Browsing method for focusing research

• US 20020091836A1
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: John Brent Moetteli
• Original Assignee: John Brent Moetteli
• Inventors: Moetteli, John Brent
• Application Number:
  US10/032,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20020091836A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

A browsing method is provided which enables concentrated web browsing by requiring that a user concentrate on one project at a time. The method creates a graphical user interface (“GUI”) having a project search capability and, during browsing, input fields which demand certain user responses and which enable the user to postpone executing a potentially unrelated line of research until such time as the project at hand is terminated. Thus, the method allows the time shifting of less directed research sessions and the quantifying and allocation of wasteful online time to the responsible parties. In this fashion, a user may be able to take advantage of interesting targeted banner promotions or to follow potentially interesting hypertext links at a time convenient to the project at hand and attributable to the project for which the potentially interesting research may yield a benefit. Further, the system provides the option of printing reports of search sessions, thus permitting navigation history information and time online to be maintained as a record in project files for later reference or for billing purposes. An object of the invention is to dramatically improve the management and efficiency of web browsing to accomplish predetermined business goals.

Claims

2. The method of claim 1, wherein on-line activity is attributed to the project name in the associated research summary.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein a performance measure means is provided which analyses user statistics in a manner which measures the tendency of a user to remain focused on one project at a time, taking into account certain research session statistics including at least online time, a total number of project names researched online and time spent on the user'"'"'s personal project name.

22-1. The method of claim 1 wherein, if the user decides not to initiate a new research session associated with a new project, a URL associated with the link is stored for later access wherein, after the user indicates his desire to terminate research associated with the current project, defined as the current research session, the user is presented with a URL listing comprising URLs which were stored at the initiation of the user during the current research session, whereupon, the user may select a URL on the URL listing to initiate a new research session associated with a new project name.

23. A method which permits time-shifting of the downloading of web pages to a client computer, the method comprising the steps of (1) presenting a user with the option of termporarily storing a URL of an activated link in a file in which such URL may be stored and listed in conjunction with other URLs stored in a similar manner, thus creating a URL listing, wherein, when the user indicates a desire to logoff, the URL listing is presented to the user for use in launching another research session, at the user'"'"'s choosing;

thereafter, when the user logs off, the URL listing is deleted, unless the user takes affirmative action to save the URL listing.

24. A computer system encoded with a method which, when executed, permits time-shifting of the downloading of web pages to a client computer, the method comprising the steps of (1) presenting a user with the option of temporarily storing a URL of an activated link in a file in which such URL may be stored and listed in conjunction with other URLs stored in a similar manner, thus creating a URL listing, wherein, when the user indicates a desire to logoff, the URL listing is presented to the user for use in launching another research session, at the user'"'"'s choosing, thereafter, when the user logs off, the URL listing is deleted, unless the user takes affirmative action to save the URL listing.

26. A browsing method wherein descriptions of web sites saved in association with project names are saved and searchable by keyword, and wherein any matching terms in the descriptions cause URLs for these web sites to be presented in a form which may be selected by a user in order to launch a research session.

28. A system for performing research, the system comprising a computer and storage media encoded with a method which, when researching the Internet, and upon the input of a project name, associates contiguous online time with the particular project name, wherein the URLs of web sites which the user downloads for viewing will be recorded in a record in association with the project name.

31. A browsing method which associates online research to a project name, the method utilizing a search engine and searchable research summaries including URLs and associated descriptions which are available for key-word searching when the user is not connected to the Internet, the method creating a preliminary listing of URLs which the user may later save in association with the project name.

32. A computer system encoded with a browsing method for managing a research session on the Internet in which information is requested from a downloaded page, called the current downloaded page, by activating and clicking a hypertext link on the current downloaded page, wherein, after a user activates the link, input reception means is presented to the user, said means providing for the input of alphanumeric characters identifying a project to which at least the navigation history of the research session is to be associated, or for confirmation of association with alphanumeric characters already input, and when such characters are received or the association with the already input characters is confirmed, the method downloads the requested information in association with the alphanumeric characters.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein, after the alphanumeric characters are received and the research session is commenced, when a link is activated that is associated with a different root URL as compared to the current downloaded page, thus indicating the likelihood of different content, at least one input window is presented to the user which queries the user whether the new to-be-downloaded page will be associated with the current project name or a new project name or is to be saved as a TBM and the current research continued.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the shortcuts may be dragged and dropped into the URL listing using a project management subroutine controlled by a sub-interface.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein a shortcut is hypertext-type link to a single folder having links of particular interest to the current project.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the method, having downloaded the web page having content, solicits the user'"'"'s comments concerning the content of the downloaded page, the solicitation being made via an input field in an input window, these comments being available for key word searching and to indicate to a user the content of the web page.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the querying is not made when the pointed-to page is a subdomain of the current page.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the user is queried as to whether the URL associated with an activated anchor tag should be saved as a Temporary Bookmark, prior to downloading the selected data at the URL.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein, after review of the current page, the user is queried as to whether the downloaded data is to be associated with the current project name or a new project name.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein, after review of the current page, an input field is presented to the user permitting the user to input keywords and/or comments regarding the current page, thus providing the user the opportunity to contemporaneously comment on the current page before downloading the pointed-to page.

33-2. A browsing method encoded on a computer-readable medium, for managing Internet research, characterized in that an ordinary user is required to input a project name for association with the user'"'"'s research, and if such research is of a personal nature, an access control matrix limits access to the Internet for such research to substantially non-work hours.

47-3. The method according to claim 1 having an archiving feature wherein links in the research summary that haven'"'"'t been activated for a predetermined period of time are deleted to an archiving file such as a dedicated archive or a waste basket which permits a user to restore the link at a later time.