Claims
- 1. A method to be performed in a client computer, the method comprising:
setting a first access indicator in a client computer if the client computer satisfies a requirement; providing a content of the first access indicator to a first server computer in communication with the client computer over a computer network; and based on the content of the first access indicator, accessing a content of the first server computer.
- 2. The method of claim 2 wherein the first server computer comprises a website and the computer network includes the Internet.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first access indicator is set by a web browser in response to a request by a computer program resident in the client computer.
- 4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a configuration information in the client computer, and wherein the first access indicator is set according to the configuration information.
- 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the configuration information is in a file received from a second server computer.
- 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the requirement includes having a particular item in the client computer.
- 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the particular item comprises a particular computer program.
- 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the particular computer program includes computer-readable program code for receiving advertisements in the client computer.
- 9. The method of claim 6 wherein the particular item comprises a file.
- 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving an advertisement in the client computer if the client computer satisfies the requirement.
- 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the advertisement is incorporated in a web page received from the first server computer.
- 12. The method of claim 10 wherein the advertisement is received from a second server computer in response to a request initiated by a message delivery program resident in the client computer.
- 13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
setting a second access indicator in the client computer, the second access indicator being configured to allow access to a content in a second server computer.
- 14. The method of claim 1 wherein the content of the first server computer comprises a web page.
- 15. The method of claim 1 wherein the content of the first server computer comprises an on-line service.
- 16. A computer-readable storage medium comprising:
computer-readable program code for determining if a client computer includes a particular item; computer-readable program code for setting an access indicator if the client computer has the particular item; computer-readable program code for providing a content of the access indicator to a server computer in communication with the client computer over a computer network; and computer-readable program code for accessing a content of the server computer.
- 17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the medium comprises computer memory.
- 18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the medium comprises a removable storage medium.
- 19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the medium comprises a mass storage device.
- 20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the particular item comprises a computer program.
- 21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the particular item comprises a file.
- 22. A method to be performed in a server computer, the method comprising:
receiving a content of an access indicator from a first client computer program in a client computer, the access indicator being set in response to a request by a second client computer program in the client computer; and depending on the content of the access indicator, allowing the client computer to receive a document.
- 23. The method of claim 22 wherein the document comprises multi-media data.
- 24. The method of claim 22 wherein the document comprises a web page.
- 25. The method of claim 22 wherein the first client computer program comprises a web browser and the access indicator comprises a cookie.
- 26. The method of claim 22 wherein the access indicator is periodically set if the second client computer program detects that the client computer satisfies a requirement.
- 27. The method of claim 26 wherein the requirement includes having a particular computer program.
- 28. A server computer having a memory and a processor for running computer-readable program code resident in the memory, wherein the memory comprises:
computer-readable program code for receiving a content of a cookie from a client computer, a setting of the cookie being initiated by a non-web browser computer program resident in the client computer; and computer-readable program code for allowing a web browser resident in the client computer to receive a web page in the client computer depending on a content of the cookie.
- 29. A client computer having a memory and a processor for running computer-readable program code resident in the memory, wherein the memory comprises:
computer-readable program code for detecting if a client computer includes a particular computer file; computer-readable program code for setting a first cookie if the client computer includes the particular computer file; and computer-readable program code for providing the first cookie to a first server computer.
- 30. The client computer of claim 29 wherein the particular computer file comprises a particular computer program.
- 31. The client computer of claim 29 wherein the particular computer file comprises a multi-media file.
- 32. The client computer of claim 29 wherein the memory further comprises:
computer-readable program code for setting a second cookie configured to provide the client computer access to a second server computer.
- 33. The client computer of claim 29 wherein the memory further comprises:
computer-readable program code for initiating delivery of advertisements from a second server computer.
- 34. A method of controlling access to a website, the method comprising:
making an end-user explicitly agree to receive advertisements in exchange for access privileges in a website.
- 35. The method of claim 34 wherein the advertisements are not from the website.
- 36. The method of claim 34 wherein the advertisements are from a computer program resident in a client computer employed by the end-user.
- 37. The method of claim 34 wherein the access privileges are indicated in a cookie.
- 38. The method of claim 34 wherein making the end-user explicitly agree to receive advertisements includes making the end-user click on a license agreement.
- 39. The method of claim 34 wherein the access privileges include permission to view a web page.
- 40. The method of claim 34 wherein the access privileges include permission to use an on-line service.
- 41. The method of claim 34 wherein the access privileges include permission to download a file.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/457,391, entitled “CONTROL OF ACCESS TO COMPUTERS IN A COMPUTER NETWORK”, filed by Mitchell T. Weisman and Mark E. Pennell on Mar. 25, 2003.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60457391 |
Mar 2003 |
US |