US 7603382

Here's a concise summary of US Patent 7603382:

US Patent 7603382: Summary

• Title: Advanced internet interface providing user display access of customized webpages
• Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Current Assignee); Individual (Original Assignee)
• Inventor: Gerald B. Halt, Jr.
• Filing Date: 2004-11-05
• Issue Date: 2009-10-13
• Abstract: An Internet interface provided by an internet web server presents web pages tailored to an individual user. The interface provides website navigation data to the user based on personal preferences. A site map program function delivers web site navigation data to the user, providing a display that depicts portions of the website visited by the user.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1 (System Claim): This claim describes a system that provides customized web pages to a user. It features an interactive interface that shows dynamic website navigation data. This interface has two display functions: one that shows parts of the website the user has visited based on navigation data, and another that shows parts of the website the user has visited based on their personal characteristics.
• Claim 7 (Method Claim): This claim outlines a method for generating a web page. It involves creating multiple data streams, with each stream linked to a specific part of the web page and stored in computer memory. A key aspect is that at least one of these web page portions changes over time.
• Claim 16 (Method Claim): This claim details a method for managing user profiles and delivering tailored web content. It involves receiving and storing data that defines various user profile attributes within multiple user profiles. When an information provider requests it, data from a specified user profile is sent to them. The method also includes providing dynamic website navigation data through an interactive interface. This interface displays visited portions of a website based on both general navigation data and the user's descriptive profile data.
• Claim 21 (Method Claim): This claim describes a method for displaying personalized data streams to a user. It involves receiving data from a user's profile and, in response to a user's request, sending a data stream specifically chosen based on that profile data. This data stream is then displayed via an interactive interface. The interface shows portions of a website visited by the user, with the display being influenced by the received user profile data.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:

A search of the CAFC 2026 dockets for patent number US7603382 did not yield any specific active cases or scheduled arguments for 2026. The patent's legal status is listed as "Expired - Fee Related," expiring on 2020-11-26, which generally indicates that no new litigation would be initiated for this patent after its expiration.

Known litigation involving US patent 7603382 is detailed below:

Intellectual Ventures I LLC et al. v. Capital One Bank (USA), NA et al.

• Plaintiff(s): Intellectual Ventures I LLC and Intellectual Ventures II LLC (collectively, "Intellectual Ventures")
• Defendant(s): Capital One Bank (USA), NA, Capital One Financial Corporation, and Capital One, NA (collectively, "Capital One")
• Jurisdiction: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, and subsequently appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. A related antitrust counterclaim by Capital One was litigated in the District of Maryland.
• Case Number:
  • District Court (Eastern District of Virginia): Not explicitly stated in the provided snippets, but the appeal case number is 2014-1506.
  • Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit: No. 2014-1506.
• Filing Date: June 19, 2013, for the patent infringement suit in the Eastern District of Virginia.
• Outcome/Current Status:
  • The District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia ruled that claims 1-5, 16, 17, and 19-22 of the '382 patent were invalid for claiming ineligible subject matter under 35 U.S.C. § 101.
  • On appeal, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) affirmed the district court's judgment of invalidity with respect to the claims of the '382 patent on July 6, 2015. The CAFC's decision was largely based on the patents claiming an "abstract idea" ala Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int'l.
  • Capital One also filed antitrust counterclaims against Intellectual Ventures. These counterclaims were dismissed by the Virginia court for failure to state a claim and later resulted in summary judgment against Capital One in the Maryland district court, which was affirmed by the Federal Circuit.

Proceedings overview

There is one AIA trial proceeding on file for US patent 7603382, a Covered Business Method (CBM) review that reached a Final Written Decision. The outcome of this proceeding, CBM2014-00030, is that a Post-Grant Review Certificate was issued, indicating a final determination by the PTAB. Without the specific details of the Final Written Decision, the bottom-line defensive posture for a defendant is currently unclear regarding specific claim invalidations or affirmations.

