Substitute uniform resource locator (URL) generation

• US 20070124414A1
• Filed: 11/30/2005
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bedingfield, James, Gehl, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,255,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/672 Short addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion

Abstract

Methods of generating a substitute URL are disclosed. In one implementation, a form is presented by a web server on a web site home page for the submission of a first URL for which a user wishes to generate an alias URL. A second URL is then generated for the URL that is entered in the form. The second URL contains some indication of the web site that hosts the first URL. In a second implementation the substitute URL generation is offered through a link or button on a web page other than the web site home page. The substitute URL is generated for the URL for the web page that hosts the link. In a third implementation, a web site automatically generates substitute URLs.

Claims

1. A method for generating a substitute uniform resource locator (URL) comprising:

providing a prompt on a webpage for generating a substitute URL for a first URL associated with the webpage;

receiving a response to the prompt from a user; and

generating the substitute URL.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the substitute URL is shorter than the first URL.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the substitute URL to the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the substitute URL includes selecting the substitute URL from a database of available substitute URLs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the substitute URL includes generating the substitute URL with an algorithm.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the substitute URL includes a domain name as part of the URL.

7. A computer readable medium with logic embedded therein for executing on a computer a method for generating a substitute uniform resource locator (URL) comprising:

logic for providing a prompt on a webpage for generating a substitute URL for a first URL associated with a webpage;

logic for receiving a response to the prompt from a user; and

logic for generating the substitute URL.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the substitute URL is shorter than the first URL.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7, further comprising:

presenting the substitute URL to the user.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein generating the substitute URL includes selecting the substitute URL from a database of available substitute URLs.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein generating the substitute URL includes generating the substitute URL with an algorithm.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the substitute URL includes a domain name as part of the URL.

13. A system for generating a substitute uniform resource locator (URL) comprising:

a webpage with hyperlinked text for prompting for the generation of a substitute URL for a first URL associated with the webpage;

a server for receiving a response to the prompt from a user; and

an application for generating the substitute URL.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the substitute URL is shorter than the first URL.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a webpage for presenting the substitute URL to the user.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising an application for selecting the substitute URL from a database of available substitute URLs.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising an application for generating the substitute URL with an algorithm.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the substitute URL includes the domain name as part of the URL.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the application resides on a server.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the application resides on a client.