APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR UNIFORM RESOURCE LOCATOR SHARING

• US 20090241032A1
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zawacki, Jennifer Greenwood, Perrin, Steven Richard, Dubs, Justin Tyler, Challener, David Carroll
• Application Number:
  US12/050,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20090241032A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/15 Synchronised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for URL sharing. A link module links a plurality of user browsing sessions in a URL sharing session. A select module selects a user browsing session. A communication module communicates a URL for the selected user browsing session to each linked user browsing session. A display module displays the URL and corresponding web page of the selected user browsing session at each user browsing session.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program stored on a tangible storage device, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

link a plurality of user browsing sessions in a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) sharing session;

select a user browsing session;

communicate a URL for the selected user browsing session to each linked user browsing session; and

display the URL and corresponding web page of the selected user browsing session to each user browsing session.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to:

display a tab for each linked user browsing session; and

display a URL and corresponding web page viewed by a user browsing session in response to selecting a tab for the user browsing session.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to link the plurality of user browsing sessions at a portal.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to designate a first user browsing session as a leader browsing session.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to display a URL and a web page viewed by the leader browsing session for each user browsing session.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the leader browsing session is a site designated expert browsing session.

7. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to designate a second user browsing session as the leader browsing session in response to a user command.

8. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to record a browsing history of the leader browsing session and communicate the browsing history to the other user browsing sessions.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to record a browsing history of each user browsing session and communicate the browsing histories to the other user browsing sessions.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to communicate secure information from a first user browsing session to a second user browsing session in response to a command from the first user browsing session.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the secure information is a secure cookie.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the secure information comprises purchase payment information.

13. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to provide a text communication interface.

14. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to provide a voice communication interface.

15. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to provide a video communication interface.

16. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to record each shared URL and at least one shared user browsing session of the URL.

17. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to add a URL to a shared bookmark list and communicate the shared bookmark list to each linked user browsing session.

18. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to add and remove user browsing sessions in response to a user command.

19. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to initiate the linking of the plurality of user browsing sessions from a web page.

20. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to create a shared tab and initiate the link of the plurality of user browsing sessions from the shared tab.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a link module configured to link a plurality of user browsing sessions in a URL sharing session;

a select module configured to select a user browsing session;

a communication module configured to communicate a URL for the selected user browsing session to each linked user browsing session; and

a display module configured to display the URL and corresponding web page of the selected user browsing session to each user browsing session.

22. A system comprising:

a network;

a plurality of computers in communication with the network;

a portal server in communication with the computers through the network and comprising

a link module configured to link a plurality of user browsing sessions executing on the computers in a URL sharing session;

a select module configured to select a user browsing session;

a communication module configured to communicate a URL for the selected user browsing session to each linked user browsing session; and

each computer further comprising

a display module configured to display the URL and corresponding web page of the selected user browsing session to the user browsing session.