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Description  |
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to computer network applications, and more
specifically, to Internet enabled applications.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The World Wide Web (web, www), a portion of the Internet which uses
particular protocol, is an ever expanding information source which is used
in work and play. The Web is accessed through a web enabled application.
Web enabled applications include web browsers such as Internet Explorer
and Navigator by Netscape, Corel Office for Java by Corel, Hotfava.TM. by
Sun.TM., etc. and application programs such as Access and, Kona and Domino
by Lotus, etc. For the user's convenience, a today's web enabled
application may include a Favorites or Bookmarks list. This list is
provided by the web enabled application, and is modified by the user.
Generally, the user selects a site and directs the web enabled application
to go to that site. This involves downloading the site web pages which may
be a very time consuming operation. When the user is at the selected site,
he or she may select the bookmark or favorite menu item from the web
enabled application, and add the current site to the bookmark file. The
site then remains in the user's bookmark or favorites list until the user
deletes the site.
However, web enabled applications do not allow a user to automatically add
a site to the Bookmarks or Favorites list without first
* Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java, and HotJava are registered
trademarks of Sun Microsystems Inc. in the United States, and other
countries. visiting the site (i.e. downloading site web pages). This means
that if the site is not available, the user can only add the site to the
Bookmark or Favorites list by typing in the name and resource locator (RL)
of the site. This is disadvantageous, because it requires the user to
retype an address which is already available.
Additionally, the bookmarks can only be added within the web enabled
application. Thus, when a user receives an e-mail which includes an RL, he
or she can not add the RL included in the e-mail to the Bookmarks list,
without retyping it or visiting it.
Furthermore, the Bookmark list is permanent. Bookmarks remain in the
Bookmark file until the user deletes them. In some instances, a user
merely wishes to retain a To-Be-Visited site's address temporarily.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes a method and apparatus for including a
To-Be-Visited (TBV) list in a web enabled application. A TBV list contains
TBV sites, which are sites a user wishes to access at a future time. The
apparatus includes an access unit for adding a TBV site to the TBV list.
The TBV list is accessible to a plurality of web enabled applications. The
apparatus further may include a dating/deleting unit for determining
whether the TBV site is expired, and deleting the TBV site if it is
expired. The apparatus further may include a resource locator recognition
unit, which automatically adds a TBV site received in an electronic
message to the TBV list.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of
limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like
reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system in which one embodiment of
the present invention is implemented.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method of adding a
To-Be-Visited site address to a web enabled application accessible list in
accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method of deleting a
To-Be-Visited site from the web enabled application accessible list in
accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the elements of a To-Be-Visited site
in a web enabled application.
FIG. 6 is an illustration of a web browser including a bookmark file having
a To-Be-Visited file.
FIG. 7 is an illustration of a web browser including a To-Be-Visited Menu
item.
FIG. 8 is an illustration of a web browser including a pop-up menu having a
To-Be-Visited menu item.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A method and apparatus for including To-Be-Visited (TBV) sites in a web
enabled application is described. In the following description, for the
purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order
to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be
apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention
may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances,
well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order
to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the computer system 100 in which an embodiment
of the present invention can be implemented. Computer system 100 comprises
a bus 110 or other communication means for communicating information, and
a processor 120 coupled with bus 110 for processing information. Computer
system 100 also comprises a read only memory (ROM) and/or other static
storage device 135 coupled to bus 110 for storing static information and
instructions for processor 120.
The computer system 100 further comprises a main memory 130, a dynamic
storage device for storing information and instructions to be executed.
Main memory 130 also may be used for storing temporary variables or other
intermediate information during execution of instructions. In one
embodiment the main memory 130 is dynamic random access memory (DRAM).
