Method, system and program product for display management of web page phone/fax numbers by a data processing system

• US 20040243939A1
• Filed: 05/29/2003
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Venkataramappa, Vishwanath, Perepa, Bhargav R., Perepa, Sujatha
• Granted Patent: US 7,607,100 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/739
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A Web browser provides a customized display of phone and fax numbers within a Web page according to user settings. A special phone or fax tag within the Web page file identifies an alphanumeric telephone number within the display (for example, 1-888-IBM-HELP). The telephone number data within the tagged field is converted into a preferred format, as specified at the customization settings page of the Web browser (for example, all numeric 1-888-426-4357). The conversion is preferably displayed upon user indication or activation such as placement of a cursor in proximity to the area occupied by the telephone number within the Web page. A mouse click or keyboard command causes an action within the computer system, as specified within the customization page for the Web browser. For example, by clicking on the telephone number, it is loaded into another software application to connect a telephone call or to send a fax to the telephone number.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for managing telephone numbers contained within a web page in accordance with user preferences, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying an electronic page to a user, wherein the page includes an element displaying a telephone number in a first representation of the telephone number, and wherein the element is identified to the data processing system by a tag embedded in the page;

converting the telephone number to a second representation of the telephone number in accordance with one or more preferences of the user, in response to the user indicating the element; and

modifying the display of the page to the user such that the telephone number is displayed using the second representation.

2. The method according to claim 1, said method further comprising the step of:

dialing the telephone number, in accordance with the preferences, in response to the user indicating the element.

3. The method according to claim 1, said method further comprising the step of:

transferring the second representation to a software application for utilization as a telephone number, in accordance with the preferences, in response to the user indicating the element.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tag indicates the telephone number is associated with a facsimile machine.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first representation is an alphanumeric representation and the second representation is a numeric representation.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first representation is a different language than the second representation.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user indicates the element by locating a user indication device in proximity of the element within the page being displayed.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the page comprises a markup language file.

9. A data processing system for managing telephone numbers contained within a web page in accordance with user preferences, said system comprising:

means for displaying an electronic page to a user, wherein the page includes an element displaying a telephone number in a first representation of the telephone number, and wherein the element is identified to the data processing system by a tag embedded in the page;

means for converting the telephone number to a second representation of the telephone number in accordance with one or more preferences of the user, in response to the user indicating the element; and

means for modifying the display of the page to the user such that the telephone number is displayed using the second representation.

10. The system according to claim 9, said system further comprising:

means for dialing the telephone number, in accordance with the preferences, in response to the user indicating the element.

11. The system according to claim 9, said system further comprising:

means for transferring the second representation to a software application for utilization as a telephone number, in accordance with the preferences, in response to the user indicating the element.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first representation is an alphanumeric representation and the second representation is a numeric representation.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first representation is a different language than the second representation.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the user indicates the element by locating a user indication device in proximity of the element within the page being displayed.

15. An article of manufacture comprising computer readable storage media including program logic embedded therein that causes control circuitry to perform the steps of:

displaying an electronic page to a user, wherein the page includes an element displaying a telephone number in a first representation of the telephone number, and wherein the element is identified to the data processing system by a tag embedded in the page;

converting the telephone number to a second representation of the telephone number in accordance with one or more preferences of the user, in response to the user indicating the element; and

modifying the display of the page to the user such that the telephone number is displayed using the second representation.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising program logic embedded therein that causes control circuitry to perform the steps of:

dialing the telephone number, in accordance with the preferences, in response to the user indicating the element.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising program logic embedded therein that causes control circuitry to perform the steps of:

transferring the second representation to a software application for utilization as a telephone number, in accordance with the preferences, in response to the user indicating the element.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the first representation is an alphanumeric representation and the second representation is a numeric representation.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the first representation is a different language than the second representation.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the page comprises a markup language file.