Closed browser for computer and computer network

• US 5,784,564 A
• Filed: 05/03/1996
• Issued: 07/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: High Technology Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: High Technology Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Klepeis, Timothy G., Walden, Kevin R., Camaisa, Allan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice L.
• Application Number:
  US08/642,303
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 395/186, 395/187.01, 395/601, 395/609, 395/200.02, 395/200.06, 395/793, 395/200.48, 395/200.54, 395/200.55, 395/188.01, 395/200.57, 380/49
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A closed browser for navigating the world-wide web includes a tabular listing of destination addresses, such as uniform resource location codes (URL). Thus, the destination addresses can correspond to open links on the Internet, closed links on the Internet, and may also correspond to one or more local area networks (LANs)/intranets, and indeed to particular directories or files on the LAN or single user hard drive. A user may select a destination address only from the tabular listing, and may not directly input a URL that is not contained in the listing. A closed site determiner utility is also provided for determining whether a link is open or closed, based on user-defined criteria.

Claims

1. A computer program device comprising:

a computer program storage device readable by a digital processing system; and

a program means on the program storage device and including instructions executable by the digital processing system for performing method steps for accessing preselected nodes of a computer network having access to computer sites worldwide wherein at least some of the nodes are in communication with each other via communication links, the method steps comprising;

arranging a listing of addresses of the preselected nodes;

presenting at least a portion of the listing of the preselected nodes to a user of a predetermined computer of the network;

enabling selection of only an address on the listing of the preselected nodes for accessing the associated node from the predetermined computer, such that a node having an address not contained in the listing of the preselected nodes cannot be accessed;

arranging a listing of closed links;

enabling the user of the predetermined computer to access a link associated with one of the preselected nodes, based on whether the link appears in the listing of closed links;

defining one of the nodes to be a test node;

determining whether the test node affords access to an n^th level node via (n-1) communications links, wherein "n" is an integer; and

designating the test node as an open node when n bears a preselected relationship to a predetermined integer.

2. The computer program device of claim 1, wherein the nodes are selected from the group of nodes consisting of:

open wide area network nodes, closed wide area network nodes, local area network (LAN) nodes, LAN computer directories, LAN computer files, data storage devices, and intranet nodes.

3. The computer program device of claim 1, wherein the nodes are selected from the group of nodes consisting of:

closed wide area network nodes, local area network (LAN) nodes, LAN computer directories, LAN computer files, data storage devices, and intranet nodes.

4. The computer program device of claim 1, wherein the determining step further comprises the steps of:

(d) defining a count variable;

(e) incrementing the count variable by one;

(f) determining whether the count variable exceeds the predetermined integer;

(g) generating an open signal indicating that the test node is open when the count variable exceeds the predetermined integer;

otherwise

(h) determining whether a link exists between the test node and one or more daughter nodes one level removed from the test node, and if not, generating a closed signal indicating that the test node is closed.

5. The computer program device of claim 4, wherein when it is determined at step (h) that the test node is linked to at least one daughter node, the method steps further include

(i) recursively repeating steps (e)-(h) for the daughter nodes until one open signal is generated or until all daughter nodes at all links have been tested using steps (e)-(i) without causing the generation of an open signal, whichever occurs first.

6. The computer program device of claim 1, wherein the method steps further comprise preventing access to one or more preselected links from an open node.

7. An improved network browser, including a conventional network browsing computer program for enabling a user of computer programmed with the browser to navigate a computer network having nodes and links, wherein the improvement comprises:

a closed access module presenting to the user only a predefined list of uniform resource locations (URLs) for access, the closed access module not permitting access to a URL not on the list, the closed access module being associated with;

computer readable code means for defining one of the nodes to be a test node; and

computer readable code means for determining whether the test node affords access to an n^th level node via (n-1) communications links, wherein "n" is an integer, such that the test node can be designated as an open node when n exceeds a predetermined integer.

8. The improved network browser of claim 7, wherein the nodes are selected from the group of nodes consisting of:

open wide area network nodes, closed wide area network nodes, local area network (LAN) nodes, LAN computer directories, LAN computer files, data storage devices, and intranet nodes.

9. The improved network browser of claim 7, wherein the nodes are selected from the group of nodes consisting of:

closed wide area network nodes, local area network (LAN) nodes, LAN computer directories, LAN computer files, data storage devices, and intranet nodes.

10. The improved network browser of claim 7, further comprising:

(c) computer readable code means for defining a count variable;

(d) computer readable code means for incrementing the count variable by one;

(e) computer readable code means for determining whether the count variable exceeds the predetermined integer;

(f) computer readable code means for generating an open signal indicating that the test node is open when the count variable exceeds the predetermined integer, and otherwise determining whether the test node is linked to one or more daughter nodes one level removed from the test node, and if not, generating a closed signal indicating that the test node is closed.

11. The improved network browser of claim 7, further comprising computer readable code means for preventing access to one or more preselected links from an open node.

12. A computer defining a network node and connected to a computer network via a link, comprising:

computer readable code means for arranging a listing of addresses of preselected nodes;

computer readable code means for presenting at least a portion of the listing of addresses of preselected nodes to a user of the computer;

computer readable code means for enabling selection of only an address on the listing of addresses of preselected nodes for accessing the associated node from the computer, such that a node having an address not contained in the listing of addresses of preselected nodes cannot be accessed by the computer;

computer readable code means for arranging a listing of closed links;

computer readable code means for enabling the user of the computer to access a link associated with one of the preselected nodes based on whether the link appears in the listing of closed links;

computer readable code means for defining one of the nodes to be a test node;

computer readable code means for determining whether the test node affords access to an n^th level node via (n-1) communications links, wherein "n" is an integer; and

computer readable code means for designating the test node as an open node when n bears a preselected relationship to a predetermined integer.

13. The computer of claim 12, wherein the nodes are selected from the group of nodes consisting of:

open wide area network nodes, closed wide area network nodes, local area network (LAN) nodes, LAN computer directories, LAN computer files, data storage devices, and intranet nodes.

14. The computer of claim 12, wherein the computer readable code means for determining further comprises:

(d) computer readable code means for defining a count variable;

(e) computer readable code means for incrementing the count variable by one;

(f) computer readable code means for determining whether the count variable exceeds the predetermined integer;

(g) computer readable code means for generating an open signal indicating that the test node is open when the count variable exceeds the predetermined integer, and otherwise determining whether a link exists between the test node and one or more daughter nodes one level removed from the test node, and if not, generating a closed signal indicating that the test node is closed.

15. The computer of claim 14, further comprising:

(h) computer readable code means for, when the computer readable code means determines at step (g) that the test node is linked to at least one daughter node, recursively invoking computer readable code means (e)-(g) for the daughter nodes until one open signal is generated or until all daughter nodes at all links have been tested using steps (e)-(h) without causing the generation of an open signal, whichever occurs first.