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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of acquiring information from
the internet or world wide web. More particularly, the present invention
relates to the field of using a computer system to automatically acquire
information from the internet or the world wide web.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An abundance of information is now available to users of the internet or
world wide web. Sometimes the amount of available information is
overwhelming to users. However, even with the wealth of information
available, users of the internet often routinely return to their favorite
sites and web pages.
Access to the internet and world wide web can be slow and time consuming,
especially during the most popular hours of the day. Access can be much
faster during the off-peak hours when not as many users are accessing the
system. Even during the off-peak hours it can be time consuming to access
a web page or internet site to determine if it has been updated or if
there is any new information of interest to a user.
When accessing an internet site, a user instructs the computer to dial up
the server of the user's internet service provider. The computer or settop
box then controls the operation of a modem to establish the connection
with the internet service provider. Once a connection has been made
between the modem and the internet service provider, the user must then
log on to the service, usually by entering a username and a password. When
the user is logged on to the service, the user can then access services
and information provided by the service provider and also information
available through web pages at other addresses on the internet. When
accessing information available through the internet, the user connects
through their service provider to other servers which are providing
information. This information is usually provided at internet sites and
web pages. Each internet site and web page has a particular address
through which it can be accessed. By entering this address, the user is
instructing their internet service provider to connect them to that
address.
Each internet site or web page typically has information about a certain
subject. For example, an internet site provided by a newspaper will
typically have current news, stories and other information provided by the
newspaper. Other sites might have news, information and stock quotes about
particular companies or types of companies. Still another site might have
information related to a particular type of automobile. A user desiring to
access such a site in order to discover whether there is any new
information available since the last time the user accessed the site or
any information of interest to the user, must perform the entire log on
process and wait while the site is accessed through the service provider.
For a user interested in many different subjects, this can be a very
time-consuming process.
There are currently services which will automatically conduct a search and
provide a user with information about a particular subject which is
available on the internet. Typically, to use such a service, a user will
enter the specific subject matter about which they would like to obtain
information. This service then automatically searches the internet for the
user and obtains information about the specific subject matter. This
information will be gathered by the search service from many different
sites on the internet. The user is then provided with a report outlining
this information and the sites from where it was gathered.
The IEEE 1394 standard, "P1394 Standard For A High Performance Serial Bus,"
Draft 8.02v2, Jul. 7, 1995, is an international standard for implementing
an inexpensive high-speed serial bus architecture which supports both
asynchronous and isochronous format data transfers. The IEEE 1394 standard
provides a high-speed serial bus for interconnecting digital devices
thereby providing a universal I/O connection. The IEEE 1394 standard
defines a digital interface for the applications thereby eliminating the
need for an application to convert digital data to analog data before it
is transmitted across the bus. Correspondingly, a receiving application
will receive digital data from the bus, not analog data, and will
therefore not be required to convert analog data to digital data. An
`application` as used herein will refer to either an application or a
device driver.
The cable specified by the IEEE 1394 standard is very thin in size compared
to many other cables, such as conventional co-axial cables, used to
connect such devices. Devices can be added and removed from an IEEE 1394
bus while the bus is active. If a device is so added or removed the bus
will then automatically reconfigure itself for transmitting data between
the then existing nodes. A node is considered a logical entity with a
unique address on the bus structure. Each node provides an identification
ROM, a standardized set of control registers and its own address space.
What is needed is a system which automatically obtains information from
user specified internet sites. What is further needed is a system which
automatically obtains information from specific internet sites during a
specified time period, while a user is not using the system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A computer system or other internet access device is programmed to
automatically access specified web pages periodically and download the
information from the web page to the computer system. Through a user
interface, a user programs the computer system by entering an internet
address of the web page and an access interval. The access interval is the
interval at which versions of the web page will be downloaded; e.g.
hourly, daily or weekly. On that periodic basis the computer system or
other internet access device then automatically accesses the specified web
page and downloads the available information. This information is stored
within a memory device associated with the computer system. The user can
then access the downloaded information and view the web page without
connecting to the internet to determine if there is anything of interest
to the user on the web page. If there is information of interest and the
user would like to obtain additional information, the user can then access
the appropriate web page at a convenient time to obtain the additional
information.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an IEEE 1394 serial bus network
including a computer system and a television with a settop box.
FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the relevant components within the
computer system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 illustrates a user interface page through which the user enters the
addresses of the web pages to be automatically accessed by the computer
system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
An apparatus for and method of automatically downloading and storing web
pages allows a user to program a computer system or other internet access
device to automatically access specified web pages periodically and
download the information from the web page to the computer system. The
user can then later look at the downloaded information to determine if
there is anything of interest to the user on the specified web pages thus
saving the user the time required to actually gain access to the web page
on the internet. If there is information of interest and the user would
like to obtain additional information, the user can then access the
appropriate web page at a convenient time to obtain the additional
information. This allows the user to review the downloaded information at
their computer or other internet access device and make a decision on
whether or not the new information on that web page is of interest to them
without waiting through the delays associated with actually accessing the
web page on the internet.