Computer system 100 can also be coupled via bus 110 to a display device
150, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD)
screen, for displaying information to a computer user. An alphanumeric
input device 155 is typically coupled to bus 110 for communicating
information and command selections to processor 120. Another type of user
input device is cursor control device 160, such as a mouse, a trackball,
trackpad, or cursor direction keys for communicating direction information
and command selections to processor 120 and for controlling cursor
movement on display device 150. Alternatively, other input devices such as
a stylus or pen can be used to interact with the display. The computer
system 100 may further be coupled via the bus 110 to a network
communication device 165. The network communication device 165 may be
utilized to couple the computer system to other computer systems, as well
as the World Wide Web (web, www). The computer system 100 may further be
coupled via the bus 110 to a communication device 170. The communication
device 170 may be a speaker or microphone, or other device to communicate
between a user and a computer system 100.
The present invention is related to a web enabled application in a computer
system 100. According to one embodiment, a To-Be-Visited (TBV) site list
is managed by computer system 100 in response to the processor 120
executing sequences of instructions contained in memory 130. Execution of
the sequences of instructions causes the computer system 100 to add TBV
sites, delete TBV sites, and visit TBV sites as will be described
hereafter. For one embodiment, the software may be implemented on a
computer readable medium, such as a hard disk, CDROM, floppy disk, or
other media. For another embodiment, the software may be transmitted over
a network as a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave. In
alternative embodiments, circuit logic internal to the computer system 100
may be used in place of or in combination with software to implement the
present invention. Thus, the present invention is not limited to any
specific combination of hardware and software.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention. The
TBV unit 210 is designed to allow To-Be-Visited (TBV) sites to be stored
in a computer system and accessible through a web enabled application,
such as a browser or application program. Such TBV sites are sites which
the user may or may not have visited in the past.
The TBV sites may be added inside or outside the web enabled application,
as will be described below. The TBV unit 210 includes an access unit 220
which accesses the web enabled application, or a file associated with a
web enabled application, and adds To-Be-Visited (TBV) sites. In one
embodiment, the TBV sites are stored in a separate TBV file. In an
alternate embodiment, the TBV sites are in a special TBV folder within a
Bookmark file of the web enabled application. Alternately, the TBV sites
may be stored in a Bookmark file which is accessible by a plurality of web
enabled applications. The access unit 220 may add the TBV site either by
accessing a web enabled application and adding the file through the web
enabled application menu, or alternately, by accessing a Bookmark or TBV
file directly, without starting the web enabled application.
The TBV sites may be available and displayed by a plurality of web enabled
applications. In one embodiment, the TBV sites are displayed in all web
enabled applications which are capable of displaying Bookmark or TBV
files. Thus, the TBV list acts as a universal file list. Alternatively, a
user may determine in what applications TBV sites should be displayed.
A dating/deleting unit 230 is coupled to the access unit 220. The
dating/deleting unit 230 is for determining whether a site has expired,
and should be deleted from the TBV site list. In one embodiment, a site is
deleted from the TBV site list when TBV site is visited by the user.
Alternatively, the site may be deleted from the TBV site list after a
certain period of time has elapsed. In one embodiment, the user may
select, via the interface 260, the type of deletion policy preferred.
An address recognition unit 240 is further included in the TBV unit 210.
The address recognition unit 240 recognizes a resource locator (RL) in an
electronic message, and adds the RL to the TBV site list. The resource
locator (RL) may be any address which designates a location on the
Internet. For example, the RL may be a uniform resource locator (URL), or
any other designation which permits access of a location on the Internet.
These electronic messages may include electronic mail (e-mail) messages,
electronically received facsimile messages, and similar electronic
messages. In one embodiment, the user can select the option of
automatically adding all RLs to the TBV list. Alternatively, the user can
select an optional add function. In that case, when the address
recognition unit 240 recognizes an RL, a menu is automatically displayed.
This menu permits the user to select whether the site should be added to
the TBV sites. In one embodiment, the menu further permits the user to
change the title/RL of the TBV site to be added to the TBV site list. This
process is described in more detail below, with respect to FIG. 3.
