Method of viewing at a client viewing station a multiple media title stored at a server and containing a plurality of topics utilizing antic

Claims

We claim:

1. In a distributed computer network comprising a remote multiple media content server and a client viewing station in communication via a wide-area connection, a method of viewing at the client viewing station a multiple media title stored at said server and containing a plurality of topics associated with multiple media items, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving at said server a first request by the client viewing station for data relating to a selected one of the topics contained in the multiple media title;

determining from multiple media items associated with the selected topic and responsive to the first request which of the multiple media items of the topic are likely to be requested next by the client viewing station;

transferring from said server to the client viewing station of said multiple media items determined as likely to be requested next; and

caching said transferred multiple media items in a cache storage at the client viewing station whereby said multiple media items are available without requesting from said server when rendering a presentation of at least a portion of the topic at the client viewing station.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising:

checking by the client viewing station for the presence in the cache storage of multiple media items needed for rendering the presentation at the client viewing station without the client viewing station having previously requested the multiple media items; and

retrieving from the cache storage by the client viewing station any said multiple media items needed for rendering the presentation and present in the cache storage.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of determining is performed at said server in response to the client viewing station requesting an address datum relating to the topic.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the wide-area connection is capable of multiple channel communication and said transferred multiple media items comprise a bitmap image element having associated dimension data, and the method comprises:

transferring the bitmap image element and the dimension data from said server to the client viewing station in separate channels.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said transferred multiple media items further comprise a textual element, and the method comprises:

transferring the bitmap image element and the textual element from said server to the client viewing station in separate channels.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the wide-area connection is capable of multiple channel communication, and further comprising the steps of:

transferring at least some of the multiple media elements concurrently from said server to the client viewing station in separate channels;

transmitting by the client viewing station to said server of a request for transfer of a multiple media item in a protected mode;

pausing the transferring of said at least some multiple media items on the separate channels responsive to the request;

transferring said requested multiple media item from said server to the client viewing station; and

resuming the transferring of the at least some multiple media items after completion of the transferring of said requested multiple media item.

7. In a distributed computer network comprising a remote multiple media content server and a client viewing station in communication via a wide-area connection, the client and server having a pre-established protocol for transferring items, a method of viewing at the client viewing station a multiple media title stored at said server and containing a plurality of topics associated with multiple media items, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting by the client viewing station of a tip message relating to multiple media items that are to be requested next by the client viewing station;

transferring from said server to the client viewing station of said multiple media items that are to be requested next by the client viewing station without using the pre-established protocol;

caching said transferred multiple media items in a cache storage at the client viewing station whereby said multiple media items are available before required by the client when rendering a presentation of at least a portion of the topic at the client viewing station.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said multiple media items that are to be requested next by the client viewing station include address data of selected topics.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said multiple media items that are to be requested next by the client viewing station include bitmap image elements.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein said multiple media items that are to be requested next by the client viewing station include word items.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the topic contains hint items relating to which multiple media items are likely to be requested next by the client viewing station.

12. In a computer network comprising a client viewing station remotely connected via a modem to a server having a database containing at least one multiple media title each having a plurality of topics, a method of viewing a multiple media title at the client viewing station comprising the steps of:

activating by the user of a hot-spot in the multiple media title to initiate a jump to a selected topic of said title;

transmitting by the client viewing station to the server an initial transfer request for transfer of an initial item associated with the selected topic in the database;

determining from information in the selected topic and responsive to the initial transfer request which additional multiple media content and layout information associated with said topic is likely to be further requested;

transferring the initial item and the additional multiple media content and layout information determined as likely to be further requested by the server to the client viewing station responsive to the initial transfer request;

caching said transferred multiple media content and layout information associated with the selected topic at the client viewing station;

retrieving by the client viewing station of multiple media content and layout information required for display of a next portion of the selected topic in a pane, the step of retrieving said required multiple media content and layout information comprising the steps of:

for each piece of said required multiple media content and layout information, checking for the presence of said piece in said cached multiple media content and layout information at the client viewing station;

retrieving said piece from said cached multiple media content and layout information if said piece is present in said cached multiple media content and layout information; and

requesting transfer of said piece from the server if said piece is not present in said cached multiple media content and layout information.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of transferring comprises transferring the multiple media content and layout information associated with the selected topic in the database in multiple separate channels.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the channels comprise a bitmap channel, a full context channel, a word wheel channel, a highlights channel, and an information channel.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of retrieving by the client viewing station of said required multiple media content and layout information comprises requesting said required multiple media content and layout information in asynchronous transfer operations from the server.

16. The method of claim 12 comprising, responsive to a request for an item in the selected topic:

checking an entry macro of the selected topic for instructions to jump to an additional topic in a secondary pane;

transferring by the server to the client viewing station of multiple media content and layout information associated with the additional topic in the database without request from the client viewing station; and

caching said transferred multiple media content and layout information associated with the additional topic at the client viewing station.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein transmitting the initial request comprises:

transmitting by the client viewing station to the server a conversion request to convert the selected topic to a virtual address associated with the selected topic at the server station.

