Hypertext displaying apparatus and hypertext displaying program

• US 20020100058A1
• Filed: 01/17/2002
• Published: 07/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Takuya, Kawano, Masakazu, Kato, Atsunobu, Hirose, Takako
• Granted Patent: US 7,398,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/113
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]

Abstract

A hypertext displaying apparatus is provided. When a link destination indicated in stored data is designated, a processing section 104 instructs a transmission/reception section 103 to download hypertext data at the link destination, and instructs a history storage section 110 to register an identifier ID of the currently-displayed stored data. If a user gives a “previous content” instruction, the processing section 104 reads from a stored information storage section 111 the stored data corresponding to the identifier ID registered in the history information storage section 110, so that the stored data is displayed on a screen.

Claims

1. A hypertext displaying apparatus for downloading hypertext data from a server device coupled to the hypertext display apparatus via network and displaying a content represented by the hypertext data, comprising:

download means for downloading, when a link destination is designated, hypertext data at the designated link destination from the server device via the network;

stored data storage means for storing, among the hypertext data having been downloaded by the download means, hypertext data requested by a user;

display means for displaying a content represented by hypertext data stored in the stored data storage means or a content represented by hypertext data which is newly downloaded by the download means;

displaying history storage means for storing a displaying history of at least one content represented by the hypertext data newly downloaded by the download means, wherein the displaying history is in accordance with an order in which the at least one content is displayed by the display means; and

redisplaying order control means for controlling, in accordance with the displaying history stored in the history storage means, an order in which contents are redisplayed by the display means;

wherein;

when a content at a link destination indicated in a source content represented by the hypertext data stored in the stored data storage means is newly displayed by the display means, the displaying history storage means stores a displaying history of the source content and one or more ensuing contents, wherein the displaying history is in accordance with an order in which the source content and the one or more ensuing contents are displayed by the display means; and

the redisplaying order control means allows contents to be redisplayed by the display means in a sequential manner, at least back to the source content.

2. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the stored data storage means assigns an identifier (ID) to each unit of hypertext data stored therein, the identifier (ID) being used for identifying a stored area of the hypertext data; and

in the displaying history stored in the displaying history storage means, the source content is described in the form of an identifier (ID) assigned thereto.

3. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising stored data deletion means for deleting hypertext data stored in the stored data storage means in accordance with an instruction given by the user, wherein:

for each unit of hypertext data stored, the stored data storage means stores an identifier (ID) and an acquisition source address of the hypertext data indicating an address of the hypertext data on the network;

in the displaying history stored in the displaying history storage means, the source content is described in the form of an identifier (ID) assigned thereto and an acquisition source address of the hypertext data representing the source content; and

if the hypertext data representing a source content to be redisplayed has been deleted by the stored data deletion means, the redisplaying order control means instructs the download means to again download the hypertext data representing the source content based on the acquisition source address, so that the downloaded hypertext data is displayed by the display means.

4. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising identicalness determination means for determining identicalness between the hypertext data representing a source content to be redisplayed and the hypertext data stored in the stored data storage means which corresponds to the identifier (ID) assigned to the hypertext data representing the source content,

wherein, when the identicalness determination means denies identicalness between the hypertext data associated with the source content, the redisplaying order control means instructs the download means to again download the hypertext data representing the source content based on the acquisition source address, so that the downloaded hypertext data is displayed by the display means.

5. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the identicalness determination means determines identicalness between the hypertext data associated with the source content based on the acquisition source address.

6. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising temporary storage means for temporarily storing hypertext data newly downloaded by the download means, and for temporarily storing, when a content at a link destination indicated in a source content represented by the hypertext data stored in the stored data storage means is newly displayed by the display means, the hypertext data representing the source content,

wherein the redisplaying order control means instructs the display means to redisplay a content based on the hypertext data stored in the temporary storage means.

7. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the temporary storage means is operative not to store the same hypertext data in a redundant manner.

8. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the temporary storage means is operative to temporarily store only a latest version of any given hypertext data.

9. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising stored data deletion means for deleting hypertext data stored in the stored data storage means in accordance with an instruction given by the user,

wherein the stored data deletion means is operative not to delete the hypertext data when the hypertext data has been registered in the displaying history storage means.

10. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the stored data storage means assigns an identifier (ID) to each unit of hypertext data stored therein, the identifier (ID) being used for identifying a stored area of the hypertext data;

the hypertext displaying apparatus further comprises temporary storage means for temporarily storing a URI of hypertext data newly downloaded by the download means, and for temporarily storing an identifier (ID) and a URI of the hypertext data representing the source content; and

when displaying a content represented by the hypertext data stored in the stored data storage means as instructed by the redisplaying order control means, the display means reads the hypertext data from the stored data storage means based on the identifier (ID) of the hypertext data stored in the temporary storage means, thereby displaying the content represented by the hypertext data.

