WO2000023880A1

WO2000023880A1 - Method for broadcasting data to an open-ended terminal on internet

Info

Publication number: WO2000023880A1
Application number: PCT/FR1999/002554
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas Bernuau; Guillaume Bernuau
Original assignee: Thomas Bernuau; Guillaume Bernuau
Priority date: 1998-10-20
Filing date: 1999-10-20
Publication date: 2000-04-27
Also published as: EP1131705A1; FR2784832A1; AU6208999A; FR2784832B1

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for broadcasting data to an open-ended terminal (1) on a computer network (4) such as Internet, which consists in: connecting the terminal (1) to the computer network (4) and opening an application window; after opening the application window, causing a data area to be integrated with the application window; and transmitting data to the terminal (1) so as to fill up the data area. The data area can be inserted in the application window or adjoined thereto.

Description

METHOD FOR BROADCASTING INFORMATION TOWARDS AN EVOLUTION TERMINAL ON THE INTERNET

A computer network such as the Internet allows users to browse the web, using a navigation terminal, and to visit websites. At the outset, it should be noted that the "Web" designates the part of the Internet on which all kinds of information and resources are disseminated. The websites, hosted by web servers, contain web pages composed of texts, graphics, images, video animations, sounds and other multimedia information elements, as well as hypertext links connecting a plurality of web pages. To go from one page to another page, all you have to do with the most widely used software is to click on a hypertext link on the terminal screen.

The navigation terminal includes web browser client software, such as "Internet Explorer" or "Netscape Navigator". In order to browse the web, the terminal must connect to the Internet and run the browser software. A navigation window opens and then appears on the terminal screen. To visit a specific site, the user indicates the Web address, also called URL ("Universal Resources Locator"), in an address zone of the navigation window, or clicks on a hypertext link d access to the site. At the terminal's request, the Web server returns the site's home page to the latter. The terminal can then move from one page to another page, by clicking on hypertext links, in order to explore the site.

Access to websites is often free. This is why many websites include advertising in their web pages. The audience reached by the advertising disseminated by a specific site is however limited to visitors to this site. In other words, web users only receive advertising from a site if they go looking for it.

The present invention aims to distribute advertising, and more generally any other type of information, to web users, without the latter necessarily visiting a specific site.

To this end, the invention relates to a method of broadcasting information to an evolution terminal on a computer network such as the Internet, in which - connect the terminal to the computer network and open an application window,

- after opening the application window, the integration of an information zone is triggered in the application window and - information is transmitted to the terminal in order to fill the information zone.

From the outset, it will be noted that by "evolution terminal" is meant to designate any terminal capable of evolving on the computer network, using a browser, by email or by any other means of evolution. An "application" designates software, a program or any other suite of instructions, intended to be executed by a computer system (terminal, server, etc.).

The invention therefore consists in integrating an information zone into an application window which opens and appears on the screen of the terminal when the application is launched, that is to say executed. After connection to the computer network and opening of the application window, the terminal displays the information transmitted in the information area integrated into the application window, without its user having requested it.

The process of the invention is of great commercial interest. Indeed, a server, network access provider, can offer computer network access subscriptions at extremely competitive prices, insofar as subscribers agree to receive advertisements.

You can insert the information area in the application window or add it to it.

In a particular embodiment, the terminal is connected to a server providing access to the computer network which, on connection, transmits to the terminal a program for integrating an information area into an application window.

The installation of the integration program in the terminal is thus transparent to the user of the terminal.

Advantageously, the terminal comprising an application for connection / disconnection to the computer network, the integration program an information zone enriches said connection / disconnection application.

In a preferred embodiment, the open application window is detected and the execution of an information zone integration task is then triggered.

Advantageously, the application window consists of an evolution window on the computer network.

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the following description of a particular embodiment of the method for diffusing the invention with reference to the appended drawing in which:

- Figure 1 shows a schematic view of an evolution terminal connected to the Internet through an access provider;

- Figure 2 shows a navigation window in which is inserted an information bar;

- Figure 3 shows a diagram of the different stages of the broadcasting method, according to a particular embodiment, and - Figure 4 shows a navigation window to which is attached an information bar.

The method of the invention makes it possible to broadcast information to an evolution terminal 1 over a computer network, in this case the Internet 4.

