US20060253594A1 - Personalized multi-service computer environment - Google Patents
Personalized multi-service computer environment Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20060253594A1 US20060253594A1 US11/423,847 US42384706A US2006253594A1 US 20060253594 A1 US20060253594 A1 US 20060253594A1 US 42384706 A US42384706 A US 42384706A US 2006253594 A1 US2006253594 A1 US 2006253594A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- browser
- user interface
- communications
- user
- interface element
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
- G06F16/90—Details of database functions independent of the retrieved data types
- G06F16/95—Retrieval from the web
- G06F16/955—Retrieval from the web using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
- G06F16/9562—Bookmark management
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
- H04L67/14—Session management
- H04L67/142—Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
- G06F16/90—Details of database functions independent of the retrieved data types
- G06F16/95—Retrieval from the web
- G06F16/953—Querying, e.g. by the use of web search engines
- G06F16/9535—Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
- G06F16/90—Details of database functions independent of the retrieved data types
- G06F16/95—Retrieval from the web
- G06F16/954—Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
- G06F16/90—Details of database functions independent of the retrieved data types
- G06F16/95—Retrieval from the web
- G06F16/957—Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
- H04L67/01—Protocols
- H04L67/02—Protocols based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
- H04L67/14—Session management
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
- H04L67/50—Network services
- H04L67/535—Tracking the activity of the user
Definitions
- the present invention relates to the field of personal and personalized information services, and more particularly to the field of improved personalized computer user interfaces for database systems, more particularly those systems designed to organize information and information object references.
- Personalization and customization of computer user interfaces is often in conflict with a desire for standardization and consistency.
- the more an interface is malleable to represent personalized factors the less that interface represents a standard, and that deviation can lead to support and training difficulties. See, e.g., Horvitz et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,403, expressly incorporated herein by reference.
- the visual factors are treated as objects, such as view type, font, color scheme, wallpaper, sounds, icons, and the like, which may be altered globally or locally by altering a characteristic of the visual object.
- objects such as view type, font, color scheme, wallpaper, sounds, icons, and the like
- view type such as portrait
- color scheme such as portrait
- wallpaper such as wallpaper
- sounds such as text
- icons such as text
- the layout of different types of information such as news, weather, financial data and the like, is predicated by interests of the user.
- computer user interfaces may also track a user's activity, thereby creating a history. It is often desirable to facilitate common functions of programmable interfaces for the user and/or to recall recently performed operations that are desirable to be repeated or for which traceability is desired. Thus, many software constructs record a list of recently used files, which is then presented as a readily accessible list of potential choices for the user. Likewise, graphic user interfaces for operating systems and favorite lists for browsers are generally directly modifiable by the user to alter the selection and grouping of information-related objects presented.
- hypermedia systems often have history files that tell the routes the user has followed. Generally, most of such history files simply list character information in the order in which the user has been browsing. Some of the history files indicate the hypermedia links in a tree structure to allow grasping of the connection state of the information objects, while others show the nodes in images reduced in size and sometimes referred to as thumbnails.
- Modern Internet browsers such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and Netscape's Navigator provide access to a list of viewed Web pages, albeit through different means.
- This history is generated automatically based on actual Web pages viewed, and is non-editable by definition, except that Microsoft allows deletion of pages from the history list. Revisits to a Web page add additional versions of the page in the history list of Microsoft Internet Explorer.
- the browser history is acquired as a list of the Web page addresses referred to as URLs, or uniform resource locators, represented in the address input box of the browser. If a desired object is not identified by a representation in the address input box, it is not recorded or not definitively recorded, and indeed also cannot be appropriately added as a favorite. This history may thus incompletely define the state of the system, for example, when the system executes a script, applet or plugin, or other machine state not fully defined by the URL. In these cases, the history list is not usable to completely restore a prior state of the browser.
- a Uniform Resource Identifier (RFC 1630) is the name for the standard generic object in the World Wide Web. Internet space is inhabited by many points of content.
- a URI Uniform Resource Identifier is the way you identify any of those points of content, whether it be a page of text, a video or sound clip, a still or animated image, or a program.
- the most common form of URI is the Web page address, which is a particular form or subset of URI called a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
- a URI typically describes: the mechanism used to access the resource; the specific computer that the resource is housed in; and the specific name of the resource (a file name) on the computer.
- Another kind of URI is the Uniform Resource Name (URN).
- URN is a form of URI that has “institutional persistence,” which means that its exact location may change from time to time, but some agency will be able to find it.
- a related problem occurs where the remote server employs cookies to define the Web page transmitted. If the cookie is changed, and indeed such changes may be made by the remote server during subsequent interaction, the state defined by the URL cannot be used to return the browser to the prior state.
- Cookies files stored in conjunction with user agents to hold small amounts of state information associated with a user's web browsing.
- Common applications for cookies include storing user preferences, automating low security user signon facilities, and helping collect data used for “shopping cart” style applications. See, RFC 2109, Network Working Group, HTTP State Management Mechanism. See, also RFC 2068, Network Working Group, Hypertext Transfer Protocol—HTTP/1.1
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,344 expressly incorporated herein by reference, provides a system which, at a server, records requests for URLs by users, and provides a two dimensional map representing the usage history.
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,038,610 expressly incorporated herein by reference, provides a system and method for storage of site maps at respective servers, which are then communicated to client systems.
- the implemented history list function employed by available browsers i.e., standardized software executing on client systems for interacting with the Internet Web servers, fails to achieve the ability to return reliably the browser to a prior state in a number of common instances.
- a communications address such as an IP address
- IP addresses may be used to track a user; however, since users may share IP addresses, and IP addresses may be dynamically assigned, this technique is not globally reliable between communications sessions.
- the present invention therefore seeks to provide improved human computer user interfaces, as well as supporting infrastructures.
- a particular problem confronting a user is an organization of information in a usage session or group of sessions.
- users explore new content, through search engines, embedded hyperlinks, and the like.
- the exploration is initially unfocused or noncommittal, as the user seeks to understand the field being searched.
- This initial exploration may include trial and error content review, as well as a comprehensive or exhaustive search of potentially relevant information.
- this exploration precedes normal and specific usage of the information, and thus the process invariably includes some degree of backtracking over previously reviewed information.
- the present invention thus provides enhanced methods for the identification, recall and organization of search paths and results.
- the exploration phase conducted by one user may be used to facilitate the search by another.
- the search path may be employed as an object that is employed by other users.
- an automated system may be provided to anticipate the user's requirements, which may then be presented to the user.
- an automated system is provided for presenting to the user transaction possibilities within the scope of the goal.
- advertisements or other commercial information may be presented to the user.
- the system may operate differently. For example, goal-related information from a variety of sources and general type advertisements may be directed to the user.
- Internet search engines and portals typically operate on a commercial subsidy model; this may include payment on a per-ad basis, a per-click-through basis, or a per-consummated transaction basis, for example.
- the use of targeting technology tends to favor transaction-biased models over ad-volume-based models.
- the present invention thus provides a capability for higher-level analysis of the user, at a goal rather than search query level.
- This technique may also be combined with user profiling, such that the status, context and history may be used to adaptively define the state of the system. See, U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,357, expressly incorporated herein by reference.
- the Internet's World Wide Web is typically considered a large set of Web pages that are aggregated into Web sites, with each Web site generally having a home page, from which other Web pages are accessible through hyperlinks. Normal use of the Web site may therefore entail multiple viewings of the home page. A diagram of normal usage therefore often appears like a hierarchal tree, with the home page at the root, other pages as branches, and potentially detailed pages or referenced database entries as leaves. Of course, embedded hyperlinks and other types of usage may complicate the diagram.
- Present browsers support “back” and “forward” functions, which allow a user to move through a historical list of visited Web pages to a referencing Web page (back), and referenced Web page (forward).
- the forward function provides the last visited page
- the back function provides a “higher level” referencing page.
- the back and forward functions may fail to provide full navigational capability. In short, history-of-use information is lost.
- the present invention addresses this problem by providing a “Session MappingTM” feature, in which one or more time lines are constructed from “history objects” that are, for example, each defined by a set of one or more Web pages visited by the user, and, potentially, activities performed by the user with respect to those Web pages.
- a user may return to a past-visited Web page by direct and random access thereof.
- This history object and related information may be stored as an information object at a server, and therefore, the user may potentially end his browser session without loss of the history context for that session.
- this history object may be provided in editable format and further presented or transmitted to other users, allowing a sharing of a search experience, as well as a possible viral marketing advantage to the provider of the session mapping service or its sponsors.
- the history object may preferably also include a chronology, allowing a synchronized presentation of the history object, for example using Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) [Boston Specification (W3C Working Draft 3-March-1999; http://www.w3.org/1999/08/WD-smil-boston-19990803)].
- SMIL Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language
- a history object is defined as a set of URLs, optionally with descriptive text, time, duration and/or number of accesses.
- This information is preferably presented with management and organizational tools for editing and organizing a set of history objects.
- the editing functions may include, for example, stripping of personal information from the URLs, for example where a user seeks to generalize the history object for third party use.
- Other functions may include deletion of certain steps or URLs, insertion of objects or URLs, appending and truncating sequences, saving and recalling, manual editing of command line entries and associated files, e.g., cookies, and archiving.
- Organizing functions include naming, renaming, ordering, deleting, copying, sending, receiving, sharing, privatizing, and “sanitizing” of history objects.
- the system may also provide a sanitizing function, for example, globally analyzing the URLs and associated objects to ensure that they do not contain personal information or private passwords (and if so, eliminating this information) and do not contain obscene or scandalous materials.
- This later analysis may include implementation of a (Mattel) Cyperpatrol-type filter along with semantic filtering. This filtering may encompass the history object itself, or require an analysis of the pages and objects referenced within the history object.
- a particular aspect of the present invention is that it allows a dynamic process to be defined. If a URL in the history object references a Web page whose underlying information changes, e.g., if the URL itself defines a search query on a database, and the contents of the database change, or the URL defines a dynamically defined object, then the subsequent access of the URL through the history object will represent the updated content. Thus, the history object may be used to define a set of content dynamically.
- a user seeks to define information statically as seen at a particular point in time. If the exact state of the URL is intended to be preserved, means may be established to cache the Web page content and reference the cached content rather than live Web page content, e.g., through an alias. This caching may be performed locally or through an external service. Typically, the history object will continue to appear to reference the source page (live) URL, although a hyperlink will direct recall of the cached copy.
- a user is interested in analyzing changes in the referenced Web pages. Therefore, both the cached and live versions of a Web page would be pertinent. Such analysis may also be performed locally, through a special application, or by corresponding application on a server.
- the client computer request to the server does not correspond to a stateless. URL, and therefore the URL transmitted by the browser to the server would be insufficient to fully define the returned information. Rather, the returned information may relate to additional information, such as a sequence of events leading up to when the URL is transmitted to the server, or information defined by a cookie.
- the present invention addresses both of these possibilities. With respect to the former, the history object directly addresses this issue by maintaining the sequence (path) by which a user achieves a given state of the system. With respect to the later, the present invention preferably encompasses a cookie manager, for example operating as an application within the client system, or on a remote server, which associates an appropriate cookie with each step within the history object, where necessary.
- the cookie manager resides within a server.
- the server acts as a third party proxy to the request.
- the client browser transmits URLs through the proxy server, and these URLs are modified as appropriate to achieve a desired state.
- a macro-sequence of URLs may be triggered to, define automatically a complex, path-dependent state with a single act by the user.
- the proxy server may spoof the client system's address (i.e., send a communication with a false IP address, causing the communicating partner to respond to redirect communications).
- the proxy server selectively intercepts upstream communications and not the downstream communications.
- this communication bypasses the proxy; however, the next time that modified cookie is uploaded, it passes through the proxy, and is captured at that time.
- the functions implemented by the system according to the present invention are generally deemed to require security permissions or certifications.
- the user therefore will typically be requested to configure the security settings (or allow automatic reconfiguration by, or example, an applet) to permit system operation.
- the functionality gained from use of the system will, of course, provide sufficient benefit to the user to interest him in configuring the system (or allowing system reconfiguration) for such operation.
- the functions according to the present invention may also be implemented without requiring security setting reconfiguration, or in systems which do not support some of the functionality, such as scripts and applets. For example, displays may be presented as static web pages without scripts or applets, with necessary communication directly with the server or through a formal proxy server/application server.
- this type of proxy may be present as a separate resource on the Internet or within a local area network. Furthermore, this proxy may be integrated with another proxy server, such as a firewall device.
- cookie substitution and other aspects of the transaction need not be transparent to the proxy server; the information may be fully encrypted, since the proxy server acts in a content-neutral fashion. So long as the address information within each packet is open, and cookies are unambiguously identified, the proxy may perform its intended function.
- the content server system is preferably “fooled” into thinking that the communications are actually separate two-party streams.
- the history object may form the basis of a communication to transmit a URL and possibly associated information, such as cookies, thus defining the desired state, to the proxy server.
