Patent ID: 7437431

Claim:
A method of downloading an icon from a directory service of an on-line services network to a client computer of a user, said icon corresponding to at least one node of a hierarchical directory structure in which multiple nodes can share a common icon, said method comprising the steps of: (a) sending a request for an icon identifier for said node from said client computer to said directory service, said icon identifier stored by said directory service as a property of said node; (b) returning said icon identifier from said directory service to said client computer in response to said request; (c) at said client computer, comparing said icon identifier returned in step (b) to a list of identifiers of icons stored on said client computer to determine whether said icon of said node is stored on said client computer; and (d) when, based on said comparison of step (c), said icon is not stored on said client computer, sending a request to said directory service for said icon.