Method and apparatus for transmitting and displaying information between a remote network and a local computer

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method for transmitting data between a computer and a computer network coupled by a communications link, said computer and said computer network including Internet Protocol (IP) communication resources for providing an IP connection between said computer and said computer network, said IP connection configured to provide for non-blocking virtually simultaneous transmission of data for at least one higher priority processes whereby transmission of data by said higher priority processes results in slower throughput for each of said higher priority processes transmitting at the same time, said method for transmitting data comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a current communication line utilization rate for the IP connection until the current communication line utilization rate is below a line utilization threshold, the threshold providing for a predetermined maximum amount of delay to said higher priority processes transmitting data over said IP connection, said communication line utilization rate being a function of the rate of data being transferred in at least one direction across said IP connection;

(b) transmitting a portion of data between the computer network and the computer via the IP connection;

(c) tracking the remaining untransmitted portion of the data; and

(d) repeating steps (a)-(c) until the data has been transferred.

2. The method for transmitting data of claim 1 wherein the communications line utilization rate of step (a) is a function of the amount of data being transmitted by said higher priority processes, data transmitted by said method for transmitting data does not affect said communication line utilization rate.

3. The method for transmitting data of claim 2 wherein the line utilization threshold of step (a) is set to zero.

4. The method for transmitting data of claim 1 wherein the line utilization threshold of step (a) is varied.

5. The method for transmitting data of claim 1 wherein the line utilization threshold of step (a) is varied in accordance with the length of time which has elapsed while waiting for the current communication line utilization to fall below the line utilization threshold.

6. A method for transmitting data between a computer and a computer network coupled by a communications link, said computer and said computer network including Internet Protocol (IP) communication resources for providing an IP connection between said computer and said computer network, said IP connection configured to provide for non-blocking virtually simultaneous transmission of data for at least one higher priority processes whereby transmission of data by said higher priority processes results in slower throughput for each of said higher priority processes transmitting at the same time, said method for transmitting data comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a current communication line utilization rate for the IP connection until the current communication line utilization rate is below a line utilization threshold, the threshold providing for a predetermined maximum amount of delay to said higher priority processes transmitting data over said IP connection, said communication line utilization rate being a function of the rate of data being transferred in at least one direction across said IP connection;

(b) transmitting a portion of data between the computer network and the computer via the IP connection;

(c) tracking the remaining untransmitted portion of the data;

(d) repeating steps (a)-(c) until the data has been transferred; and

(e) tracking the amount of information transmitted in step (b), the tracked amount of information transmitted is used to adjust a user's charge for accessing the computer network.

7. A process for transmitting data between a computer and a computer network coupled by a communications link, said communications link further configured to transmit data for one or more higher priority processes, said process for transmitting data comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a current communication line utilization rate for data transmitted by said higher priority processes over the communications link until the current communication line utilization rate is below a line utilization threshold;

(b) transmitting a portion of data between the computer network and the computer;

(c) tracking a remaining untransmitted portion of the data; and

(d) repeating steps (a)-(c) until the data has been transferred.

8. A system for downloading advertisement items from a remote network to a local computer, said system comprising:

one or more primary applications processes communicating between said local computer and said remote network;

a two-way communications link coupling said remote network and said local computer, said communications link configured to transmit data between said remote network and said local computer for a plurality of processes, including said one or more primary applications processes, said communications link having a line utilization rate being a function of the amount of data currently transmitted by said one or more primary applications processes;

a database containing user preference information;

an IP network service provider coupling said local computer to said remote network, said network service provider providing two-way communication between said remote network and said local computer;

an advertisement system server coupled to said remote network, said advertisement system server containing a plurality of advertisement items; and

a software agent, said software agent initiating the transfer of said advertisement items from said advertisement system server to said local computer while said communications link line utilization is below a threshold value.

9. The system for downloading advertisement items of claim 8 further comprising:

a means for tracking the amount of information transmitted between said advertisement system server and said local computer,

said amount of information transmitted is used to adjust a user's charge for accessing the remote network.

10. The system for downloading advertisement items of claim 8 further comprising:

a means for inputting user preference information; and

a means for selecting a plurality of selected advertisement items from said plurality of advertisement items stored on said advertisement system server, said means for selecting a plurality of selected advertisement items utilizing said input user preference information,

said software agent configured to transmit said selected plurality of selected advertisement items to said local computer.

11. The system for downloading advertisement items of claim 8 wherein said means for selecting a plurality of selected advertisement items is a software process executing on said advertisement system server.