CBM2014-00030 — Bank of America, N.A., PNC Financial Services, Inc. v. Intellectual Ventures I LLC

• Type: Covered Business Method
• Filed: The AIA trial proceeding was filed on 2014-01-07, with an effective date of 2013-11-12.
• Status: Final Written Decision issued, followed by a Post-Grant Review Certificate issued on 2016-01-19.
• Judge panel: Not publicly available through web search.
• Petition grounds: Not publicly available through web search. Based on the nature of CBM proceedings, it likely challenged claims under 35 U.S.C. § 101 (patent eligibility) and/or 35 U.S.C. §§ 102/103 (novelty/obviousness) for a covered business method patent.
• Institution decision: Not publicly available through web search.
• Final Written Decision (if issued): A Final Written Decision was issued, but its contents, including claim-level verdicts and reasoning, are not publicly available through web search.
• Settlement / termination: Not publicly available through web search. The issuance of a Final Written Decision suggests the proceeding ran its course to a determination, rather than an early settlement.
• Appeal: Not publicly available through web search whether an appeal was filed specifically for this proceeding and patent.
• Defensive value: The existence of a Final Written Decision and a subsequent Post-Grant Review Certificate for this CBM proceeding indicates that the patentability of US7603382 was fully adjudicated by the PTAB. However, without the details of the Final Written Decision, it is unknown which, if any, claims were invalidated or sustained. This means a defendant cannot definitively know which claims are "dead" or "hardened" without accessing the specific decision.

Strategic summary

Based on the available information, US7603382 was subject to one Covered Business Method (CBM) review, CBM2014-00030, initiated by Bank of America, N.A., and PNC Financial Services, Inc. against Intellectual Ventures I LLC. This proceeding concluded with a Final Written Decision and the issuance of a Post-Grant Review Certificate in January 2016. However, the critical details regarding which claims, if any, were canceled or sustained by the PTAB are not available through the provided web search capabilities. Therefore, it is impossible to currently determine the precise scope of the patent or the "hardened" status of its claims.

Regarding estoppel, if any claims were found unpatentable in CBM2014-00030, 35 U.S.C. § 325(e)(2) would bar the petitioners (and their privies) from asserting in a civil action that those claims are invalid on any ground that the petitioners raised or reasonably could have raised during the CBM review. Conversely, if claims were upheld, those specific grounds cannot be re-litigated by the petitioners or their privies. Without the FWD, the exact contours of this estoppel cannot be defined. The patent owner, Intellectual Ventures I LLC, is known for patent monetization, and the involvement of major banks as petitioners suggests the patent was likely asserted in litigation.

Recommended next steps

Given the lack of publicly accessible details regarding the Final Written Decision for CBM2014-00030 concerning US7603382, the recommended next step for a defendant facing assertion of this patent is:

1. Obtain the Final Written Decision (FWD) for CBM2014-00030: Directly access the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board End-to-End (PTAB E2E) system to retrieve the complete Final Written Decision. This document will explicitly state which claims were challenged, the grounds for challenge, the PTAB's reasoning for institution, and the ultimate determination of patentability for each challenged claim. This is crucial for understanding the current status of the patent's claims. Without this document, any assessment of claim validity or defensive strategy is speculative. The PTAB case number is CBM2014-00030, and the patent owner is Intellectual Ventures I LLC.

Inventors

• Gerald B. Halt, Jr. (Employer at time of filing: Individual)

Original assignee

The original assignee, as listed on the patent, is "Individual". This typically refers to the inventor, Gerald B. Halt, Jr., in cases where the patent was not assigned to a company at the time of filing or issuance. Without further information, it's not determinable if Gerald B. Halt, Jr. shipped a product embodying the claims or his primary line of business at that time. His current status as an individual inventor is presumed operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2005-10-28 (executed) / recorded 2005-10-28 — Reel 016686/0948

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: HALT, JR., GERALD B.
  • Assignee: VOLPE AND KOENIG, P.C.
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL F. RYAN, VOLPE AND KOENIG, P.C., 30 S. 17TH STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES, 19103. This correspondent appears multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer from individual inventor to law firm.

• 2005-11-16 (executed) / recorded 2006-05-11 — Reel 017596/0781

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Volpe & Koenig PC
  • Assignee: ROSCOE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL F. RYAN, VOLPE AND KOENIG, P.C., 30 S. 17TH STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES, 19103. This correspondent appears multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer from law firm to LLC.

