User-controlled web browser table sorting
First Claim
1. A method for sorting data in a table of a web page comprising:
- receiving the web page at a computer connected to the Internet;
interrogating incoming hypertext markup languge in the web page for a table structure tag;
responsive to finding a table structure tag, marking the table structure tag as a potentially sortable tag;
determining whether the potentially sortable tag meets a criteria for sorting;
responsive to determining that the potentially sortable tag meets the criteria, introducing a control into the potentially sortable tag to create a sortable tag;
linking the control to a sorting alogorithm; and
activating the control so that the data associated with the table structure tag is sorted.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention that meets the needs identified above is a web browser plug-in or feature comprising a modification program (MP), a configuration program (CP), a sorting program (SP), algorithms and rules, that interacts with a web browser to analyze a web page for tables, and to insert controls. The analysis consists of interrogating incoming hypertext markup language (HTML) for table structure <table>, <tr>, <th> and <td> tags, and incoming text for delimiters. The configuration program introduces controls into the text for each column and row delimeter that met a criteria for being sortable. In addition, the configuration program introduces controls into the HTML for each column and row tag that met a criteria for being sortable. The configuration program links the controls to a sorting algorithm so that when activated, the appropriate sorting algorithm will act on the row or column associated with the control. The controls are injected before the web browser renders the web page. When the web browser renders the web page, the web browser recognizes and interprets the injected HTML code so that the table may be sorted by the sorting program.
43 Citations
55 Claims
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1. A method for sorting data in a table of a web page comprising:
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receiving the web page at a computer connected to the Internet;
interrogating incoming hypertext markup languge in the web page for a table structure tag;
responsive to finding a table structure tag, marking the table structure tag as a potentially sortable tag;
determining whether the potentially sortable tag meets a criteria for sorting;
responsive to determining that the potentially sortable tag meets the criteria, introducing a control into the potentially sortable tag to create a sortable tag;
linking the control to a sorting alogorithm; and
activating the control so that the data associated with the table structure tag is sorted. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. An apparatus for sorting data in a table of a web page comprising:
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a web server connected to the Internet;
a computer connected to the Internet;
a program in the memory of the computer that causes the computer to perform the following steps;
receiving the web page at a computer connected to the Internet;
interrogating incoming hypertext markup languge in the web page for a table structure tag;
responsive to finding a table structure tag, marking the table structure tag as a potentially sortable tag;
determining whether the potentially sortable tag meets a criteria for sorting;
responsive to determining that the potentially sortable tag meets the criteria, introducing a control into the potentially sortable tag to create a sortable tag;
linking the control to a sorting alogorithm; and
activating the control so that the data associated with the table structure tag is sorted. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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Specification