Patent ID: 7792947

Claim:
In a server system, a method of providing a networked information monitor to a user of a computing device, the method comprising: storing in electronic storage associated with a first server device, a collection of networked information monitor templates, the collection of networked information monitor templates comprising a first networked information monitor template configured to define a first networked information monitor, wherein the first networked information monitor template comprises: (1) control characteristics defining one or more controls of the first networked information monitor that enable a user to manually navigate a network via the first networked information monitor; (2) a content reference that comprises a uniform resource locator at which content for the first networked information monitor is accessible; and (3) instructions configured (i) to cause the first networked information monitor to request the content from the uniform resource locator in the content reference, and (ii) to cause the first networked information monitor to generate a graphical user interface having a frame within which the content received from the uniform resource locator is displayed, wherein the size of the frame of the graphical user interface is defined by the first networked information monitor template, and wherein the one or more controls defined by the control characteristics are the only controls provided on the frame of the graphical user interface for manual navigation of a network via the first networked information monitor; receiving a request from a client computing device at the first server device for the first networked information monitor template; in response to the request, transmitting the first networked information monitor from the first server device to the client computing device.