• 2013-05-23 (executed) / recorded 2013-05-28 — Reel 030494/0374

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: ROSCOE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Assignee: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES I LLC
  • Correspondent: CHARLES C. STAPLES, INTELLECTUAL VENTURES, 18578 NE 67TH CT, REDMOND, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES, 98052.
  • Context: Acquisition of Roscoe Technologies LLC by Intellectual Ventures I LLC.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7603382
    2004 : Filed by Individual Inventor
    2005 : Assigned to Volpe and Koenig P.C.
    2006 : Assigned to Roscoe Technologies LLC
    2009 : Issued
    2013 : Acquired by Intellectual Ventures I LLC
    2020 : Expired - Fee Related

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. Roscoe Technologies LLC, which received the patent from the law firm Volpe & Koenig PC (Reel 017596/0781), exhibits characteristics of a shell entity, acting as an intermediary before the patent was transferred to Intellectual Ventures I LLC. Intellectual Ventures I LLC is a well-known licensing-only entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Intellectual Ventures I LLC, a prominent NPE, is the current assignee (Reel 030494/0374).
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. Michael F. Ryan of Volpe and Koenig, P.C., is listed as the correspondent for the first two assignments (Reel 016686/0948, Reel 017596/0781). This suggests a consistent legal representative for the initial transfers.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. The assignments occur over several years rather than in quick succession.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. While the patent has been involved in litigation, the precise timing of the assignments relative to the first infringement suit naming this specific patent is not definitively established in the provided data to make a strong claim of pre-litigation transfer.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. No indication of bankruptcy proceedings for the original assignee or Roscoe Technologies LLC.
7. Privateering — unclear. No direct evidence in the assignment records or legal events explicitly points to privateering.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain terminates with Intellectual Ventures I LLC, which is an asserting entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The presence of Intellectual Ventures I LLC, a well-known patent assertion entity, as the current assignee (Reel 030494/0374), combined with the initial transfer from an individual inventor to a law firm and then to an LLC (Roscoe Technologies LLC) which then merged into Intellectual Ventures, strongly indicates an NPE pattern. The consistent correspondent for the initial transfers further supports this.

Verification link: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ (search by patent number US7603382)

Here is an analysis of the patent citations for US patent 7603382, identifying the most relevant prior art and their potential anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102. The priority date for US7603382 is May 26, 1998. Any reference with an effective date (priority or publication) before this date is potential prior art.

US Patent 7603382: Advanced internet interface providing user display access of customized webpages

1. US5813006A

• Full Citation: US5813006A, Banyan Systems, Inc.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1996-05-06; Publication date: 1998-09-22
• Brief Description: This patent describes an on-line directory service that includes a user registration system, allowing users to register and access directory information.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent primarily addresses general user registration and directory services, which are foundational to web interactions but do not teach the specific inventive features of tailored web page content, dynamic content changes based on time or events, or interactive site navigation mapping as claimed in US7603382. Therefore, it is unlikely to anticipate any claims.

2. US5819271A

• Full Citation: US5819271A, Multex Systems, Inc.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1996-06-04; Publication date: 1998-10-06
• Brief Description: This patent describes a corporate information communication and delivery system and method that incorporates "entitlable hypertext links."
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent focuses on information delivery using specific types of links, not on customizing web page content based on individual user profiles, dynamic time-based content, or site navigation mapping as described in US7603382. Therefore, it is unlikely to anticipate any claims.

3. US6161124A

• Full Citation: US6161124A, Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corporation
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1996-08-14; Publication date: 2000-12-12
• Brief Description: This patent describes a method and system for preparing and registering homepages, including an interactive input apparatus for multimedia information.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: While it discusses homepage creation and interactive input, it does not explicitly detail the advanced content tailoring based on detailed user profiles, dynamic time-based changes to content elements, or interactive site navigation mapping as claimed in US7603382.

4. US5898836A (* Cited by examiner)

• Full Citation: US5898836A, Netmind Services, Inc.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1997-01-14; Publication date: 1999-04-27
• Brief Description: This patent describes a change-detection tool for Internet documents, indicating the degree and location of changes by comparing cyclic-redundancy-check (CRC) signatures.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent relates to monitoring web content for changes rather than dynamically tailoring content based on user profiles or generating content changes as a function of time or specific conditions. Thus, it does not directly anticipate the claims of US7603382 regarding content personalization or dynamic navigation display.