11. A hypertext displaying program embodied on a medium readable by a hypertext displaying apparatus for downloading hypertext data from a server device coupled to the hypertext display apparatus via network and displaying a content represented by the hypertext data, comprising:

a download step of downloading, when a link destination is designated, hypertext data at the designated link destination from the server device via the network;

a stored data storage step for storing, among the hypertext data having been downloaded by the download step, hypertext data requested by a user;

a display step for displaying a content represented by hypertext data stored by the stored data storage step or a content represented by hypertext data which is newly downloaded by the download step;

a displaying history storage step for storing a displaying history of at least one content represented by the hypertext data newly downloaded by the download step, wherein the displaying history is in accordance with an order in which the at least one content is displayed by the display step; and

a redisplaying order control step for controlling, in accordance with the displaying history stored by the history storage step, an order in which contents are redisplayed by the display step;

wherein;

when a content at a link destination indicated in a source content represented by the hypertext data stored by the stored data storage step is newly displayed by the display step, the displaying history storage step stores a displaying history of the source content and one or more ensuing contents, wherein the displaying history is in accordance with an order in which the source content and the one or more ensuing contents are displayed by the display step; and

the redisplaying order control step allows contents to be redisplayed by the display step in a sequential manner, at least back to the source content.

12. The hypertext displaying program according to claim 11, wherein:

the stored data storage step assigns an identifier (ID) to each unit of hypertext data stored therein, the identifier (ID) being used for identifying a stored area of the hypertext data; and

in the displaying history stored by the displaying history storage step, the source content is described in the form of an identifier (ID) assigned thereto.

13. The hypertext displaying program according to claim 12, further comprising a stored data deletion step for deleting hypertext data stored by the stored data storage step in accordance with an instruction given by the user, wherein:

for each unit of hypertext data stored, the stored data storage step stores an identifier (ID) and an acquisition source address of the hypertext data indicating an address of the hypertext data on the network;

in the displaying history stored by the displaying history storage step, the source content is described in the form of an identifier (ID) assigned thereto and an acquisition source address of the hypertext data representing the source content; and

if the hypertext data representing a source content to be redisplayed has been deleted by the stored data deletion step, the redisplaying order control step instructs the download step to again download the hypertext data representing the source content based on the acquisition source address, so that the downloaded hypertext data is displayed by the display step.

14. The hypertext displaying program according to claim 13, further comprising an identicalness determination step for determining identicalness between the hypertext data representing a source content to be redisplayed and the hypertext data stored by the stored data storage step which corresponds to the identifier (ID) assigned to the hypertext data representing the source content,

wherein, when the identicalness determination step denies identicalness between the hypertext data associated with the source content, the redisplaying order control step instructs the download step to again download the hypertext data representing the source content based on the acquisition source address, so that the downloaded hypertext data is displayed by the display step.

15. The hypertext displaying program according to claim 14, wherein the identicalness determination step determines identicalness between the hypertext data associated with the source content based on the acquisition source address.

16. The hypertext displaying program according to claim 11, further comprising a temporary storage step for temporarily storing hypertext data newly downloaded by the download step, and for temporarily storing, when a content at a link destination indicated in a source content represented by the hypertext data stored by the stored data storage step is newly displayed by the display step, the hypertext data representing the source content,

wherein the redisplaying order control step instructs the display step to redisplay a content based on the hypertext data stored by the temporary storage step.

17. The hypertext displaying program according to claim 16, wherein the temporary storage step does not store the same hypertext data in a redundant manner.

18. The hypertext displaying program according to claim 16, wherein the temporary storage step temporarily stores only a latest version of any given hypertext data.

19. The hypertext displaying program according to claim 11, further comprising a stored data deletion step for deleting hypertext data stored by the stored data storage step in accordance with an instruction given by the user,

wherein the stored data deletion step does not delete the hypertext data when the hypertext data has been registered by the displaying history storage step.

20. The hypertext displaying program according to claim 11, wherein:

the stored data storage step assigns an identifier (ID) to each unit of hypertext data stored therein, the identifier (ID) being used for identifying a stored area of the hypertext data;

the hypertext displaying apparatus further comprises a temporary storage step for temporarily storing a URI of hypertext data newly downloaded by the download step, and for temporarily storing an identifier (ID) and a URI of the hypertext data representing the source content; and

when displaying a content represented by the hypertext data stored by the stored data storage step in accordance with an instruction from the redisplaying order control step, the display step reads the hypertext data stored by the stored data storage step based on the identifier (ID) of the hypertext data stored by the temporary storage step, thereby displaying the content represented by the hypertext data.