  138   a  via e-mail to the e-mail address specified in the received information  124 . 
     The remote web-server  132  produces reports based on requests that indicate which addresses received content, which web-pages produced content requests, and demographic information describing the user&#39;s requesting information. Thus, businesses can closely track their efforts at reaching users. 
     The remote web-server  132  can store electronic content  138  corresponding to any number of different sets of instructions  106  (e.g., different forms). Thus, a single web-server  132  can provide electronic content delivery for a large number of different businesses or organizations. Processing requests for content typically consumes considerable computational resources on the processing computer. In addition, storing the content  138  typically requires a large volume of non-volatile storage. By letting a remote web-server dedicated to processing requests handle delivery and storage of content, the computers associated with the various enterprises will not be slowed or otherwise burdened by the processing of requests during business hours. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7D , the electronic content  138  may include electronic content  138   b  such as text, graphics, audio, video, and/or executable files. Electronic content  138  may also include notification instructions  138   c  that may be executable instructions that collect and transmit notification information. The notification instructions  138   c  may be configured to control access to the electronic content  138   b . Further, different electronic content may use different file formats. When executed, notification instructions  138   c  can determine whether a previous attempt to access the electronic content  138   b  resulted in success (e.g., successful transmission of notification information or receipt of an access granting message). The notification instructions  138   c  may interactively collect notification information from a recipient. The notification instructions  138   c  may interactively collect notification information from a recipient. The notification instructions  138   c  may also collect information by querying the recipient&#39;s computer system. 
       FIG. 7E  is a flow diagram showing steps of processing the notification instructions, according to principles of the invention, starting at step  700 . At step  705 , a check is node whether notification information was transmitted successfully previously. If successful, then the process continues at step  730 . Otherwise, if the notification information has not been successfully transmitted, then at step  710 , notification information may be collected. At step  715 , an attempt to transmit the notification information may be made. At step  720 , a check may be made to determine if the transmission of notification information was successful. If not successful, then at step  722 , access is denied to the electronic content. If, however, the transmission of notification information was successful, then at step  725 , an indicator may be stored indicating successful transmission. At step  730 , a prompt for a password may occur. At step  735 , a check may be made whether a correct password was entered. If the password was not correctly entered then, at step  750 , an attempt to transmit notification information may occur. At step  755 , access to electronic content may be denied. If, however, a correct password was entered, or, if prompted for, then at stop  740 , access may be granted to the electronic content (e.g., decompress and decrypt). At step  745 , an attempt to transmit notification information may occur. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , the program  134  running on the remote web-server  132  processes information to select and e-mail electronic consent to a specified address. After receiving a request for electronic content ( 140 ), the program  134  may repress transmission of information to a user&#39;s browser (e.g., for example by issuing an “echo status:  202  No Response” command). This command prevents a user&#39;s display from being altered. 
     The program  134  can use the I.D. to determine which electronic content to send to a specified address ( 142 ). The program  134  can also analyze demographic data included in the received information  124  to select electronic content for delivery. After selecting the electronic content, the program  134  can e-mail the determined content ( 144 ) to the e-mail address specified in the request  124 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , a computer platform  146  includes a monitor  148 , input devices such as a keyboard  150  and mouse  151 , and a digital computer  152 . The digital computer  152  includes memory  154 , a processor  156 , a mass storage device  164   a  (e.g., a hard disk) and a network connection  160  for transmitting and receiving data. The mass storage device  164   a  includes instructions for an operating system  162  (e.g., Windows™ 98), distribution software  184 , and electronic content  138 . These instructions can be stored in other commuter readable mediums such as a floppy disk  164   b , a CD-ROM drive  164   c , or other hardware such as an EPROM  164   d . In the course of operation, the stored instructions are transferred to memory  154  and the processor  156  for execution. 
     The techniques described here are not limited to any particular hardware or software configuration. The techniques may be implemented in hardware or software, or a combination of the two. Preferably, the techniques are implemented in computer programs executing on programmable computers that each include a processor, a storage medium readable by the processor (including volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input device, and one or more output devices. Program code is applied to data entered using the input device to perform the functions described and to generate output information. The output information is applied to one or more output devices. 
     Each program is preferably implemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system. However, the programs can be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language. 
     Each such computer program is preferably stored on a storage medium or device (e.g., CD-ROM, hard disk or magnetic diskette) that is readable by a general or special purpose programmable computer for configuring and operating the computer when the storage medium or device is read by the computer to perform the procedures described in this document. The system may also be considered to be implemented as a computer-readable storage medium, configured with a computer program, where the storage medium so configured causes a computer to operate in a specific and predefined manner. 
     Other embodiments are within the score of the following claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7