AGGREGATION SYSTEM
Apparatus, method, and manufacture, illustratively the aggregation apparatus includes a computer system configured to provide, at a web site, an interface which enables each of multiple users to register for an account; and provide, at the web site, an interface which facilitates a login by each registered user; provide, at the web site to each said registered user that has logged in: a combination of user services in addition to facilitating aggregation from a plurality of Internet sites, the facilitating including enabling an aggregator apparatus to connect to a plurality of sites on the Internet, authenticate itself with each of the plurality of sites, retrieve information from the sites, parse the information from the sites, produce aggregation output from the parsed information, the aggregation output being subject to user-management, and render the aggregation output.
1 - 22 . (canceled)
23 . An apparatus comprising:
a computer system comprising a web server, networking hardware connecting the computer to the Internet, a memory storing executable instructions which when executed, enable the computer system to perform the operations of:
providing, at a web site, an interface which enables each of multiple users to register for an account;
providing, at the web site, an interface which facilitates a login by each registered user; and
providing, at the web site to each said registered user that has logged in a combination of user services in addition to facilitating aggregation from a plurality of Internet sites, wherein the facilitating includes enabling an aggregator apparatus to
connect to a plurality of sites on the Internet,
authenticate itself with each of the plurality of sites,
retrieve information from each of the plurality of sites,
parse the information from each of the plurality of sites,
produce aggregation output from the parsed information, wherein the aggregation output is subject to user-management, and
render the aggregation output.
24 . The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the services include at least one of news, shopping, an Internet portal, and email.
25 . The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the operations include providing advertising at the web site.
26 . The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the computer system comprises the aggregation apparatus so as to be a server-side aggregation apparatus.
27 . The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the aggregation apparatus is a client-side aggregation apparatus.
28 . The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein:
the computer system is in communication with the aggregation apparatus, which comprises a user computer system; and
the facilitating includes providing an aggregation computer program to download to the user computer system.
29 . The apparatus of claim 28 , wherein the computer program is an applet.
30 . The apparatus of claim 28 , wherein the computer program is a module or an extension of another application present on the aggregation apparatus.