- the proxy server then forwards the URL and optional cookie, each of which is possibly modified to achieve the desired state of the client system, to the content server.
- the proxy server returns a simple redirect response to the client system, including an appropriate URL for the content server.
- the content server responds to the spoofed (forged IP header) communication, effectively pushing the Web page to the client.
- the client system since it has requested a URL from the content server via the redirect, sees the returned Web page as being the one requested, and accepts it.
- the proxy server function is therefore implemented without modification of the remote server, and with minimal modification of the client system (e.g., ensure security is set with permission to accept server-side redirect), and therefore maintains broad compatibility.
- the history object characteristics may be contained within an application or applet, including the desired functionality, and executed on the client system hardware.
- the IP stack itself may be modified to implement the desired functions, which in this case would include a parallel transmission of packets to the remote server and history management server.
- a remote history management server would be assured a complete record of the transmitted information.
- a local server may be provided proximate to the client system, through which the browser communicates. In this case, all transmitted and received URLs and Web pages may be managed locally.
- an OCX Microsoft ActiveX applet
- a Session MappingTM applet or scriptlet may also be provided on the client system to capture the URL information, which may then be stored or transmitted to a remote server.
- the Session MappingTM applet or scriptlet typically does not have access to local operating system level functions, and cannot intercept or alter communications between the browser and stack, or stack and network interface.
- most common browsers do provide a function wherein the most recent URL is available for inspection.
- a Session MappingTM applet or scriptlet may capture this information and convey it to a history management system.
- cookies may be transmitted from the browser to remote servers when properly requested; thus, the appropriate cookies may also be communicated to the history management system.
- Session MappingTM applet is distinguished from the applet described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,332, expressly incorporated herein by reference, since the applet of U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,332 requires that the tracked Web page be served from a controlled or cooperating Web server, rather than any random Web server. It is also noted that the graphic user interface of U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,332 is dissimilar in key respects.
- a particular advantage of browser scripts is that no distinct download and installation is necessary. It is noted that some of the techniques described herein violate traditional security principles, and, but for the desirable functionality, might be considered intrusive. It is further noted that the techniques described herein may be used to implement functions other than history management. For example, a similar technique may be used to synchronize two or more client systems on the Internet; for each transaction, one system acts as a master, requesting a URL and also transmitting the URL and an optional cookie to a proxy site. At the proxy site, the URL is also requested, with the identical cookie available for upload. Thus, the states of the two (or more) systems will be synchronized. This technique would facilitate the sharing of a session experience on the Web with many other users.
- the techniques according to the present invention may also be used for remote logging and monitoring of users.
- a Session MappingTM applet may process a history object to recreate the original sequence (or a modification thereof), including an automatic sequencing of states.
- a user searching for jewelry may submit the search query “diamond” into a search engine.
- the search query URL is trapped by the Session MappingTM applet or scriptlet and either processed locally or transmitted to the host site.
- the user is then typically presented with a list of Web pages (URLs) that correspond to the search query.
- URLs Web pages
- Some of these URLs may contain content only, without opportunity for purchase, while others may include purchasing opportunities.
- Some responsive URLs may, in fact, be irrelevant or distasteful.
- the user must explore the presented information in order to categorize the sites.
- the user may search the topic using a variety of search terms or execute the same search query on a variety of search engines.
- the next step is typically to employ that information gainfully.
- the user was forced, using memory or rudimentary tools, to relocate the best sites from the search, which typically occurred before a complete analysis of the available information. This prospect often lead to a truncation of a search when a minimally-acceptable Web page or well-known site was identified, rather than facing the prospect of finding it again using inadequate tools.
- the user is permitted to complete his search and investigation, with reasonable prospects of easily finding and retrieving any previously visited sites, including defined states thereof.
- each Web page As each Web page is visited, it is added to a list, and preferably maintained and presented in a “Personal Services Infrastructure”TM (PSITM) format, which is displayed on the screen generated by a browser and/or applet. For example, this information is presented in a marginal frame of a browser, or within a visually presented applet. Therefore, when the user seeks to retrace his steps, each significant hop or state is separately listed, possibly including additional descriptive information, such as the duration of content viewing, the time(s) of viewing, and the like (the duration of a visit being, among other things, a key indicator of value for the user). Furthermore, each entry may be provided with certain editing features, for example, the URL, description and order may be edited.
- PSITM Personal Services Infrastructure
- each Web site is accessed through a special Web page called a home page.
- the Web site home page is associated with an Internet Top Level Domain name (TLD), or domain name, such as WWW.MYSITE.COM. Therefore, the membership of web sites is often classified based on the associated domain name.
- TLD Top Level Domain name
- Other methods are available, however, to determine membership within a Web site.
- each Web site is provided with a separate region within a Session MapTM.
- the chronological path of the user within that Web site may be expanded, possibly with a hierarchal representation of the organization of the site (or limited to pages hyperlinked by the user), or to a linear session map opening from within the segment of the session map.
- the user may traverse a path that seamlessly traverses a number of TLDs or Web sites, so that this distinction may be arbitrary.
- other modes of presentation may be offered to the user, based on the stored information and possibly an analysis of the Web page content referred to thereby.
- Another organizational method relates to the amount of time that a user dwelled on a web page, or composite set of pages, e.g., a site; the longer the dwell, the higher the implied importance.
- a further organizational principle involves analyzing the use of a Web page as a hub; if the user returns to a page a number of times in the course of an activity, that page is considered an important hub, with Web pages traversed thereby considered spokes. This analysis, it is noted, does not require that the TLD be the same for the hub and spokes.
- the history of use may be represented as a set of chains, with the top and/or bottom of each chain defining a relevant feature or identifier, and the intervening portions having presumed lower importance.
- Each node within the chain may be represented by a separate history object.
- a two dimensional data set may advantageously be normally represented as a one dimensional “time line,” preferably with only one hierarchal chain visible at a time, and otherwise merely with an identification of the chain available for access by the user.
- the home page is therefore an appropriate starting point and identifier for the string of events.
- the search query defines the data set, with the retrieved and inspected URLs or Web pages encompassing the relevant material.
- the string is preferably defined by the search query.
- the present invention provides a procedure that records in detail a history of a search, notwithstanding that a respective search engine does not or cannot do so itself.
- the present invention therefore seeks to trap or capture detailed information about the path taken by the user in completing a task, including scriptlet and applet usage, regardless of which search engine or server is accessed for information, and preferably allows a standard browser to be employed.
- the history is provided for each session, and extends for the duration of the session.
- the history is preferably presented as a time line extending horizontally, which may be scrolled horizontally or which is wrapped in successive rows, as the listed history exceeds the column width.
- the time line also captures the beginning and end time of each state, or the duration, or both.
- the time-line entry for each page or step may be annotated or provided with descriptive text, which may be provided by a history object, automatically generated from the history object, or manually associated with the history object.
- the time line information includes details sufficient for the user to understand the nature of the transition between successive history objects.
- the time-line is searchable by text or by characteristic, such as URL, title, date, time.
- this presented history need not encompass a literal record of the path taken by the user, but may, in fact, include information derived from a variety of sources.
- the information list may be enhanced to include advertisements or marketing information.
- This information is preferably derived either from a user profile, and predicted to be relevant to the user based thereon, or from the search context, and thus related to the information included within the history. Therefore, it is apparent that a presented history bar, including history objects and supplemental commercial objects, may be a source of commercial subsidy. By linking the commercial subsidy with a useful feature, consumer acceptance thereof may be enhanced.
- the information may also be enhanced by analysis and presentation of additional content, distinct from the actual history.
- this enhanced information may be identical to the advertisements; thus, where a user is seeking to make a purchase, and the search is for relevant vendors, the enhanced information is an advertisement of the type sought by the user.
- the advertisements are of a general nature.
- other enhanced information may be provided. For example, hints or suggestions, motivational messages, or other information may be automatically or manually inserted.
- the system is not supported by commercial subsidy. Therefore, the enhanced information presented may take the form, for example, of goal directed enhanced information or status information.
- the graphic display objects according to the present invention may also include user interface functions for performing complex tasks or URL references.
- the present invention provides enhancements to the accessible functionality with respect to identifications of past activities.
- Typical functionality which may be made available, as appropriate, include “summarize page,” “find like sites,” “add to favorites,” and “add to shopping cart,” “vote on value of site (or product),” “see others' votes,” “make a note,” “see other users' notes,” or an omnibus service icon or control that brings up a group of choices.
- It is a still further object of the invention to provide a history display system comprising means for automatically storing a history of object references by a user; means for editing, by the user, the stored history; and means for display of the history, wherein said display hyperlinks to the referenced objects to allow arbitrary selection of an object.
- It is another object of the invention to provide a history display system comprising means for automatically storing a history of states induced by a user; means for editing, by the user, the stored history; and means for display of the history, wherein said display hyperlinks to the referenced states to allow arbitrary selection of a historical state.
- the display hyperlinks are preferably displayed linearly, in chronological order.
- the display hyperlinks may also be displayed in hierarchal order, and may include importance-weighting information.
- FIGS. 1A 1 E show sequential states of a history display applet
- FIG. 2 shows a Web browser user interface
- a first embodiment of the invention provides a system which operates in conjunction with a modern Web-enabled computer system with a standard browser installed.
- a so-called WinTel Intel Pentium III Processor, executing Microsoft Windows 9X or NT/2000 software
- WinTel Intel Pentium III Processor, executing Microsoft Windows 9X or NT/2000 software
- Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer both of which are JavaScript and Java enabled, and frames-capable.
- an Internet appliance platform e.g., designed specifically for Internet usage rather than general purpose home or office tasks
- the system communicates with a remote server which is provided as discussed herein.
- a particular aspect of this embodiment of the invention is that enhanced features are provided for a standard browser system by means that do not require use of non-standard browsers, a special installation procedure or a computer reboot.
- the system provides broad compatibility, platform independence, portability, and a low probability of causing conflicts, system bugs or instabilities.
- the server-side hardware technology is also standard, while the server application software is custom.
- the browser By operating within frames, the browser permits two Web pages to be displayed simultaneously and to be interactive. This communication or interactivity occurs within the browser and generally is subject to certain security controls. Accordingly, certain security measures that seek to limit inter process communications and preemption must be disabled.
- FIGS. 1A 1 E show a sequence of Session MapsTM, generated by an applet executing within the user's web browser.
- Session MapsTM a user's progressive search on the Web for a diamond ring merchant is traced.
- Each frame represents a step, and any previous step can be returned in one click by treating that frame as a hyper-link.
- the user is represented at the home page, “Double Agent”.
- the user accesses the “Double Agent” support page.
- the search query itself “diamonds,” is captured.
- FIG. 1C the fourth frame, shown in FIG.
- the fifth frame shown in FIG. 1E , captures user's finding of a relevant Web page, “Diamond Depot.”
- the icons in the fifth frame represent a set of single-click services available to the user, with respect to the represented Web page. These services include “find like sites,” “save to favorites,” and “add to shopping cart,” which are represented as icons within a respective frame, where appropriate, and “summarize page,” represented by an icon external to each frame within the chain.
- the shopping cart is available only for Web pages compliant with a shopping cart standard associated with the system, while the find like sites, save to favorites and summarize page are available for Web pages in general.
- Other possible services available to be offered through icons associated with the segments of the session map include: make an annotation; see other user's annotations or comments; vote on the worth of a site; see others' votes; see review information; compare price; see address, phone, e-mail and/or other contact information about a web site.
- the user calls up a URL 1 in the browser 10 from a cooperative remote server which provides a pair of frames; a first frame 3 a controlled by the cooperative remote server, having an associated executable software construct, e.g., JavaScript, and a second frame 3 b for display and manipulation of content.
- the user within the second frame 3 b or in the address bar, identifies a desired URL 1 , for example by typing or hyperlinking.
- the JavaScript construct captures the URL 1 , which is then transmitted to the cooperative remote server.
- the cooperative remote server uses the acquired URL 1 , which is transmitted in a form that identifies the browser system or user thereof, to construct a history of use for the session, called herein a Session MapTM.
- the history of use is then transmitted back to the first frame 3 a , and displayed for the user, including a set of hyperlinks, each defining a respective prior state of the system and allowing return thereto.
- the history of use is preferably displayed with a second JavaScript construct, in the form of a time line 4 , for example disposed horizontally at the bottom of the screen.
- the remote server analyzes historical sequences in order to define goal-directed behavior sets and to segregate distinct goals. This segregation is based on conceptual factors, such as the relation of sequential URLs, e.g., hierarchal relation within a Web site or file storage system, time spent at particular Web pages or web sites, hiatus between uses or activity, semantic analysis or search queries or Web pages, as well as layout issues, such as an optimum number of displayed behavior sets, e.g., five displayed horizontally across the screen, complexity of each behavior set, and the like.
- the conceptual analysis may also seek to separate mixed concepts. For example, a user might be conducting two or more searches simultaneously, which may be related or unrelated. If these are related, the desired Session MapTM consolidates the histories and resolves ambiguities or artifacts. If these are unrelated, the desired Session MapTM isolates the trails, either as separate goal directed behaviors in the displayed linear sequence, or as a separate time line sequence.