5. US6175831B1

• Full Citation: US6175831B1, Six Degrees, Inc.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1997-01-17; Publication date: 2001-01-16
• Brief Description: This patent describes a method and apparatus for constructing a networking database and system, primarily for social networking or contact management.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: The focus is on building a database of contacts, which involves user data but not the specific web page content tailoring for individual users based on profiles, dynamic time-based content changes, or site navigation mapping as claimed in US7603382.

6. US6128663A (* Cited by examiner)

• Full Citation: US6128663A, Invention Depot, Inc.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1997-02-11; Publication date: 2000-10-03
• Brief Description: This patent describes a method and apparatus for customizing information content provided to a requestor over a network using demographic information, while maintaining user anonymity to the server.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent directly teaches customizing information based on user demographic information, which is highly relevant to the core tailoring concept of US7603382. It potentially anticipates Claims 1, 5, 16, 21, 22, 23. It does not appear to anticipate claims related to dynamic site navigation displays or changing web page portions as a function of time.

7. US5978568A

• Full Citation: US5978568A, Sequel Technology Corporation
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1997-03-11; Publication date: 1999-11-02
• Brief Description: This patent describes a method and apparatus for resolving network users to network computers.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent focuses on network user resolution and management, not on content tailoring, dynamic content, or site navigation mapping. Therefore, it is unlikely to anticipate any claims.

8. US6085219A (* Cited by examiner)

• Full Citation: US6085219A, Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1997-03-24; Publication date: 2000-07-04
• Brief Description: This patent describes systems for creating and displaying home pages, including a data structure for storing user information and preference information, which can be used to customize the display of home pages for specific users.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent teaches customizing the display of home pages based on stored user information and preferences, which is directly relevant to the user-profile-based tailoring in US7603382. It potentially anticipates Claims 1, 5, 16, 21, 22, 23. It does not appear to anticipate claims related to dynamic site navigation displays or changing web page portions as a function of time.

9. US6311196B1 (* Cited by examiner)

• Full Citation: US6311196B1, Rae Technology Inc.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1997-04-09; Publication date: 2001-10-30
• Brief Description: This patent describes methods and apparatus for implementing web pages having "master borders" where the content within the borders can be dynamically updated.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: While it discusses dynamic content updates within a structured layout, it focuses on content management rather than tailoring content based on user profiles or time-specific changes. It could potentially anticipate the "changing at least one of the particular portions of the web page" element of Claim 7 if the dynamic update mechanism described is indeed applied as a function of time or specific conditions, though this is not explicitly detailed in the same context as US7603382. It is unlikely to anticipate other claims.

10. US6178424B1

• Full Citation: US6178424B1, Nec Corporation
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1997-05-14; Publication date: 2001-01-23
• Brief Description: This patent describes an information distributing system and a storage medium recorded with a program for distributing information.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This is a very broad disclosure about information distribution. It lacks the specificity to anticipate the inventive features of US7603382 regarding content tailoring, dynamic updates, and site mapping.

11. US6029141A

• Full Citation: US6029141A, Amazon.Com, Inc.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1997-06-27; Publication date: 2000-02-22
• Brief Description: This patent describes an Internet-based customer referral system for e-commerce.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: The focus is on e-commerce referral mechanisms, not on customizing web page content based on user profiles, dynamic time-based content, or site navigation mapping. Therefore, it is unlikely to anticipate any claims.

12. US6411996B1 (* Cited by examiner)

• Full Citation: US6411996B1, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1997-06-30; Publication date: 2002-06-25
• Brief Description: This patent describes a method and apparatus for maintaining a "to-be-visited site bookmark file," which assists users in keeping track of web pages they intend to visit.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent relates to bookmark management and browsing history, but not to the customization of web page content or dynamic site navigation displays as claimed in US7603382. Therefore, it is unlikely to anticipate any claims.

13. US5960411A

• Full Citation: US5960411A, Amazon.Com, Inc.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1997-09-12; Publication date: 1999-09-28
• Brief Description: This patent describes a method and system for placing a purchase order via a communications network, specifically for "one-click" purchasing.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: The focus is on e-commerce functionality, not on customizing web page content based on user profiles, dynamic time-based content, or site navigation mapping. Therefore, it is unlikely to anticipate any claims.

