Providing real time information in a visual information unit

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention enable a person to easily and without having any specialized knowledge configure a webpage to automatically provide real time information. More specifically, embodiments of the invention are directed to a remotely hosted element which may be easily configured and placed in a webpage by an un-sophisticated publisher. The remotely hosted element provides the real time information. In certain embodiments, the real time information is stock quotes, charts and associated news items. In certain embodiments, the real time information unit is interactive. In other words, it allows webpage viewers to interact with it in order to cause it to show additional, or differently organized information.

1 . A method for providing a remotely hosted element to a first visual information unit, the method comprising:
 allowing a first user to configure a remotely hosted element;   providing the first user with a reference text related to the remotely hosted element;   receiving a request from a second user's browser, the request including at least a portion of the reference text;   obtaining the first user's configuration based on the reference text;   accessing a database to obtain real time information referred to by the first user's configuration;   creating a digital definition of the remotely hosted element based on the first user's configuration and the real time information; and   sending the digital definition to the second user's browser.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first user is a publisher of the first visual information unit, and the second user is an end user of a browser displaying the first visual information unit. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the real time information comprises financial information. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the real time information comprises information sufficient to define one or more elements selected from the group consisting of: a financial quote, a financial chart, a headline of a news story. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein:
 allowing the first user to configure the remotely hosted element further includes allowing the first user to specify one or more securities;   accessing a database to obtain real time information further includes selecting one or more articles each of which relates to at least one of the one or more securities selected by the first user; and   creating a digital definition of the remotely hosted element further includes adding headlines of the selected news stories to the digital definition of the remotely hosted element.   
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , further including requesting the first user to include the reference text in the definition of the first visual information unit. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method is executed by a server, and the reference text is operable to cause a browser to send a request to the server, the request including at least a portion of the reference text. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reference text includes text defining the first user's configuration. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method is performed by a server including a memory and providing the first user with a reference text further includes:
 assigning an identification to the remotely hosted element;   saving the user's configuration at the server's memory, so that the saved configuration is associated with the identification; and   placing the identification in the reference text;   
     and wherein obtaining the first user's configuration based on the reference text further includes:
 obtaining the identification from the reference text; and 
 retrieving the user's information based on the identification. 
 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein creating the digital definition of the remotely hosted element further comprises:
 placing the real time information in a first portion of the digital definition of the remotely hosted element; and   placing computer executable code in a second portion of the digital definition of the remotely hosted element,   wherein the computer executable code comprises a web application that, when executed by a browser, is operative to display at least some of the real time information in a visual information unit as a part of the remotely hosted element.   
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the web application, when executed by a browser, is further operative to allow the second user to interact with the remotely hosted element. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the web application allows the second user to interact with the remotely hosted element to cause the remotely hosted element to display information from the real time information which was not initially displayed. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the web application allows the second user to interact with the remotely hosted element in order to request additional real time information which is not part of the real time information initially included in the digital definition of the remotely hosted element, and wherein the web application is further operative to request the additional real time information from a remote server and display the additional real time information. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein creating a digital definition of the remotely hosted element further includes:
 inserting a first identification associated with the first user into the reference text; and   inserting a second identification associated with the remotely hosted element in the reference text;   
     the method further comprising:
 after the request including at least a portion of the reference text has been received, obtaining the first and second identifications from the reference text, and using said identifications to provide tracking information. 
 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1 , further including:
 obtaining from the received request a reference of the first visual information unit, said reference indicating that the request was initiated by the first visual information unit;   requesting the first visual information unit; and   scanning the first visual information unit to determine whether it includes any inappropriate content,   wherein the sending of the digital definition is performed only after a determination that the first visual information unit does not include any inappropriate content.   
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein allowing the first user to configure a remotely hosted element further includes allowing the first user to interact with a second visual information unit as part of configuring the remotely hosted element. 
   