- Each goal directed behavior identified in the time line display represents one or more states of the browser. If the number of goal directed behaviors exceeds the display space, then the display applet may provide scroll functions. Alternately, the display may be provided within a frame, with scrolling supported by the browser and/or operating system.
- the remote server seeks to provide, for each set of states, a semantic description thereof.
- a graphic or acoustic description or label is preferred. Therefore, the present embodiment may support flexible labeling, including text, icon, thumbnail graphic, sound clip, or the like.
- the remote server may derive these labels by first, an analysis of the URLs, to determine whether the URL conveys a useful semantic label. For example, in many cases, a search engine query is a part of the URL and is descriptive the content of the Web page, as well as the associated set of Web pages. In other instances, the URL will be uninformative. In that case, the remote server may request the page, and perform an analysis thereof, to generate a summary or topical statement (or, if appropriate, musical clip, icon or thumbnail).
- the result of the analysis is transmitted to the browser, for display associated with a hyperlink.
- the hyperlink When the user selects the hyperlink, the entire associated chronological string is revealed.
- This string may be stored internally within the browser, or downloaded from the server.
- the search history is presented as a hierarchal tree, with each node of the tree representing a URL, and being hyperlinked thereto.
- the present invention provides a set of Mini AgentTM functions that may be associated with objects, for example representing web pages or web sites. These are described with respect to FIG. 2 .
- a first Mini AgentTM function providing a summarize page function, is accessed by selecting a hyperlink icon 11 associated with a history object representing a Web page.
- the icon 11 shows a script lower case serif “i”, representing “information”.
- the hyperlink includes an identification, e.g., URL, of the Web page, which is passed to a summarizer server.
- the summarizer server receives the URL, and accesses a database, to determine whether an existing summary exists for the URL. If so, this is returned to the user. If not, the summarizer accesses the URL, and performs a semantic (or other content-dependent) analysis of the corresponding Web page, and optionally objects incorporated into the Web page.
- a preferable semantic analysis analyzes the Web page text to parse context-defining words or phrases, of which many web pages have few, and transmits these parsed words and phrases to the user.
- An editor may also analyze Web pages and, for example, store manually generated summaries in the database.
- a second Mini AgentTM serves to “find like sites”. This is represented by an icon 12 corresponding to the mathematical equivalence symbol.
- the function is accessed by selecting a hyperlink icon associated with a history object representing a Web page.
- the hyperlink includes an identification, e.g., URL, of the Web page, which is passed to a similar site server.
- the similar site server receives the URL, and accesses a database, to determine whether an existing record, defining a set of similar sites, exists for the URL. If so, this is returned to the user. If not, the similar site server accesses the URL, and performs a content-dependent analysis of the corresponding Web page, and optionally objects incorporated into the Web page.
- a query for example a Boolean query or other query type, is passed to an Internet search engine.
- the classification of the Web page within a taxonomic hierarchy may be determined, the similar pages being defined as those that are similarly classified.
- the resulting list of similar sites is passed to the user.
- a human editor may also analyze commonly visited Web pages and, for example, store manually generated sets of similar sites in the database.
- a collaborative filter may be employed to provide “similar” pages based on a probability of being accessed temporally proximate in time to the respective Web page by a group of persons.
- a third Mini AgentTM is “add to favorites”. This is represented by a thumb-tack icon 13 .
- the function does not represent a URL, but rather a script applet which executes within the browser to add the respective URL of the associated web page to the favorites list maintained by the browser. This script is typically defined distinctly for each history object.
- a fourth Mini AgentTM is “add to shopping cart”. This is represented by an “S” icon 14 .
- An electronic shopping cart is an electronic store, associated with an individual user, identifying objects for purchase. In this case, the implementation is in some sense similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,411 (Hartman, et al., Sep. 28, 1999), expressly incorporated herein by reference, although the functionality differs.
- This function may be implemented in two ways. First, the hyperlink may invoke an applet, and indeed may have a context sensitive functionality, i.e., the icon representing the function will vary depending on the Web page or content thereof, or the status of the Web page and/or user system. Second, the existing shopping cart hyperlink from the referenced Web page may be copied or emulated as the hyperlink associated with the icon, and therefore a selection of the icon representing “add to shopping cart” will have the same effect as a selection of that hyperlink from within the Web page itself.
- the “add to shopping cart” functionality may be limited to compliant Web sites, providing special support for this functionality, or be available to all sites that have an accessible shopping cart function.
- a Web page identified by a URL represents a description of a single item available for purchase.
- the user in the midst of a search for the item, may not be ready to consummate a sale, and thus may not wish to place the object in a “shopping cart”. Rather, only after a search is complete will a user identify the item and most preferable vendor.
- the user may, without reopening the web page, directly add the item to a shopping cart, which indeed the shopping cart may be consolidated for a number of vendors and/or different that the shopping cart normally provided for user of the Web site. At a later point in time, the user may then “check out”, or provide transactional details to close the purchase for objects in the shopping cart.
Abstract
Description
- The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/715,218 filed Nov. 17, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,062,475, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/584,057 filed May 30, 2000, which is abandoned.
- The present invention relates to the field of personal and personalized information services, and more particularly to the field of improved personalized computer user interfaces for database systems, more particularly those systems designed to organize information and information object references.
- Vendors of information appliances, such as personal computers, and even embedded devices with human computer interfaces, have often wrestled with providing an optimal presentation of customized of personalized information, both in the nature of the information to be presented, and the optimal presentation thereof. Personalization and customization of computer user interfaces is often in conflict with a desire for standardization and consistency. Thus, the more an interface is malleable to represent personalized factors, the less that interface represents a standard, and that deviation can lead to support and training difficulties. See, e.g., Horvitz et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,403, expressly incorporated herein by reference.
- In order to customize computer user interfaces, typically the visual factors are treated as objects, such as view type, font, color scheme, wallpaper, sounds, icons, and the like, which may be altered globally or locally by altering a characteristic of the visual object. In order to personalize computer user interfaces, typically the layout of different types of information, such as news, weather, financial data and the like, is predicated by interests of the user.
- As a separate scheme, computer user interfaces may also track a user's activity, thereby creating a history. It is often desirable to facilitate common functions of programmable interfaces for the user and/or to recall recently performed operations that are desirable to be repeated or for which traceability is desired. Thus, many software constructs record a list of recently used files, which is then presented as a readily accessible list of potential choices for the user. Likewise, graphic user interfaces for operating systems and favorite lists for browsers are generally directly modifiable by the user to alter the selection and grouping of information-related objects presented.
- In a system having a hypermedia structure, information objects can be browsed by following links provided between each other. In conventional hypermedia systems, however, a problem may often occur in which a path that the user has followed is lost and the user cannot return to a desired location or the user becomes unable to make out his whereabouts in the system. This problem is generally known as the problem of lost path in the hypermedia system.
- Conventional hypermedia systems often have history files that tell the routes the user has followed. Generally, most of such history files simply list character information in the order in which the user has been browsing. Some of the history files indicate the hypermedia links in a tree structure to allow grasping of the connection state of the information objects, while others show the nodes in images reduced in size and sometimes referred to as thumbnails.
- Modern Internet browsers, such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and Netscape's Navigator provide access to a list of viewed Web pages, albeit through different means. This history is generated automatically based on actual Web pages viewed, and is non-editable by definition, except that Microsoft allows deletion of pages from the history list. Revisits to a Web page add additional versions of the page in the history list of Microsoft Internet Explorer. The browser history is acquired as a list of the Web page addresses referred to as URLs, or uniform resource locators, represented in the address input box of the browser. If a desired object is not identified by a representation in the address input box, it is not recorded or not definitively recorded, and indeed also cannot be appropriately added as a favorite. This history may thus incompletely define the state of the system, for example, when the system executes a script, applet or plugin, or other machine state not fully defined by the URL. In these cases, the history list is not usable to completely restore a prior state of the browser.
- A Uniform Resource Identifier (RFC 1630) is the name for the standard generic object in the World Wide Web. Internet space is inhabited by many points of content. A URI (Uniform Resource Identifier is the way you identify any of those points of content, whether it be a page of text, a video or sound clip, a still or animated image, or a program. The most common form of URI is the Web page address, which is a particular form or subset of URI called a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A URI typically describes: the mechanism used to access the resource; the specific computer that the resource is housed in; and the specific name of the resource (a file name) on the computer. Another kind of URI is the Uniform Resource Name (URN). A URN is a form of URI that has “institutional persistence,” which means that its exact location may change from time to time, but some agency will be able to find it.
- In these known systems, only Web pages and downloaded elements are stored and recorded. In contrast, certain information, such as search queries that are not returned as part of a URL, as well as other arbitrary information selected by the user or server, cannot be included on the history list unless separately represented as a defined Web page. Thus, scriptlet and applet communications sessions may completely bypass the browser's ability to record the session progress, and thus make the browser unable to define the associated states and return to a prior state.
- A related problem occurs where the remote server employs cookies to define the Web page transmitted. If the cookie is changed, and indeed such changes may be made by the remote server during subsequent interaction, the state defined by the URL cannot be used to return the browser to the prior state.
- Cookies files stored in conjunction with user agents (web browsers, etc.) to hold small amounts of state information associated with a user's web browsing. Common applications for cookies include storing user preferences, automating low security user signon facilities, and helping collect data used for “shopping cart” style applications. See, RFC 2109, Network Working Group, HTTP State Management Mechanism. See, also RFC 2068, Network Working Group, Hypertext Transfer Protocol—HTTP/1.1
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,344, expressly incorporated herein by reference, provides a system which, at a server, records requests for URLs by users, and provides a two dimensional map representing the usage history. U.S. Pat. No. 6,038,610, expressly incorporated herein by reference, provides a system and method for storage of site maps at respective servers, which are then communicated to client systems.
- Because of the limitations just discussed, among others, the implemented history list function employed by available browsers, i.e., standardized software executing on client systems for interacting with the Internet Web servers, fails to achieve the ability to return reliably the browser to a prior state in a number of common instances.
- In order to elucidate the problems involved in capturing the user's session history, it is necessary to consider the state of the client and server during a user session. In order to define the state of the machine, user activity is tracked. Storing a complete image of all processes, memory and registers is untenable, since literally this requires turning back the clock, with loss of all intervening information, which is either impossible or itself undesired. User activity may traditionally be tracked in a number of known ways. For example, a local computer application can track user activity. Likewise, any system interposed within a necessary communication path may also log user activity. A computer identifier, such as commonly included within a browser cookie, may be used to identify, and thus subsequently track the user, at a remote server. However, since the user may delete browser cookies, this technique is not reliable between sessions. In some cases, a communications address, such as an IP address, may be used to track a user; however, since users may share IP addresses, and IP addresses may be dynamically assigned, this technique is not globally reliable between communications sessions.
- The present invention therefore seeks to provide improved human computer user interfaces, as well as supporting infrastructures. A particular problem confronting a user is an organization of information in a usage session or group of sessions. As a part of typical usage of an Internet system, users explore new content, through search engines, embedded hyperlinks, and the like. Often, the exploration is initially unfocused or noncommittal, as the user seeks to understand the field being searched. This initial exploration may include trial and error content review, as well as a comprehensive or exhaustive search of potentially relevant information. Typically, this exploration precedes normal and specific usage of the information, and thus the process invariably includes some degree of backtracking over previously reviewed information.
- The present invention thus provides enhanced methods for the identification, recall and organization of search paths and results.
- These are effected by improved methods of tracking, user activity, thus defining relevant states, and improved methods of presenting past user activity patterns, thus facilitating efficient usage thereof.
- In some cases, the exploration phase conducted by one user may be used to facilitate the search by another. Thus, the search path may be employed as an object that is employed by other users.
- These objects are created to record goal-directed behavior of the user, and may thus be relevant to other users having the same goals. Often, the goal is a more complex semantic concept than any single search represented within the set, and thus the identification of the goal may be a richer source of information regarding a user and the surrounding context than search queries. Once the goal is defined, an automated system may be provided to anticipate the user's requirements, which may then be presented to the user. Advantageously, when the detected or defined goal includes a transaction, an automated system is provided for presenting to the user transaction possibilities within the scope of the goal. Thus, for example, advertisements or other commercial information may be presented to the user. When the user's goal is non-transactional, the system may operate differently. For example, goal-related information from a variety of sources and general type advertisements may be directed to the user.
- Internet search engines and portals typically operate on a commercial subsidy model; this may include payment on a per-ad basis, a per-click-through basis, or a per-consummated transaction basis, for example. The use of targeting technology tends to favor transaction-biased models over ad-volume-based models. The present invention thus provides a capability for higher-level analysis of the user, at a goal rather than search query level. This technique may also be combined with user profiling, such that the status, context and history may be used to adaptively define the state of the system. See, U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,357, expressly incorporated herein by reference.