14. US6009410A

• Full Citation: US6009410A, At&T Corporation
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1997-10-16; Publication date: 1999-12-28
• Brief Description: This patent describes a method and system for presenting customized advertising to a user on the World Wide Web, based on identifying user characteristics.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent is highly relevant as it explicitly teaches presenting customized advertising based on user characteristics. This directly relates to user-profile-based content tailoring. It potentially anticipates Claims 1, 5, 16, 21, 22, 23. It does not appear to anticipate claims related to dynamic site navigation displays or changing web page portions as a function of time.

15. US6035119A (* Cited by examiner)

• Full Citation: US6035119A, Microsoft Corporation
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1997-10-28; Publication date: 2000-03-07
• Brief Description: This patent describes a method and apparatus for automatic generation of text and computer-executable code, particularly for web pages.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: While it deals with automated content generation, it does not explicitly teach tailoring that content to individual user profiles, dynamic time-based changes in presentation, or dynamic site navigation as claimed in US7603382.

16. US6269369B1

• Full Citation: US6269369B1, Amazon.Com Holdings, Inc.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1997-11-02; Publication date: 2001-07-31
• Brief Description: This patent describes a networked personal contact manager.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent focuses on contact management, which involves user data but not the specific web page content tailoring, dynamic time-based content, or site navigation features of US7603382.

17. US6041360A (* Cited by examiner)

• Full Citation: US6041360A, International Business Machines Corporation
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1997-11-21; Publication date: 2000-03-21
• Brief Description: This patent describes web browser support for dynamic update of bookmarks, allowing users to keep track of changes to bookmarked pages.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent relates to bookmark management and change detection, not content customization or dynamic site mapping. Therefore, it is unlikely to anticipate any claims.

18. US6208986B1

• Full Citation: US6208986B1, International Business Machines Corporation
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1997-12-15; Publication date: 2001-03-27
• Brief Description: This patent describes a web interface and method for accessing and displaying directory information.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent focuses on accessing and displaying directory information through a web interface. It does not broadly cover user-profile-based content tailoring, dynamic time-based changes, or interactive site navigation mapping as claimed in US7603382.

19. US6195679B1 (* Cited by examiner)

• Full Citation: US6195679B1, Netscape Communications Corporation
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1998-01-06; Publication date: 2001-02-27
• Brief Description: This patent describes a browsing session recording, playback, and editing system for generating user-defined paths and allowing users to mark the priority of items in the paths.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent is highly relevant to site navigation. The concept of recording browsing sessions and generating user-defined paths strongly relates to displaying navigation data. It potentially anticipates Claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 16, 21. It does not appear to anticipate claims related to content tailoring based on personal characteristics or time-based content changes.

20. US6369819B1 (* Cited by examiner)

• Full Citation: US6369819B1, Xerox Corporation
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1998-04-17; Publication date: 2002-04-09
• Brief Description: This patent describes methods for visualizing transformations among related series of graphs.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent relates to data visualization and dynamic graph rendering, which is not specific to web page content tailoring based on user profiles, dynamic time-based changes, or site navigation maps within a general internet interface context. Therefore, it is unlikely to anticipate any claims.

21. US6185614B1

• Full Citation: US6185614B1, International Business Machines Corp.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1998-05-26; Publication date: 2001-02-06
• Brief Description: This patent describes a method and system for collecting user profile information over the World Wide Web in the presence of dynamic content using document comparators.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent is highly relevant as it teaches collecting user profile information over the web. This is a foundational element for content tailoring based on user profiles as described in US7603382. It potentially anticipates the "receiving data which defines a plurality of user profile attributes" and "storing the plurality of user profiles" aspects of Claims 1, 5, 16, 21.

22. US6816849B1 (* Cited by examiner)

• Full Citation: US6816849B1, Gerald B. Halt, Jr.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1998-05-26; Publication date: 2004-11-09
• Brief Description: This patent is a direct parent application (continuation of) US7603382, sharing the same inventor and priority date. Its title is "Advanced internet interface."
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: As a direct parent application, US6816849B1 would generally not anticipate claims of US7603382 under 35 U.S.C. § 102 if those claims are fully supported by the common priority date. However, if US7603382 introduced new matter not present in US6816849B1, then US6816849B1 could potentially anticipate claims relating to that new matter to the extent they are not entitled to the earlier priority date. Assuming no new matter, this represents the same invention in the patent family.