   
       17 . A system for providing a remotely hosted element to a first visual information unit, comprising:
 a publisher interface module operable to
 provide an interface for allowing a publisher of the first visual information unit to configure a remotely hosted element, 
 derive a reference text from the configuration of the remotely hosted element, 
 send the reference text to the publisher; and 
   an end user interface module operable to
 receive a request from an end user's browser, the request including at least a portion of the reference text, 
 obtain the publisher's configuration based on the reference text, 
 access a database to obtain real time information referred to by the publisher's configuration, 
 create a digital definition of the remotely hosted element based on the publisher's configuration and the real time information, and 
 respond to the request, the response including the remotely hosted element. 
   
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the real time information comprises financial information. 
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the real time information comprises information relating to one or more elements selected from the group consisting of: a financial quote, a financial chart, and a headline of a news story. 
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein:
 the publisher interface is further operable to allow the publisher to specify one or more securities;   the end user interface is further operable to select one or more news stories each news story being related with at least one of the one or more securities selected by the first user, and to add headlines of the selected news stories to the digital definition of the remotely hosted element as part of the real time information.   
   
   
       21 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the publisher interface is operable to request the first user to include the reference text in the definition of the first visual information unit. 
   
   
       22 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the reference text includes text defining the publisher's configuration. 
   
   
       23 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the end user interface is operable to create the digital definition of the remotely hosted element by combining real time information and a web application in the digital definition of the remotely hosted element, wherein the web application, when executed by a browser, is operative to display at least some of the real time information in a visual information unit as a part of the remotely hosted element. 
   
   
       24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the web application, when executed by a browser, is further operative to allow the second user to interact with the remotely hosted element. 
   
   
       25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the web application allows the second user to interact with the remotely hosted element to cause the remotely hosted element to display information from the real time information which was not initially displayed. 
   
   
       26 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the web application allows the second user to interact with the remotely hosted element in order to request additional real time information which is not part of the real time information initially included in the digital definition of the remotely hosted element, and wherein the web application is further operative to request the additional real time information from a remote server and display the additional real time information. 
   
   
       27 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the publisher interface module is operable to insert two identifications associated with the publisher and the remotely hosted element, respectively, in the reference text, the system further including a tracking module which is operable to track the use of the remotely hosted element by noting the identifications in reference texts extracted from various incoming requests. 
   
   
       28 . The system of  claim 17 , further comprising a filtering module which is operable to obtain a reference of the first visual information unit from the incoming request, request and obtain the first visual information unit based on the reference, scan the first visual information unit for inappropriate material, and allow the end user interface to send out the digital definition of the remotely hosted element only if the first visual information unit does not include inappropriate material. 
   
   
       29 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the publisher interface module is further operable to present a second visual information unit to the publisher, and allow the publisher to utilize the second visual information unit to configure the remotely hosted element. 
   
   
       30 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the second visual information unit is dynamic and includes a display of the remotely hosted element, which changes in real time as the publisher chooses various configuration options in order to match the configuration options chosen by the publisher. 
   
   
       31 . A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for providing a remotely hosted element to a first visual information unit, the instructions for causing the performance of a method comprising:
 allowing a first user to configure a remotely hosted element;   providing the first user with a reference text related to the remotely hosted element;   receiving a request from a second user's browser, the request including at least a portion of the reference text;   obtaining the first user's configuration based on the reference text;   accessing a database to obtain real time information referred to by the first user's configuration;   creating a digital definition of the remotely hosted element based on the first user's configuration and the real time information; and   sending the digital definition to the second user's browser.   
   
   
       32 . The computer readable medium of  claim 31 , wherein the first user is a publisher of the first visual information unit, and the second user is an end user of a browser displaying the first visual information unit. 
   
   
       33 . The computer readable medium of  claim 31 , wherein the real time information comprises financial information. 
   
   
       34 . The computer readable medium of  claim 33 , wherein the real time information comprises one or more elements selected from the group consisting of: a financial quote, a financial chart, a headline of a news story. 
   