- The Internet's World Wide Web is typically considered a large set of Web pages that are aggregated into Web sites, with each Web site generally having a home page, from which other Web pages are accessible through hyperlinks. Normal use of the Web site may therefore entail multiple viewings of the home page. A diagram of normal usage therefore often appears like a hierarchal tree, with the home page at the root, other pages as branches, and potentially detailed pages or referenced database entries as leaves. Of course, embedded hyperlinks and other types of usage may complicate the diagram.
- Present browsers support “back” and “forward” functions, which allow a user to move through a historical list of visited Web pages to a referencing Web page (back), and referenced Web page (forward). However, where there is an ambiguity, the forward function provides the last visited page, and the back function provides a “higher level” referencing page. Thus, in a complex Web site, the back and forward functions may fail to provide full navigational capability. In short, history-of-use information is lost.
- The present invention addresses this problem by providing a “Session Mapping™” feature, in which one or more time lines are constructed from “history objects” that are, for example, each defined by a set of one or more Web pages visited by the user, and, potentially, activities performed by the user with respect to those Web pages. Thus, a user may return to a past-visited Web page by direct and random access thereof. This history object and related information, for example, may be stored as an information object at a server, and therefore, the user may potentially end his browser session without loss of the history context for that session. Likewise, this history object may be provided in editable format and further presented or transmitted to other users, allowing a sharing of a search experience, as well as a possible viral marketing advantage to the provider of the session mapping service or its sponsors. The history object may preferably also include a chronology, allowing a synchronized presentation of the history object, for example using Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) [Boston Specification (W3C Working Draft 3-August-1999; http://www.w3.org/1999/08/WD-smil-boston-19990803)].
- Preferably, a history object is defined as a set of URLs, optionally with descriptive text, time, duration and/or number of accesses. This information is preferably presented with management and organizational tools for editing and organizing a set of history objects. The editing functions may include, for example, stripping of personal information from the URLs, for example where a user seeks to generalize the history object for third party use. Other functions may include deletion of certain steps or URLs, insertion of objects or URLs, appending and truncating sequences, saving and recalling, manual editing of command line entries and associated files, e.g., cookies, and archiving. Organizing functions include naming, renaming, ordering, deleting, copying, sending, receiving, sharing, privatizing, and “sanitizing” of history objects. The system may also provide a sanitizing function, for example, globally analyzing the URLs and associated objects to ensure that they do not contain personal information or private passwords (and if so, eliminating this information) and do not contain obscene or scandalous materials. This later analysis may include implementation of a (Mattel) Cyperpatrol-type filter along with semantic filtering. This filtering may encompass the history object itself, or require an analysis of the pages and objects referenced within the history object.
- A particular aspect of the present invention is that it allows a dynamic process to be defined. If a URL in the history object references a Web page whose underlying information changes, e.g., if the URL itself defines a search query on a database, and the contents of the database change, or the URL defines a dynamically defined object, then the subsequent access of the URL through the history object will represent the updated content. Thus, the history object may be used to define a set of content dynamically.
- On the other hand, sometimes a user seeks to define information statically as seen at a particular point in time. If the exact state of the URL is intended to be preserved, means may be established to cache the Web page content and reference the cached content rather than live Web page content, e.g., through an alias. This caching may be performed locally or through an external service. Typically, the history object will continue to appear to reference the source page (live) URL, although a hyperlink will direct recall of the cached copy.
- In still further instances, a user is interested in analyzing changes in the referenced Web pages. Therefore, both the cached and live versions of a Web page would be pertinent. Such analysis may also be performed locally, through a special application, or by corresponding application on a server.
- In some cases, the client computer request to the server does not correspond to a stateless. URL, and therefore the URL transmitted by the browser to the server would be insufficient to fully define the returned information. Rather, the returned information may relate to additional information, such as a sequence of events leading up to when the URL is transmitted to the server, or information defined by a cookie. The present invention, in fact, addresses both of these possibilities. With respect to the former, the history object directly addresses this issue by maintaining the sequence (path) by which a user achieves a given state of the system. With respect to the later, the present invention preferably encompasses a cookie manager, for example operating as an application within the client system, or on a remote server, which associates an appropriate cookie with each step within the history object, where necessary. Thus, the state of the cookie at the time of the original reference is preserved. As discussed above, according to one embodiment of the invention, the cookie manager resides within a server. In this case, the server acts as a third party proxy to the request. The client browser transmits URLs through the proxy server, and these URLs are modified as appropriate to achieve a desired state. In fact, a macro-sequence of URLs may be triggered to, define automatically a complex, path-dependent state with a single act by the user. Rather than acting as a complete proxy, requiring the proxy server to stand as an intermediary for all communications, the proxy server may spoof the client system's address (i.e., send a communication with a false IP address, causing the communicating partner to respond to redirect communications). It is noted that, while generally, spoofing is considered an undesirable security violation, in instances where the respective parties are aware and permissive of this activity, it may be an acceptable method. Alternatives to spoofing to achieve essentially the same results may be employed as well. Thus, in this asymmetric communication case, the proxy server selectively intercepts upstream communications and not the downstream communications. When the server downloads a cookie or applet to the client, this communication bypasses the proxy; however, the next time that modified cookie is uploaded, it passes through the proxy, and is captured at that time.
- It is noted that some of the functions implemented by the system according to the present invention are generally deemed to require security permissions or certifications. The user therefore will typically be requested to configure the security settings (or allow automatic reconfiguration by, or example, an applet) to permit system operation. The functionality gained from use of the system will, of course, provide sufficient benefit to the user to interest him in configuring the system (or allowing system reconfiguration) for such operation. Alternately, in most instances, the functions according to the present invention may also be implemented without requiring security setting reconfiguration, or in systems which do not support some of the functionality, such as scripts and applets. For example, displays may be presented as static web pages without scripts or applets, with necessary communication directly with the server or through a formal proxy server/application server.
- It is noted that this type of proxy may be present as a separate resource on the Internet or within a local area network. Furthermore, this proxy may be integrated with another proxy server, such as a firewall device.
- It is further noted that the cookie substitution and other aspects of the transaction need not be transparent to the proxy server; the information may be fully encrypted, since the proxy server acts in a content-neutral fashion. So long as the address information within each packet is open, and cookies are unambiguously identified, the proxy may perform its intended function.
- In order to allow this type of three-party communication, the content server system is preferably “fooled” into thinking that the communications are actually separate two-party streams. For example, the history object may form the basis of a communication to transmit a URL and possibly associated information, such as cookies, thus defining the desired state, to the proxy server. The proxy server then forwards the URL and optional cookie, each of which is possibly modified to achieve the desired state of the client system, to the content server.
- Correspondingly, the proxy server returns a simple redirect response to the client system, including an appropriate URL for the content server. The content server, in this case, responds to the spoofed (forged IP header) communication, effectively pushing the Web page to the client. The client system, in turn, since it has requested a URL from the content server via the redirect, sees the returned Web page as being the one requested, and accepts it. The proxy server function is therefore implemented without modification of the remote server, and with minimal modification of the client system (e.g., ensure security is set with permission to accept server-side redirect), and therefore maintains broad compatibility.
- The history object characteristics may be contained within an application or applet, including the desired functionality, and executed on the client system hardware. In this case, greater flexibility is available, but may result in certain incompatibilities. For example, the IP stack itself may be modified to implement the desired functions, which in this case would include a parallel transmission of packets to the remote server and history management server. Thus, a remote history management server would be assured a complete record of the transmitted information. Likewise, a local server may be provided proximate to the client system, through which the browser communicates. In this case, all transmitted and received URLs and Web pages may be managed locally. It is noted that an OCX (Microsoft ActiveX applet) may be able to perform these types of functions.
- A Session Mapping™ applet or scriptlet may also be provided on the client system to capture the URL information, which may then be stored or transmitted to a remote server. In this case, the Session Mapping™ applet or scriptlet typically does not have access to local operating system level functions, and cannot intercept or alter communications between the browser and stack, or stack and network interface. However, most common browsers do provide a function wherein the most recent URL is available for inspection. Thus, a Session Mapping™ applet or scriptlet may capture this information and convey it to a history management system. Likewise, cookies may be transmitted from the browser to remote servers when properly requested; thus, the appropriate cookies may also be communicated to the history management system.
- The Session Mapping™ applet according to the present invention is distinguished from the applet described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,332, expressly incorporated herein by reference, since the applet of U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,332 requires that the tracked Web page be served from a controlled or cooperating Web server, rather than any random Web server. It is also noted that the graphic user interface of U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,332 is dissimilar in key respects.
- A particular advantage of browser scripts is that no distinct download and installation is necessary. It is noted that some of the techniques described herein violate traditional security principles, and, but for the desirable functionality, might be considered intrusive. It is further noted that the techniques described herein may be used to implement functions other than history management. For example, a similar technique may be used to synchronize two or more client systems on the Internet; for each transaction, one system acts as a master, requesting a URL and also transmitting the URL and an optional cookie to a proxy site. At the proxy site, the URL is also requested, with the identical cookie available for upload. Thus, the states of the two (or more) systems will be synchronized. This technique would facilitate the sharing of a session experience on the Web with many other users.
- The techniques according to the present invention may also be used for remote logging and monitoring of users.
- According to the present invention, a Session Mapping™ applet may process a history object to recreate the original sequence (or a modification thereof), including an automatic sequencing of states.
- In performing a search, typically a large proportion of the pages visited will be irrelevant or secondary. For example, a user searching for jewelry may submit the search query “diamond” into a search engine. The search query URL is trapped by the Session Mapping™ applet or scriptlet and either processed locally or transmitted to the host site. The user is then typically presented with a list of Web pages (URLs) that correspond to the search query. Some of these URLs may contain content only, without opportunity for purchase, while others may include purchasing opportunities. Some responsive URLs may, in fact, be irrelevant or distasteful. Often, the user must explore the presented information in order to categorize the sites. In some instances, the user may search the topic using a variety of search terms or execute the same search query on a variety of search engines.
- After the user has completed a search and acquired background information, the next step is typically to employ that information gainfully. According to the prior art, the user was forced, using memory or rudimentary tools, to relocate the best sites from the search, which typically occurred before a complete analysis of the available information. This prospect often lead to a truncation of a search when a minimally-acceptable Web page or well-known site was identified, rather than facing the prospect of finding it again using inadequate tools. According to the present invention, the user is permitted to complete his search and investigation, with reasonable prospects of easily finding and retrieving any previously visited sites, including defined states thereof.
- As each Web page is visited, it is added to a list, and preferably maintained and presented in a “Personal Services Infrastructure”™ (PSI™) format, which is displayed on the screen generated by a browser and/or applet. For example, this information is presented in a marginal frame of a browser, or within a visually presented applet. Therefore, when the user seeks to retrace his steps, each significant hop or state is separately listed, possibly including additional descriptive information, such as the duration of content viewing, the time(s) of viewing, and the like (the duration of a visit being, among other things, a key indicator of value for the user). Furthermore, each entry may be provided with certain editing features, for example, the URL, description and order may be edited.
- In defining a state of the client's session, a number of options are available. Commonly, each Web site is accessed through a special Web page called a home page. Often the Web site home page is associated with an Internet Top Level Domain name (TLD), or domain name, such as WWW.MYSITE.COM. Therefore, the membership of web sites is often classified based on the associated domain name. Other methods are available, however, to determine membership within a Web site. According to one embodiment of the invention, each Web site is provided with a separate region within a Session Map™. When the user selects a respective region of the Session Map™, the chronological path of the user within that Web site may be expanded, possibly with a hierarchal representation of the organization of the site (or limited to pages hyperlinked by the user), or to a linear session map opening from within the segment of the session map. Of course, the user may traverse a path that seamlessly traverses a number of TLDs or Web sites, so that this distinction may be arbitrary. Thus, other modes of presentation may be offered to the user, based on the stored information and possibly an analysis of the Web page content referred to thereby. Another organizational method relates to the amount of time that a user dwelled on a web page, or composite set of pages, e.g., a site; the longer the dwell, the higher the implied importance. A further organizational principle involves analyzing the use of a Web page as a hub; if the user returns to a page a number of times in the course of an activity, that page is considered an important hub, with Web pages traversed thereby considered spokes. This analysis, it is noted, does not require that the TLD be the same for the hub and spokes.
- Another organizational principle seeks to employ Web page expiry data. Typically, a static home page will not expire, while dynamically generated pages quickly expire. Pages that have associated ID numbers (or alphanumeric sequences) typically result from a sequence of actions, wherein the user session, is initiated and tracked by means of the ID number. In order to recreate the state of the system, the series of URLs and forms which lead to the desired URL must be replicated, allowing the ID number to change according to the newly recreated sequence. Thus, the history object is processed by an application to parse URLs and construct synthetic URLs representing the desired states, without forcing the user to track manually the prior actions. In this case, when a user selects a Web page that requires a series of interactions to recall from the server, this series of interactions is automatically invoked from a logical starting point. In representing this to the user, it is the lower level Web pages within a hierarchy that take on greater importance, with the higher level Web pages serving merely as conduits. Thus, if the history display is collapsed, it is the end Web page that is represented, and the path toward that Web page becomes unveiled only when the user specifically selects the end Web page.