18. A multiple media viewing system comprising:

a server station having storage for a multiple media title containing a plurality of topics, each topic being associated with media content in the database including at least textual items and image items;

a client viewing station remotely connected to the server;

a multiple media viewer executing on the client viewing station for rendering the title by a user at the client viewing station, the multiple media viewer being responsive to user input to transmit a first request to the server station for media content associated with a selected topic of the title for presentation to the user;

a data transfer service executing on the server station and operative responsive to the first request to anticipate additional media content likely to be requested by the multiple media viewer and to transfer the additional media content to the client viewing station;

a cache storage at the client viewing station for caching the additional media content transferred by the data transfer service; and

the multiple media viewer being operative to check for the presence in the cache storage of an item of media content to be presented to the user, and to transmit a second request to the server station for the item if the item is absent from the cache storage.

19. The multiple media viewing system of claim 18 comprising:

a transporter for transferring multiple items of the media content concurrently on multiple separate channels from the server station to the client viewing station.

20. The multiple media viewing system of claim 19 wherein said channels comprise a first channel for transferring the image items of the media content, a second channel for transferring the textual items of the media content, and a third channel for transferring dimensions of the image items.

21. The multiple media viewing system of claim 20 wherein said channels further comprise a fourth channel for transferring word items, and a fifth channel for transferring search results.

22. The multiple media viewing system of claim 19 comprising:

a protected mode transfer service executing on the server station and responsive to a call from the multiple media viewer requesting immediate protected transfer of an item for pausing transfer of the image items, for transferring the subject item of the call, and for resuming transfer of the image items on completing the transfer of the subject item of the call.

23. The multiple media viewing system of claim 18 comprising:

the multiple media viewer being operative to transmit the second request in an asynchronous transfer operation.

24. The multiple media viewing system of claim 18 comprising:

a prenotify service executing on the server station for receiving a tip message from the multiple media server relating to media content which is to be requested by the multiple media viewer, and for transferring said media content to the client viewing station.

25. The multiple media viewing system of claim 18 wherein the multiple media title contains a hint item associated with a first item of the media content and relating to a set of items of the media content likely to be requested by the multiple media viewer next after a request for the first item.

26. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 1.

27. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 6.

28. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 7.

29. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 11.

30. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 18.

31. In a distributed computer network comprising a remote multiple media content server and a client viewing station in communication via a wide-area connection, a method of viewing at the client viewing station a multiple media title stored at said server and containing a plurality of topics associated with multiple media items, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving at said server a current request by the client viewing station for multiple media items relating to a selected one of the topics contained in the multiple media title;

determining at said server from multiple media items associated with the selected topic and responsive to the current request which of the multiple media items of the topic are likely to be requested further by the client;

transferring from said server to the client viewing station of said multiple media items determined as likely to be requested further; and

caching said transferred multiple media items in a cache storage at the client viewing station whereby said multiple media items are available at the client without requesting from said server when rendering a presentation of at least a portion of the topic at the client viewing station.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein said step of determining comprises:

checking the topic for a hint item relating to the current request to determine which of the multiple media items of the topic are likely to be requested further after the current request by the client.

33. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of determining comprises:

checking the selected topic for hint items relating to which multiple media items are likely to be requested next after the first request by the client viewing station.

34. In a distributed computer network comprising a remote multiple media content server and a client viewing station in communication via a wide-area connection, a method of viewing at the client viewing station a multiple media title stored at said server and containing a plurality of topics associated with multiple media items, at least one of said topics containing at least one hint item relating to which items are likely to be requested further by the client viewing station, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving at said server a first request by the client viewing station for a multiple media item relating to a selected one of the topics contained in the multiple media title;

checking the topic at said server for a hint item relating to said multiple media item;

determining at said server from said hint item which of the multiple media items of the topic are likely to be requested further after the first request by the client;

transferring from said server to the client viewing station of said multiple media items likely to be requested further; and

caching said transferred multiple media items in a cache storage at the client viewing station whereby said multiple media items are available at the client without requesting from said server when rendering a presentation of at least a portion of the topic at the client viewing station.

35. In a distributed computer network comprising a remote multiple media content server and a client viewing station in communication via a wide-area connection, the client and server having a pre-established protocol for transferring items, a method of viewing at the client viewing station a multiple media title stored at said server and containing a plurality of topics associated with multiple media items, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting by the client viewing station of a tip message relating to multiple media items that are to be requested next by the client viewing station according to the pre-established protocol;

determining responsive to said tip message which of the multiple media items of the topic are likely to be requested further by the client;

transferring from said server to the client viewing station of said multiple media items likely to be requested further by the client viewing station;

caching said transferred multiple media items in a cache storage at the client viewing station whereby said multiple media items are available at the client viewing station when the client viewing station would otherwise request the items according to the pre-established protocol.

36. In a distributed computer network comprising a remote multiple media content server and a client viewing station in communication via a wide-area connection, the client and server having a pre-established protocol for transferring items, a method of viewing at the client viewing station a multiple media title stored at said server and containing a plurality of topics associated with multiple media items, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting by the client viewing station to the server a current request for multiple media items relating to a selected one of the topics contained in the multiple media title;

determining at the server which of the multiple media items are likely to be requested further by the client according to an order of the multiple media items occurring in the selected topic and according to an order in which the client requests items, wherein the client request order is contained in the pre-established protocol for transferring items;

transferring from the server to the client viewing station the multiple media items determined likely to be requested further by the client viewing station;

caching the transferred multiple media items in a cache storage at the client viewing station whereby the transferred multiple media items are available at the client viewing station when the client viewing station would otherwise request the items according to the pre-established protocol.

37. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 36.