   
       35 . The computer readable medium of  claim 34 , wherein:
 allowing the first user to configure the remotely hosted element further includes allowing the first user to specify one or more securities;   accessing a database to obtain real time information further includes selecting one or more news stories each of which relates to at least one of the one or more securities selected by the first user; and   creating a digital definition of the remotely hosted element further includes adding headlines of the selected news stories to the digital definition of the remotely hosted element.   
   
   
       36 . The computer readable medium of  claim 31 , wherein the method further includes requesting the first user to include the reference text in the definition of the first visual information unit. 
   
   
       37 . The computer readable medium of  claim 31 , wherein the instructions are executed by a server, and the reference text is operational to cause a browser to send a request to the server, the request including at least a portion of the reference text. 
   
   
       38 . The computer readable medium of  claim 31 , wherein the reference text includes text defining the first user's configuration. 
   
   
       39 . The computer readable medium of  claim 31 , wherein the instructions are executed by a server including a memory and providing the first user with a reference text further includes:
 assigning an identification to the remotely hosted element;   saving the user's configuration at the server's memory, so that the saved configuration is associated with the identification; and   placing the identification in the reference text;   
     and wherein obtaining the first user's configuration based on the reference text further includes:
 obtaining the identification from the reference text; and 
 retrieving the user's information based on the identification. 
 
   
   
       40 . The computer readable medium of  claim 31 , wherein creating the digital definition of the remotely hosted element further comprises:
 placing the real time information in a first portion of the digital definition of the remotely hosted element; and   placing a web application in a second portion of the digital definition of the remotely hosted element,   wherein the web application, when executed by a browser, is operative to display at least some of the real time information in a visual information unit as a part of the remotely hosted element.   
   
   
       41 . The computer readable medium of  claim 40 , wherein the web application, when executed by a browser, is further operative to allow the second user to interact with the remotely hosted element. 
   
   
       42 . The computer readable medium of  claim 41 , wherein the web application allows the second user to interact with the remotely hosted element to cause the remotely hosted element to display information from the real time information which was not initially displayed. 
   
   
       43 . The computer readable medium of  claim 41 , wherein the web application allows the second user to interact with the remotely hosted element in order to request additional real time information which is not part of the real time information initially included in the digital definition of the remotely hosted element, and wherein the web application is further operative to request the additional real time information from a remote server and display the additional real time information. 
   
   
       44 . The computer readable medium of  claim 31 , wherein creating a digital definition of the remotely hosted element further includes:
 inserting a first identification associated with the first user into the reference text; and   inserting a second identification associated with the remotely hosted element in the reference text;   
     the method further comprising:
 after the request including at least a portion of the reference text has been received, obtaining the first and second identifications from the reference text, and using said identifications to provide tracking information. 
 
   
   
       45 . The computer readable medium of  claim 31 , wherein the method further includes:
 obtaining from the received request a reference of the first visual information unit, said reference indicating that the request was initiated by the first visual information unit;   requesting the first visual information unit;   receiving the first visual information unit; and   scanning the first visual information unit to determine whether it includes any inappropriate content,   wherein the sending of the digital definition is performed only after a determination that the first visual information unit does not include any inappropriate content.   
   
   
       46 . The computer readable medium of  claim 31 , wherein allowing the first user to configure a remotely hosted element further includes allowing the first user to interact with a second visual information unit as part of configuring the remotely hosted element. 
   
   
       47 . A modulated data signal comprising encoded data, the encoded data comprising computer executable instructions for providing e remotely hosted element to a first visual information unit, the instructions for the performance of a method, comprising:
 enabling a first user to configure a remotely hosted element;   providing the first user with a reference text related to the remotely hosted element;   receiving a request from a second user's browser, the request including at least a portion of the reference text;   accessing a database to obtain real time information;   obtaining the first user's configuration based on the reference text;   creating a digital definition of the remotely hosted element based on the first user's configuration and the real time information; and   sending the digital definition to the second user's browser.