Method of contextually determining missing components of an incomplete uniform resource locator

• US 20080034113A1
• Filed: 06/20/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Frank Montero
• Original Assignee: Frank Montero
• Inventors: Montero, Frank
• Application Number:
  US11/820,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20080034113A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

A technique and apparatus for connecting a terminal to a host server on the Internet in response to an incomplete uniform resource locator (URL). The present method and apparatus receives an incomplete URL from the user, e.g., just a host name. The present method and apparatus contextually determines the remaining or missing components of the incomplete URL as a function of the host server received from the user.

Claims

1. A method of connecting a terminal to a host server on the internet in response to an incomplete uniform resource locator, wherein said terminal has a monitor and an input device, the method comprising the steps of:

entering a host name by a user corresponding to said host server on said input device to provide said incomplete uniform resource locator;

contextually determining remaining components of said incomplete uniform resource locator as a function of said host server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of contextually determining includes the step of determining a domain of said host server as a function of a probability distribution of the number of host servers in a particular domain.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said monitor includes a plurality of clickable buttons, each of said plurality of clickable buttons corresponding to one component of a uniform resource locator;

and wherein the step of contextually determining contextually determines the remaining components of said incomplete uniform resource locator in response to one or more of said plurality of clickable buttons clicked by said user.

4. Apparatus for connecting a computer terminal to a host server on the internet in response to an incomplete uniform resource locator, comprising a device for contextually determining remaining components of said incomplete uniform resource locator as a function of a host name entered by a user to provide a complete uniform resource locator, wherein said host name corresponds to said host server.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said device for contextually determining is operable to determine a domain of said host server as a function of a probability distribution of the number of host servers in a particular domain.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said terminal includes a monitor having a plurality of clickable buttons, each of said plurality of clickable buttons corresponding to one component of a uniform resource locator;

and said device for contextually determining contextually determines the remaining components of said incomplete uniform resource locator in response to one or more of said plurality of clickable buttons clicked by said user.