Method and computer program product for accessing a web site

• US 6,072,491 A
• Filed: 12/01/1998
• Issued: 06/06/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Original Assignee: Silicon Graphics Incorporated (Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yohanan, Steven J.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/201,815
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• Field of Search: 345/356, 345/357, 345/349, 345/327, 345/328, 345/340, 345/348, 345/352-355
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A system and computer-based method for permitting a computer system to access a network location using a browser application by activating a desktop icon. The system comprises a first computer readable program code means for causing the computer system to display a desktop icon associated with a file containing a network address corresponding to the network location. When the desktop icon is activated, a second computer usable program code means causes the computer to launch an instance of a browser application or a new window for a currently executing browser application and a third computer usable program code means causes the computer system to pass the network address to the browser application, thereby accessing the network location.

Claims

1. A graphical interactive method for permitting a computer system to access a web site, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying a desktop icon, said desktop icon associated with a file containing information relating to the web site;

launching a browser application, if said browser application is not currently executing, in response to a user of said computer system selecting said desktop icon for execution, wherein said browser application is separate from said file; and

accessing the web site using said browser application and said information relating to the web site.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of sending comprises sending said http request from the computer system to said server via the World Wide Web.

3. A graphical interactive method for permitting a computer system to access web sites, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying at least a first desktop icon and a second desktop icon, said first desktop icon associated with a first file containing information relating to a first web site, said second desktop icon associated with a second file containing information relating to a second web site;

launching a browser application, if said browser application is not currently executing, in response to a user of said computer system selecting one of said first desktop icon and said second desktop icon for execution, wherein said browser application is separate from said first file and said second file; and

accessing one of the first web site and the second web site using said browser application and one of said information relating to the first web site and said information relating to the second web site.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said information relating to the first web site comprises an address of the first web site, and wherein said information relating to the second web site comprises an address of the second web site, and wherein said step of accessing comprises:

accessing the first web site, if the user selected said first desktop icon, using said browser application and said address of the first web site; and

accessing the second web site, if the user selected said second desktop icon, using said browser application and said address of the second web site.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said address of the first web site comprises first Uniform Resource Locator (URL) information, and wherein said address of the second web site comprises second URL information.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said browser application accesses the web site using HyperText Transfer Protocol (http).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of accessing comprises one of:

sending a first http request from the computer system to a server supporting the first web site, if the user selected said first desktop icon; and

sending a second http request from the computer system to a server supporting the second web site, if the user selected said second desktop icon.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said step of sending said first http request comprises sending said first http request from the computer system to said server supporting the first web site via the World Wide Web, and wherein said step of sending said second http request comprises sending said second http request from the computer system to said server supporting the second web site via the World Wide Web.

9. A computer program product for permitting a computer system to access a web site using a browser application by activating a desktop icon, said computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for causing an application program to execute on the computer system, said computer readable program code means comprising;

a computer readable first program code means for causing the computer system to display a desktop icon, said desktop icon associated with a file containing information relating to the web site;

a computer readable second program code means for causing the computer system to launch a browser application, if said browser application is not currently executing, in response to a user of said computer system selecting said desktop icon for execution; and

a computer readable third program code means for causing the computer system to access the web site using said browser application and said information relating to the web site.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said browser application is separate from said computer usable medium.

11. The computer program product code of claim 9, wherein said file is separate from said computer usable medium.