Browser and plural active URL manager for network computers

• US 6,049,812 A
• Filed: 11/18/1996
• Issued: 04/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brittenham, Peter James, Bertram, Randal Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, CONG LAC T
• Application Number:
  US08/751,830
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 707/516, 707/501, 707/513, 707/514, 707/104, 707/10, 707/203, 707/208, 707/209, 395/200.33, 395/200.48, 395/200.54, 395/200.57, 395/200.34, 395/200.35, 345/329, 345/330-335
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A network browser is provided with working list maintenance and creation facility which contains an indicator for each URL'"'"'s listing duration level of permanence for controlling how long a URL will be kept or maintained in the working list and also includes an activity duration permanence level indicator for controlling how long the URL will be kept active. This enables the browser to maintain multiple, concurrently active URLs and thereby enable the browser to provide the functional emulation of a desktop working environment to the user.

Claims

1. A method of operating a network browser in a computer having associated means for accessing a communications network, comprising steps by said browser of:

requesting from said network the receipt at said browser of data contents for a specified Universal Resource Locator (URL) identifier;

receiving at said browser said requested data contents;

maintaining a working list of URLs; and

for each said URL in said working list, assigning a level of activity duration permanence; and

maintaining actively loaded into said computer only any said URL'"'"'s content that has been once loaded and which has a said activity duration permanence level that is higher than transient.

2. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising steps upon receipt of a requested URL content, of:

displaying said received URL content and ceasing display of any previously visible displayed URL content and, if said previously displayed URL content had an activity duration permanence level and a listing duration permanence level of transient, removing said previously displayed URL content from said working list.

3. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising steps of:

checking said received URL content against the contents of said working list and, if a matching said URL is found in said list, assigning said received URL contents to said working list with said matching URL identification.

4. A method as described in claim 2 further comprising steps of:

checking said received URL content against the contents of said working list, and, if a matching said URL is found in said list, assigning said received URL contents to said working list with said matching URL identification.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising steps of:

creating a new working list entry item for each said URL whose content has been requested and whose URL identification was not selected previously from said working list to begin said requesting step.

6. A method as described in claim 2, further comprising steps of:

creating a new working list entry item for each said URL whose content has been requested and whose URL identification was not selected previously from said working list to begin said requesting step.

7. A method as described in claim 3, further comprising steps of:

creating a new working list entry item for each said URL whose content has been requested and whose URL identification was not selected previously from said working list to begin said requesting step.

8. A method as described in claim 4, further comprising steps of:

creating a new working list entry item for each said URL whose content has been requested and whose URL identification was not selected previously from said working list to begin said requesting step.

9. A method as described in any one of claims 1-8, further including a step by said browser of:

maintaining a history list of said requested URL contents and, for each said URL having a parent URL, including said URL'"'"'s parent URL identifier in said history list.

10. A method as described in claim 9, further comprising steps of:

receiving a user request for construction of an individual list of the history of a working URL'"'"'s parentage and, responsive to the receipt of such a request,

searching said history list to determine if said URL for which parentage is requested has a parent URL in said history list and;

if such a parent is found, appending such parent URL identifier to said individual history list and repeating said steps until no further parentage is found in said history list.

11. A network browser for use in a computer system having at least a processor and a memory in communication with said processor, said browser comprising a machine-readable medium bearing processor instructions comprising steps executable by said processor for:

requesting from said network the receipt at said browser of data contents for a specified Universal Resource Locator (URL) identifier;

receiving at said browser said requested data contents;

maintaining a working list of URLs; and

for each said URL in said working list, assigning a level of activity duration permanence; and

maintaining actively loaded into said computer only any said URL content that has been once loaded and which has a said activity duration permanence level that is higher than transient.

12. A network browser as claimed in claim 11, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

displaying said received URL content and ceasing display of any previously visible displayed URL content and, if said previously displayed URL content had an activity duration permanence level and a listing duration permanence level of transient, removing said previously displayed URL content from said working list.