Here's an analysis of the obviousness of US Patent 7,603,382 under 35 U.S.C. § 103, based on the provided prior art. The analysis identifies combinations of prior art references that would render the independent claims obvious and explains the motivation for a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) to combine them.

Person Having Ordinary Skill in the Art (PHOSITA):
A PHOSITA in the field of the invention around the priority date of May 26, 1998, would be a professional with expertise in web development, network programming, database management, and user interface design. They would be familiar with existing web technologies, protocols (e.g., HTTP, cookies), server-side and client-side scripting, and common usability challenges faced by Internet users, such as navigation difficulties and the desire for personalized content.

Obviousness Analysis of Claim 1

Claim 1: A system for providing web pages accessed from a web site in a manner which presents the web pages tailored to an individual user, comprising: an interactive interface configured to provide dynamic web site navigation data to the user, the interactive interface comprising: a display depicting portions of the web site visited by the user as a function of the web site navigation data; and a display depicting portions of the web site visited by the user as a function of the user's personal characteristics.

• Combination of References: US6128663A (Invention Depot) in view of US6195679B1 (Netscape).

• Teaching:

  • US6128663A teaches a method and apparatus for "customization of information content provided to a requestor over a network using demographic information". This directly anticipates a system for providing web pages "tailored to an individual user" based on "user's personal characteristics" (demographic information). It also describes providing "dynamically changing content", which implies an interactive interface capable of providing dynamic content.
  • US6195679B1 teaches a "browsing session recording playback and editing system for generating user defined paths". This clearly anticipates "a display depicting portions of the web site visited by the user as a function of the web site navigation data." Such a system would inherently include an interactive interface for displaying and interacting with these paths. The display of visited portions as a function of user's personal characteristics would be an obvious refinement if user profiles are already in use.

• Motivation to Combine: A PHOSITA in 1998 would have been motivated to combine the personalized content capabilities of US6128663A with the advanced navigation features of US6195679B1 to enhance the overall user experience. The background of US7603382 itself acknowledges the problem of users encountering a "tedious 'virtual gauntlet' of boring questions" and difficulty obtaining relevant information. Combining personalized content (US6128663A) with clear visualization of navigation paths (US6195679B1) would provide a more efficient and less frustrating experience. Furthermore, if content is already tailored to a user's characteristics, it would be an obvious design choice to extend this personalization to the navigation display, for example, by highlighting previously visited pages relevant to the user's current profile or interests.

Obviousness Analysis of Claim 7

Claim 7: A method of generating a web page comprising: generating a plurality of data streams, wherein each data stream is associated with a particular portion of the web page, and wherein each data stream is stored in a computer memory; and changing at least one of the particular portions of the web page as a function of time.

• Combination of References: General knowledge of web development in 1998 in view of US6041360A (International Business Machines Corporation) and common web practices.

• Teaching:

  • By 1998, a PHOSITA understood that a web page typically comprised distinct "portions" (e.g., header, footer, content area, advertisement blocks), each fed by "data streams" (e.g., image files, text from databases, dynamic scripts). Storing these data streams in "computer memory" is a fundamental aspect of any digital system.
  • The concept of "changing at least one of the particular portions of the web page as a function of time" was a common and well-established practice in web development. Examples included:
    • News websites updating headlines and articles.
    • Weather forecast displays reflecting current conditions.
    • Rotating banner advertisements that changed periodically.
    • Simple "Good morning/afternoon/evening" greetings.
    • US6041360A describes "Web browser support for dynamic update of bookmarks", demonstrating prior art awareness of dynamic updating of web-related information. The patent US7603382 itself illustrates this with a logo changing based on the time of day (FIGS. 6A, 6B; col. 8, lines 40-57).

