Apparatus and method for automatically redirecting a search

• US 10,180,985 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2015
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: King, Robert, Carter, Sharon E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Giddins, Nelson
• Application Number:
  US14/626,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20160246881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9562 Bookmark management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations

Abstract

Methods, computer-readable media and apparatuses for automatically redirecting a search are disclosed. A processor receives a search term, connects to a search server hosting a search site that displays a plurality of sites in response to the search term, receives a selection of a site from the plurality of sites, provides an option to associate the site with the search term and receives a confirmation to associate the site with the search term, where the search term automatically redirects a connection to a server hosting the site and by-passing a connection to the search server hosting the search site when the search term is received at a later time.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processor of an endpoint device, a search term;

connecting, by the processor, to a search server hosting a search site that returns a plurality of sites in response to the search term, wherein the endpoint device is distinct from the search server;

receiving, by the processor, the plurality of sites from the search site;

receiving, by the processor, a selection of a site from the plurality of sites;

requesting, by the processor, whether to associate the site with the search term in response to the receiving the selection;

receiving, by the processor, a confirmation to associate the site with the search term;

storing, by the processor, an association of the site with the search term;

performing, by the processor via a web browser, a redirection to a server hosting the site based on a reception of the search term at a later time;

automatically connecting, by the processor, to an application server storing authentication credentials;

automatically receiving, by the processor, an authentication credential of a user for the site from the application server; and

automatically logging in to the site, by the processor, with the authentication credential based on the reception of the search term and the redirection to the server hosting the site.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, a login credential for one of a plurality of different users; and

associating, by the processor, the site with the search term for the one of the plurality of different users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the redirection to the site is to a site that would otherwise only be reachable after a login screen.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, a redirection indicator with the search term at the later time to instruct the web browser to automatically perform the redirection to the server hosting the site and by-pass the connecting to the search server.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the redirection indicator comprises an alphanumeric code entered with the search term.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting whether to associate the site with the search term further comprises requesting whether to associate the site with the search term for a plurality of different endpoint devices associated with the user.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor of an endpoint device, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a search term;

connecting to a search server hosting a search site that returns a plurality of sites in response to the search term, wherein the endpoint device is distinct from the search server;

receiving the plurality of sites from the search site;

receiving a selection of a site from the plurality of sites;

requesting whether to associate the site with the search term in response to the receiving the selection;

receiving a confirmation to associate the site with the search term;

storing an association of the site with the search term;

performing, via a web browser, a redirection to a server hosting the site based on a reception of the search term at a later time;

automatically connecting to an application server storing authentication credentials;

automatically receiving an authentication credential of a user for the site from the application server; and

automatically logging in to the site with the authentication credential based on the reception of the search term and the redirection to the server hosting the site.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, the operations further comprising:

receiving a login credential for one of a plurality of different users; and

associating the site with the search term for the one of the plurality of different users.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the redirection to the site is to a site that would otherwise only be reachable after a login screen.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, the operations further comprising:

receiving a redirection indicator with the search term at the later time to instruct the web browser to automatically perform the redirection to the server hosting the site and by-pass the connecting to the search server.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the redirection indicator comprises an alphanumeric code entered with the search term.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the requesting whether to associate the site with the search term further comprises requesting whether to associate the site with the search term for a plurality of different endpoint devices associated with the user.

13. An endpoint device, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage device storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a search term;

connecting to a search server hosting a search site that returns a plurality of sites in response to the search term, wherein the endpoint device is distinct from the search server;

receiving the plurality of sites from the search site;

receiving a selection of a site from the plurality of sites;

requesting whether to associate the site with the search term in response to the receiving the selection;

receiving a confirmation to associate the site with the search term;

storing an association of the site with the search term;

performing, via a web browser, a redirection to a server hosting the site based on a reception of the search term at a later time;

automatically connecting to an application server storing authentication credentials;

automatically receiving an authentication credential of a user for the site from the application server; and

automatically logging in to the site with the authentication credential based on the reception of the search term and the redirection to the server hosting the site.

14. The endpoint device of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

receiving a login credential for one of a plurality of different users; and

associating the site with the search term for the one of the plurality of different users.

15. The end-point device of claim 13, wherein the redirection to the site is to a site that would otherwise only be reachable after a login screen.

16. The endpoint device of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

receiving a redirection indicator with the search term at the later time to instruct the web browser to automatically perform the redirection to the server hosting the site and by-pass the connecting to the search server.

17. The endpoint device of claim 16, wherein the redirection indicator comprises an alphanumeric code entered with the search term.

18. The endpoint device of claim 13, wherein the requesting whether to associate the site with the search term further comprises requesting whether to associate the site with the search term for a plurality of different endpoint devices associated with the user.