APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY REDIRECTING A SEARCH

• US 20160246881A1
• Filed: 02/19/2015
• Published: 08/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: King, Robert, Carter, Sharon E.
• Granted Patent: US 10,180,985 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9562 Bookmark management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations

Abstract

Methods, computer-readable media and apparatuses for automatically redirecting a search are disclosed. A processor receives a search term, connects to a search server hosting a search site that displays a plurality of sites in response to the search term, receives a selection of a site from the plurality of sites, provides an option to associate the site with the search term and receives a confirmation to associate the site with the search term, where the search term automatically redirects a connection to a server hosting the site and by-passing a connection to the search server hosting the search site when the search term is received at a later time.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a search term;

connecting, by the processor, to a search server hosting a search site that displays a plurality of sites in response to the search term;

receiving, by the processor, a selection of a site from the plurality of sites;

providing, by the processor, an option to associate the site with the search term; and

receiving, by the processor, a confirmation to associate the site with the search term, where the search term automatically redirects a connection to a server hosting the site and by-passing a connection to the search server hosting the search site when the search term is received at a later time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, a login credential for one of a plurality of different users; and

associating, by the processor, the site with the search term for the one of the plurality of different users.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, an authentication credential of a user for the site; and

logging in, by the processor, with the authentication credential on a subsequent redirection to the site based on receiving the search term at the later time.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the subsequent redirection is to a specific site within the site that would otherwise only be reachable after a login screen.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, a redirection indicator with the search term at the later time to instruct a web browser to automatically redirect the connection to the server hosting the site and by-passing the connection to the search server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the redirection indicator comprises an alphanumeric code entered with the search term.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the option to associate the site with the search term further comprises an option to associate the site with the search term for a plurality of different endpoint devices associated with a user.

8. A tangible computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a search term;

connecting to a search server hosting a search site that displays a plurality of sites in response to the search term;

receiving a selection of a site from the plurality of sites;

providing an option to associate the site with the search term; and

receiving a confirmation to associate the site with the search term, where the search term automatically redirects a connection to a server hosting the site and by-passing a connection to the search server hosting the search site when the search term is received at a later time.

9. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a login credential for one of a plurality of different users; and

associating the site with the search term for the one of the plurality of different users.

10. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving an authentication credential of a user for the site; and

logging in with the authentication credential on a subsequent redirection to the site based on receiving the search term at the later time.

11. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the subsequent redirection is to a specific site within the site that would otherwise only be reachable after a login screen.

12. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a redirection indicator with the search term at the later time to instruct a web browser to automatically redirect the connection to the server hosting the site and by-passing the connection to the search server.

13. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the redirection indicator comprises an alphanumeric code entered with the search term.

14. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the providing the option to associate the site with the search term further comprises an option to associate the site with the search term for a plurality of different endpoint devices associated with a user.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage device storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a search term;

connecting to a search server hosting a search site that displays a plurality of sites in response to the search term;

receiving a selection of a site from the plurality of sites;

providing an option to associate the site with the search term; and

receiving a confirmation to associate the site with the search term, where the search term automatically redirects a connection to a server hosting the site and by-passing a connection to the search server hosting the search site when the search term is received at a later time.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a login credential for one of a plurality of different users; and

associating the site with the search term for the one of the plurality of different users.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving an authentication credential of a user for the site; and

logging in with the authentication credential on a subsequent redirection to the site based on receiving the search term at the later time.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the subsequent redirection is to a specific site within the site that would otherwise only be reachable after a login screen.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a redirection indicator with the search term at the later time to instruct a web browser to automatically redirect the connection to the server hosting the site and by-passing the connection to the search server.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the redirection indicator comprises an alphanumeric code entered with the search term.