Named bookmark sets

• US 6,037,934 A
• Filed: 11/21/1997
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Herman, Himmel, Maria Azua
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai, Cuong T.
• Application Number:
  US08/976,406
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 345/357, 345/335, 345/329, 345/331, 345/353, 345/333, 345/356, 395/200.35, 395/200.33, 395/200.47, 707/501
• US Class Current: 715/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9562 Bookmark management

Abstract

Access to the Internet is provided using a plurality of bookmark sets. A plurality of bookmark sets are stored in a computer system having a browser, each bookmark set including a respective set of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). One of the bookmark sets is designated as an active bookmark set in the browser. Browser based access to the Internet is allowed according to the URLs in the active bookmark set. When a request to retrieve an Internet file from a designated URL is detected, e.g., by hyperlink, the designated URL is checked against the URLs in the active bookmark set. Only if there is a match between the designated URL and a respective URL in the active bookmark set is the request allowed to proceed. The creation of as well as other actions on a bookmark set is associated with one or more passwords.

Claims

1. A method for providing access to the Internet using a plurality of bookmark sets comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of bookmark sets in a browser, each bookmark set including a respective set of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs);

designating one of the bookmark sets as an active bookmark set in the browser; and

allowing browser access to the Internet according to the URLs in the active bookmark set, wherein a request for a file at a designated URL is denied if there is no match between the designated URL and the URLs in the active bookmark set.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a request to retrieve an Internet file from a designated URL;

checking the designated URL against the URLs in the active bookmark set;

allowing the request to proceed if there is a match between the designated URL and a respective URL in the active bookmark set; and

denying the request if there is no match between the designated URL and a respective URL in the active bookmark set.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the request is activated by a hyperlink in a web page.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

creating a bookmark set;

associating one or more passwords with the bookmark set; and

requiring entry of an associated password to make the bookmark set the active bookmark set in the browser.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

creating a bookmark set;

associating one or more passwords with the bookmark set; and

requiring entry of an associated password to modify the bookmarks in the bookmark set.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein the step of creating a bookmark set is password protected.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of changing an attribute of all the bookmarks in a selected bookmark set in a single operation.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of deleting a bookmark set so that all the bookmarks in a selected bookmark set in a single operation.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

displaying a list of bookmark sets, wherein only the bookmarks of the active bookmark set are displayed;

designating a new bookmark set as the active set; and

displaying the list of bookmark sets, wherein only the bookmarks of the new active bookmark set are displayed.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying an indicia proximate to each password protected bookmark set in the list of bookmark sets.

11. A system including memory, processor and display for providing access to the Internet using a plurality of bookmark sets comprising:

a browser having a plurality of bookmark, each bookmark set including a respective set of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs);

means for designating a selected one of the bookmark sets within the browser as an active bookmark set in the browser; and

wherein the browser allows access to the Internet according to the URLs in the active bookmark set, wherein a request for a file at a designated URL is denied if there is no match between the designated URL and the URLs in the active bookmark set.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

means for detecting a request to retrieve an Internet file from a designated URL; and

means for checking the designated URL against the URLs in the active bookmark set;

wherein the browser allows the request to proceed if there is a match between the designated URL and a respective URL in the active bookmark set and denies the request if there is no match between the designated URL and any URL in the active bookmark set.

13. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the request is activated by a hyperlink in a web page.

14. The system as recited in claim 11 further comprising:

means for creating a bookmark set;

means for associating one or more passwords with the bookmark set; and

means for requiring entry of an associated password to make the bookmark set the active bookmark set in the browser.

15. The system as recited in claim 11 further comprising:

means for creating a bookmark set;

means for associating one or more passwords with the bookmark set; and

means for requiring entry of an associated password to modify the bookmarks in the bookmark set.

16. The system as recited in claim 11 further comprising:

means for displaying a list of bookmark sets, wherein only the bookmarks of the active bookmark set are displayed;

means for designating a new bookmark set as the active set; and

means for displaying the list of bookmark sets, wherein only the bookmarks of the new active bookmark set are displayed.

17. A computer program product for providing access to the Internet using a plurality of bookmark sets comprising:

a browser for retrieving content from the Internet;

means for creating a bookmark set, the bookmark set including a respective set of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs);

means for incorporating the plurality of bookmark sets in the browser;

means for designating a bookmark set as the active set in the browser; and

means for allowing access to the Internet according to the URLs in the active set, wherein a request for a file at a designated URL is denied if there is no match between the designated URL and the URLs in the active bookmark set.

18. The product as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

means for detecting a request to retrieve an Internet file from a designated URL;

means for checking the designated URL against the URLs in the active bookmark set;

wherein the product allows the request to proceed if there is a match between the designated URL and a respective URL in the active bookmark set and denies the request if there is no match between the designated URL and any URL in the active bookmark set.

19. The product as recited in claim 17 further comprising:

means for associating one or more passwords with the bookmark set; and

means for requiring entry of an associated password to make the bookmark set the active bookmark set in the browser.

20. The product as recited in claim 17 further comprising:

means for associating one or more passwords with the bookmark set; and

means for requiring entry of an associated password to modify the bookmarks in the bookmark set.

21. The product as recited in claim 17 further comprising:

means for displaying a list of bookmark sets, wherein only the bookmarks of the active bookmark set are displayed;

means for designating a new bookmark set as the active set; and

means for displaying the list of bookmark sets, wherein only the bookmarks of the new active bookmark set are displayed.

22. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for providing limited Internet access comprising:

browsing means for retrieving content from the Internet;

an active bookmark set integrated into the browsing means including a set of URLs to which the browsing means has access;

means for detecting a request to retrieve content from the Internet from a designated URL;

means for checking the designated URL against the URLs in the active bookmark set; and

means for allowing the request to proceed if there is a match between the designated URL and a respective URL in the active bookmark set or denying the request if there is no match between the designated URL and any URL in the active bookmark set.

23. The product as recited in claim 22 wherein means for making a request to retrieve content from the Internet is limited to selection from a list of the URLs in the active bookmark set and selection of a hyperlink in a displayed web document.

24. A point of sale kiosk for providing limited Internet access comprising:

a computer system including memory, processor, display, input device and network connection;

a browser resident on the computer system for retrieving content from the Internet, the browser having a single bookmark set including a set of URLs to which the browser has access, wherein the browser includes;

means for detecting a request to retrieve content from the Internet from a designated URL;

means for checking the designated URL against the URLs in the active bookmark set; and

means for allowing the request to proceed if there is a match between the designated URL and a respective URL in the active bookmark set or denying the request if there is no match between the designated URL and any respective URL in the active bookmark set.

25. The kiosk as recited in claim 24 wherein means for making a request to retrieve content from the Internet is limited to selection from a list of the URLs in the active bookmark set and selection of a hyperlink in a displayed web document.