Method and apparatus for widget-container hosting and generation

Abstract

A method includes receiving at least one of a widget or a reference to a widget, where the widget can be at least one of a static data object, a media object, or a software object. At least a portion of a widget container, which is a procedural software framework containing a service module associated with the widget and the widget, is generated. The service module can be a pre-defined function associated with the widget container before the widget container is generated. The widget container can be configured to be executed at a widget-container processing device in response to a reference to the widget container being accessed from a processor-readable vehicle.

1 .- 23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . A method, comprising:
 receiving at a widget-container host a widget or a reference to the widget;   generating, at a first time, at least a portion of a widget container, the widget container being a procedural software framework including the widget or the reference to the widget and a first service module configured to provide a first service associated with the widget, the widget container configured to be executed at a widget-container processing device in response to a user-initiated request; and   regenerating, at a second time different than the first time, the widget container such that the widget container includes a second service module configured to provide a second service associated with the widget, the second service being different from the first service.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the widget is at least one of a static data object, a media object, or a software object. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising:
 receiving a request for the widget container from the widget-container processing device, the generating being in response to the receiving the request.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the generating includes compiling the widget container as a discrete portable module. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the reference to the widget is provided to the widget-container host via a widget-container generation engine, and the first service module is selected via a widget-container generation user-interface associated with the widget-container generation engine. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the first service module is configured to perform at least one of a metadata searching function, a metadata retrieval function, a polling function, a widget container deployment function, a transaction service function, a widget container tracking function, a referral service function, an advertisement service function, or a directory service function. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the user-initiated request is a first user initiated request, the regenerating being in response to a second user-initiated request, the method further comprising:
 sending an indication of the second user-initiated request to a tracking server.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the generating is in response to a user-initiated request from a webpage containing a reference to the widget container, the reference to the widget container being an embed tag or an object tag on the webpage that is configured to serve as a link to the widget container. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the widget container includes a series of instructions configured to be executed by the widget-container processing device to provide an executable environment for the widget. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising:
 selecting, before the generating, the first service module from a library of service modules based on a policy.   
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the widget has a content type,
 the method further comprising:   selecting, before the generating, the first service module from a library of service modules based the content type.   
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the widget container is configured to be executed within a webpage at the widget-container processing device. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the reference to the widget container is a first reference, the widget container is configured to be executed within a first webpage, the first service module being a placement service module associated with placing a second reference to the widget container in a second webpage. 
     
     
         37 . A method, comprising:
 receiving at a widget-container host a request for a widget container, the request being defined in response to a first reference to the widget container being accessed via a processor-readable vehicle;   defining the widget container, the widget container being a procedural software framework including a widget or a reference to the widget, the widget container including an identifier indicating that the widget container was derived from a second reference to the widget container; and   sending, from the widget-container host, the widget container to the widget-container processing device.   
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the widget is at least one of a static data object, a media object, or a software object. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the widget container includes a service module configured to generate the identifier in response to a user-initiated request associated with the second reference to the widget container being accessed. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the sending includes sending the widget container based on a unique widget container identifier included in the request. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the widget container is configured to be executed at the widget-container processing device. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein,
 the reference to the widget is configured such that the widget is served into the widget container from a widget server independent from the widget-container host in response to the reference to the widget being accessed at the widget-container processing device.   
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the widget-container processing device is a first widget-container processing device, the defining includes establishing a session between a second widget-container processing device and the widget-container host,
 the method further comprising:   associating with the session a global metadata parameter value or a local metadata parameter value; and   modifying the widget container based on the global metadata parameter value or the local metadata parameter value.   
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the widget-container processing device is a first widget-container processing device, the defining includes establishing a session between a second widget-container processing device and the widget-container host, the receiving includes receiving at a first time, the sending includes sending at a second time, the second time being after the first time,
 the method further comprising:   associating with the session a global metadata parameter value or a local metadata parameter value; and   modifying the widget container based on the global metadata parameter value or the local metadata parameter value at an intermediate time by injecting a segment of data into a specified location of the widget container, the intermediate time being before the second time and after the first time.   
     
     
         45 . A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to:
 place a first reference to a widget container in a first processor-readable vehicle;   receive a first user-initiated request for the widget container from a widget-container processing device in response to the first reference being accessed;   send the widget container to the widget-container processing device in response to the first user-initiated request, the widget container including a placement service module;   receive, from the widget-container processing device, a second user-initiated request in response to the placement service module being accessed;   generate, in response to the second user-initiated request a second reference to the widget container and a placement identifier;   place the second reference to the widget container in a second processor-readable vehicle; and   associate the placement identifier with an identifier associated with the first reference.   
     
     
         46 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 45 , wherein the widget container includes a widget or a reference to the widget, the widget being at least one of a static data object, a media object, or a software object. 
     
     
         47 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 45 , wherein the widget container is a discrete portable module. 
     
     
         48 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 45 , wherein the widget container includes a series of instructions configured to be executed by the widget-container processing device to provide an executable environment for a widget. 
     
     
         49 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 45 , wherein at least one of the first processor-readable vehicle or the second processor-readable vehicle is a webpage. 
     
     
         50 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 45 , wherein the first processor-readable vehicle is a webpage, the first reference being an embed tag or an object tag on the webpage that serves as a link to the widget container. 
     
     
         51 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 45 , wherein the code to cause the processor to receive the second user-initiated request includes code to cause the processor to receive the second user-initiated request at a first time, the code to cause the processor to place the second reference including code to cause the processor to place the second reference at a second time, the second time being after the first time,
 the processor-readable medium further comprising code to cause the processor to:   modify at an intermediate time the widget container by injecting a segment of data into a specified location of the widget container, the intermediate time being before the second time and after the first time.   
     
     
         52 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 45 , wherein the code to cause the processor to receive the second user-initiated request includes code to cause the processor to receive the second user-initiated request at a first time, the code to cause the processor to place the second reference including code to cause the processor to place the second reference at a second time, the second time being after the first time,
 the processor-readable medium further comprising code to cause the processor to:   modify at an intermediate time the widget container by injecting a segment of data associated with the first user-initiated request or the second user initiated request into a specified location of the widget container, the intermediate time being before the second time and after the first time.   
     
     
         53 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 45  further comprising code to cause the processor to:
 generate, before the placing of the first reference, the widget container and the placement service module. 
 
     
     
         54 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 45 , wherein the first reference is a reference to a first instance of the widget container, the second reference being a reference to a second instance of the widget container,
 the processor-readable medium further comprising code to cause the processor to:   generate, before the placing of the first reference, the first instance of the widget container and the placement service module; and   generate, before the placing of the second reference, the second instance of the widget container.