Client-side, server-side and collaborative spell check of URL's

• US 5,907,680 A
• Filed: 06/24/1996
• Issued: 05/25/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Jakob
• Primary Examiner(s): Asta, Frank J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patru, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US08/668,877
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.57, 395/200.58, 395/200.59, 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 395/200.49, 395/200.75, 707/533, 707/5, 345/336, 345/338
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links

Abstract

Spell checking of network addresses such as Uniform Resource Locator (URL) addresses is provided at three levels. Each is invoked when a connection to the specified network address is unable to be established. At a client level, the specified URL is compared with URL'"'"'s previously successfully used to find candidate misspellings. At a server level, directory and file names are checked against corresponding components of the URL to which connection was requested to return a list of candidate correct spellings to the requestor. Excluded from the list returned to the requestor are the correct spellings of "hidden" files to which general access is not desired. At a network access provider level, information about URL'"'"'s successfully used by all customers is accumulated and used to provide a candidate list of correct spellings to a user. Older entries are periodically pruned from the database to control size.

Claims

1. Apparatus for checking spelling of network addresses, comprising:

a. a first database containing valid network protocol names;

b. a second database containing valid network server names;

c. a third database containing valid component names; and

d. a computer configured to analyze a network address, used in an attempt to establish a connection to that address but which did not result in a connection, to compare portions of that address with one of said first, second or third databases, containing corresponding information and present to a user one or more alternative spellings of that address if a portion of that address does not match identically a valid entry in the database.

2. Apparatus of claim 1 in which said one or more alternative spellings are presented in a form so that a user can select one of said alternative spellings with an input device and attempt to connect again using the selected alternative spelling.

3. Apparatus for checking spelling of network addresses received at a server having a hierarchical directory structure from a remote user, comprising:

a. a database containing names of hidden files;

b. and a computer configured to analyze network addresses term by term beyond the server address, to compare portions of an address with corresponding portions of the hierarchical directory and to present to said remote user one or more alternative spellings if a directory or file name does not match identically a valid entry in the hierarchical directory, unless such an alternative spelling is contained in said database.

4. Apparatus of claim 3 in which said one or more alternative spellings are presented in a form so that said remote user can select one of said alternative spellings with an input device and attempt to connect again using the selected alternative spelling.

5. Apparatus for checking spelling of network addresses received from a remote user at a network access provider, comprising:

a. a database containing remote server names to which users have successfully connected;

b. a database containing network addresses; and

c. a computer configured to analyze a network addresses, received from a remote user which did not result in a connection, to compare portions of that address with portions of each database containing corresponding information and present to a user one or more alternative spellings if a portion of a network address does not identically match a valid entry in the databases.

6. Apparatus of claim 5 in which said one or more alternative spellings are presented in a form so that said remote user can select one of said alternative spellings with an input device and attempt to connect again using the selected alternative spelling.

7. A system for checking spelling of network addresses received from a user, comprising at least two computers connected to said network, said computers respectively running at least one of a client spell checker, a network access provider spell checker and a server spell checker resident on said respective computers.

8. A system for checking spelling of network addresses received from a user, comprising:

a. a network; and

b. a computer connected to said network configured to spell check network addresses and to suggest alternative spellings.

9. The system of claim 8 in which said computer is operated as a client in a client-server mode.

10. The system of claim 8 in which said computer is operated as a server in a client-server mode.

11. The system of claim 8 in which said computer is operated as a network access provider.

12. A method of checking spelling of network addresses, comprising the steps of:

a. performing a step of comparing a portion of a network address received from a user which did not result in a connection with entries in a database containing corresponding portions of network addresses which had previously resulted in connections; and

b. performing a step of identifying candidate matches from the database which match imperfectly a portion of a network address, and

c. performing a step of when one or more candidate matches is found, providing a list of said candidate matches to said user.

13. The method of claim 12, in which candidate matches are provided to a user in a hypertext format which permits selection and use of one of said candidate matches in a connection request by clicking on a candidate match.

14. A method of checking spelling of network addresses in a server having a hierarchical directory, comprising the steps of:

a. performing a step of comparing a portion of a network address received from a remote user which did not result in access to a document on the server with corresponding portions of the hierarchical directory, and

b. performing a step of presenting to said remote user alternative spellings if a directory or file name does not match identically a valid entry in the hierarchical directory.

15. The method of claim 14 in which the names of hidden files are excluded from the list of alternative spellings presented to a user.

16. A method of checking spelling of network addresses at a network access provider, comprising the steps of:

a. providing an element for performing the step of storing remote server names and network addresses, to which network access provider users have successfully connected, in one or more databases;

b. providing an element for performing the step of comparing portions of an address received from a network access provider user which did not result in a connection, with corresponding portions of said database; and

c. providing an element for performing the step of presenting to said network access provider user alternative spellings if a portion of an address does not identically match a valid entry in the database.

17. A computer program product, comprising:

a. a memory medium; and

b. a computer program stored on said memory medium, said computer program containing instructions for comparing a portion of a network address received from a user, which did not result in a connection, with entries in a database of network addresses, which previously resulted in a connection, to identify candidate matches which match imperfectly the network address received from the user, and when one or more candidate matches is found, providing a list of said candidate matches to said user.

18. A computer program product for checking spelling of network addresses in a server having a hierarchical directory, comprising:

a. a memory medium; and

b. a computer program stored on said memory medium, said computer program containing instructions for comparing a portion of a network address received from a user which did not result in access to a document on the server with corresponding portions of the hierarchical directory and to present to a user alternative spellings if a directory or file name does not match identically a valid entry in the hierarchical directory.

19. A computer program product for checking spelling of network addresses in a server having a hierarchical directory, comprising:

a. a memory medium; and

b. a computer program stored on said memory medium, said computer program containing instructions for storing remote server names and network addresses to which users have successfully connected in one or more databases, comparing portions of an address received from a user which did not result in a connection with corresponding portions of said database; and

presenting to a user alternative spellings if a portion of an address does not match identically a valid entry in the database.