- In this regard, the history of use may be represented as a set of chains, with the top and/or bottom of each chain defining a relevant feature or identifier, and the intervening portions having presumed lower importance. Each node within the chain may be represented by a separate history object. Thus, a two dimensional data set may advantageously be normally represented as a one dimensional “time line,” preferably with only one hierarchal chain visible at a time, and otherwise merely with an identification of the chain available for access by the user.
- An example where the highest level is relevant to the user is, for example, at a corporate Web site, where a user is investigating various aspects of the company. The home page is therefore an appropriate starting point and identifier for the string of events.
- On the other hand, an example where the highest level is not relevant is where the user is searching a set of content through a portal. In this case, the identification of the portal is nearly irrelevant. The search query, however, defines the data set, with the retrieved and inspected URLs or Web pages encompassing the relevant material. Thus, the string is preferably defined by the search query.
- The present invention provides a procedure that records in detail a history of a search, notwithstanding that a respective search engine does not or cannot do so itself. The present invention therefore seeks to trap or capture detailed information about the path taken by the user in completing a task, including scriptlet and applet usage, regardless of which search engine or server is accessed for information, and preferably allows a standard browser to be employed.
- According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the history is provided for each session, and extends for the duration of the session. The history is preferably presented as a time line extending horizontally, which may be scrolled horizontally or which is wrapped in successive rows, as the listed history exceeds the column width. Preferably, the time line also captures the beginning and end time of each state, or the duration, or both. The time-line entry for each page or step may be annotated or provided with descriptive text, which may be provided by a history object, automatically generated from the history object, or manually associated with the history object. Preferably, the time line information includes details sufficient for the user to understand the nature of the transition between successive history objects. Preferably, also, the time-line is searchable by text or by characteristic, such as URL, title, date, time.
- According to the present invention, this presented history need not encompass a literal record of the path taken by the user, but may, in fact, include information derived from a variety of sources. First, the information list may be enhanced to include advertisements or marketing information. This information is preferably derived either from a user profile, and predicted to be relevant to the user based thereon, or from the search context, and thus related to the information included within the history. Therefore, it is apparent that a presented history bar, including history objects and supplemental commercial objects, may be a source of commercial subsidy. By linking the commercial subsidy with a useful feature, consumer acceptance thereof may be enhanced.
- The information may also be enhanced by analysis and presentation of additional content, distinct from the actual history. In some cases, this enhanced information may be identical to the advertisements; thus, where a user is seeking to make a purchase, and the search is for relevant vendors, the enhanced information is an advertisement of the type sought by the user. In other instances, the advertisements are of a general nature. Additionally or alternatively to advertising information, other enhanced information may be provided. For example, hints or suggestions, motivational messages, or other information may be automatically or manually inserted.
- In some instances, the system is not supported by commercial subsidy. Therefore, the enhanced information presented may take the form, for example, of goal directed enhanced information or status information.
- The graphic display objects according to the present invention may also include user interface functions for performing complex tasks or URL references. Thus, in contrast to prior systems presenting a user history as a set of URLs accessed by the user, the present invention provides enhancements to the accessible functionality with respect to identifications of past activities.
- Typical functionality which may be made available, as appropriate, include “summarize page,” “find like sites,” “add to favorites,” and “add to shopping cart,” “vote on value of site (or product),” “see others' votes,” “make a note,” “see other users' notes,” or an omnibus service icon or control that brings up a group of choices.
- It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an apparatus, comprising means for automatically tracking a URL path of a user; and means for displaying the URL path of the user.
- It is a further object of the invention to provide a human computer interface enhancement for an object browser, each object having an object resource locator, comprising means for automatically logging an object resource locator traversal history by the user; and a software construct, executable for defining a display pane in conjunction with the browser, said display pane comprising a set of hyperlinks and associated human-readable tags for object resource locators.
- It is a still further object of the invention to provide a history display system, comprising means for automatically storing a history of object references by a user; means for editing, by the user, the stored history; and means for display of the history, wherein said display hyperlinks to the referenced objects to allow arbitrary selection of an object.
- It is another object of the invention to provide a history display system, comprising means for automatically storing a history of states induced by a user; means for editing, by the user, the stored history; and means for display of the history, wherein said display hyperlinks to the referenced states to allow arbitrary selection of a historical state. The display hyperlinks are preferably displayed linearly, in chronological order. The display hyperlinks may also be displayed in hierarchal order, and may include importance-weighting information.
- It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of trapping URL references in an unmodified Web browser, comprising the steps of providing an applet executing in association with the Web browser, storing a current URL as a favorite within the browser, and capturing a last saved favorite URL from a favorites list.
- It is a still further object of the invention to provide a method of trapping URL references in an unmodified Web browser supporting frames, comprising the steps of loading a Web page from a cooperative server in a first frame; identifying a desired URL with the browser to request an Internet resource in a second frame, providing a script in the first frame to capture the identified URL in the second frame and transmit it to the cooperative server, and downloading, from the cooperative server to the Web browser first frame, a sequence of identified URLs.
- The purpose and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:
-
FIGS. 1A 1E show sequential states of a history display applet; and -
FIG. 2 shows a Web browser user interface. - A first embodiment of the invention provides a system which operates in conjunction with a modern Web-enabled computer system with a standard browser installed. For example, a so-called WinTel (Intel Pentium III Processor, executing Microsoft Windows 9X or NT/2000 software) standard personal computer and either Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, both of which are JavaScript and Java enabled, and frames-capable. Alternately, an Internet appliance platform (e.g., designed specifically for Internet usage rather than general purpose home or office tasks) may be employed. The system communicates with a remote server which is provided as discussed herein.
- A particular aspect of this embodiment of the invention is that enhanced features are provided for a standard browser system by means that do not require use of non-standard browsers, a special installation procedure or a computer reboot. Thus, the system provides broad compatibility, platform independence, portability, and a low probability of causing conflicts, system bugs or instabilities. The server-side hardware technology is also standard, while the server application software is custom.
- By operating within frames, the browser permits two Web pages to be displayed simultaneously and to be interactive. This communication or interactivity occurs within the browser and generally is subject to certain security controls. Accordingly, certain security measures that seek to limit inter process communications and preemption must be disabled.
-
FIGS. 1A 1E show a sequence of Session Maps™, generated by an applet executing within the user's web browser. In the Session Maps™, a user's progressive search on the Web for a diamond ring merchant is traced. Each frame represents a step, and any previous step can be returned in one click by treating that frame as a hyper-link. In the first step, shown inFIG. 1A , the user is represented at the home page, “Double Agent”. In the second frame, shown inFIG. 1B , the user accesses the “Double Agent” support page. In the third frame, shown inFIG. 1C , the search query itself, “diamonds,” is captured. In the fourth frame, shown inFIG. 1D , the user selects a taxonomic class, “jewelry” (which is distinct from, for example, baseball, industrial, and graphic images involving the same word). The fifth frame, shown inFIG. 1E , captures user's finding of a relevant Web page, “Diamond Depot.” The icons in the fifth frame represent a set of single-click services available to the user, with respect to the represented Web page. These services include “find like sites,” “save to favorites,” and “add to shopping cart,” which are represented as icons within a respective frame, where appropriate, and “summarize page,” represented by an icon external to each frame within the chain. For example, the shopping cart is available only for Web pages compliant with a shopping cart standard associated with the system, while the find like sites, save to favorites and summarize page are available for Web pages in general. Other possible services available to be offered through icons associated with the segments of the session map include: make an annotation; see other user's annotations or comments; vote on the worth of a site; see others' votes; see review information; compare price; see address, phone, e-mail and/or other contact information about a web site. - In practice, the user calls up a
URL 1 in thebrowser 10 from a cooperative remote server which provides a pair of frames; afirst frame 3 a controlled by the cooperative remote server, having an associated executable software construct, e.g., JavaScript, and asecond frame 3 b for display and manipulation of content. The user, within thesecond frame 3 b or in the address bar, identifies a desiredURL 1, for example by typing or hyperlinking. The JavaScript construct captures theURL 1, which is then transmitted to the cooperative remote server. - The cooperative remote server then uses the acquired
URL 1, which is transmitted in a form that identifies the browser system or user thereof, to construct a history of use for the session, called herein a Session Map™. The history of use is then transmitted back to thefirst frame 3 a, and displayed for the user, including a set of hyperlinks, each defining a respective prior state of the system and allowing return thereto. - The history of use is preferably displayed with a second JavaScript construct, in the form of a time line 4, for example disposed horizontally at the bottom of the screen. The remote server analyzes historical sequences in order to define goal-directed behavior sets and to segregate distinct goals. This segregation is based on conceptual factors, such as the relation of sequential URLs, e.g., hierarchal relation within a Web site or file storage system, time spent at particular Web pages or web sites, hiatus between uses or activity, semantic analysis or search queries or Web pages, as well as layout issues, such as an optimum number of displayed behavior sets, e.g., five displayed horizontally across the screen, complexity of each behavior set, and the like.
- The conceptual analysis may also seek to separate mixed concepts. For example, a user might be conducting two or more searches simultaneously, which may be related or unrelated. If these are related, the desired Session Map™ consolidates the histories and resolves ambiguities or artifacts. If these are unrelated, the desired Session Map™ isolates the trails, either as separate goal directed behaviors in the displayed linear sequence, or as a separate time line sequence.
- Each goal directed behavior identified in the time line display represents one or more states of the browser. If the number of goal directed behaviors exceeds the display space, then the display applet may provide scroll functions. Alternately, the display may be provided within a frame, with scrolling supported by the browser and/or operating system.
- The remote server seeks to provide, for each set of states, a semantic description thereof. In some cases, a graphic or acoustic description or label is preferred. Therefore, the present embodiment may support flexible labeling, including text, icon, thumbnail graphic, sound clip, or the like. The remote server may derive these labels by first, an analysis of the URLs, to determine whether the URL conveys a useful semantic label. For example, in many cases, a search engine query is a part of the URL and is descriptive the content of the Web page, as well as the associated set of Web pages. In other instances, the URL will be uninformative. In that case, the remote server may request the page, and perform an analysis thereof, to generate a summary or topical statement (or, if appropriate, musical clip, icon or thumbnail). The result of the analysis is transmitted to the browser, for display associated with a hyperlink. When the user selects the hyperlink, the entire associated chronological string is revealed. This string may be stored internally within the browser, or downloaded from the server. According to one embodiment, the search history is presented as a hierarchal tree, with each node of the tree representing a URL, and being hyperlinked thereto.
- The present invention provides a set of Mini Agent™ functions that may be associated with objects, for example representing web pages or web sites. These are described with respect to
FIG. 2 . - A first Mini Agent™ function, providing a summarize page function, is accessed by selecting a
hyperlink icon 11 associated with a history object representing a Web page. Theicon 11, for example, shows a script lower case serif “i”, representing “information”. The hyperlink, in turn, includes an identification, e.g., URL, of the Web page, which is passed to a summarizer server. The summarizer server receives the URL, and accesses a database, to determine whether an existing summary exists for the URL. If so, this is returned to the user. If not, the summarizer accesses the URL, and performs a semantic (or other content-dependent) analysis of the corresponding Web page, and optionally objects incorporated into the Web page. As a result of the semantic or other content-dependent analysis, a brief message is passed to the user, providing a Web page summary. A preferable semantic analysis analyzes the Web page text to parse context-defining words or phrases, of which many web pages have few, and transmits these parsed words and phrases to the user. An editor may also analyze Web pages and, for example, store manually generated summaries in the database. - A second Mini Agent™ serves to “find like sites”. This is represented by an
icon 12 corresponding to the mathematical equivalence symbol. Like the summarize page function, the function is accessed by selecting a hyperlink icon associated with a history object representing a Web page. The hyperlink, in turn, includes an identification, e.g., URL, of the Web page, which is passed to a similar site server. The similar site server receives the URL, and accesses a database, to determine whether an existing record, defining a set of similar sites, exists for the URL. If so, this is returned to the user. If not, the similar site server accesses the URL, and performs a content-dependent analysis of the corresponding Web page, and optionally objects incorporated into the Web page. As a result of the content-dependent analysis, a query, for example a Boolean query or other query type, is passed to an Internet search engine. - Alternately, the classification of the Web page within a taxonomic hierarchy may be determined, the similar pages being defined as those that are similarly classified. The resulting list of similar sites is passed to the user. A human editor may also analyze commonly visited Web pages and, for example, store manually generated sets of similar sites in the database. Likewise, a collaborative filter may be employed to provide “similar” pages based on a probability of being accessed temporally proximate in time to the respective Web page by a group of persons.