A block diagram of an IEEE 1394 serial bus network including a computer
system and a television with an associated settop box is illustrated in
FIG. 1. The computer 14 includes an associated display 16. The computer 14
is coupled to a telephone line 18. The computer 14 is also coupled to the
television 10 through the IEEE 1394 serial bus network 12. The television
is coupled to the settop box 22. The television 10 includes an associated
remote control and input device 20. Preferably, the remote control device
20 utilizes infrared technology in order to send communications to the
television 10. The settop box 22 is coupled to a telephone line 24.
A block diagram of the internal components of the computer 14 is
illustrated in FIG. 2. While the method of automatically obtaining
specified web pages can be performed on any appropriate computer system or
internet access device, an exemplary computer system 14 is illustrated in
FIG. 2. The computer system 14 includes a central processor unit (CPU) 26,
a main memory 30, a video memory 44, a mass storage device 32, a modem 50
and an IEEE 1394 interface circuit 28, all coupled together by a
conventional bidirectional system bus 34. The interface circuit 28
includes the physical interface circuit 42 for sending and receiving
communications on the IEEE 1394 serial bus. The physical interface circuit
42 is coupled to the television 10 over the IEEE 1394 serial bus cable 12.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the interface
circuit 28 is implemented on an IEEE 1394 interface card within the
computer system 14. However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the
art that the interface circuit 28 can be implemented within the computer
system 14 in any other appropriate manner, including building the
interface circuit onto the motherboard itself. The modem 50 is coupled to
the telephone line 18 for sending and receiving communications over the
telephone line 18. The mass storage device 32 may include both fixed and
removable media using any one or more of magnetic, optical or
magneto-optical storage technology or any other available mass storage
technology. The system bus 34 contains an address bus for addressing any
portion of the memory 30 and 44. The system bus 34 also includes a data
bus for transferring data between and among the CPU 26, the main memory
30, the video memory 44, the mass storage device 32, the modem 50 and the
interface circuit 28.
The computer system 14 is also coupled to a number of peripheral input and
output devices including the keyboard 38, the mouse 40 and the associated
display 36. The keyboard 38 is coupled to the CPU 26 for allowing a user
to input data and control commands into the computer system 14. A
conventional mouse 40 is coupled to the keyboard 38 or computer system 14
for manipulating graphic images on the display 36 as a cursor control
device in a conventional manner. The display 36 displays video and
graphical images generated by the computer system 14.
A port of the video memory 44 is coupled to a video multiplex and shifter
circuit 46, which in turn is coupled to a video amplifier 48. The video
amplifier 48 drives the display 36, when it is being used. The video
multiplex and shifter circuitry 46 and the video amplifier 48 convert
pixel data stored in the video memory 44 to raster signals suitable for
use by the display 36.
A user of the system uses the keyboard 38 and the mouse 40 to program the
addresses of the web pages which are to be automatically downloaded by the
computer system 14. A user interface through which the user programs the
web page addresses is illustrated in FIG. 3. The user interface 60
includes an address column 62, a nickname column 64, an interval column
66, an update column 68 and a viewed column 70. The user programs an
entry, displayed as a row in the table, using the keyboard 38 and the
mouse 40 in a conventional manner. In the address column 62, the user
enters the internet address of a web page which is to be automatically
downloaded. In the nickname column 64, the user assigns a nickname to
correspond to this address. In the interval column 66, the user assigns an
interval at which the web page is to be automatically downloaded.
Acceptable entries within the interval column 66 are hour, day, number of
days and week. In the last updated column 68, the computer system 14
displays the date and time of the last version of the web page which was
downloaded corresponding to this entry. In the viewed column 70, the
computer system 14 displays either a "Yes" or "No" value, corresponding to
whether or not the last downloaded web page corresponding to this entry
was viewed by the user.
The user interface example illustrated in FIG. 3 includes two entries 72
and 74. The first entry 72 includes an internet address of sony.com in the
address column 62, an assigned nickname of Sony in the nickname column 64
and an interval of every day in the interval column 66. The update column
68 indicates that the corresponding web page was last updated on Mar. 6,
1997 at 12:00 AM. The viewed column 70 indicates that the user has viewed
the last copy of the web page which was downloaded. In response to this
first entry 72, the computer system 14 will then access the web page at
the internet address sony.com every day and download the available
information from that page, updating the information within the update
column 68 and the viewed column 70, accordingly.
