Browser Renderable Toolbar

• US 20080155425A1
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Murthy, Vinodh Kumar Chandra, Kalaboukis, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 9,003,296 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A method of creating a browser renderable toolbar or helper application, and a network architecture therefore. The browser renderable toolbar obviates the need for separately-installed software while still permitting a user to take advantage of the functionality provided by a traditional toolbar.

Claims

1. A method for presenting a toolbar to a user through a browser comprising:

embedding code into a downloadable document comprising browser interpretable commands, the commands, when interpreted by a browser, causing the browser to render, within a content display area of the browser, a user toolbar, the functions of which are defined by said code; and

serving said document.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving identification information from a user;

performing user authentication based on the received identification information to determine an appropriate user account associated with the user; and

,

incorporating preferences associated with the appropriate user account into the downloadable document.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the preferences associated with the appropriate user account comprise a set of favorite web sites.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining capabilities of a device on which the browser is operating; and

,

incorporating the device capabilities into the embedded code.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the incorporating comprises omitting a subset of the embedded code.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining capabilities of the browser; and

,

incorporating the browser capabilities into the embedded code.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the incorporating comprises omitting a subset of the embedded code.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the browser interpretable commands comprise commands written in XML.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the browser interpretable commands comprise commands written in AJAX.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the browser interpretable commands comprise instructions for facilitating searching of network-accessible documents.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the network-accessible documents comprise documents accessible via the Internet.

12. A method of creating a toolbar capable of being rendered by a browser running on a device, comprising:

determining a set of toolbar preferences;

defining browser interpretable commands, wherein the browser interpretable commands, when interpreted by a browser, cause the browser to render a toolbar configured according to the helper application preferences within a browser content display area, and wherein the browser interpretable commands, when interpreted by the browser, cause the browser to incorporate the toolbar into the content display area as additional content is displayed by the browser; and

, transmitting the browser interpretable commands to a device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving identification information from a user;

performing user authentication based on the received identification information to determine an appropriate user account associated with the user; and

,

modifying the set of toolbar preferences based on preferences associated with the appropriate user account.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the user authentication step is repeated at least once if the user authentication step fails, and wherein a default user account is utilized when authentication subsequently fails.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining capabilities of the device; and

,

modifying the browser interpretable commands based on the device capabilities.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the browser interpretable commands comprise commands written in XML.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the browser interpretable commands comprise commands written in AJAX.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the helper application preferences comprises a set of favorite web sites.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the browser interpretable commands comprise instructions for facilitating searching of network-accessible documents.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the network-accessible documents comprise documents accessible via the Internet.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining capabilities of the browser; and

,

modifying the browser interpretable commands based on the browser capabilities.

22. Browser interpretable commands for implementing a helper application, comprising:

a set of commands defining the appearance of the helper application;

a set of commands defining a plurality of user interface elements; and

,

a set of commands whereby the browser renders the helper application as part of each subsequent page displayed by the browser.

23. The browser interpretable commands of claim 22, wherein the appearance definition comprises at least one background image.

24. The browser interpretable commands of claim 22, wherein each user interface element definition comprises at least one image.

25. The browser interpretable commands of claim 24, wherein each user interface element definition further comprises at least one of the set of a URL and additional browser interpretable commands.

26. A method of controlling an Internet browser content display area on a display of a device, and enabling a user of the device and Internet browser to access and navigate the Internet and to receive and display one or more Web pages from one or more Internet sites, including the display of a Web page from a predetermined Internet site, the Internet browser having a bounded user interface area, the Internet browser further having a bounded content display area for displaying Web pages, the content display area being a separate area from the user interface area of the browser, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing, at the predetermined Internet site, access to a browser interpretable web page for generating an Internet browser toolbar; and

(b) downloading from the predetermined Internet site said web page, wherein said web page, when interpreted by the browser, adjusts the bounds of the content display area if necessary and causes the display, within the bounds of the content display area, of a user toolbar that, by virtue of the web page, is added to and appears in and remains entirely within the bounds of the content display area without overlying anything that was displayed in the bounds of the user interface area of the browser prior to downloading and without overlying any other content in the content display area, said user toolbar making additional functionality that is not part of the Internet browser prior to download available to the user after download, such that once the user toolbar is displayed the user toolbar remains displayed within the bounds of the content display area and said additional functionality remains available to the user regardless of a subsequent Internet site to which the Internet browser is caused to navigate after download.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the user toolbar comprises a toolbar user interface element and wherein the user toolbar is customizable by the user to provide user-selected functionality in the user toolbar.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the toolbar user interface element is a toolbar button.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the browser user interface area also comprises an address window in which a user can enter a web site addresses to which the user desires the browser to navigate, and wherein the user interface element is a search window, independent of the address window and independent of any search capability of the browser prior to download of the web page, which search window enables the user to enter a search term in the search window and initiate a search at the predetermined Internet site or another Internet site regardless of the Internet site to which the device is connected via the browser at the time the search is initiated or what web site address is present in the address window at the time the search is initiated.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of making available for downloading by the predetermined Internet site additional information specific to the user of the device and Internet browser, for defining all or part of the user toolbar, and wherein all or part of the display of the user toolbar is dependent upon the downloaded additional information.