- A third Mini Agent™ is “add to favorites”. This is represented by a thumb-
tack icon 13. In this case, the function does not represent a URL, but rather a script applet which executes within the browser to add the respective URL of the associated web page to the favorites list maintained by the browser. This script is typically defined distinctly for each history object. - A fourth Mini Agent™ is “add to shopping cart”. This is represented by an “S”
icon 14. An electronic shopping cart is an electronic store, associated with an individual user, identifying objects for purchase. In this case, the implementation is in some sense similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,411 (Hartman, et al., Sep. 28, 1999), expressly incorporated herein by reference, although the functionality differs. This function may be implemented in two ways. First, the hyperlink may invoke an applet, and indeed may have a context sensitive functionality, i.e., the icon representing the function will vary depending on the Web page or content thereof, or the status of the Web page and/or user system. Second, the existing shopping cart hyperlink from the referenced Web page may be copied or emulated as the hyperlink associated with the icon, and therefore a selection of the icon representing “add to shopping cart” will have the same effect as a selection of that hyperlink from within the Web page itself. - The “add to shopping cart” functionality may be limited to compliant Web sites, providing special support for this functionality, or be available to all sites that have an accessible shopping cart function.
- For example, a Web page identified by a URL represents a description of a single item available for purchase. The user, in the midst of a search for the item, may not be ready to consummate a sale, and thus may not wish to place the object in a “shopping cart”. Rather, only after a search is complete will a user identify the item and most preferable vendor.
- Using the “add to shopping cart” icon, the user may, without reopening the web page, directly add the item to a shopping cart, which indeed the shopping cart may be consolidated for a number of vendors and/or different that the shopping cart normally provided for user of the Web site. At a later point in time, the user may then “check out”, or provide transactional details to close the purchase for objects in the shopping cart.
- The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein. The term “comprising”, as used herein, shall be interpreted as including, but not limited to inclusion of other elements not inconsistent with the structures and/or functions of the other elements recited.
Claims (29)
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US11/423,847 US20060253594A1 (en) | 2000-05-30 | 2006-06-13 | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
US11/467,888 US7596533B2 (en) | 2000-05-30 | 2006-08-28 | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US58405700A | 2000-05-30 | 2000-05-30 | |
US10/715,218 US7062475B1 (en) | 2000-05-30 | 2003-11-17 | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
US11/423,847 US20060253594A1 (en) | 2000-05-30 | 2006-06-13 | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/715,218 Continuation US7062475B1 (en) | 2000-05-30 | 2003-11-17 | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
Related Child Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/467,888 Continuation US7596533B2 (en) | 2000-05-30 | 2006-08-28 | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20060253594A1 true US20060253594A1 (en) | 2006-11-09 |
Family
ID=36576618
Family Applications (3)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/715,218 Expired - Lifetime US7062475B1 (en) | 2000-05-30 | 2003-11-17 | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
US11/423,847 Abandoned US20060253594A1 (en) | 2000-05-30 | 2006-06-13 | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
US11/467,888 Expired - Fee Related US7596533B2 (en) | 2000-05-30 | 2006-08-28 | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
Family Applications Before (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/715,218 Expired - Lifetime US7062475B1 (en) | 2000-05-30 | 2003-11-17 | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
Family Applications After (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/467,888 Expired - Fee Related US7596533B2 (en) | 2000-05-30 | 2006-08-28 | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (3) | US7062475B1 (en) |
Cited By (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20070143439A1 (en) * | 2000-05-30 | 2007-06-21 | Alberti Anemometer Llc | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
US20080086525A1 (en) * | 2006-10-06 | 2008-04-10 | Alastair Angwin | Data Processing System and Method |
US20090063434A1 (en) * | 2007-08-31 | 2009-03-05 | Indran Naick | Method for Provision and Use of a Visual Representation of Website Browsing History |
US20090249453A1 (en) * | 2007-09-28 | 2009-10-01 | The Aspen Equity Group, Inc. | Method and system for hub-and-spoke website browsing and navigation on a multipaned platform for the communication, distribution, and collaboration of information and data |
US20100251162A1 (en) * | 2006-10-03 | 2010-09-30 | Verizon Data Services Inc. | Interactive search graphical user interface systems and methods |
US20120271941A1 (en) * | 2009-12-11 | 2012-10-25 | Neuralitic Systems | Method and system for efficient and exhaustive url categorization |
US8316320B2 (en) * | 2006-10-03 | 2012-11-20 | Verizon Patent And Licensing Inc. | Expandable history tab in interactive graphical user interface systems and methods |
US8881217B2 (en) | 2006-09-06 | 2014-11-04 | Verizon Patent And Licensing Inc. | Systems and methods for accessing media content |
CN104462390A (en) * | 2014-12-10 | 2015-03-25 | 华中科技大学 | Method and system for improving efficiency of adaptive layout of webpages |
US9189561B2 (en) * | 2007-02-10 | 2015-11-17 | Adobe Systems Incorporated | Bridge event analytics tools and techniques |
US9804747B2 (en) | 2008-09-30 | 2017-10-31 | Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc | Techniques to manage access to organizational information of an entity |
US11205103B2 (en) | 2016-12-09 | 2021-12-21 | The Research Foundation for the State University | Semisupervised autoencoder for sentiment analysis |
US20230370487A1 (en) * | 2016-11-09 | 2023-11-16 | StratoKey Pty Ltd. | Proxy computer system to provide direct links for bypass |
Families Citing this family (103)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7155489B1 (en) * | 2000-06-28 | 2006-12-26 | Microsoft Corporation | Acquiring web page information without commitment to downloading the web page |
US8655804B2 (en) | 2002-02-07 | 2014-02-18 | Next Stage Evolution, Llc | System and method for determining a characteristic of an individual |
US9710852B1 (en) | 2002-05-30 | 2017-07-18 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Credit report timeline user interface |
US9400589B1 (en) | 2002-05-30 | 2016-07-26 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Circular rotational interface for display of consumer credit information |
US9798825B1 (en) * | 2003-02-06 | 2017-10-24 | Versata Development Group, Inc. | Active context information for an object and contextually associated objects |
US20040181515A1 (en) * | 2003-03-13 | 2004-09-16 | International Business Machines Corporation | Group administration of universal resource identifiers with members identified in search result |
US20050262427A1 (en) * | 2003-03-31 | 2005-11-24 | International Business Machines Corporation | System and method for managing website content |
US8015501B2 (en) * | 2003-08-18 | 2011-09-06 | Sap Aktiengesellschaft | Accessing previously viewed windows |
US20050138067A1 (en) * | 2003-12-19 | 2005-06-23 | Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. | Indexing for contexual revisitation and digest generation |
US8832600B2 (en) * | 2004-01-27 | 2014-09-09 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method, system, and program for navigating files |
US20070162298A1 (en) * | 2005-01-18 | 2007-07-12 | Apple Computer, Inc. | Systems and methods for presenting data items |
US20070220441A1 (en) * | 2005-01-18 | 2007-09-20 | Apple Computer, Inc. | Systems and methods for organizing data items |
US20110208732A1 (en) * | 2010-02-24 | 2011-08-25 | Apple Inc. | Systems and methods for organizing data items |
US7734607B2 (en) * | 2005-02-01 | 2010-06-08 | University Of Massachusetts | Universal visualization platform |
US7631007B2 (en) * | 2005-04-12 | 2009-12-08 | Scenera Technologies, Llc | System and method for tracking user activity related to network resources using a browser |
US8739020B2 (en) | 2005-08-03 | 2014-05-27 | Aol Inc. | Enhanced favorites service for web browsers and web applications |
US9268867B2 (en) * | 2005-08-03 | 2016-02-23 | Aol Inc. | Enhanced favorites service for web browsers and web applications |
US8918495B2 (en) * | 2005-10-06 | 2014-12-23 | Sap Se | Link tracking |
US7698256B1 (en) * | 2005-11-30 | 2010-04-13 | Oracle International Corporation | History support for stateless Javascript Web client |
US8327297B2 (en) * | 2005-12-16 | 2012-12-04 | Aol Inc. | User interface system for handheld devices |
US7953730B1 (en) * | 2006-03-02 | 2011-05-31 | A9.Com, Inc. | System and method for presenting a search history |
WO2008005948A2 (en) * | 2006-06-30 | 2008-01-10 | Meebo, Inc. | A method and system for determining and sharing a user's web presence |
US8943401B2 (en) * | 2006-09-29 | 2015-01-27 | Yahoo! Inc. | Script-based content-embedding code generation in digital media benefit attachment mechanism |
US8965783B2 (en) * | 2006-09-29 | 2015-02-24 | Yahoo! Inc. | Content-embedding code generation in digital media benefit attachment mechanism |
US7962756B2 (en) * | 2006-10-31 | 2011-06-14 | At&T Intellectual Property Ii, L.P. | Method and apparatus for providing automatic generation of webpages |
US7552113B2 (en) * | 2006-11-16 | 2009-06-23 | Roe Robert D | System and method for managing search results and delivering advertising and enhanced effectiveness |
US9582804B2 (en) * | 2006-12-22 | 2017-02-28 | Excalibur Ip, Llc | Link retrofitting of digital media objects |
US8285656B1 (en) | 2007-03-30 | 2012-10-09 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Systems and methods for data verification |
US7743047B2 (en) * | 2007-05-08 | 2010-06-22 | Microsoft Corporation | Accounting for behavioral variability in web search |
US7774339B2 (en) * | 2007-06-11 | 2010-08-10 | Microsoft Corporation | Using search trails to provide enhanced search interaction |
US8244713B2 (en) | 2007-07-12 | 2012-08-14 | International Business Machines Corporation | Content management system that retrieves data from an external data source and creates one or more objects in the repository |
US20090089311A1 (en) * | 2007-09-28 | 2009-04-02 | Yahoo! Inc. | System and method for inclusion of history in a search results page |
US7865516B2 (en) * | 2007-10-04 | 2011-01-04 | International Business Machines Corporation | Associative temporal search of electronic files |
US9195743B2 (en) * | 2007-10-04 | 2015-11-24 | Yahoo! Inc. | System and method for creating and applying predictive user click models to predict a target page associated with a search query |
US20090100015A1 (en) * | 2007-10-11 | 2009-04-16 | Alon Golan | Web-based workspace for enhancing internet search experience |
US8127986B1 (en) | 2007-12-14 | 2012-03-06 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Card registry systems and methods |
US9990674B1 (en) | 2007-12-14 | 2018-06-05 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Card registry systems and methods |
JP2009223485A (en) * | 2008-03-14 | 2009-10-01 | Brother Ind Ltd | Link tree creation program and creation device |
WO2009148683A1 (en) * | 2008-03-14 | 2009-12-10 | Cardinal Commerce Corporation | System and method for tracking user identity and/or activity across multiple websites |
US8793614B2 (en) * | 2008-05-23 | 2014-07-29 | Aol Inc. | History-based tracking of user preference settings |
US9165284B2 (en) | 2008-06-06 | 2015-10-20 | Google Inc. | System and method for sharing content in an instant messaging application |
WO2010016971A1 (en) * | 2008-06-06 | 2010-02-11 | Meebo, Inc. | System and method for web advertisement |
US20090307089A1 (en) * | 2008-06-06 | 2009-12-10 | Meebo Inc. | Method and system for sharing advertisements in a chat environment |
US8312033B1 (en) | 2008-06-26 | 2012-11-13 | Experian Marketing Solutions, Inc. | Systems and methods for providing an integrated identifier |
US20100005053A1 (en) * | 2008-07-04 | 2010-01-07 | Estes Philip F | Method for enabling discrete back/forward actions within a dynamic web application |
US9256904B1 (en) | 2008-08-14 | 2016-02-09 | Experian Information Solutions, Inc. | Multi-bureau credit file freeze and unfreeze |
US9462029B2 (en) * | 2008-08-29 | 2016-10-04 | Red Hat, Inc. | Invoking serialized data streams |
US8756519B2 (en) * | 2008-09-12 | 2014-06-17 | Google Inc. | Techniques for sharing content on a web page |
US8078605B2 (en) * | 2008-10-02 | 2011-12-13 | InsideSales.com, Inc. | User-specific contact apparatus and method |
US8060424B2 (en) | 2008-11-05 | 2011-11-15 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | On-line method and system for monitoring and reporting unused available credit |
KR101317342B1 (en) * | 2010-08-27 | 2013-10-11 | 한국전자통신연구원 | Mobile Terminal Interlocking Resource, Method for Interlocking Resource in Mobile Terminal, and between Web Server and Terminal |
US9147042B1 (en) | 2010-11-22 | 2015-09-29 | Experian Information Solutions, Inc. | Systems and methods for data verification |
US9230019B2 (en) | 2010-12-23 | 2016-01-05 | Virtuanet Llc | Semantic information processing |
US9137370B2 (en) | 2011-05-09 | 2015-09-15 | Insidesales.com | Call center input/output agent utilization arbitration system |