A linking unit 250 is coupled to the address recognition unit 240. The
linking unit 250 links the electronic message containing a reference to
the RL to the TBV site in the web enabled application. For example, when a
user receives an e-mail message which contains an RL, the linking unit 250
links the e-mail message with the TBV site which is placed in the web
enabled application. Similarly, other types of electronic messages may be
linked to the TBV site. Thus, when the TBV site list is examined, an icon
indicates that there is a linked message. In one embodiment, the user can
select the icon, and the linked message is displayed. Thus, a context is
provided for the RLs within the TBV site list. In one embodiment, the
linking unit 250 further maintains the link to the electronic message even
if the electronic message is moved. In one embodiment, this is
accomplished by storing the address at which the electronic message is
stored in memory with the TBV site. Alternatively, the linking unit 250
maintains a copy of the original electronic message separate from the
original message.
For one embodiment, the TBV unit 210 further includes an interface 260. The
interface 260 provides a user interface for the TBV unit 210, as well as
an interface with the web enabled application. The interface 260, in one
embodiment, provides the menus for adding the TBV site to the web enabled
application. For illustrative figures including the menus, please see
FIGS. 5-8. However, it is to be understood that alternative methods of
displaying the menus may be utilized. In one embodiment, the interface 260
interacts with the web enabled application to permit the display of a
To-Be-Visited menu item.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method of adding a
To-Be-Visited site from an electronic message to a web enabled
application. A TBV site includes at least an RL. At block 310, the process
tests whether there is a new electronic message. In one embodiment, these
electronic messages may include electronic mail (e-mail) messages,
electronically received facsimile messages, and similar electronic
messages. If no message is received, the process returns to block 310. If
a new message is detected at block 310, the process continues to block
315. Note that this may be an interrupt driven process, even though the
process is illustrated as a loop.
At block 315, the electronic message is scanned. Each word in the message
is compared to a database of known RL terms. These terms may include:
http, //, www, .com, .edu, .gov, .net, etc. When such a term is detected,
the address recognition unit 240 notes that there is an RL in the message.
In one embodiment, when the RL is a URL, and the URL is not complete, the
address recognition unit 240 completes the URL. Thus, for example, the URL
www.sun.com is completed to be http://www.sun.com. In one embodiment, if
an incomplete URL which has no extension is received, the RL is completed
by adding a ".com" to the URL.
At block 320, the process tests whether any RLs were detected within the
electronic message. If no RLs were detected, the process returns to block
310. If an RL was detected, the process continues to block 325.
At block 325, it is determined whether the detected RL are to be designated
as TBV sites. In one embodiment, this comprises displaying a menu with the
RL to the user, and permitting the user to select whether the RL should be
designated as a TBV site. In an alternative embodiment, all detected RLs
are automatically designated as TBV sites. In one embodiment, the user can
set a preference as to which method to use in designating TBV sites.
If an RL is recognized to be a TBV site, the process continues to block
330, where the RL is designated as a TBV site. The process then returns to
block 335. If the RL is determined not to be a TBV site, the process
continues directly to block 335.
At block 335, the process queries whether there are any further RLs to be
tested. Each RL is tested according to this process. Thus, if there are
further RLs, the process returns to block 325. If there are no further
RLs, the process continues to block 340.
At block 340, it is determined whether any RLs have been designated as TBV
sites at block 330. If there are no RLs designated as TBV sites, the
process ends. If there are some RLs designated as TBV sites, the process
continues to block 345.
At block 345, the process determines how the TBV sites are stored. In one
embodiment, the TBV files may either be stored in the Bookmark file, or in
a TBV file. Generally the Bookmark file and TBV file are stored as text
files and are accessible by the TBV unit 210.