31. A browser interpretable document for rendering by a browser on a display of a device, the Internet browser facilitating connection between the device and one or more Internet sites including a predetermined Internet site, the Internet browser comprising a defined user interface portion and a defined content display portion, the Internet browser further facilitating displaying on a display of the device and in the defined content display portion one or more Web pages from the one or more Internet sites, including displaying of Web pages from the predetermined Internet site, comprising browser interpretable commands, whereby said Internet browser content display portion, after being enabled with new functionality via navigation to and download of the browser interpretable document from said predetermined Internet site and interpretation of the browser interpretable commands, comprises a persistent user toolbar which does not overly anything displayed in the user interface portion prior to the user toolbar being enabled, and whereby the persistent user toolbar is displayed so as to create the visual impression that the user toolbar is an integrated part of the Internet browser user interface, the user toolbar providing additional functionality to the user regardless of which one of said one or more Internet sites the device is connected to via the Internet browser.

32. An Internet browser interface as recited by claim 31, wherein said user toolbar comprises a user interface element, and wherein the user interface element is customizable by the user.

33. An Internet browser interface as recited by claim 32, wherein said user interface element is a toolbar button.

34. An Internet browser interface as recited by claim 32, wherein the browser also contains an address window in which a user can enter web site addresses to which the user desires the browser to navigate, and wherein the user interface element is a search window, independent of the address window and independent of any search capability provided as part of said Internet browser, which search window enables the user to initiate a search at the predetermined Internet site or another Internet site regardless of the Internet site to which the device is connected via the browser at the time the search is initiated or what web site address is present in the address window at the time the search is initiated.

35. An Internet browser interface as recited by claim 32, wherein said user interface element comprises an AJAX-based set of commands that enables user customization of at least said user interface element.

36. An Internet browser interface as recited by claim 31, wherein said user toolbar periodically re-establishes a connection to the predetermined Internet site while the Internet browser is activated to receive additional information, specific to the user of the device and Internet browser, from the predetermined Internet site, and wherein all or part of said user toolbar is dependent upon the additional information, and wherein said connection occurs independent of any web page to which the user has navigated and independent of any home page to which the browser is programmed to navigate upon activation of the browser.

37. A system for controlling an Internet browser displayable on a display of a device, said system comprising:

a server, said server comprising a web page comprising browser interpretable instructions which are accessible over the Internet by a user of the device, wherein the web page comprises instructions for controlling a browser content display area; and

said web page further comprising browser interpretable instructions interpretable by an Internet browser, said Internet browser having a bounded web content display area, the Internet browser further having a bounded user interface area, the content display area being separate from the user interface area of the browser, said browser interpretable instructions, when said web page is interpreted, causing the display, within the bounds of the browser web content display area, of a user toolbar that, by virtue of its being downloaded, appears in and remains entirely within the bounds of the browser web content display area, said user toolbar making additional functionality that is not part of the Internet browser prior to download available to the user after download, such that once the user toolbar is displayed said additional functionality remains available to the user regardless of a subsequent Internet site to which the Internet browser is caused to navigate after download.

38. A system as recited by claim 37, wherein said downloadable browser interpretable instructions cause a user interface element to be displayed as part of said user toolbar.

39. A system as recited by claim 38, wherein said user interface element enables a user of the device to customize the user toolbar and comprises instructions written in AJAX.

40. A system as recited by claim 38, wherein said user interface element enables a user of the device to customize the user toolbar.

41. A system as recited by claim 38, wherein said user interface element is a toolbar button.

42. A system as recited by claim 38, wherein said browser, has an address window and wherein said user interface element is a search window that enables a user of the device and Internet browser to initiate a search at a predetermined Internet site or another Internet site regardless of the Internet site to which the device is connected at the time the search is initiated and regardless of any address present in the address window at the time the search is initiated.

43. A system as recited by claim 38, wherein the browser interpretable instructions periodically re-establish a link between the device and the predetermined Internet site to receive additional information from the predetermined Internet site for defining all or part of a user interface element.