Method and apparatus for viewing and managing information in a history

• US 20020191032A1
• Filed: 06/18/2001
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Michael Wayne, Ullmann, Cristi Nesbitt, Kaply, Michael Aaron, Reed, Aaron Keith
• Application Number:
  US09/884,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20020191032A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/838
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing confidential information in a graphical user interface in a data processing system. Confidential information is generated within a history generated by a browser in the graphical user interface to form a presentation. A user input is received. The confidential information is manipulated using the user input.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for managing confidential information in a graphical user interface, the method comprising:

presenting confidential information within a history generated by a browser in the graphical user interface to form a presentation;

receiving a user input; and

manipulating the confidential information using the user input.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a selection of the confidential information for presentation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the presentation is in a form of a set of thumbnails, wherein each thumbnail represents a Web page containing a portion of the confidential information.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

responsive to a selection of a particular thumbnail from the set of thumbnails, displaying a Web page associated with the particular thumbnail.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the presentation is in a form a of tree and wherein the confidential information presented as nodes in the tree.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each node within the nodes represents an object containing a portion of the confidential information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the object includes at least one of a Web page and a cookie.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving step comprises:

receiving the selection of information as a user input.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the history includes a cookie file, a cache for storing data associated with Web pages, a location list, and a history list.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input is to delete a selected portion of the confidential information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the selected portion is all of the confidential information.

15. The data processing system of claim 14, wherein the receiving means is a first receiving means and further comprising:

second receiving means for receiving a selection of the confidential information for presentation.

16. The data processing system of claim 14, wherein the presentation is in a form of a set of thumbnails, wherein each thumbnail represents a Web page containing a portion of the confidential information.

17. The data processing system of claim 16 further comprising:

displaying means for responsive to a selection of a particular thumbnail from the set of thumbnails, displaying a Web page associated with the particular thumbnail.

18. The data processing system of claim 14, wherein the presentation is in a form a of tree and wherein the confidential information presented as nodes in the tree.

19. The data processing system of claim 18, wherein each node within the nodes represents an object containing a portion of the confidential information.

20. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the object includes at least one of a Web page and a cookie.

22. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the second receiving means comprises:

means for receiving the selection of information as a user input.

23. The data processing system of claim 14, wherein the history includes a cookie file, a cache for storing data associated with Web pages, a location list, and a history list.

24. The data processing system of claim 14, wherein the user input is to delete a selected portion of the confidential information.

25. The data processing system of claim 24, wherein the selected portion is all for the confidential information.

8. The method of clam 1, wherein the confidential information includes at least one of a phone number, a credit card number, a social security number, an address of a user, a user identification, a password, and a personal identification number.

13. A data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a communications unit connected to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to present confidential information within a history generated by a browser in the graphical user interface to form a presentation;

receive a user input; and

manipulate the confidential information using the user input.

14. A data processing system for managing confidential information in a graphical user interface, the data processing system comprising:

presenting means for presenting confidential information within a history generated by a browser in the graphical user interface to form a presentation;

receiving means for receiving a user input; and

manipulating means for manipulating the confidential information using the user input.

21. The data processing system of clam 14, wherein the confidential information includes at least one of a phone number, a credit card number, a social security number, an address of a user, a user identification, a password, and a personal identification number.

26. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for managing confidential information in a graphical user interface, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for presenting confidential information within a history generated by a browser in the graphical user interface to form a presentation;

second instructions for receiving a user input;

third instructions for manipulating the confidential information using the user input.