Method and system for controlling the operation of hyperlinks

• US 20030204815A1
• Filed: 04/29/2002
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Labs Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Technology Resources, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Knott, Benjamin A., Edwards, Gregory W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,568,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/513
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

A method and system for allowing users to control the operation of hyperlinks includes a graphical user interface that displays Internet and intranet hyperlinks from web sites. The graphical user interface includes a selectable button that accepts user settings. The user settings allow the users to determine the operation of the hyperlinks so that the hyperlinks either open in a new browser window or in an existing browser window when selected by the user. An interface engine generates the selectable button on the graphical user interface, examines the selectable button for any user settings, and controls the operation of the hyperlinks based upon the user settings.

Claims

1. A system for allowing a user to control the operation of one or more hyperlinks, the system comprising:

a browser operable to read HTML;

a graphical user interface associated with the browser, the graphical user interface operable to display HTML content;

a selectable button associated with the graphical user interface, the selectable button operable to accept one or more user settings and to provide a visual indication of the user settings;

a display associated with the browser, the display operable to display the graphical user interface and the selectable button; and

an interface engine associated with the selectable button and graphical user interface, the interface module operable to generate the selectable button, examine the selectable button to determine if the user has provided any user settings, and control the operation of the hyperlinks based upon the user settings.

2. A method for allowing a user to control the operation of one or more hyperlinks, the method comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface;

inserting one or more selectable buttons on the graphical user interface;

accepting one or more user settings at one or more of the selectable buttons; and

controlling how one or more of the hyperlinks operate based upon the user settings.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein accepting one or more user settings comprises examining the selectable button to determine if the user has supplied any user settings.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the user settings comprise information regarding whether the user wants a hyperlink to launch in a new browser window or in an existing browser window.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein controlling how one or more of the hyperlinks operate comprises determining if the user has supplied any user settings.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein controlling how one or more of the hyperlinks operate comprises determining if a hyperlink launches in a new browser window or an existing browser window based on the user settings.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein controlling how one or more of the hyperlinks operate comprises launching a hyperlink in a new browser window when the user selects the hyperlink based on the user settings.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein controlling how one or more of the hyperlinks operate comprises launching a hyperlink in an existing browser window when the user selects the hyperlink based on the user settings.

9. The method of claim 2 further comprising visually indicating one or more of the user settings.

10. The method of claim 2 wherein displaying the graphical user interface comprises displaying a modular graphical user interface including a plurality of modules, each module including an associated modular selectable button.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising applying the user settings for the modular selectable buttons to the hyperlinks within the associated module.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

distinguishing between the modules and associated modular selectable buttons; and

controlling the operation of one or more hyperlinks within one of the modules in accordance with the user settings associated with the associated modular selectable button and independent of the operation of the other modules.

13. The method of claim 2 wherein controlling how one or more of the hyperlinks operate comprises setting a default when the user fails to provides the user settings.

14. The method of claim 2 further comprising applying the user settings to all of the hyperlinks within the graphical user interface.

15. The method of claim 2 wherein controlling how one or more of the hyperlinks operate comprises carrying forward the user settings from an existing browser window to a new browser window.

16. Software for allowing a user to control the operation of one or more hyperlinks, the software embodied in a computer-readable medium and operable to:

display a graphical user interface;

insert one or more selectable buttons on the graphical user interface;

accept one or more user settings at one or more of the selectable buttons; and

control how one or more of the hyperlinks operate based upon the user settings.

17. The software of claim 16 wherein accepting one or more user settings comprises examining the selectable button to determine if the user has supplied any user settings.

18. The software of claim 16 wherein controlling how one or more of the hyperlinks operate comprises determining if the user has supplied any user settings.

19. The software of claim 16 wherein controlling how one or more of the hyperlinks operate comprises determining if a hyperlink launches in a new browser window or an existing browser window based on the user settings.

20. The software of claim 16 wherein controlling how one or more of the hyperlinks operate comprises launching a hyperlink in a new browser window when the user selects the hyperlink based on the user settings.

21. The software of claim 16 wherein controlling how one or more of the hyperlinks operate comprises launching a hyperlink in an existing browser window when the user selects the hyperlink based on the user settings.

22. The software of claim 16 further operable to apply the user settings to all of the hyperlinks within the graphical user interface.

23. A system for controlling the operation of hyperlinks, the system comprising:

a graphical user interface operable to display HTML content;

a selectable button associated with the graphical user interface, the selectable button operable to accept one or more user settings; and

an interface engine associated with the selectable button and graphical user interface, the interface module operable to generate the selectable button and control the operation of the hyperlinks based upon the user settings.

24. The system of claim 23 further comprising a browser operable to read HTML.

25. The system of claim 23 further comprising a display operable to display the graphical user interface and the selectable button.

26. The system of claim 23 wherein the user settings comprise information regarding whether the user wants a hyperlink to launch in a new browser window or in an existing browser window.

27. The system of claim 23 wherein the user settings determine if selecting a hyperlink launches the hyperlink in a new browser window or in an existing browser window.

28. The system of claim 23 wherein the placement of the selectable button is flexible in relation to the graphical user interface.

29. The system of claim 23 wherein the interface engine is further operable to examine the selectable button to determine if the user has provided any user settings.

30. The system of claim 23 wherein the interface engine is operable to launch a new browser window when the user selects the hyperlink based on the user settings.

31. The system of claim 23 wherein the interface engine is operable to launch a hyperlink in an existing browser window when the user selects the hyperlink based on the user settings.

32. The system of claim 23 wherein the graphical user interface comprises a modular graphical user interface divided into a plurality of modules, each module including an associated modular selectable button.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the user settings for the modular selectable buttons apply to the hyperlinks within the associated module.

34. The system of claim 32 wherein the interface engine is further operable to:

distinguish between the modules and associated modular selectable buttons; and

control the operation of one or more hyperlinks within one of the modules in accordance with the user settings associated with the associated modular selectable button and independent of the operation of the other modules.

35. The system of claim 23 wherein the selectable button is further operable to provide a visual indication of one or more of the user settings.

36. The system of claim 23 wherein the interface engine is further operable to set the selectable button to a default when the user does not provide any user settings.

37. The system of claim 23 wherein the user settings for the selectable button apply to all of the hyperlinks within the graphical user interface.

38. The system of claim 23 wherein the interface engine is further operable to apply the user settings from an existing browser window to a new browser window.