As a proxy system for distributing and storing animated image files, one embodiment of the invention includes a proxy server and an acceleration unit.
解答例
The proxy server operates to receive a request for an animated image from a network browser, to acquire the requested animated image from a network content server or a local storage device, and to manage the forwarding of the requested animated image to the network browser.
The acceleration unit is coupled to the proxy server and operates to pre-fetch the requested animated image having an original size from a content provider coupled to the network, reduce the size of the retrieved animated image to a reduced size, store the retrieved animated image with the reduced size, and provide the requested animated image with the reduced size to the proxy server.
The advantages of the invention are numerous.
One advantage of the invention is that animated images are able to be more efficiently and rapidly transmitted.
Another advantage is that animated images are able to be more efficiently stored and retrieved from a cache (e.g., image store).
Still another advantage is that the condensed or reduced size animated images remain animated.
Yet another advantage of the invention is that the animated images can be reduced or condensed even while already being compressed.
Another advantage of the invention is that the processing to perform the reducing or condensing is computationally fast and individual image quality need not be sacrificed.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.
A method and system for placing an order to purchase an item via the Internet.
The order is placed by a purchaser at a client system and received by a server system.
The server system receives purchaser information including identification of the purchaser, payment information, and shipment information from the client system.
The server system then assigns a client identifier to the client system and associates the assigned client identifier with the received purchaser information.
The server system sends to the client system the assigned client identifier and an HTML document identifying the item and including an order button.
The client system receives and stores the assigned client identifier and receives and displays the HTML document.
In response to the selection of the order button, the client system sends to the server system a request to purchase the identified item.
The server system receives the request and combines the purchaser information associated with the client identifier of the client system to generate an order to purchase the item in accordance with the billing and shipment information whereby the purchaser effects the ordering of the product by selection of the order button.
The present invention relates to a computer method and system for placing an order and, more particularly, to a method and system for ordering items over the Internet.
The Internet comprises a vast number of computers and computer networks that are interconnected through communication links.
The interconnected computers exchange information using various services, such as electronic mail, Gopher, and the World Wide Web ("WWW").
The WWW service allows a server computer system (i.e., Web server or Web site) to send graphical Web pages of information to a remote client computer system.
The remote client computer system can then display the Web pages.
Each resource (e.g., computer or Web page) of the WWW is uniquely identifiable by a Uniform Resource Locator ("URL").
To view a specific Web page, a client computer system specifies the URL for that Web page in a request (e.g., a HyperText Transfer Protocol ("HTTP") request).
The request is forwarded to the Web server that supports that Web page.
When that Web server receives the request, it sends that Web page to the client computer system.
When the client computer system receives that Web page, it typically displays the Web page using a browser.
A browser is a special-purpose application program that effects the requesting of Web pages and the displaying of Web pages.