12. A process for transmitting data between a client computer and a server computer coupled by a communications link on a computer network, said communications link configured to transmit data for one or more higher priority processes, said process for transmitting data comprising the steps of:

(a) monitoring the amount of data transmitted by said higher priority processes to calculate a current communication line utilization rate for said communications link, said calculation excluding data being transmitted by said processes for transmitting data;

(b) comparing said communication line utilization rate to one or more preestablished values;

(c) calibrating the amount of data to be transmitted based on said comparison of said communication line utilization to said one or more preestablished values;

(d) transmitting said calibrated amount of data; and

(e) repeating steps (a)-(d) until the data has been transferred.

13. The process of claim 12 further comprising the step of:

monitoring the communication link until the communication link coupling the first computer and second computer has been established.

14. The process of claim 12 wherein said data comprises executable code.

15. The process of claim 12 wherein said step (a) of monitoring the communications line utilization comprises the step of sampling the line utilization.

16. The method for transmitting data of claim 12 wherein said one or more preestablished values of steps (b) and (c) are varied with the length of time the process has been transmitting.

17. A process for transmitting data between a client computer and a server computer coupled by a communications link, said communications link being configured to transmit data for one or more higher priority processes, said process comprising the steps of:

(a) monitoring data transmitted by said high priority processes to determine a communication line utilization rate for said communications link;

(b) utilizing said monitored line utilization rate to determine whether to transmit data in a current iteration of said process;

(c) if said determination of step (b) indicates data should be transmitted in the current iteration of said process, transmitting a portion of the data; and

(d) repeating steps (a)-(c) for a new iteration until the data has been transmitted.

18. A process for transmitting data between a server computer and a local computer, said local computer coupled to said server computer by a communications link on a computer network, said communication link further configured to transmit data for one or more high priority processes, said communication link providing a plurality of logical connections allowing said process and said high priority processes to contemporaneously transmit information, said process comprising the steps of:

(a) monitoring whether said one or more high priority processes are transmitting data over said plurality of logical connections;

(b) if no high priority process is transmitting data over said plurality of logical connections, transmitting a portion of said data via said communication link; and

(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until said data has been transferred.

19. A method for transmitting a file between a local computer and a remote computer, said local computer and remote computer coupled by a communication link having a current communication link usage rate, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a communications status for said local computer, said communications status related to said current communications link usage rate;

(b) transmitting a portion of said file over said communication link when the said communications status is beyond a threshold level;

(c) tracking a remaining untransmitted portion of the file, said tracking providing tracking information for said remaining untransmitted portion of the file;

(d) storing said tracking information indicating the last transmitted portion of said file; and

(e) repeating steps (a)-(d) to transmit data from the last transmitted portion of said file after any intervening breaks in said communication link or breaks in the availability of said local computer until the file has been transferred.

20. A method for controlling the transmission of data between a local computer and a remote computer, the local computer and remote computer coupled by a communication link having a current utilization rate, the method comprising:

(a) transmitting a portion of said file over said communication link when the said communications link current utilization rate is below a threshold level;

(b) tracking the remaining untransmitted portion of the file, said tracking providing tracking information for any remaining untransmitted portion of the file;

(c) storing said tracking information indicating the last transmitted portion of said file; and

(d) repeating steps (a)-(c) to transmit data from the last transmitted portion of said file after any intervening breaks in said communications link or breaks in the availability of said local computer until the file has been transferred.

21. A method for controlling the transmission of data between a local computer and a remote computer, the local computer and remote computer coupled by a communication link, the communication link having a current utilization rate, the method comprising:

providing an indicator signal having at least a first state and a second state;

allowing the transmission of data on said communication link when said indicator signal is in the first state;

preventing the transmission of data on said communication link when said indicator signal is in the second state; and

moving the indicator signal between said states in response the predetermined conditions associated with said communications link, said indicator signal being in said second state when the current utilization rate for the communication link is above a predetermined threshold.

22. A process for transmitting a file between a local computer and a remotely located computer network coupled by a communication link, said process for transmitting a file comprising the steps of:

(a) monitoring the communication link until the communication link coupling the local computer and the remote network has been established;

(b) determining a current communication line utilization rate for the communication link until the current communication line utilization rate is below a preestablished line utilization threshold;

(c) transmitting a portion of the remaining file between the network and the local computer in response to the current communication line utilization rate below the preestablished threshold;

(d) tracking the remaining untransmitted portion of the file, said tracking providing tracking information for any remaining untransmitted portion of the file;

(e) storing said tracking information indicating the last transmitted portion of said file, said tracking information being stored in persistent memory; and

(f) repeating steps (a)-(e) until the file has been transferred.