In the particular example of the description, the evolution terminal 1 here consists of a personal computer, of PC type, comprising a man-machine interface - comprising in particular a display screen and an input keyboard -, a modem for connection to a telephone network 3, in this case the switched telephone network (PSTN) and, in memory, an operating system, here ^Windows® 95, an application for connecting / disconnecting to the Internet 4, a navigation application on the Internet 4 and various other applications such as in particular a word processing application.

From the outset, it will be noted that by the term "application" is intended to denote software, a program or any other series of instructions, intended to be executed by a computer system (terminal, server, etc.). The evolution terminal 1, or navigation terminal, has access to the Internet 4 provided by an access provider server 2. The application "^" . connection / disconnection is intended to connect the terminal 1 to the Internet 4, by telephone connection to the server 2 through the telephone network 3, according to a connection process, and to disconnect it, according to a disconnection process.

Server 2, directly connected to the Internet 4, includes in memory

- Internet service provider server software 4, - a user table containing a list of associated user names and passwords,

an application for integrating an information zone, in this case an information bar, into a navigation window of a navigation terminal, an application for broadcasting information to a navigation terminal and

- the information to be disseminated.

The server 2 acts here both as an Internet access provider 4 and as an information broadcasting server.

The user table contains in particular the name and associated password of a user of terminal 1.

The information broadcasting application allows the server 2 to broadcast information to a client terminal, at the latter's request.

The application for integrating an information bar into a navigation window comprises an integration client program and an integration server program, respectively intended to be executed by a navigation terminal and by the server 2, as this will be explained later in the description of the process.

The integration server program allows the server 2 to transmit, if necessary, the integration client program to a navigation terminal.

The integration client program is intended to integrate an information bar into a navigation window of a navigation terminal, using a library of preprogrammed functions, called API (Application Programing Interface - Programming interface). application), for development under Windows. In this case, integration consists of inserting the information bar in the navigation window. The integration client program includes an executable file for inserting an information bar in a navigation window and an H function, called a "hook" by those skilled in the art, intended to detect an open navigation window in order to to trigger the insertion of a. information bar in the navigation window, as will be explained later.

The executable file for inserting the information bar is here a "dll" file (dynamic link library), according to the vocabulary used by a person skilled in the art, intended to control the insertion of the bar of information. This file allows the terminal to create a child window constituting the information bar, using a window creation function from the API library, and to insert it into a parent window, namely a browser window detected by the hook. H.

A hook is a function associated with at least one event and intended to react to this event. The document entitled "Developing under Windows 95 and Windows NT", by Jeffrey Richter, published by Microsoft Press, explains more precisely what a hook is. In this case, the hook H is associated with a plurality of events: opening of a window, activation of a window, destruction of a window and other events related to an open window. It can be a navigation window but also a window of any other type of application. When one of the events associated with the H hook occurs, the H hook first determines whether it is a navigation window, by reading the title of the window, and, if necessary, triggers the execution a task to insert an information bar in the navigation window.

The information to be disseminated, in this case advertising, consists of a web page, in HTML format (HyperText Markup Language), containing various multimedia information elements, some of which are fixed and others which are scalable. (images, video animations, etc.).

The method of broadcasting information by the access provider server 2 to the navigation terminal 1 will now be described.

1 - Internet connection In order to connect the navigation terminal 1 to the Internet 4 (step ^" 20), the user of the terminal 1 triggers the execution of the connection / disconnection application, using the man-machine interface. The terminal 1 then calls the server 2, via the modem, through the telephone network 3, and begins the connection process during which the terminal 1 transmits to the server 2 a user name and password. checks the validity of the name and password received, compared with those stored in the user table, and validates access from terminal 1 to the Internet 4.

On connection, the server 2, by executing the integration server program, here transmits to the terminal 1 the client integration program of an information bar in a navigation window, through the telephone network 3 (step 21 ). The integration client program enriches the connection / disconnection application of terminal 1, in a manner transparent to the user. In other words, the server 2 modifies the connection / disconnection application of the terminal 1, by downloading the integration client program.

During the connection, the terminal 1 connection / disconnection application, enriched by the integration client program, activates the hook H of the integration client program. After activation, the H hook permanently monitors the possible intervention of one of the events with which it is associated in order to detect, if necessary, an open navigation window.

