SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR WEB BROWSING

• US 20100115428A1
• Filed: 06/08/2009
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Browse3D, LLC
• Original Assignee: Browse3D Corporation
• Inventors: Randa, Robert C., Shuping, David T., Johnson, Villiam R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,129,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]

Abstract

A system and method for web browsing contemporaneously displays multiple web pages, advertisements, or other applications, preferably within a single window, for a user to view. In a preferred embodiment, a current web page, a past web page, a future web page, and/or an advertisement or other application are contemporaneously displayed in a single window. In this embodiment, the present invention tracks a past web page and renders it in a first panel, renders the current web page in a second panel, and identifies a hyperlink in the current web page to retrieve and render the future web page in a third panel. In other embodiments, a host provides a list of web pages that are to be displayed in the panels. In other embodiments, a user selects a list of web pages that are to be displayed in the panels. In other embodiments, hyperlinks are filtered and/or prioritized to determine which web pages are to be displayed in the panels. In this manner, the user contemporaneously views the current web page, the past page, and the future web page, or alternately, multiple web pages in the single window. Preferably, the present invention is implemented as a web browsing room in a three-dimensional space where walls of the rooms correspond to various ones of the aforementioned panels and a floor of which may be used to display advertisements or provide other applications. The user can view the web pages in the browsing room using various three-dimensional navigation techniques.

Claims

1. A method for browsing web pages comprising:

receiving first web page data including a plurality of references, each of said plurality of references associated with web page data;

receiving indicia specifying a subset of said plurality of references;

rendering a first web page using said first web page data in a first panel;

automatically requesting web page data associated with said subset of said plurality of references; and

rendering additional web pages using said requested web page data in a second panel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said rendering a first web page comprises using a first web browsing engine to render said first web page;

and

wherein said rendering additional web pages comprises using a second web browsing engine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said rendering additional web pages comprises rendering each of said additional web pages as a thumbnail image in said second panel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving indicia specifying a subset of said plurality of references comprises receiving said indicia as a prioritized list of references in said first web page data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving indicia specifying a subset of said plurality of references comprises receiving said indicia as a prioritized list of references along with said first web page data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving indicia specifying a subset of said plurality of references comprises receiving said indicia as a user selected reference designated by a user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving indicia specifying a subset of said plurality of references comprises receiving said indicia as a prioritized list of references from a host associated with said first web page data.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said receiving indicia specifying a subset of said plurality of references comprises receiving said indicia from a third party.

9. A method for browsing web pages:

rendering a first web page in a first panel using first web page data, said first web page including a plurality of user selectable references to additional web pages;

requesting web page data associated with each of a plurality of selected references designated by a user from among said plurality of user selectable references; and

rendering a web page for each of said requested web page data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said rendering a web page for each of said requested web page data comprises rendering a web page for each of said requested web page data in a second panel.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said rendering a web page for each of said requested web page data comprises rendering a web page for each of said requested web page data, each of said web pages rendered in a separate second panel.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said rendering a first web page comprises rendering said first web page using a first web browsing engine;

and

wherein said rendering a web page for each of said requested web page data comprises rendering said web page for each of said requested web page data using a second web browsing engine.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said rendering a first web page comprises rendering said first web page using a first web browsing engine;

and

wherein said rendering a web page for each of said requested web page data comprises rendering said web page for each of said requested web page data using a separate web browsing engine for each of said requested web page data.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said rendering a web page for each of said requested web page data comprises rendering said web page as a thumbnail image for each of said requested web page data.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said rendering a web page for each of said requested web page data comprises rendering said web page as a thumbnail image in a second panel for each of said requested web page data.

16. A graphic user interface comprising:

a first panel having a first web page rendered therein from first web page data, said first web page including a plurality of user selectable references to additional web page data; and

a second panel having a plurality of selected web pages rendered therein, said plurality of selected web pages selected by a user from among said plurality of user selectable references.

17. A graphic user interface comprising:

a room in a three-dimensional space, said room having a first wall, a second wall, and a third wall,

wherein said first wall includes a past web page rendered thereon,

wherein said second wall includes a current web page rendered thereon, said current web page including a plurality of user selectable hyperlinks; and

wherein said third wall includes a plurality of future web pages rendered thereon, said future web pages selected by a user from among said plurality of user selectable hyperlinks.

18. The graphic user interface of claim 17, wherein said room is navigable in said three-dimensional space.

19. The graphic user interface of claim 17, wherein when a user selects one of said plurality of future web pages on said third wall, said selected one of said plurality of future web pages is rendered on said second wall thereby becoming a new current web page.

20. A method for browsing web pages comprising:

rendering, in a first panel, a current web page from current web page data;

receiving a reference to a first web page;

in response to said receiving a reference, requesting first web page data using said reference;

receiving said first web page data; and

rendering said first web page in a second panel;

wherein said first panel and said second panel are contemporaneously viewable by a user.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said receiving a reference to a first web page comprises receiving, in said current web page data, said reference to said first web page.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said receiving a reference to a first web page comprises receiving, independently from said current web page data, said reference to said first web page.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein said receiving a reference to a first web page comprises receiving said reference to said first web page from a host.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said receiving a reference to a first web page comprises receiving said reference to said first web page from a host associated with said current web page.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein said receiving a reference to a first web page comprises receiving said reference to said first web page, wherein said first web page includes content similar to content included in said current web page.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein said receiving a reference to a first web page comprises receiving said reference to said first web page, wherein said first web page and said current web page are provided from a single web site.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein said receiving a reference to a first web page comprises receiving said reference to said first web page, wherein said first web page and said current web page are provided from separate web sites.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein said receiving a reference to a first web page comprises receiving information regarding positioning of said first web page in said second panel.

29. A method of displaying content to a user using a web browser having a plurality of panels, comprising:

providing information to the web browser, said information including a reference corresponding to a web page, said information causing the web browser to automatically retrieve and render said web page in one of the plurality of panels.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said providing information to the web browser comprises providing information to the web browser in web page data associated with a current web page requested by the user.

31. A method for providing content to a user having a web browser comprising:

in response to a user request for a current web page, transmitting current web page data associated with said current web page, said current web page data including a reference to a second web page, said current web page data also including information that causes the web browser to retrieve and render said second web page for contemporaneous viewing with said current web page by the user.

32. A web browser comprising:

a first panel that displays a first web page rendered from first web page data in response to a user request; and

a second panel that displays a second web page rendered from second web page data retrieved via a reference provided by a host.

33. The web browser of claim 32, further comprising a third panel that displays advertising rendered from advertising data.

34. The web browser of claim 32, wherein said third panel displays advertising that would otherwise be displayed in said first panel.

35. The web browser of claim 32, wherein said host is a web site owner associated with said first web page.

36. The web browser of claim 32, wherein said host is a network manager associated with a user of the web browser.

37. The web browser of claim 32, wherein said second web page is determined by said host to have content similar to that included in said first web page.

38. The web browser of claim 32, wherein said second web page is determined by said host to have content pertinent to a user of the web browser.