Web site cobrowsing

• US 20050091572A1
• Filed: 10/28/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gavrilescu, Alexandru, Anderson, Noel W., Bassali, Harpal
• Granted Patent: US 7,660,899 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/15 Synchronised browsing

Abstract

Cobrowsing web sites by two or more users is disclosed. For a cobrowsing session between a first client of a first user and a second client of a second user, the cobrowsing session is first initiated. The first user browses a web site on the first client. The first client sends to the second client a synchronization message. The synchronization message indicates one or more commands reflecting the browsing performed by the first user. The second client receives the synchronization message, and cobrowses the web site in accordance with the message and its included commands. Cobrowsing continues until the cobrowsing session is terminated. The commands of the synchronization message allow for fine granularity of cobrowsing.

Claims

1-36. -36. (canceled)

37. A computer-readable medium having a synchronization message, the synchronization message comprising an indication of a cobrowsing command sent from a computing device to another computing device, the cobrowsing command for causing the another computing device to cobrowse one or more pages in accordance with a browsing action performed at the computing device, the browsing action indicated by an object mapping the one or more pages to a document object model.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the cobrowsing command comprises an indication to cobrowse to a uniform resource identifier.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the cobrowsing command comprises an indication of current relative position in relation to a node identified in the document object model.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the cobrowsing command comprises an indication to scroll, the indication expressed as a percentage.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the cobrowsing command includes an indication of a cookie.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the cobrowsing command is indicated using an extensible markup language.

43. The computer readable medium of claim 37 wherein the synchronization message is sent using a Session Initiation Protocol.

44. A computer-readable medium having a data structure, the data structure comprising an indication of a cobrowsing command, the cobrowsing command indicating a browsing action performed at a computing device, the browsing action indicated by an object mapping pages to a document object model.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 44 wherein the cobrowsing command indicates a universal resource identifier.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 44 wherein the cobrowsing command indicates a node index that identifies a node of the document object model.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 44 wherein the cobrowsing command indicates an amount to scroll.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 47 wherein the amount to scroll is expressed as a percentage.

49. The computer-readable medium of claim 44 wherein the cobrowsing command includes an indication of a cookie.

50. The computer-readable medium of claim 44 wherein the cobrowsing command indicates a context, wherein the context provides information identifying a frame.

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 44 wherein the cobrowsing command is indicated using an extensible markup language.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 44 wherein the cobrowsing command is Control and the browsing action is to transfer control of a cobrowsing session.

53. The computer-readable medium of claim 44 wherein the cobrowsing command is Scroll and the browsing action is to scroll a document.

54. The computer-readable medium of claim 44 wherein the cobrowsing command is Highlight and the browsing action is to highlight a node of a frame.

55. The computer-readable medium of claim 44 wherein the cobrowsing command is Newpage and the browsing action is to open a page identified by a uniform resource identifier.

56. The computer-readable medium of claim 44 wherein the cobrowsing command is Focus and the browsing action is to change a focus of a browser window.

57. The computer-readable medium of claim 44 wherein the cobrowsing command is Resize and the browsing action is to resize a browser window.

58. A method performed by a computing system to cause another computing system to cobrowse one or more pages in accordance with a browsing action performed at the computing system, comprising:

receiving an indication of a browsing action, the indication provided by an object mapping the one or more pages to a document object model; and

sending a synchronization message to the another computing system, the synchronization message comprising an indication of a cobrowsing command corresponding to the browsing action.

59. The method of claim 58 wherein the synchronization message is sent using a Session Initiation Protocol.

60. The method of claim 58 wherein the synchronization message comprises an indication of a cookie.

61. The method of claim 58 wherein the synchronization message is indicated using an extensible markup language.

62. A computer-readable medium having a synchronization message, the synchronization message comprising an indication of a cobrowsing command sent from a computing device to another computing device using a Session Initiation Protocol, the cobrowsing command indicated using an extensible markup language conforming to a document type definition, the document type definition defining at least one cobrowsing command from a set of cobrowsing commands, comprising:

a Control command to transfer cobrowsing;

a Scroll command to cause a scrolling operation;

a Highlight command to cause a highlighting operation;

a Newpage command to cause a new browser page to open;

a Focus command to change focus; and

a Resize command to cause a resize operation.