13. A network browser as claimed in claim 11, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

checking said received URL content against the contents of said working list, and, if a matching said URL is found in said list, assigning said received URL contents to said working list with said matching URL identification.

14. A network processor as described in claim 12, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

checking said received URL content against the contents of said working list, and, if a matching said URL is found in said list, assigning said received URL contents to said working list with said matching URL identification.

15. A network browser as claimed in claim 11, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

creating a new working list entry item for each said URL whose content has been requested and whose URL identification was not selected previously from said working list to begin said requesting step.

16. A network browser as claimed in claim 12, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

creating a new working list entry item for each said URL whose content has been requested and whose URL identification was not selected previously from said working list to begin said requesting step.

17. A network browser as described in claim 13, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

creating a new working list entry item for each said URL whose content has been requested and whose URL identification was not selected previously from said working list to begin said requesting step.

18. A network browser as claimed in claim 14, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

creating a new working list entry item for each said URL whose content has been requested and whose URL identification was not selected previously from said working list to begin said requesting step.

19. A network processor as claimed in any of claims 11-18 and further including steps executable by said processor for:

maintaining a history list of said requested URL contents and, for each said URL having a parent URL, including said URL'"'"'s parent URL identifier in said history list.

20. A network browser as claimed in claim 19, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

receiving a user request for construction of an individual list of the history of a working URL'"'"'s parentage and, responsive to the receipt of such a requests,

searching said history list to determine if said URL for which parentage is requested has a parent URL in said history list and;

if such a parent is found,

appending such parent URL identifier to said individual history list and repeating said steps until no further parentage is found in said history list.

21. A network browser control system comprising a processor, and a display, and a memory in communication with said processor, and a machine-readable medium bearing processor instructions comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

setting and maintaining URL activity duration permanence level and URL listing duration permanence level indicators in accordance with a users choice and for preventing a choice in which said URL listing duration permanence level is chosen to be greater than said activity duration permanence level.

22. A network browser control system as claimed in claim 21, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

displaying said received URL content and ceasing display of any previously visible displayed URL content and, if said previously displayed URL content had an activity duration permanence level and a listing duration permanence level of transient, removing said previously displayed URL content from said working list.

23. A network browser control system as claimed in claim 21, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

checking said received URL content against the contents of said working list, and, if a matching said URL is found in said list, assigning said received URL contents to said working list with said matching URL identification.

24. A network browser control system as claimed in claim 22, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

checking said received URL content against the contents of said working list, and, if a matching said URL is found in said list, assigning said received URL contents to said working list with said matching URL identification.

25. A network browser control system as claimed in claim 21, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

creating a new working list entry item for each said URL whose content has been requested and whose URL identification was not selected previously from said working list to begin said requesting step.

26. A network browser control system as claimed in claim 22, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

creating a new working list entry item for each said URL whose content has been requested and whose URL identification was not selected previously from said working list to begin said requesting step.

27. A network browser control system as claimed in claim 23, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

creating a new working list entry item for each said URL whose content has been requested and whose URL identification was not selected previously from said working list to begin said requesting step.

28. A network browser control system as claimed in claim 24, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

creating a new working list entry item for each said URL whose content has been requested and whose URL identification was not selected previously from said working list to begin said requesting step.

29. A network browser control system as claimed in claim 21, further comprising instructions executable by said processor for:

maintaining a history list of said requested URL contents and, for each said URL having a parent URL, including said URL'"'"'s parent URL identifier in said history list.

30. A network browser control system as claimed in any of claims 21-29, further comprising instructions executable on said processor for:

receiving a user request for construction of an individual list of the history of a working URL'"'"'s parentage and, responsive to the receipt of such requests,

searching said history list to determine if said URL for which parentage is requested has a parent URL in said history list and;

if such a parent is found,

appending such parent URL identifier to said individual history list and repeating said steps until no further parentage is found in said history list.