Apparatus and method for retrieving information using standard objects
First Claim
1. A document manager for operation at a client computer, wherein the client computer is connected via a network to a document-server computer, the document manager comprising:
- a name list of a plurality of objects in a standard-set, wherein the standard-set objects contain information for presentation to a user of the client computer; and
a browser that receives a document from the document-server computer, wherein the document comprises at least one embedded link, wherein the embedded link specifies an address of a linked object, and wherein the address points to an object-server computer in the network,and wherein the browser extracts a file name of the linked object from the embedded link,and wherein the browser determines whether the file name exists in the name list,and when the file name is not in the name list, the browser uses the address to retrieve the linked object from the object-server computer and presents information in the linked object and information in the document to the user,and when the file name is in the name list, the browser substitutes a corresponding standard-set object for the linked object and presents information in the corresponding standard-set object and information in the document to the user, wherein the corresponding standard-set object has a name identical to the file name, and wherein the information in the corresponding standard-set object is different from the information in the linked object.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A document manager runs at a client computer and retrieves documents downloaded from a server computer across a communications medium. The documents can contain embedded links to objects, which are building blocks that make up or are associated with the documents. The client computer keeps a local copy of a standard-set of objects, so that when the client computer needs to present the linked objects to the user, the linked objects that are part of the standard-set do not need to be retrieved from the server by the client. When a linked object is needed, the document manager parses the embedded link to the object and extracts the file name of the object. The document manager then searches a name list, which contains all the names of objects in the standard-set. If the file name from the link is in the name list, the document manager uses the object of the same name in the local copy of the standard-set. If the file name is not in the name list, the document manager retrieves the linked object using the full embedded link.
161 Citations
47 Claims
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1. A document manager for operation at a client computer, wherein the client computer is connected via a network to a document-server computer, the document manager comprising:
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a name list of a plurality of objects in a standard-set, wherein the standard-set objects contain information for presentation to a user of the client computer; and a browser that receives a document from the document-server computer, wherein the document comprises at least one embedded link, wherein the embedded link specifies an address of a linked object, and wherein the address points to an object-server computer in the network, and wherein the browser extracts a file name of the linked object from the embedded link, and wherein the browser determines whether the file name exists in the name list, and when the file name is not in the name list, the browser uses the address to retrieve the linked object from the object-server computer and presents information in the linked object and information in the document to the user, and when the file name is in the name list, the browser substitutes a corresponding standard-set object for the linked object and presents information in the corresponding standard-set object and information in the document to the user, wherein the corresponding standard-set object has a name identical to the file name, and wherein the information in the corresponding standard-set object is different from the information in the linked object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method in a client computer for browsing, wherein the client computer is connected via a network to a document-server computer, comprising the machine executed steps of:
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receiving a document from the document-server computer, wherein the document comprises at least one embedded link, wherein the embedded link specifies an address of a linked object, and wherein the address points to an object-server computer in the network; extracting a file name of the linked object from the embedded link; determining whether the linked object has a corresponding object in a plurality of standard-set objects by comparing the file name of the linked object to the names of the plurality of standard-set objects; when a corresponding standard-set object does not exist in the plurality of standard-set objects, using the address to retrieve the linked object from the object-server computer and presenting information in the linked object to a user; and when the corresponding object does exist in the plurality of standard-set objects, substituting a corresponding standard-set object for the linked object and presenting information in the corresponding standard-set object to the user instead of retrieving the linked object, and wherein the information in the corresponding standard-set object is different from the information in the linked object. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A program product, the program product comprising:
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a name list of a plurality of standard-set objects, wherein the standard-set objects contain information for presentation to a user of a client computer; a browser that receives a document from a document-server computer connected via a network to the client computer, wherein the document comprises at least one embedded link, wherein the embedded link specifies an address of a linked object, and wherein the address points to an object-server computer in the network, and wherein the browser extracts a file name of the linked object from the embedded link, and wherein the browser determines whether the file name exists in the name list, and when the linked object does not have a corresponding object in the standard-set, the browser retrieves the linked object from the object-server computer and presents information in the linked object to the user, and when the linked object has a corresponding object in the standard-set, the browser substitutes a corresponding standard-set object for the linked object and presents information in the corresponding standard-set object to the user instead of retrieving the linked object, and wherein the information in the corresponding standard-set object is different from the information in the linked object; and signal bearing media bearing the name list and the browser. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A client computer, wherein the client computer is connected via a network to a document-server computer, the client computer comprising:
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a memory; a processor; a name list of a plurality of standard-set objects, wherein the standard-set objects contain information for presentation to a user of the client computer; and a browser, executing on the processor, wherein the browser receives a document from the document-server computer, wherein the document comprises at least one embedded link, wherein the embedded link specifies an address of a linked object, and wherein the address points to an object-server computer in the network, and wherein the browser extracts a file name of the linked object from the embedded link, and wherein the browser determines whether the file name exists in the name list, and when the file name is not in the name list, the browser uses the address to retrieve the linked object from the object-server computer and presents information in the linked object and information in the document to the user, and when file name is in the name list, the browser substitutes a corresponding standard-set object for the linked object and presents information in the corresponding standard-set object and information in the document to the user instead of retrieving the linked object, and wherein the information in the corresponding standard-set object is different from the information in the linked object.
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Specification