If the TBV sites are stored as Bookmark files, the process continues to
block 355. At block 355, the designated TBV sites are added to the
Bookmark files. In one embodiment, this is accomplished by directly
accessing a Bookmark file associated with a web enabled application. In an
alternate embodiment, the web enabled application is opened, and a menu is
utilized to add the TBV sites to the Bookmark file.
If the TBV sites are stored in a TBV file, the process continues to block
350. At block 350, the designated TBV sites are added to the TBV file.
This may be done by accessing the TBV file directly, or by utilizing the
web enabled application menus to add the sites.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method of
determining whether a To-Be-Visited site is to be deleted from the TBV
files list. The TBV files list is continually tested to determine whether
any of the RLs are to be deleted from the TBV files list. In one
embodiment this process is initiated every time a user starts a web
enabled application. Alternatively, this process may be initiated on a
regular basis, such as once a day.
At block 410, the process queries whether there are any untested TBV sites.
If there are no untested TBV sites, the process terminates. If there are
untested TBV sites, the process continues to block 420.
At block 420, the process tests whether the deletion policy is set to "time
elapsed". In one embodiment, the deletion policy is set by user
preferences. In one embodiment, the deletion policy may be set to
automatically delete sites after a certain number of days has elapsed from
the date that the site was added to the TBV site list. In another
embodiment, the deletion policy may be set to delete only after a user has
visited a site. In yet another alternate embodiment, the deletion policy
may be set to delete either when the time has elapsed or when the user has
visited the site. It is to be understood that other prompts for erasing
TBV sites may be added to this list, and utilized. If the deletion policy
is set to time elapsed, the process continues to block 415.
At block 425, the current date is compared to the date on which the TBV
site was added. This conventional date comparison technique is known in
the art.
At block 430, the process determines whether the time elapsed is greater
than the retention time. If the elapsed time is greater than the retention
time, the process continues to block 435. If the elapsed time is less than
the retention time, the process returns to block 410.
At block 435, the TBV site is deleted, since the elapsed time was greater
than the retention time. The process then returns to block 410.
If at block 420, it was determined that the deletion policy was not set to
time elapsed, the process continues to block 440.
At block 440, the process tests whether the TBV site was visited by the
user. In one embodiment this information is stored with the rest of the
information about the TBV site, as will be described below. In one
embodiment, this information is a simple binary toggle, which is set to
indicate whether or not a user has visited the TBV site. If the user has
visited the TBV site, the process continues to block 435, where the TBV
site is deleted. If the user has not visited the TBV site, the process
continues to block 450.
At block 450, it is tested whether the deletion policy is set to both, time
elapsed time and visited site. If the deletion policy is set to both, the
process continues to block 455, and the process returns to block 425. If
the deletion policy is not set to both elapsed time and visited site, the
returns to block 410.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the contents of
the information stored with respect to each TBV site. As an example, the
following message is utilized:
TABLE 1
To: Mike Albers
From: Joe Smith
Subject: New Java Developer's Site!
Date: July 4, 1997
Mike,
look at the cool new site that Sun has at www.sun.java.com.
-Joe
Block 510 stores the site title. In Bookmark files, generally a title is
associated with an RL. Thus, for example, the RL http://www.sun.com has
the title of Sun Microcomputers. For another example, the RL
http://www.m-w.com has the title of Mirriam Webster Dictionary/Reference
page. This page is determined by the owner of the page, and may be changed
by a user. However, if a site is added to the To-Be-Visited list without
accessing the page its title may not be known. Thus, a title associated
with a site may be set from one of a number of sources. In one embodiment,
the Subject of the e-mail or "New Java Developer's Site!" would be the
title associated with the site. Alternatively, the title may be just the
RL, http://www.sun.java.com. In another alternative, the title may be
derived from the originator of the message, such as "Recommended by Joe
Smith", or similar format. Alternatively, the system can access the site
automatically without informing the user, determine the title, and add the
title to the TBV site. In yet another alternative, the user is prompted to
enter a title.
