Page proxy - Patent Review 5917491

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The invention relates to a proxy mechanism for identifying and using documents within electronic networks. More particularly, the invention relates to a proxy mechanism for bookmarking uniform resource locators, for example in a Web browser.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The World Wide Web ("Web") has become an important and popular tool. Every day, many new Web pages are added, such that accessing the shear volume of information available on the Web becomes a daunting task. While search engines, such as Yahoo and Alta Vista, make finding specific Web pages a more straightforward task, such search engines do not provide instant access to the desired location. Rather, one must navigate through a hierarchical menu with their Web browser until the desired location is displayed. It is therefore a common feature of the de facto standard Web browser, i.e. Netscape Navigator (manufactured by Netscape Communications Corp. of Mountain View, Calif.), to provide bookmarks for those Web pages that are frequently visited.

Bookmarks allow users to capture their current location easily for quick return later. Current bookmark designs make it easy for users to capture the location, but not to organize or make sense of what they captured. It would be desirable to retain the ability within a browser for bookmarks to be easily acquired and revisited. It would also be desirable to provide more information to users when organizing and making sense of their bookmarks. It would further be desirable to provide quick, up front categorization of such bookmarks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a page proxy for managing representations of page information. One such proxy manages Web page locations in the form of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) as Web page bookmarks. As discussed above, bookmarks provide convenient and immediate access to specific Web pages. The preferred embodiment provides a proxy tool by which a URL proxy for a Web page displayed in a browser, such the Netscape Navigator, may be readily manipulated by the use of any well known gestures, such as mouse-over and click and drag and drop (where a cursor is moved over the Web page proxy by use of a mouse, a button on the mouse is clicked to attach the proxy to the cursor, and the mouse is used to drag the proxy to a desired location, where it is then dropped by releasing the button on the mouse).

The proxy tool operates in conjunction with a navigation aid that provides an organization view of destination locations and actions in the form of a drop down menu. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the proxy tool is a page proxy icon, which is located on a menu bar proximate to a Web page location field, and the navigation aid is a drop down menu that includes hierarchically arranged contents, including multiple levels of sub-menus, and that also includes various actions, such as editing functions.

In accordance with the invention, a technique is provided that allows one to retain the ability within a browser for bookmarks to be acquired and revisited easily, while providing more information to users when organizing their bookmarks, and while providing quick, up front categorization of such bookmarks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a portion of a browser display showing a page proxy for bookmarking uniform resource locators (URLs) according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a portion of a browser display showing a page proxy for a folder window according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a portion of a browser display showing the operation of a page proxy for bookmarking URLs according to the invention;

FIGS. 4a-4c provide a schematic representation of a portion of a browser display showing a sequence of steps for using a page proxy for bookmarking URLs according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a portion of a browser display showing a bookmark window according to the invention; and

FIGS. 6a-6b provide a schematic representation of a portion of a browser display showing a sequence of steps for checking bookmarks according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a page proxy for managing representations of page information. One such proxy manages Web page locations in the form of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) as Web page bookmarks. As discussed above, bookmarks provide convenient and immediate access to specific Web pages. The preferred embodiment provides a proxy tool by which a URL proxy for a Web page displayed in a browser, such the Netscape Navigator, may be readily manipulated by the use of any well known gestures, such as mouse-over and click and drag and drop (where a cursor is moved over the Web page proxy by use of a mouse, a button on the mouse is clicked to attach the proxy to the cursor, and the mouse is used to drag the proxy to a desired location, where it is then dropped by releasing the button on the mouse).

The proxy tool operates in conjunction with a navigation aid that provides an organization view of destination locations and actions in the form of a drop down menu. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the proxy tool is a page proxy icon, which is located on a menu bar proximate to a Web page location field, and the navigation aid is a drop down menu that includes hierarchically arranged contents, including multiple levels of sub-menus, and that also includes various actions, such as editing functions. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, although the invention is described herein in connection with the manipulation and organization of Web page bookmarks, the invention is readily adapted for use in other applications, such as email message management.

The invention provides a robust mechanism for using bookmarks. For example, when a bookmark is entered using the page proxy mechanism described herein, information about the bookmarked location may be collected and stored for later use. Further, information may be added by the user at the time the bookmark is entered.