2- Internet browsing

In order to browse the Internet 4, the user of the terminal 1 triggers the execution of the navigation application and thus opens a navigation window 1 1 which is displayed on the screen of the terminal 1 (step 22).

The navigation window 11 allows the user to visit websites and display the web pages distributed by them. In a known manner, the window 1 1 contains, from the bottom up, a client zone 5 for displaying the web pages, an address zone 6 intended to contain the URL address ("Universal Resources Locator" - Resource localization universal) of a visited site, a button bar 7, a menu bar 9 and a title bar containing the title of window 11, here the name of the navigation application. The button bar 7 and the menu bar 9 make it possible to execute commands of the navigation application.

The activated hook H detects the opening of the navigation window 1 1 (step 23), determines that it is indeed a navigation window, by reading the title of the window 1 1, and then triggers the execution of the task of inserting an information bar 8 in the navigation window 11 (step 24).

It will be noted here that, for each application window, and in particular for the navigation window 11, there is a window procedure which manages a plurality of events relating to the application window, and in particular the display of this window. In addition, each open application window is associated with an application "process", according to the vocabulary used by those skilled in the art, that is to say with a vital environment in which the application evolves during the entire life of the application window.

The execution of the task of inserting the information bar 8 will now be described. After detection of the navigation window 11 open on the action of the hook H, the latter loads the dll file for inserting an information bar in the navigation process of the navigation window 11 open. After loading, the dll file outperforms the window procedure of the navigation window 11. We thus modify the window procedure of window J 1. The new window procedure, containing the dll file of insertion, in other words the code d insertion, manages in particular a message from the Windows operating system, called "WM_NCCALCSIZE", to size and position the client area 5 of the navigation window 11. The new window procedure modifies the dimensioning and positioning parameters of the area client 5, which accompany this message, so as to reduce the area of the client area 5 and thus free up a useful area for the information bar 8, then create and insert the information bar 8 here between the button bar 7 and the menu bar 9 (step 25).

After inserting the information bar 8, under the command of the integration client program, the terminal 1 sends to the server 2 a request to retrieve the information intended to fill the information bar 8. On receipt of this request, the server 2 then transmits to the terminal 1 the advertising web page and the terminal 1 fills the information bar 8 with the received web page (step 26). The navigation window 1 1, displayed on the screen of the terminal 1, then contains a horizontal bar 8, inserted between the menu bar 9 and the button bar 7, containing advertising. Of course, during the display of the advertising bar, the user can use the navigation window 11 to browse the Internet 4 and display in the client area 5 web pages disseminated by the sites visited.

After browsing the Internet 4, the terminal 1 disconnects (step 27) from the access provider server while the navigation window 1 1 is still open. During the disconnection process, on command of the modified connection / disconnection application, the terminal 1 removes (step 28) the information bar 8 and deactivates the hook H.

In the event that, at the user's command, the terminal 1 closes the browser window 11 before disconnecting from the Internet 4, the closure of the browser window 11 would naturally delete the information bar 8 .

During subsequent connections from terminal 1 to server 2, the latter does not transmit the integration client program again, permanently installed in terminal 1. At each subsequent connection, upon action by the modified connection / disconnection application, the terminal 1 activates the hook H in order to monitor the events occurring in the terminal 1 and detect any open navigation window and, if necessary, inserts an information bar in the navigation window, as previously described.

In a second embodiment of the broadcasting method of the invention, the integration of an information bar in a navigation window consists in attaching the information bar to the navigation window. For the sake of clarity, only the steps of this second embodiment differing from those of the first embodiment described will now be explained.

It should first be noted that the client program for integrating an information bar into a navigation window includes, in place of the insertion file, an executable dll file adjoining an information bar to the navigation window, as well as a hook H 'intended to detect an open navigation window in order to trigger the execution a task to attach an information bar to the navigation window.

When the navigation terminal 1 connects to the Internet 4, the access provider server 2 transmits to the terminal 1 the integration client program which enriches the connection / disconnection application of the terminal 1. The connection / modified disconnection activates the hook H 'which then monitors the possible intervention of one of the events with which it is associated, in order to detect if necessary an open navigation window.

When the user opens a navigation window 30, the activated hook H 'detects it and then triggers the execution of the task of attaching an information bar 31 to the navigation window 30, the execution of which will now be described.