US9607336B1 (en) | 2011-06-16 | 2017-03-28 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Providing credit inquiry alerts |
US9483606B1 (en) | 2011-07-08 | 2016-11-01 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Lifescore |
US9106691B1 (en) | 2011-09-16 | 2015-08-11 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Systems and methods of identity protection and management |
US8738516B1 (en) | 2011-10-13 | 2014-05-27 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Debt services candidate locator |
US9853959B1 (en) | 2012-05-07 | 2017-12-26 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Storage and maintenance of personal data |
US9654541B1 (en) | 2012-11-12 | 2017-05-16 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Aggregating user web browsing data |
US9916621B1 (en) | 2012-11-30 | 2018-03-13 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Presentation of credit score factors |
US10255598B1 (en) | 2012-12-06 | 2019-04-09 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Credit card account data extraction |
US9697263B1 (en) | 2013-03-04 | 2017-07-04 | Experian Information Solutions, Inc. | Consumer data request fulfillment system |
US10102570B1 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2018-10-16 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Account vulnerability alerts |
US9870589B1 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2018-01-16 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Credit utilization tracking and reporting |
US9406085B1 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2016-08-02 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | System and methods for credit dispute processing, resolution, and reporting |
US9633322B1 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2017-04-25 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Adjustment of knowledge-based authentication |
US10664936B2 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2020-05-26 | Csidentity Corporation | Authentication systems and methods for on-demand products |
US10685398B1 (en) | 2013-04-23 | 2020-06-16 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Presenting credit score information |
US9721147B1 (en) | 2013-05-23 | 2017-08-01 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Digital identity |
US9443268B1 (en) | 2013-08-16 | 2016-09-13 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Bill payment and reporting |
US20150095849A1 (en) | 2013-09-30 | 2015-04-02 | Microsoft Corporation | Dialogs positioned with action visualization |
US10325314B1 (en) | 2013-11-15 | 2019-06-18 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Payment reporting systems |
US10102536B1 (en) | 2013-11-15 | 2018-10-16 | Experian Information Solutions, Inc. | Micro-geographic aggregation system |
US9477737B1 (en) | 2013-11-20 | 2016-10-25 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Systems and user interfaces for dynamic access of multiple remote databases and synchronization of data based on user rules |
CN103593466B (en) * | 2013-11-26 | 2017-08-04 | 优视科技有限公司 | Webpage loading method and client and server |
US9529851B1 (en) | 2013-12-02 | 2016-12-27 | Experian Information Solutions, Inc. | Server architecture for electronic data quality processing |
US10262362B1 (en) | 2014-02-14 | 2019-04-16 | Experian Information Solutions, Inc. | Automatic generation of code for attributes |
USD759690S1 (en) | 2014-03-25 | 2016-06-21 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Display screen or portion thereof with graphical user interface |
USD759689S1 (en) | 2014-03-25 | 2016-06-21 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Display screen or portion thereof with graphical user interface |
USD760256S1 (en) | 2014-03-25 | 2016-06-28 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Display screen or portion thereof with graphical user interface |
US9892457B1 (en) | 2014-04-16 | 2018-02-13 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Providing credit data in search results |
US10373240B1 (en) | 2014-04-25 | 2019-08-06 | Csidentity Corporation | Systems, methods and computer-program products for eligibility verification |
US9996846B2 (en) * | 2015-03-27 | 2018-06-12 | International Business Machines Corporation | Transforming social media re-shares to track referrer history and identify influencers |
US9569795B1 (en) * | 2016-02-25 | 2017-02-14 | Perfect Price, Inc. | Computer-implemented method of capturing transaction data associated with an online purchase |
CN105912226A (en) * | 2016-04-11 | 2016-08-31 | 北京小米移动软件有限公司 | Method and apparatus for displaying pages in application |
US10445393B2 (en) | 2016-05-31 | 2019-10-15 | Bootstrap Collective LLC | System and method of creating and processing semantic URL |
US10055528B1 (en) | 2016-09-30 | 2018-08-21 | Cadence Design Systems, Inc. | Methods, systems, and computer program product for implementing engineering change orders with figure groups and virtual hierarchies |
US10192020B1 (en) | 2016-09-30 | 2019-01-29 | Cadence Design Systems, Inc. | Methods, systems, and computer program product for implementing dynamic maneuvers within virtual hierarchies of an electronic design |
US10055529B1 (en) | 2016-09-30 | 2018-08-21 | Cadence Design Systems, Inc. | Methods, systems, and computer program product for implementing a floorplan with virtual hierarchies and figure groups for an electronic design |
US10073942B1 (en) | 2016-09-30 | 2018-09-11 | Cadence Design Systems, Inc. | Methods, systems, and computer program product for implementing synchronous clones for an electronic design |
US10210299B1 (en) * | 2016-09-30 | 2019-02-19 | Cadence Design Systems, Inc. | Methods, systems, and computer program product for dynamically abstracting virtual hierarchies for an electronic design |
US10282505B1 (en) | 2016-09-30 | 2019-05-07 | Cadence Design Systems, Inc. | Methods, systems, and computer program product for implementing legal routing tracks across virtual hierarchies and legal placement patterns |
US11023252B2 (en) * | 2017-01-12 | 2021-06-01 | Roger Wagner | Method and apparatus for bidirectional control connecting hardware device action with URL-based web navigation |
CA3050139A1 (en) | 2017-01-31 | 2018-08-09 | Experian Information Solutions, Inc. | Massive scale heterogeneous data ingestion and user resolution |
CN109407555B (en) * | 2017-08-16 | 2021-10-08 | 佛山市顺德区美的电热电器制造有限公司 | Heating platform, appliance, control method of heating platform and control method of appliance |
US10911234B2 (en) | 2018-06-22 | 2021-02-02 | Experian Information Solutions, Inc. | System and method for a token gateway environment |
US11265324B2 (en) | 2018-09-05 | 2022-03-01 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | User permissions for access to secure data at third-party |
US10963434B1 (en) | 2018-09-07 | 2021-03-30 | Experian Information Solutions, Inc. | Data architecture for supporting multiple search models |
US11315179B1 (en) | 2018-11-16 | 2022-04-26 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | Methods and apparatuses for customized card recommendations |
US11238656B1 (en) | 2019-02-22 | 2022-02-01 | Consumerinfo.Com, Inc. | System and method for an augmented reality experience via an artificial intelligence bot |
US11941065B1 (en) | 2019-09-13 | 2024-03-26 | Experian Information Solutions, Inc. | Single identifier platform for storing entity data |
US11880377B1 (en) | 2021-03-26 | 2024-01-23 | Experian Information Solutions, Inc. | Systems and methods for entity resolution |
Citations (39)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5774357A (en) * | 1991-12-23 | 1998-06-30 | Hoffberg; Steven M. | Human factored interface incorporating adaptive pattern recognition based controller apparatus |
US5960411A (en) * | 1997-09-12 | 1999-09-28 | Amazon.Com, Inc. | Method and system for placing a purchase order via a communications network |
US6003087A (en) * | 1996-02-15 | 1999-12-14 | International Business Machines Corporation | CGI response differencing communication system |
US6018344A (en) * | 1995-11-30 | 2000-01-25 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | History display apparatus |
US6021403A (en) * | 1996-07-19 | 2000-02-01 | Microsoft Corporation | Intelligent user assistance facility |
US6035332A (en) * | 1997-10-06 | 2000-03-07 | Ncr Corporation | Method for monitoring user interactions with web pages from web server using data and command lists for maintaining information visited and issued by participants |
US6038610A (en) * | 1996-07-17 | 2000-03-14 | Microsoft Corporation | Storage of sitemaps at server sites for holding information regarding content |
US6049812A (en) * | 1996-11-18 | 2000-04-11 | International Business Machines Corp. | Browser and plural active URL manager for network computers |
US6148311A (en) * | 1997-04-25 | 2000-11-14 | Adobe Systems Incorporation | Web site construction by inferring navigational structure from physical file structure |
US6209036B1 (en) * | 1997-06-06 | 2001-03-27 | International Business Machines Corporation | Management of and access to information and other material via the world wide web in an LDAP environment |
US6209048B1 (en) * | 1996-02-09 | 2001-03-27 | Ricoh Company, Ltd. | Peripheral with integrated HTTP server for remote access using URL's |
US6223215B1 (en) * | 1998-09-22 | 2001-04-24 | Sony Corporation | Tracking a user's purchases on the internet by associating the user with an inbound source and a session identifier |
US6256648B1 (en) * | 1998-01-29 | 2001-07-03 | At&T Corp. | System and method for selecting and displaying hyperlinked information resources |
US20010020243A1 (en) * | 1996-12-06 | 2001-09-06 | Srinivasa R. Koppolu | Object-oriented framework for hyperlink navigation |
US20010032254A1 (en) * | 1998-05-29 | 2001-10-18 | Jeffrey C. Hawkins | Method and apparatus for wireless internet access |
US20010038624A1 (en) * | 1999-03-19 | 2001-11-08 | Greenberg Jeffrey Douglas | Internet telephony for ecommerce |
US20020001300A1 (en) * | 1996-07-09 | 2002-01-03 | Alec Miloslavsky | Internet protocol call-in centers and establishing remote agents |
US20020013834A1 (en) * | 1998-04-20 | 2002-01-31 | Jeffrey Esakov | Tracking and graphical display of user activity on an information network |
US20020087661A1 (en) * | 2000-08-08 | 2002-07-04 | Matichuk Chris E. | One click web records |
US6418471B1 (en) * | 1997-10-06 | 2002-07-09 | Ncr Corporation | Method for recording and reproducing the browsing activities of an individual web browser |
US20020152228A1 (en) * | 1999-11-10 | 2002-10-17 | Marco Lopez | Methods for automatically locating url-containing or other data-containing windows in frozen browser or other application program, saving contents, and relaunching application program with link to saved data |
US20030001880A1 (en) * | 2001-04-18 | 2003-01-02 | Parkervision, Inc. | Method, system, and computer program product for producing and distributing enhanced media |
US6535912B1 (en) * | 1999-08-31 | 2003-03-18 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Method for creating and playing back a smart bookmark that automatically retrieves a requested Web page through a plurality of intermediate Web pages |
US6725425B1 (en) * | 1998-12-08 | 2004-04-20 | Yodlee.Com | Method and apparatus for retrieving information from semi-structured, web-based data sources |
US6742030B1 (en) * | 1997-11-24 | 2004-05-25 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method to keep a persistent trace of weblink use per user |
US6769009B1 (en) * | 1994-05-31 | 2004-07-27 | Richard R. Reisman | Method and system for selecting a personalized set of information channels |
US6820111B1 (en) * | 1999-12-07 | 2004-11-16 | Microsoft Corporation | Computer user interface architecture that saves a user's non-linear navigation history and intelligently maintains that history |
US6826553B1 (en) * | 1998-12-18 | 2004-11-30 | Knowmadic, Inc. | System for providing database functions for multiple internet sources |
US6915271B1 (en) * | 1998-03-11 | 2005-07-05 | The Product Engine, Inc. | Method and system for delivering redeeming dynamically and adaptively characterized promotional incentives on a computer network |
US6920608B1 (en) * | 1999-05-21 | 2005-07-19 | E Numerate Solutions, Inc. | Chart view for reusable data markup language |
US6947909B1 (en) * | 2000-05-12 | 2005-09-20 | Hoke Jr Clare L | Distribution, recognition and accountability system for intellectual and copy written properties in digital media's |
US7000019B2 (en) * | 2000-10-17 | 2006-02-14 | Hewlett-Packard/Development Company L.P. | Establishment of a deferred network communication session |
US7003719B1 (en) * | 1999-01-25 | 2006-02-21 | West Publishing Company, Dba West Group | System, method, and software for inserting hyperlinks into documents |
US7062475B1 (en) * | 2000-05-30 | 2006-06-13 | Alberti Anemometer Llc | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
US7127501B1 (en) * | 1997-07-15 | 2006-10-24 | Eroom Technology, Inc. | Method and system for providing a networked collaborative work environment |
US7200804B1 (en) * | 1998-12-08 | 2007-04-03 | Yodlee.Com, Inc. | Method and apparatus for providing automation to an internet navigation application |
US20080055229A1 (en) * | 2006-09-04 | 2008-03-06 | Vastview Technology, Inc. | Method for Enhancing Response Speed of Hold-Typed Display Device |
US7421648B1 (en) * | 1999-05-21 | 2008-09-02 | E-Numerate Solutions, Inc. | Reusable data markup language |
US7437614B2 (en) * | 2000-03-27 | 2008-10-14 | Accenture Llp | Synchronization in an automated scripting framework |
Family Cites Families (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6029175A (en) * | 1995-10-26 | 2000-02-22 | Teknowledge Corporation | Automatic retrieval of changed files by a network software agent |
US6721726B1 (en) * | 2000-03-08 | 2004-04-13 | Accenture Llp | Knowledge management tool |
-
2003
