WEB BROWSER PAGE TRANSITION ACCELERATION

• US 20140143644A1
• Filed: 10/04/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Redfin Corporation
• Original Assignee: Michael Smedberg
• Inventors: SMEDBERG, MICHAEL, FABULICH, DAN
• Application Number:
  US14/046,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20140143644A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/06 Arrangements for sorting, selecting, merging, or comparing data on individual record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A page transition system is described herein that allows for fast switching between a master page and one or more detail pages of a website, without substantial recoding of the website. The system includes a software library that handles link click events in the master page and the back button in detail pages. When the user clicks a link in the master page, the content of the master page is hidden and the content of the detail page is displayed in a hypertext markup language (HTML) iframe or similar construct that occupies the entirety of the browser viewport. When the user clicks the back button in the detail page to return to the master page M, the iframe is hidden or destroyed, and the content for the master page is unhidden. Thus, the system provides smooth page transitions that are faster for users and lower in burden on the server.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to transition from displaying a master web page to a detail web page of a web site, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a client web browser to load a master web page from a server;

requesting and loading the requested master web page from the server;

displaying the loaded master web page to the user in a window of the client web browser;

intercepting a request to load a detail page from the master web page;

requesting and loading the detail page from the server;

storing the loaded master web page in a hidden section of a container page, wherein the container page includes containers for isolating multiple pages that can be switched between or among in a single page by altering each container'"'"'s visibility;

placing the loaded detail page in a second section of the container page, and displaying the second section to the user; and

displaying the loaded detail page to the user in a window of the client web browser, while the master web page is still in memory,

wherein the preceding steps are performed by at least one processor.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the request to load the master web page comprises receiving an indication that the user typed a uniform resource locator (URL) for the master web page in an address bar of the web browser.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the master web page is a web page that provides an access point to a number of other detail web pages, and is frequently revisited by the user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein requesting the master web page from the server comprises receiving static and dynamic, personalized content from the server representing the master web page.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein requesting the master web page from the server comprises performing multiple synchronous and asynchronous calls to the server to retrieve content of the master web page.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the method promotes reuse of effort spent to load the master web page by avoiding common scenarios under which the master web page'"'"'s loaded contents are discarded.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the master web page comprises placing the master web page within a hypertext markup language (HTML) DIV tag having a known identifier so that the master web page can later be hidden by hiding the DIV tag contents.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the master web page comprises rewriting one or more elements of the master web page that refer to select other pages to cause scripting actions to be invoked rather than navigating away from the master web page upon activation of the elements.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein intercepting the request to load the detail page comprises receiving a call to an OnClick handler for a link selected by the user.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein loading the detail page comprises causing the client web browser to load the detail web page while the master web page is still in memory and displayable.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein loading the detail page comprises displaying a temporary loading indication to the user that indicates to the user that more content is coming soon.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein placing the loaded detail page in the second section comprises placing the detail page in an HTML IFRAME, where the IFRAME displays as the entire content of the page from the user'"'"'s perspective.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying browser information to complete an appearance to the user that the detail page has been loaded, including an action selected from the group consisting of modifying the address bar, title bar, and browser history to make it appear that the detail page is the only current loaded page.

14. A computer system for web browser page transition acceleration, the system comprising:

a processor and memory configured to execute software instructions embodied within the following components;

a server communication component that communicates from a client browser to a web server that provides web pages for a web-based application;

a page loading component that receives web-based information from the web server and prepares the web-based information for display;

a master management component that manages rendering and display to a user of a master web page from which a user can navigate to one or more detail web pages;

a page rewriting component that performs one or more modifications to the master and other web pages received from the server to manage more efficient transitions between master and detail web pages;

a detail management component that manages rendering and display to the user of one or more detail web pages referenced by the master web page;

a forward transition component that navigates a user from the master web page to one of the detail web pages in a manner that hides rather than discarding the master web page; and

a backward transition component that navigates a user form a detail web page back to the master web page by unhiding an in-memory copy of the master web page rather than re-requesting the master web page from the server.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the master management component handles incorporation of the master web page content received from the server into a client side construct where the display of the master web page can be managed by the client without modifying the web responses received from the server.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the page rewriting component identifies links on the master web page that refer to a detail page, and links on the detail page that refer to the master web page, and replaces those links with references to scripts that carry out fast transitions between pages by showing and hiding appropriate pages loaded into a single container page.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the forward transition component effects a transition to the detail web page not by submitting a typical browser request and navigating fully to the detail web page, but rather requests and inserts the detail web page into an IFRAME tag or other similar construct on the client side that allows display of only the detail web page content and hiding of the master web page content.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein while the detail web page is being displayed, both the master and detail web page content are available in the browser'"'"'s memory so that the system can quickly transition back from the detail page to the master web page upon request.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the backward transition component keeps the detail page in memory in the event that the user selects it again.

20. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for controlling a computer system to transition from displaying a detail web page to a previously displayed master web page, wherein the instructions, upon execution, cause a processor to perform actions comprising:

receiving in a client web browser a request to navigate to a previously displayed master web page while displaying a detail page, wherein upon loading the detail page the master web page was retained hidden in a container page that includes the master web page and detail page rather than being discarded;

hiding the detail page by selecting an element of the container page that includes the detail web page and hiding that element;

locating the master web page in memory by identifying an element of the container page that contains the master web page;

unhiding the master web page by modifying the visibility of the element of the container page that contains the master web page; and

restoring previously modified browser information to complete an appearance that the client web browser has navigated back to the master web page.