The following is a table of information concerning a bookmark that is collected when the bookmark is visited or added in accordance with the invention.

TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Information Collected Regarding A Bookmark Type Description ______________________________________ Page Name Text string in the tag <TITLE>. URL The URL to the page location. Date Acquired The date that the user added the bookmark to their bookmark list in �Day Month Day Time Year!. Date Last Visited The date the user last visited the bookmarked site in �## days ago! format. ______________________________________

The following is a table of fields that are available for the user to edit in accordance with the invention.

TABLE 2 ______________________________________ User Editable Fields Type Description ______________________________________ Informative Name A text string the user can type in place of the provided page name. Notes An arbitrarily long text field where users can type in information about the page. ______________________________________

The following types of information/documents are examples of what sort of things can be bookmarked in accordance with the invention:

Web pages;

Mail/News messages;

Categories;

Mail Folders;

Newsgroups; and

Files.

Bookmarks are added to messages and categories in the following way:

Newsgroups/Mail Folders: Choose "Add Bookmark" or a similar function from a bookmark icon located in or proximate to a folder window.

Categories: Get focus and selection (or similar) functions in a category pane and choose "Add Bookmark" in a thread window.

Messages: Get focus and selection (or similar) functions in a message pane and choose "Add Bookmark" in a thread window/message window.

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a portion of a browser display showing a page proxy for bookmarking uniform resource locators (URLs) according to the invention. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the page proxy is implemented as an icon which represents a given window. For example, in a Web browser (FIG. 1), the proxy icon 16 represents a current location shown in a location field 12, for example a Web page, e.g. http://home.netscape.com. Various actions can be preformed on the proxy through direct manipulation.

Icon Behavior

The proxy icon 16 is animated when a gesture, such as the manipulation of a cursor by a mouse, is used to give a user an indication that the proxy icon can be manipulated. User help information, such as a tool tip, may also be displayed on mouse-over-pause, e.g. "Click on this to drag a copy of the �name of item!."

Browser Window

The proxy icon 16 is preferably presented next to the location field 12 that acts as a representative of the page, as shown in FIG. 1.

The following is a table of drag and drop actions that can be performed with the proxy icon.

TABLE 3 ______________________________________ Proxy Icon Drag and Drop Actions Action Behavior ______________________________________ Bookmark quick file Create a link to that page in a bookmark file. Bookmark window Create a link to that page in a bookmark file. Customizable Tool bar Create a link to that page in a tool bar and adds the link to the tool bar folder in the bookmarks window. Browser icon in task bar Open that page in another browser window. Another browser window Open that page. Compose Window Attaches the page in line. File system (Desktop) Create a link to that page, e.g. an alias or shortcut. Print icon Print the page. Editor window To a selection: Make the selection a link to that page. At any insertion point: Paste the title of the page and makes a link to it. Single click No action. Double click Make a bookmark to the page. Mouse-down/hold Icon is animated to indicate that it is draggable. Mouse over and pause, no click Icon is animated to indicate draggable tool tip text: "Click on this to drag a copy of the page." ______________________________________

Mail/News

The proxy icon may also be used in the folder, thread, and message windows of a network interface product, such as a browser. FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a portion of a browser display showing a page proxy for folder, thread, and message windows according to the invention. The proxy 20 appears in the banner part of the window, as shown in FIG. 2, adjacent to an Inbox field 22.

The following is a table of actions that can be performed in a folder window, such as the Inbox window shown in FIG. 2.

TABLE 4 ______________________________________ Folder Window Actions Action Behavior ______________________________________ Bookmark quick file or bookmark Create a link to that window in window bookmarks. Dragging to the File System Create a shortcut or alias to that page. Compose Window Attach the folder and all folder contents. Thread/Message Window Open compose window and attach thread or message; or move folder and contents to a thread window. Browser Window Open contents of folder and display in browser window in list view format. ______________________________________

Thread/Message Window

Where a second pane in the thread window is opened to reveal a selected message, the proxy icon still represents the thread window as a whole.

The following is a table of actions that can be performed in a thread/message window.