- 2003-11-17 US US10/715,218 patent/US7062475B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2006
- 2006-06-13 US US11/423,847 patent/US20060253594A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2006-08-28 US US11/467,888 patent/US7596533B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (42)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5774357A (en) * | 1991-12-23 | 1998-06-30 | Hoffberg; Steven M. | Human factored interface incorporating adaptive pattern recognition based controller apparatus |
US6769009B1 (en) * | 1994-05-31 | 2004-07-27 | Richard R. Reisman | Method and system for selecting a personalized set of information channels |
US6018344A (en) * | 1995-11-30 | 2000-01-25 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | History display apparatus |
US6209048B1 (en) * | 1996-02-09 | 2001-03-27 | Ricoh Company, Ltd. | Peripheral with integrated HTTP server for remote access using URL's |
US6003087A (en) * | 1996-02-15 | 1999-12-14 | International Business Machines Corporation | CGI response differencing communication system |
US6879586B2 (en) * | 1996-07-09 | 2005-04-12 | Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. | Internet protocol call-in centers and establishing remote agents |
US20020001300A1 (en) * | 1996-07-09 | 2002-01-03 | Alec Miloslavsky | Internet protocol call-in centers and establishing remote agents |
US6038610A (en) * | 1996-07-17 | 2000-03-14 | Microsoft Corporation | Storage of sitemaps at server sites for holding information regarding content |
US6021403A (en) * | 1996-07-19 | 2000-02-01 | Microsoft Corporation | Intelligent user assistance facility |
US6049812A (en) * | 1996-11-18 | 2000-04-11 | International Business Machines Corp. | Browser and plural active URL manager for network computers |
US6460058B2 (en) * | 1996-12-06 | 2002-10-01 | Microsoft Corporation | Object-oriented framework for hyperlink navigation |
US20010020243A1 (en) * | 1996-12-06 | 2001-09-06 | Srinivasa R. Koppolu | Object-oriented framework for hyperlink navigation |
US6148311A (en) * | 1997-04-25 | 2000-11-14 | Adobe Systems Incorporation | Web site construction by inferring navigational structure from physical file structure |
US6209036B1 (en) * | 1997-06-06 | 2001-03-27 | International Business Machines Corporation | Management of and access to information and other material via the world wide web in an LDAP environment |
US7127501B1 (en) * | 1997-07-15 | 2006-10-24 | Eroom Technology, Inc. | Method and system for providing a networked collaborative work environment |
US5960411A (en) * | 1997-09-12 | 1999-09-28 | Amazon.Com, Inc. | Method and system for placing a purchase order via a communications network |
US6035332A (en) * | 1997-10-06 | 2000-03-07 | Ncr Corporation | Method for monitoring user interactions with web pages from web server using data and command lists for maintaining information visited and issued by participants |
US6418471B1 (en) * | 1997-10-06 | 2002-07-09 | Ncr Corporation | Method for recording and reproducing the browsing activities of an individual web browser |
US6742030B1 (en) * | 1997-11-24 | 2004-05-25 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method to keep a persistent trace of weblink use per user |
US6256648B1 (en) * | 1998-01-29 | 2001-07-03 | At&T Corp. | System and method for selecting and displaying hyperlinked information resources |
US6915271B1 (en) * | 1998-03-11 | 2005-07-05 | The Product Engine, Inc. | Method and system for delivering redeeming dynamically and adaptively characterized promotional incentives on a computer network |
US20020013834A1 (en) * | 1998-04-20 | 2002-01-31 | Jeffrey Esakov | Tracking and graphical display of user activity on an information network |
US20010032254A1 (en) * | 1998-05-29 | 2001-10-18 | Jeffrey C. Hawkins | Method and apparatus for wireless internet access |
US6223215B1 (en) * | 1998-09-22 | 2001-04-24 | Sony Corporation | Tracking a user's purchases on the internet by associating the user with an inbound source and a session identifier |
US7200804B1 (en) * | 1998-12-08 | 2007-04-03 | Yodlee.Com, Inc. | Method and apparatus for providing automation to an internet navigation application |
US6725425B1 (en) * | 1998-12-08 | 2004-04-20 | Yodlee.Com | Method and apparatus for retrieving information from semi-structured, web-based data sources |
US6826553B1 (en) * | 1998-12-18 | 2004-11-30 | Knowmadic, Inc. | System for providing database functions for multiple internet sources |
US7003719B1 (en) * | 1999-01-25 | 2006-02-21 | West Publishing Company, Dba West Group | System, method, and software for inserting hyperlinks into documents |
US20010038624A1 (en) * | 1999-03-19 | 2001-11-08 | Greenberg Jeffrey Douglas | Internet telephony for ecommerce |
US6920608B1 (en) * | 1999-05-21 | 2005-07-19 | E Numerate Solutions, Inc. | Chart view for reusable data markup language |
US7650355B1 (en) * | 1999-05-21 | 2010-01-19 | E-Numerate Solutions, Inc. | Reusable macro markup language |
US7421648B1 (en) * | 1999-05-21 | 2008-09-02 | E-Numerate Solutions, Inc. | Reusable data markup language |
US6535912B1 (en) * | 1999-08-31 | 2003-03-18 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Method for creating and playing back a smart bookmark that automatically retrieves a requested Web page through a plurality of intermediate Web pages |
US20020152228A1 (en) * | 1999-11-10 | 2002-10-17 | Marco Lopez | Methods for automatically locating url-containing or other data-containing windows in frozen browser or other application program, saving contents, and relaunching application program with link to saved data |
US6820111B1 (en) * | 1999-12-07 | 2004-11-16 | Microsoft Corporation | Computer user interface architecture that saves a user's non-linear navigation history and intelligently maintains that history |
US7437614B2 (en) * | 2000-03-27 | 2008-10-14 | Accenture Llp | Synchronization in an automated scripting framework |
US6947909B1 (en) * | 2000-05-12 | 2005-09-20 | Hoke Jr Clare L | Distribution, recognition and accountability system for intellectual and copy written properties in digital media's |
US7062475B1 (en) * | 2000-05-30 | 2006-06-13 | Alberti Anemometer Llc | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
US20020087661A1 (en) * | 2000-08-08 | 2002-07-04 | Matichuk Chris E. | One click web records |
US7000019B2 (en) * | 2000-10-17 | 2006-02-14 | Hewlett-Packard/Development Company L.P. | Establishment of a deferred network communication session |
US20030001880A1 (en) * | 2001-04-18 | 2003-01-02 | Parkervision, Inc. | Method, system, and computer program product for producing and distributing enhanced media |
US20080055229A1 (en) * | 2006-09-04 | 2008-03-06 | Vastview Technology, Inc. | Method for Enhancing Response Speed of Hold-Typed Display Device |
Cited By (20)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7596533B2 (en) | 2000-05-30 | 2009-09-29 | Andrew Szabo | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
US20070143439A1 (en) * | 2000-05-30 | 2007-06-21 | Alberti Anemometer Llc | Personalized multi-service computer environment |
US8881217B2 (en) | 2006-09-06 | 2014-11-04 | Verizon Patent And Licensing Inc. | Systems and methods for accessing media content |
US20100251162A1 (en) * | 2006-10-03 | 2010-09-30 | Verizon Data Services Inc. | Interactive search graphical user interface systems and methods |
US8316320B2 (en) * | 2006-10-03 | 2012-11-20 | Verizon Patent And Licensing Inc. | Expandable history tab in interactive graphical user interface systems and methods |
US8464295B2 (en) | 2006-10-03 | 2013-06-11 | Verizon Patent And Licensing Inc. | Interactive search graphical user interface systems and methods |
US20080086525A1 (en) * | 2006-10-06 | 2008-04-10 | Alastair Angwin | Data Processing System and Method |
US8949375B2 (en) * | 2006-10-07 | 2015-02-03 | International Business Machines Corporation | Data processing of media file types supported by client devices |
US9189561B2 (en) * | 2007-02-10 | 2015-11-17 | Adobe Systems Incorporated | Bridge event analytics tools and techniques |
US9390138B2 (en) | 2007-02-10 | 2016-07-12 | Adobe Systems Incorporated | Bridge event analytics tools and techniques |
US7908282B2 (en) | 2007-08-31 | 2011-03-15 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method for provision and use of a visual representation of website browsing history |
US20090063434A1 (en) * | 2007-08-31 | 2009-03-05 | Indran Naick | Method for Provision and Use of a Visual Representation of Website Browsing History |
US20090249453A1 (en) * | 2007-09-28 | 2009-10-01 | The Aspen Equity Group, Inc. | Method and system for hub-and-spoke website browsing and navigation on a multipaned platform for the communication, distribution, and collaboration of information and data |
US8984595B2 (en) * | 2007-09-28 | 2015-03-17 | The Aspen Equity Group, Inc. | Method and system for hub-and-spoke website browsing and navigation on a multipaned platform for the communication, distribution, and collaboration of information and data |
US9804747B2 (en) | 2008-09-30 | 2017-10-31 | Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc | Techniques to manage access to organizational information of an entity |
US20120271941A1 (en) * | 2009-12-11 | 2012-10-25 | Neuralitic Systems | Method and system for efficient and exhaustive url categorization |
US8935390B2 (en) * | 2009-12-11 | 2015-01-13 | Guavus, Inc. | Method and system for efficient and exhaustive URL categorization |
CN104462390A (en) * | 2014-12-10 | 2015-03-25 | 华中科技大学 | Method and system for improving efficiency of adaptive layout of webpages |
US20230370487A1 (en) * | 2016-11-09 | 2023-11-16 | StratoKey Pty Ltd. | Proxy computer system to provide direct links for bypass |
US11205103B2 (en) | 2016-12-09 | 2021-12-21 | The Research Foundation for the State University | Semisupervised autoencoder for sentiment analysis |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US7062475B1 (en) | 2006-06-13 |
US7596533B2 (en) | 2009-09-29 |
US20070143439A1 (en) | 2007-06-21 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US7596533B2 (en) | Personalized multi-service computer environment | |
US6052730A (en) | Method for monitoring and/or modifying web browsing sessions | |
JP4024426B2 (en) | How to describe and visualize the characteristics of website usage patterns by network users | |
EP1008104B1 (en) | Drag and drop based browsing interface | |
Eirinaki et al. | Web mining for web personalization | |
US6434745B1 (en) | Customized web browsing and marketing software with local events statistics database | |
US8069407B1 (en) | Method and apparatus for detecting changes in websites and reporting results to web developers for navigation template repair purposes | |
US8914519B2 (en) | Request tracking for analysis of website navigation | |
US7793211B2 (en) | Method for delivering targeted web advertisements and user annotations to a web page | |
US7558795B2 (en) | Method and apparatus for tracking functional states of a Web-site and reporting results to web developers | |
US6606654B1 (en) | Link delivery for subsequent retrieval of networked information | |
JP3570154B2 (en) | Data relay device and data relay method | |
US5974572A (en) | Software system and methods for generating a load test using a server access log | |
US6311194B1 (en) | System and method for creating a semantic web and its applications in browsing, searching, profiling, personalization and advertising | |
CN100422997C (en) | Method of adding searchable deep labels in web pages in conjunction with browser plug-ins and scripts | |
US20010037359A1 (en) | System and method for a server-side browser including markup language graphical user interface, dynamic markup language rewriter engine and profile engine | |
US20020191020A1 (en) | Method and apparatus for removing confindential information from a history | |
US20040054968A1 (en) | Web page with system for displaying miniature visual representations of search engine results | |
US20100042718A1 (en) | System And Method For Tracking User Activity Related To Network Resources Using A Browser | |
US20020143861A1 (en) | Method and apparatus for managing state information in a network data processing system | |
US20020191015A1 (en) | Method and apparatus for managing history logs in a data processing system | |
US20040117349A1 (en) | Intermediary server for facilitating retrieval of mid-point, state-associated web pages | |
US7089582B1 (en) | Method and apparatus for identifying universal resource locator rewriting in a distributed data processing system | |
JP4522664B2 (en) | Object addition display method, program, script, plug-in, tag, image, data, object, content, advertisement, and document for object addition display | |
US20020194222A1 (en) | Method and apparatus for disabling histories in a browser |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: ALBERTI ANEMOMETER LLC, CALIFORNIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:SZABO, ANDREW;REEL/FRAME:023113/0359 Effective date: 20040709 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: DOUBLE AGENT, INC.,NEW YORK Free format text: MERGER;ASSIGNOR:DOUBLE-AGENT, LLC;REEL/FRAME:024583/0736 Effective date: 20001027 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: ALBERTI ANEMOMETER LLC,CALIFORNIA Free format text: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNOR PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 023113 FRAME 0359. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNOR AS DOUBLE AGENT, INC.;ASSIGNOR:DOUBLE AGENT, INC.;REEL/FRAME:024586/0322 Effective date: 20100529 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES ASSETS 135 LLC, DELAWARE Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:ZARBANA DIGITAL FUND LLC;REEL/FRAME:050901/0730 Effective date: 20191030 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: COMMWORKS SOLUTIONS, LLC, GEORGIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:INTELLECTUAL VENTURES ASSETS 135 LLC;REEL/FRAME:051534/0619 Effective date: 20191115 |