Patent ID: 7269664

Claim:
A network portal system comprising: a middle tier including a web-top manager, wherein said web-top manager is configured to receive a content request, for content provided by a content provider, from a user device in a client tier wherein said content request includes a content provider identifier, wherein said web-top manager further comprises: a web server; a main servlet executing on said web server, wherein said main servlet receives a user device content request; and a presentation and logic system coupled to said main servlet and on said web server, said presentation and logic system configured to receive raw data content in a plurality of different raw data formats from a universal content broker system, wherein said presentation and logic system converts raw data content irrespective of said raw data format, based upon characteristics of said user device, into a page displayable on said user device, wherein said presentation and logic system comprises: a plurality of templates; a plurality of provider objects wherein each provider object is associated with a different content provider identifier; and a plurality of adapter objects wherein each adapter object is associated with a different content provider identifier, and further wherein said adapter object receives content from said content provider associated with said different content provider identifier and provides said content to a provider object associated with said different content provider identifier; and an information system tier including said universal content broker system coupled to said web-top manager, said universal content broker system comprising: a plurality of content providers, wherein each content provider in said plurality of content providers is associated with a different content provider identifier, and each content provider accesses content having a different raw data format; a configuration server wherein said configuration server further comprises a first DOM tree including at least one user profile; a configuration proxy coupled to said configuration server wherein said configuration proxy further comprises a second DOM tree wherein said second DOM tree includes a subset of data in said first DOM tree; a hierarchy content provider wherein said hierarchy content provider generates a virtual hierarchy of content of said universal content broker system; and a universal content broker coupled to said web-top manager and to said plurality of content providers wherein upon said receipt of said content request from said web-top manager, said universal content broker passes said request to a content provider, in said plurality of content providers that is associated with said content provider identifier, for said content provider to retrieve said content, if necessary, and to return a handle to said content to said universal content broker.