Information retrieval and display system

• US 20040049541A1
• Filed: 09/09/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Better Browsing LLC (Mount Treble LLC)
• Original Assignee: Robert Osann
• Inventors: Swahn, Alan Earl
• Granted Patent: US 8,015,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9562 Bookmark management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour

Abstract

Methods are described to preload a plurality of webpages from a hyperlink list either previously saved or returned by one or more search engines, where said webpages are displayed on demand in a web browser. The web browser has been augmented to display multiple webpages simultaneously and to allow changing the number of webpages displayed. Any displayed portion of this plurality of webpages can be captured to a standard graphics format for later use. The viewing magnification factor can be changed for this plurality of webpages both globally for preloaded webpages not displayed and selectively for displayed webpages. The hyperlinks associated with any portion of this plurality of webpages can be saved as a list of hyperlinks (group bookmark) for later retrieval. A queue of favorite webpages can be dynamically created from this plurality of webpages by selecting one or more webpages and having the associated hyperlinks to said selected webpages appended to a queue of hyperlinks which is available for preloading, display, or saved as a group bookmark.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving and viewing webpages in a web browser, comprising:

receiving a hyperlink list from a search engine;

loading a plurality of webpages referred to by said hyperlink list into a queue; and

viewing said webpages in a web browser.

2. The method of claim 1 where said loading is accomplished by preloading a selectable number of webpages pointed to by hyperlinks in a queue of hyperlinks.

3. The method of claim 1 where said loading is accomplished by periodically scanning a queue of hyperlinks and upon finding a hyperlink and its associated webpage that has not been preloaded, said associated webpage is then preloaded into a webpage queue.

4. The method of claim 1 where said loading is accomplished by preloading descendant webpages of hyperlinks that exist for a plurality of webpages currently displayed in a web browser.

5. The method of claim 1 where said loading is accomplished by preloading descendant webpages of hyperlinks that exist for preloaded webpages in a queue of webpages, where such preloaded webpages are not yet displayed in a web browser.

6. The method of claim 1 where said loading is accomplished by concurrently preloading a predetermined number webpages pointed to by hyperlinks in a queue of hyperlinks.

7. The method of claim 1 where said loading is accomplished by determining the available network download bandwidth and preloading a predetermined number of webpages based on such available network download bandwidth.

8. The method of claim 1 where said loading is accomplished by determining that the computer processor(s) isn'"'"'t saturated and preloading a predetermined number of webpages based on such processor'"'"'s non-saturation state.

9. A method of displaying network-based information, including:

displaying a plurality of fully functional webpages in a single web browser at the same time.

10. The method of claim 9 where said displaying is accomplished by making visible prior preloaded webpages that correspond to hyperlinks in a queue of hyperlinks.

11. The method of claim 9 where said displaying includes webpages from a prior saved hyperlink list.

12. The method of claim 9 where said displaying includes webpages from one or more hyperlink lists returned by a plurality of search engines.

13. A method of operating on network-based information, including operating on a plurality of fully functional webpages displayed simultaneously in a single web browser.

14. The method for claim 13 where said operating is accomplished by changing the initial magnification factor of any or all preloaded webpages prior to visible display and said initial magnification factor is capable of being overridden once a webpage is displayed.

15. The method of claim 13 where said operating is accomplished by selecting any portion of any displayed webpages and creating a duplicate image of said any portion in a format that can be saved and used at a later time.

16. The method of claim 13 where said operating is accomplished by changing the number of webpages displayed in a browser at the same time.

17. The method of claim 13 where said operating is accomplished by saving the hyperlink references to any of the webpages displayed or queued for display as a group bookmark hyperlink list that may be loaded and displayed in a web browser at a later time.

18. The method of claim 17 with the additional capability of saving the search context that enables a plurality of search engines to return hyperlink lists based on said search context.

19. The method of claim 13 where said operating is accomplished by selectively deleting any of the webpages displayed or queued for display.

20. The method of claim 13 where said operating is accomplished by selectively copying a portion of the queue of hyperlinks that represent webpages displayed or queued for display to a secondary favorites queue of hyperlinks for later display.