The hook H 'loads the dll file appending to an information bar in the navigation process of the navigation window 30. After loading, the dll file overrides the window procedure of the navigation window 30 which is thus modified. The new window procedure notably monitors a message from the Windows operating system, called WM_GETMrNMAXINFO, which manages the size and position on the terminal screen of the navigation window 30. The new window procedure reads, here without modifying them , the size and position parameters of the navigation window 30 which accompany this message, in order to deduce therefrom the size and the position to be given to the information bar 31, then creates and adjoins a daughter window constituting the bar d information 31 against one of the edges of the parent navigation window 30, here against the lower edge 32. The adjoining information bar 31 is the same width as the navigation window 30 and extends along the lower edge 32.

After joining the information bar 31, the server 2 transmits to the terminal 1, at the latter's request, the information to fill in the information bar 31.

In the case where the size or position of the navigation window does not allow an information bar to be attached to it, due to the limits of the terminal screen, the new window procedure intercepts the size and position parameters of the WM_GETMINMAXINFO message and modifies at least one of these two parameters. In the foregoing description, the user of the navigation terminal has opened only one navigation window. It could of course open several navigation windows, as far as the navigation application allows. In this case, the hook would detect each open navigation window in order to integrate an information bar, as previously described.

In a variant, the information intended to fill the information zone is broadcast by a broadcasting server different from the access provider server. To retrieve the information, the terminal sends a request, not to the access provider server, but to the broadcasting server.

We have just described a method of broadcasting information to a navigation terminal, in which an information zone is integrated into a navigation window. One could just as well consider integrating the information zone into a window of an application other than navigation, for example into a word processing window. In this case, the activated hook would detect an open window of this other application, a word processing window to use this example, and would then trigger the integration of the information zone into the detected application window. To integrate the information zone into the application window, the hook would load a dll file for integrating the information zone into the application process, in order to override the window procedure of the application window. . In this case, the user of the terminal could select one or more applications in order to integrate an information zone into the only windows of the selected applications. Alternatively, one could consider integrating an information bar into any open application window.

Instead of advertising, we could of course distribute any other type of information.

Finally, it will be emphasized that the information dissemination method of the invention allows any user of the Web to access the information disseminated, whatever the evolution application used and whatever the website visited.

Claims

1- Method of broadcasting information to an evolution terminal (1) on a computer network (4) such as the Internet, in which

- the terminal (1) is connected (20) to the computer network (4) and an application window (11) is opened (22),

- After opening (23) of the application window (11; 30), the integration (25) of an information zone (8; 31) is triggered (24) in the application window (11; 30) and

- Information is transmitted to the terminal (1) in order to fill (26) the information area (8; 31).

2- A method according to claim 1, in which the information area (8) is inserted in the application window (11).

3- The method of claim 1, wherein the information area (31) is appended to the application window (30).

4- Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein one connects (20) the terminal (1) to a server (2) provider of access to the computer network (4) which, upon connection, transmits to the terminal (1) a program for integrating an information zone (8; 31) into an application window.

5- Method according to claim 4, wherein, the terminal (1) comprising an application for connection / disconnection to the computer network (4), the program for integrating an information area (8; 31) enriches said application connection / disconnection.

6- Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein one detects (23) the open application window (11; 30) and then triggers (24) the execution of an integration task of the information area (8; 31).

7- Method according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, a window procedure managing a plurality of events relating to the application window (11; 30), said window procedure is modified so as to integrate the information area (8; 31) in the application window (11; 30). . 8- Method according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, after opening (23) of the application window (1 1; 30), an executable file for integrating the information area (8) is loaded ; 31) in the vital environment of the application window (1 1; 30).

9- Method according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the terminal (1) sends to a server (2) for information dissemination a request to retrieve the information intended to fill the information area (8; 31).

10- Method according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein when connecting the terminal (1) to the server (2), activates a detection function of an open application window.

1 1- Method according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, in the case where the terminal (1) disconnects (27) from the computer network (4) while the application window (11; 30) is open, we delete (28) the information area (8; 31).

12- Method according to one of claims 10 and 11, wherein, when the terminal (1) disconnects (27) from the server (2), the detection function of an open application window is deactivated.

13- Method according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the application window (11; 30) consists of an evolution window on the computer network (4).