Block 520 stores the RL of the site. In one embodiment, the RL is stored in
hypertext markup language (HTML). The RL in the example above is
http://www.sun.java.com. Recall that after the address recognition unit
240 extracts the RL, the RL is completed. In this instance, the "http://"
is added to the beginning of the sent RL. In one embodiment, the user is
prompted to approve or change the completed RL.
Block 530 stores the date on which the site was added. This is necessary
for calculations with respect to the deletion policy. This information may
further be available to the user. In the above example, the date Jul. 4,
1997 would be stored.
Block 540 stores the information whether a site was visited or not visited.
In one embodiment this is a simple ON/OFF toggle which is set OFF when the
site is added. When the user selects the site from the To-Be-Visited Sites
List, and the site is accessed, the toggle is reset to ON.
Block 550 stores an identifier for the electronic message from which the RL
was received. If the site did not originate from an electronic message,
block 550 may be zeroes. The information of each TBV site is linked to the
originating message. Thus, for example, if a first user sent the message
described above, a reference to the message location is placed in block
550. When the message is moved from the in-box, to be filed, block 550 is
altered to track the message. Thus, no matter where the message is moved
to, the user will be able to access the originating message. In one
embodiment, when the message is deleted a copy of the message is saved in
the TBV unit 210, so the user can reference the message even after
deletion. Alternatively, a copy of the message may be made and the
identifier may store the location of the copied message.
Block 560 stores an icon for linked messages, indicating the message type.
For example, if the originating message from which the TBV site is an
e-mail message, as in the example above, an envelope form may be
displayed. Similar icons may be utilized to indicate other originating
messages, such as faxes, etc.
FIG. 6 is an illustration of one embodiment of a browser including a
Bookmark menu item 615 which includes a To-Be-Visited folder 660. The
browser includes a menu list 610, an RL display area 620, and a site
display area 630. The menu list 610 includes Bookmark menu item 615. The
Bookmark menu item 615 is open in this illustration. The Bookmark menu
item 615 includes a plurality of folders 650. One of these folders is the
To-Be-Visited Folder 660. The To-Be-Visited Folder 660 is similar to all
the other folders, but contains To-Be-Visited files 670. Each
To-Be-Visited file 670 is displayed by its title 680, and by a linked icon
685. Note that the titles 680 may vary from a user entered title, to a
title derived from the sender or subject of the originating message, or
the RL.
FIG. 7 is an illustration of one embodiment of a browser including a
To-Be-Visited Menu item 720. The browser includes an RL display area 620,
and site display area 630. The browser also includes a menu list 710,
including a To-Be-Visited menu item 720. In this illustration, the
To-Be-Visited menu item 720 is open, and displays the To-Be-Visited list
730. The To-Be-Visited list 730 includes a number of titles 740. Each of
these titles 740 correspond to a site in the To-Be-Visited list 730. Some
of the titles 740 also have a corresponding icon 750, which represents a
linked message. Note the variety of titles, which are merely illustrative.
FIG. 8 is an illustration of one embodiment of a browser including a pop-up
menu 810. In a browser, when a user highlights an RL, pop-up menu 810 may
appear. This is one illustration of the pop-up menu 810. The pop-up menu
810 may include an item indicating that the highlighted RL should be
opened. The pop-up menu 810 also includes an item entitled "Add to
To-Be-Visited" 820. This permits the addition of the site, to the
To-Be-Visited list. However, this process does not open the RL.
It is to be understood that although the term resource locator (RL) is used
in the specification, alternate methods of specifying an object on the
Internet may be utilized without changing the spirit of the present
invention. Additionally, within an RL type, alternative access schemes or
protocols may be utilized. Thus an RL corresponding to file transfer
protocol (ftp), telnet, etc. may be utilized.
In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with
reference to specific embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident
that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without
departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. The
specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an
illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The present invention should
not be construed as limited by such embodiments and examples, but rather
construed according to the following claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *
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