Prodigy's System for Interactive Online Information and Shopping

Prodigy's 1994 patent outlines an interactive online system that delivered news, shopping, and banking to personal computers by breaking applications into 'objects' stored locally or remotely, and used user data for targeted ads.

What it covers

This patent describes a 'reception system' for an interactive computer network, designed to present 'partitioned applications' offering information and transactional services to users. The system includes 'input means' to receive user requests, 'storage means' to hold 'objects' (data and program instructions) needed for applications, and 'object processing means' to interpret these objects. If required objects are not stored locally, 'communication means' fetch them from the network. For example, a user requesting news might trigger the system to retrieve specific news article objects and display program instructions, some of which might be temporarily stored on their personal computer for faster access.

What it doesn't cover

• —Does not cover interactive computer networks that do not use 'objects' with a prescribed structure for data and program instructions.
• —Does not cover systems where all application logic and data reside entirely on the user's local computer without fetching 'objects' from a network.
• —Does not cover networks that lack a mechanism for monitoring user characteristics to generate and display specific advertisements.
• —Does not cover peer-to-peer networks, as it describes a 'reception system' within an 'interactive computer network' implying a client-server model.
• —Does not cover systems where the 'reception system' is not capable of retaining 'objects' between requests for partitioned applications.

The clever bit

The innovation was in using 'partitioned applications' and 'objects' – small, self-contained units of data and code – that could be stored both locally on a user's computer and remotely on a 'host computer'. This allowed complex interactive services to run efficiently on less powerful personal computers by intelligently distributing the workload and data, retrieving only what was needed, when it was needed.

Why it matters

This patent describes the core technology behind Prodigy, one of the earliest major consumer online services in the United States. It enabled users to access news, financial information, shopping, and banking from their personal computers before the widespread adoption of the World Wide Web. Prodigy pioneered many features, like targeted advertising based on user behavior, that are now common in modern online platforms.

Real-world examples

• 1.Prodigy online service (1990s)
• 2.Early online banking platforms
• 3.Early online shopping systems