Patent ID: 7127500

Claim:
A method for processing user requests in a network, comprising the steps of: processing selectively user requests to access information, the selective processing directing a request originating from a user selection of a controlled vocabulary abstract hyperlink to a hyperlink redirection facility, said controlled vocabulary abstract hyperlink including a semantic value and an URL (Uniform Resource Locator) address of the hyperlink redirection facility, said semantic value being at least one of a descriptive term and an identifier for the requested information, said hyperlink redirection facility being an intermediary performing redirection of said request and having more than one possible target profile for each request, said selective processing further directing a user request originating from a user selection of a hyperlink not including an URL of the hyperlink redirection facility directly to a requested resource without first directing the request to the hyperlink redirection facility; receiving at the redirection facility a communication from the user contemporaneously with or following the receipt of the user request to access information originating from the selection of the controlled vocabulary abstract hyperlink; identifying, the identification based on the information in the received communication, a user-supplied preference regarding which service provider to use to service the request, said user-supplied preference being identified at the hyperlink redirection facility prior to any communication being sent from the hyperlink redirection facility or server to the user soliciting said preference; and directing the request originating from the selection of the controlled vocabulary abstract hyperlink from the redirection facility to a user for forwarding to a service provider for servicing the request based on the user-supplied preferences.