The second entry 74 includes an internet address of stocks.com in the
address column 62, an assigned nickname of Quotes in the nickname column
64 and an interval of every hour in the interval column 66. The update
column 68 indicates that the corresponding web page was last updated on
Mar. 6, 1997 at 10:00 AM. The viewed column 70 indicates that the user has
not viewed the last copy of the web page which was downloaded. In response
to this second entry 74, the computer system 14 will then access the web
page at the internet address stocks.com every hour and download the
available information from that page, updating the information within the
update column 68 and the viewed column 70, accordingly.
After the user has programmed at least one entry into the user interface
60, the computer system 14 (FIG. 2) will then retrieve the specified web
page or pages at the specified intervals. For example, in response to the
first entry 72 (FIG. 3), the computer system 14 (FIG. 2) will on a daily
interval, use the modem 50 (FIG. 2), to connect to the user's internet
service provider through the telephone line 18 (FIG. 2). Once connected to
the internet service provider, the computer system 14 (FIG. 2) will then
automatically enter the address sony.com corresponding to the first entry
72 (FIG. 2). After being connected to the web page at that address by the
internet service provider, the computer system 14 (FIG. 2) will download
the available information from that web page, essentially making a
reproduction of the information within the web page. The available
information from that web page is downloaded through the telephone line 18
(FIG. 2) and the modem 50 (FIG. 2) and preferably stored on the mass
storage device 32 (FIG. 2) within the computer system 14 (FIG. 2).
Alternatively, the available information from that web page is stored in
the main memory 30 (FIG. 2). Preferably, as a downloaded web page is
updated by the computer system 14 (FIG. 2), only the latest version of
that downloaded web page is saved in the mass storage device 32 (FIG. 2).
Alternatively, each downloaded version of the web page can be saved until
it is viewed by the user. In this alternative embodiment, after the web
page is viewed by the user it will then be erased from the computer
system's 14 (FIG. 2) memory.
After a web page is downloaded, a copy of the web page is in the memory of
the computer 14 (FIG. 2) and available to the user. The user can then
access that previously downloaded web page by opening the user interface
60 (FIG. 3) and using the mouse 40 (FIG. 2) or other input device to
select the corresponding entry. If the user is interested in viewing the
last downloaded web page corresponding to the first entry 72 (FIG. 3),
then the user opens the user interface 60 (FIG. 3) and selects the first
entry 72 (FIG. 3). The computer system 14 (FIG. 2) will then load the
available information for that web page from the mass storage device 32
(FIG. 2) into the main memory 30 (FIG. 2) and display the web page on the
display 36 (FIG. 2). The user can then access the available information on
the downloaded web page as if they were actually accessing the original
web page. However, the user will not be able to utilize any links to other
internet addresses included within the web page, because the computer
system 14 (FIG. 2) is not actually connected to the internet through the
internet service provider. If there is any information in the web page
which is interesting to the user, the user can then instruct the computer
system 14 (FIG. 2) to connect to the internet service provider and view
the actual web page. Once connected to the actual web page through their
internet service provider, the user then has the ability to automatically
jump to any links included within the actual web page.
A user who only interested in the actual information included on the
downloaded web page, can save a great amount of time by viewing the
downloaded web page and not waiting through the delays associated with
accessing the original web page on the internet. Using the system of the
present invention, the user allows the computer system 14 (FIG. 2) to
automatically perform the time consuming task of accessing and downloading
the specified web page. The user can then quickly open the downloaded web
page and view it in a fraction of the time it would take to access the web
page and view it over the internet. If the user then decides that they
would like to connect to the actual web page, based on the downloaded
information, they have still saved a lot of time by viewing the downloaded
web page to determine if there is anything on the actual web page that is
of interest. The user will save even more time, when all the information
of interest is included on the downloaded web page which has been
automatically obtained by the computer system 14 (FIG. 2).
While preferably, the computer system 14 (FIG. 2) is used to enter the
appropriate information into the user interface 60 (FIG. 3) and
automatically download specified web pages from the internet, it should be
apparent to those skilled in the art that the combination of the settop
box 22 (FIG. 1), television 10 (FIG. 1) and remote control input device 20
(FIG. 1), or any other appropriate internet access device, can also be
used to perform the tasks associated with the present invention. In this
manner, both the computer system 14 (FIG. 2) and the television 10 (FIG.
1) with settop box 22 (FIG. 1) can be used independently to automatically
download specified web pages from the internet. Alternatively, the
computer system 14 (FIG. 2) can be used to automatically download the
specified web pages as described above and the information accessed by the
user through the television 10 (FIG. 1). In this embodiment, the
television obtains the downloaded information from the computer system 14
(FIG. 2) via the IEEE 1394 serial bus 12 (FIG. 1). This downloaded
information is then displayed for the user on the television 10 (FIG. 1).
The present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments
incorporating details to facilitate the understanding of principles of
construction and operation of the invention. Such reference herein to
specific embodiments and details thereof is not intended to limit the
scope of the claims appended hereto. It will be apparent to those skilled
in the art that modifications may be made in the embodiment chosen for
illustration without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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