• Motivation to Combine: A PHOSITA would have been highly motivated to implement time-dependent changes to web page portions to keep content "fresh," relevant, and engaging for users, as acknowledged in US7603382 (col. 8, lines 40-41). This practice addressed the need to provide up-to-date information, cycle through various promotional messages, or simply make the user experience more dynamic. The technical means to achieve this, such as server-side scripting (e.g., Perl, ASP) and client-side scripting (e.g., JavaScript) interacting with server-side data, were widely available and commonly understood.

Obviousness Analysis of Claim 16

Claim 16: A method comprising: receiving data which defines a plurality of user profile attributes in each of a plurality of user profiles; storing the plurality of user profiles, each user profile comprising data descriptive of a user; in response to a request from an information provider, transferring data from a specified user profile to the information provider; and providing dynamic web site navigation data via an interactive interface, the interactive interface comprising: a display depicting portions of a web site visited by the user as a function of web site navigation data; and a display depicting portions of a web site visited by the user as a function of the plurality of fields having data descriptive of a user.

• Combination of References: US6185614B1 (International Business Machines Corporation) in view of US6195679B1 (Netscape) and Kristol et al. (RFC 2109).

• Teaching:

  • US6185614B1 teaches "collecting user profile information over the world-wide web" and "maintaining the user profile...so that the information may be collected only once". This directly covers "receiving data which defines a plurality of user profile attributes" and "storing the plurality of user profiles." The patent also states that profiles are used "to modify subsequent web page interactions", which inherently involves "transferring data from a specified user profile to the information provider."
  • Kristol et al., "HTTP State Management Mechanism" (RFC 2109), published in February 1997, describes the fundamental mechanism of HTTP cookies. Cookies were the standard and widely adopted method for web servers to store state information, including user profile identifiers or attributes, on the client and retrieve them in subsequent requests. This explicitly teaches a mechanism for "transferring data from a specified user profile to the information provider."
  • US6195679B1 teaches a "browsing session recording playback and editing system for generating user defined paths". This directly anticipates "a display depicting portions of a web site visited by the user as a function of web site navigation data" via an interactive interface.

• Motivation to Combine: A PHOSITA would be motivated to combine the robust user profiling and data transfer capabilities (US6185614B1 and Kristol et al.) with the enhanced navigation visualization (US6195679B1). The goal of improving user experience through personalization and efficient navigation was paramount. If users maintain "multiple personalities" or profiles (e.g., business vs. personal, as discussed in US7603382; col. 6, lines 52-60), it would be an obvious extension to use the active profile to filter or highlight elements within the navigation display, guiding the user more effectively based on their current context. Kristol et al. provided the established technical means (cookies) for efficiently managing and transferring such profile information. This combination provides a cohesive experience where content and navigation are both dynamically tailored to the user's attributes.

Obviousness Analysis of Claim 21

Claim 21: A method comprising: receiving data from a user profile associated with a user; in response to a request associated with the user, sending a data stream that is selected based at least in part on the received data from the user profile; and displaying the data stream via an interactive interface, the interactive interface comprising: a display depicting portions of a web site visited by the user as a function of web site navigation data; and a display depicting portions of a web site visited by the user based at least in part on the received data from the user profile.

• Combination of References: US6128663A (Invention Depot) in view of US6195679B1 (Netscape).

• Teaching:

  • US6128663A teaches "customization of information content provided to a requestor over a network using demographic information". This directly teaches "receiving data from a user profile associated with a user" and, in response to a user's request, "sending a data stream that is selected based at least in part on the received data from the user profile." The customized content is then "displayed... via an interactive interface."
  • US6195679B1 teaches a "browsing session recording playback and editing system for generating user defined paths", which provides "a display depicting portions of a web site visited by the user as a function of web site navigation data."

• Motivation to Combine: Similar to Claim 1 and Claim 16, a PHOSITA would be motivated to integrate the personalized content selection from US6128663A with the advanced navigation features of US6195679B1. If content is being actively chosen for a user based on their profile, it is an obvious enhancement to also provide navigation tools that are similarly informed by that profile. Tailoring the navigation display itself based on the user's profile (e.g., highlighting or filtering visited pages by relevance to the currently selected content or active profile) would further streamline the user's interaction. This combination creates a more coherent and intuitive experience where both the information presented and the tools for navigating it are optimized for the individual user, directly addressing the need for "useful information" and reducing user frustration, as stated in the patent's summary.