TABLE 5 ______________________________________ Thread/Message Window Actions Action Behavior ______________________________________ Bookmark quick file or bookmark Create a link to that window in window bookmarks. Dragging to the File System Create a shortcut or alias to that window. Compose Window Attach the message when it is from a message window, otherwise N/A. Thread/Message Window (other Move that message to that folder than sent, drafts, or outbox) when it is from a message window (copy in the case of a news article), otherwise N/A Drafts Thread Window Copy that message to that folder and make it a draft (e.g. "save as draft") when it is from a message window, otherwise N/A Message Window N/A Browser Window N/A ______________________________________

Bookmark Quick File

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a button 10 (see FIG. 1) located to the left of the location bar and that contains the text "bookmarks" 14 is provided to users to capture and file their bookmarks quickly using a drag and drop gesture. The button also provides quick access to saved bookmarks. The button allows users to perform different actions with bookmarks.

Accessing Bookmarks

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a portion of a browser display showing the operation of a page proxy for bookmarking URLs according to the invention. The top level bookmark menu item is replaced with bookmark access on the location bar. The bookmark button 10 drops down to reveal the bookmark menu 30. The bookmark menu provides a navigation aid that allows a list of hierarchically organized folders and sub-menus to be accessed and to provide a repository in which to drop a bookmark that has been dragged to the button 10. The bookmark menu also provides a list of actions that may be taken such as, for example "Add Bookmark," "File Bookmark," or "Edit Bookmark."

FIGS. 4a-4c provide a schematic representation of a portion of a browser display showing a sequence of steps for using a page proxy for bookmarking URLs according to the invention. In FIG. 4a, a cursor gesture 40 is used to drag a location proxy 16 from the location field 12 to the proxy icon 10 (FIG. 4b). As a result, the bookmark button 10 is actuated, causing the bookmark menu 30 to drop down. The bookmark may then be dropped into an appropriate folder within the list of folders that appears in the bookmark menu, or within a folder in a sub-menu (as indicated by the arrows 41a-41c), or an action may be taken (as discussed above).

The following table provides a list of actions and behaviors of the bookmark menu.

TABLE 6 ______________________________________ Bookmark Menu Actions Action Behavior ______________________________________ Mouse-over Borderless button feedback (see FIG. 1). Mouse click (down-up) Drop-down menu displays itself (see FIG. 3). Mouse-down, hold Drop-down menu displays itself (see FIG. 3). Mouse click outside (menu) when Close drop-down bookmark menu. drop-down menu displayed Other gesture, e.g. keystroke or Drop-down bookmark menu. control character Other gesture, e.g. keystroke or Add the current page as a bookmark. control character Other gesture, e.g. keystroke or Open the bookmark window. control character Arrow keys when drop-down is Up/Down keys traverse the list of open bookmark. Esc key when drop down is open Close the drop-down. ______________________________________

Bookmark Menu

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the bookmark list is available from two locations, i.e. the bookmark drop-down menu in the location bar, and as sub-menu in the Window menu. Both menus are identical and contain the items shown in the following table.

TABLE 7 ______________________________________ Bookmark Drop-Down Menu Name Action Gesture Shortcut ______________________________________ Add Bookmark Add the current ctrl+D alt+B, A page as a bookmark (cmd+D on at the bottom of the Mac) bookmark list below the separator. File Bookmark Pull-right menu with ctrl+E (cmd+E alt+B, F a list of bookmark on Mac) folders and individual bookmarks. Selecting a folder places the currently displayed page as selected by the user as a bookmark relative to a visual cue. There is a folder called "Top-level" bookmarks. Edit Bookmarks . . . ctrl+B (cmd+ alt+B, E Open the B on Mac) bookmark window. A separator line, N/A N/A divides above commands from bookmark list. Bookmark list - A list of single N/A N/A folders and bookmarks and individual items folders based on user defined order in the bookmark window ______________________________________

Filing Bookmarks

One feature of the invention is the ability to file bookmarks. There are two ways to file bookmarks in the preferred embodiment of the invention, i.e. via a drag and drop gesture to the bookmark icon in the location bar and the menu item in the Bookmarks sub-menu.

The drag and drop gesture to the bookmark button behaves as described in the following table.

