Displaying content from multiple servers

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for integrating an on-line service community with a foreign service such as the Internet World Wide Web. To take advantage of the present invention, on-line service subscribers access a membership module to complete a membership process in which they join communities each of which represents a specific area of interest. The present invention operates as an extension to a user's preferred Web browser and is manifested as a toolbar comprised of control buttons and a viewer on a computer user's screen. By interacting with the control buttons of the toolbar and the menus of the viewer, on-line service content is delivered to the user in response to the URLs specified by the user as he or she browses the Web. In addition, control buttons on the toolbar present opportunities for interacting with other community members. Although the user may change URLs and Web sites frequently, the present invention maintains a context—via a persistent connection between a Community Server at the on-line service and a Community Client on the user's computer—for the user's interactions so that on-line service content may be presented and interactions with other community members facilitated. The benefit of the present invention for end-users is a transformation of the Web to a community.

1 - 139 . (canceled)  
     
     
         140 . A method performed by a client computer system executing a browser, the method comprising: 
 sending a request for a web page;    receiving the web page from a first server;    displaying the web page using the browser;    sending an identification of a web page to a second server, wherein the identification is sent separately from the request for the web page sent to the first server;    receiving content from the second server, wherein the content is selected by the second server based on the identification sent to the second server; and    displaying the received content.    
     
     
         141 . The method of  claim 140  wherein displaying the received content comprises displaying the received content while the web page is displayed using the browser.  
     
     
         142 . The method of  claim 140  wherein: 
 displaying the web page using the browser comprises displaying the web page in a pane of the browser; and    displaying the received content comprises displaying the received content in a pane separate from the browser pane.    
     
     
         143 . The method of  claim 140  further comprising displaying a toolbar.  
     
     
         144 . The method of  claim 143  wherein: 
 the toolbar comprises at least one button; and    displaying the received content comprises displaying the received content in response to a user selecting the button.    
     
     
         145 . The method of  claim 144  wherein the toolbar comprises a second button, the method further comprising initiating a chat session in response to a user selecting the second button.  
     
     
         146 . The method of  claim 144  wherein the toolbar comprises a second button, the method further comprising adding the identification of the web page to a set of bookmarks shared by multiple online users in response to a user selecting the second button.  
     
     
         147 . The method of  claim 144  wherein the toolbar comprises a second button, the method further comprising initiating an online game session in response to a user selecting the second button.  
     
     
         148 . The method of  claim 140  wherein the received content comprises annotations associated with the web page.  
     
     
         149 . The method of  claim 148  wherein the annotations are threaded messages provided by multiple users.  
     
     
         150 . The method of  claim 140  wherein the received content comprises identifications of other online users currently viewing the web page.  
     
     
         151 . The method of  claim 140  wherein the received content is related to the web page by subject matter.