Inventors:
Tom A. Sponheim - Seattle WA
Bella Acharya - Kirkland WA
Jack Litewka - Seattle WA
Jamie A. Spooner - Redmond WA
William A. Spencer - Redmond WA
Stephen H. Buroker - Issaquah WA
Assignee:
Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA
International Classification:
G09G 500
US Classification:
345760, 345780, 345745, 345840
Abstract:
Methods and a data structure for assigning URLs (e. g. , to radio-station-streaming-media-content sources) to graphical objects (such as buttons) are disclosed. In one aspect of the present invention, zip codes are used to identify and assign geographically relevant URLs to buttons. In a second aspect of the invention, a graphical user interface enables a user to select from a plurality of radio buttons and menu entries in order to identify search results satisfying the users selection, criteria. In a third aspect of this invention, search results are displayed in an IFRAME so that the Web page need not be replotted each time the server identifies URLs satisfying the user selection criteria. In a fourth aspect of this invention, information identifying a users button assignments or preferences (such as the users zip code) is store in various data fields in a cookie data structure. The computer-executable instructions use the information contained in the cookie data structure in order to assign the URL to the button each time the Web page is displayed.