TABLE 8 ______________________________________ Drag and Drop To Bookmark Menu Mouse Action Behavior ______________________________________ Mouse down and drag the proxy Drops down the menu to the right of icon over the bookmark button and the button while dragging, an outline hold for 0.5 sec. of bookmark icon follows the mouse pointer. Options highlight in the list as they are passed over by the arrow cursor to provide a visual cue to the user of the location at which the bookmark is to be placed (see FIG. 3). Mouse down and drag proxy icon A link to the page is added to the over the bookmark button, mouse bookmark list at a user selected up before 0.5 sec. location as indicated by a visual cue. Mouse up over drop-down with A bookmark is added below the proxy icon. currently selected item. For example, if a bookmark Foo in folder Bar is highlighted, the new bookmark is added below Foo in the folder Bar. ______________________________________

Bookmark Window

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a portion of a browser display showing a bookmark window according to the invention. Users open the bookmark window via the "Edit Bookmarks . . . " command in the Bookmark menu. The top-level bookmark container reads "Bookmarks for . . . . " Users can perform the following operations in this window (see FIG. 5):

Create a new bookmark;

Edit an existing bookmark;

Create a user defined bookmark structure;

Insert a separator; and

Sort by column criteria.

The bookmark window includes bookmarks, folders, sortable columns, and a tool bar. The bookmark window retains the ability to order bookmarks.

Actions on bookmarks and folders that may be performed in the bookmark window and that are similar to those found in state of the art browsers include:

Bookmark:

Single click: Selection; and

Double click: Load bookmark in browser.

Folder:

Single click: Selection; and

Double click: Expand hierarchy.

Default Folders

The bookmark window contains the following folders by default, i.e. Guide and Tool bar Items. When there is no bookmark.html file on the system at installation a default file is installed.

Sortable Columns

The columns in the window are mirrored from a bookmark property dialog. A column show/hide feature allows users to choose which columns to display. The columns and sort criteria include those features set forth in the following table.

TABLE 9 __________________________________________________________________________ Sortable Columns Column Sort Criteria Behavior Default State __________________________________________________________________________ Name Sorted by user Maintains the hierarchical list Shown defined order - not based on user sort order. Does alphabetical nothing if it is the current sort criteria and the user accesses it again. This order is remembered and returned to if the list is flattened. This is the only sort in which users can move and reorder folders/items. Location Alphabetical (second Flattens the list and sorts Shown (URL) - minus order sort by date descending on first click, sorts the protocol last visited) ascending on second click. The protocol is removed (http, ftp, etc) from the address. Last Visited Chronologically Flattens the lists and sorts Shown descending by default. A second click on the sort order column changes the sort to ascending. Date Created Chronologically Flattens the lists and sorts Shown descending is descending by default, a default, a second second click on the sort order click on the sort order column changes to ascending. column changes to ascending. Type Alphabetical (second Displays the protocol for the Hidden order sort by date page - http, ftp, or ldap. last visited) Flattens the lists and sorts descending by default, a second click on the sort order column changes to ascending. __________________________________________________________________________

Users can reorder their bookmarks via a drag and drop gesture, as well as via a menu item that moves the selection up or down in the hierarchy. The name sort order is based on the user defined order, not alphabetical order. When the sort order is other than Name, users are not able to reorder the bookmarks.

Find in the Bookmark Window

The find dialog allows a user to find a text string in, for example name, location, and description (checkbook options) fields, and match the case and whole word (also checkbox icons).

Checking Bookmarks

FIGS. 6a-6b provide a schematic representation of a portion of a browser display showing a sequence of steps for checking bookmarks according to the invention. The "Check Bookmarks" command allows a user to check a bookmark list for updates. Choosing the command brings up the dialog shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b.

Property Dialog

The URL is automatically entered in the Location field in the Bookmarks Item Properties dialog. The title of the object being added is automatically entered in the Title field in the Bookmarks Item Properties dialog, but the text field is preselected when the dialog is opened to afford editing. The button page defaults to the URL of the current page.

Although the invention is described herein with reference to the preferred embodiment, one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that other applications may be substituted for those set forth herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the invention should only be limited by the Claims included below.

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