Automatically activating a browser with internet shortcuts on the desktop

• US 6,091,409 A
• Filed: 01/04/1999
• Issued: 07/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Abdala, Luis Fernando Talavera, Dickman, David R., Schwartz, Kerry, Allard, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John E.
• Application Number:
  US09/225,898
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326-358
• US Class Current: 715/847
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

A client computer has a facility for encapsulating location information, such as a uniform resource locator (URL), for a resource that is available on a server computer. The facility is especially well-adapted for use with Internet documents. The location information for such a resource is encapsulated into an object known as an Internet shortcut. The Internet shortcut may created through a drag and drop operation from a link to the desktop. Appearing as an icon, the shortcut is used to gain access to the underlying resource. The Internet shortcut icon holds a link to a remote resource and will automatically activate the web browser when selected. The Internet shortcut icons may be implemented as objects that are visible on the desktop of the operating system. File operations such as copy, delete, and copy may be performed on the Internet shortcut icon through a context menu. In addition, Internet shortcuts may be transferred to E-mail, facsimile, floppy disk destinations through a context menu.

Claims

1. A method for providing a shortcut object that is associated with a resource, comprising:

(a) selecting the resource for association with the shortcut object;

(b) creating the shortcut object in a name space provided by an operating system, the shortcut object including a locator for the resource; and

(c) when the shortcut object is selected, automatically launching a browser to find the resource, the locator included with the shortcut object being employed to identify a location of the resource so that the resource can be accessed with the browser.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection of the resource for association with the resource, further comprises dragging a link associated with the resource onto a virtual desktop from a window displayed on the virtual desktop.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the inclusion of the locator for the resource with the shortcut object, further comprises dropping the dragged link onto the virtual desktop, the shortcut object being created in the name space provided by the operating system when the dragged link is dropped on the virtual desktop.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the creation of the shortcut object, further comprises selecting an item in a list, the selection of the item causing the creation of the shortcut object and the locator to be included with the shortcut object.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the list is provided in a context menu associated with a hyperlink that is associated with the resource.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the list is provided in a context menu for a file system container that is associated with the resource.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the list is provided in a context menu associated with a wizard facility for creating the shortcut object.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the list is provided in a context menu associated with the virtual desktop.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) selecting the shortcut object;

(b) copying the shortcut object to create another shortcut object in the name space of the operating system, the other shortcut object including a copy of the locator included with the shortcut object; and

(c) storing the other shortcut object in the name space of the operating system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the shortcut object that includes the locator for the resource;

further comprising;

(a) creating the shortcut object in the name space of the operating system;

(b) setting the value of the locator, the locator being included with the shortcut object; and

(c) storing the shortcut object that includes the locator in the name space of the operating system, the shortcut object being displayable in the name space of the operating system.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprises selecting the display of at least one property associated with the shortcut object.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the display of a property associated with the shortcut object includes type, location, size, attribute, time stamp, and MS-DOS name.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the displayed property is presented in a context menu associated with the shortcut object.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically employing the locator included with the shortcut object to find the location of the resource, further comprising:

(a) retrieving the locator from the shortcut object with a first program module;

(b) calling a second program module to request the opening of a document associated with the resource; and

(c) employing a third program module to locate and open the document associated with the resource.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second program module is called by the first program module.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the third program module is called by the first program module.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first program module is a shortcut extension handler in the operating system.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the second program module is a protocol handler that provides support for at least one of a plurality of protocols, the plurality of protocols including a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and a File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the third program module is a viewer program, the viewer program including the browser program and a service included with the operating system.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the locator is a uniform resource locator (URL).

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource is located on a network.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the shortcut object is stored in the name space provided by the operating system, the shortcut object being displayed in the name space of the operating system.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising a visual representation associated with the shortcut object, the visual representation providing an indication of the association with the shortcut object.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the visual representation includes icon, picture and graphic.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the shortcut object in the name space, further comprising editing information associated with the resource.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the information associated with the resource includes the locator, path for the resource, display window size for the resource and an icon associated with the shortcut object.

27. Computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in any one of claims 1-4, 9-10 or 14.

28. Method for creating a shortcut object associated with a resource on a network, the shortcut object enabling access to the resource on the network, comprising:

(a) identifying an address on the network corresponding to the resource;

(b) generating the shortcut object, the shortcut object encapsulating the address for the resource and being identified as associated with the resource;

(c) storing the shortcut object in a name space provided by an operating system, the shortcut object in the name space being displayable; and

(d) automatically activating a browser to locate and access the resource when the shortcut object is selected.

29. A system for providing a shortcut object that is associated with a resource, comprising:

(a) a display for displaying the shortcut object;

(b) a memory for storing logical instructions; and

(c) a processor for implementing the logical instructions, including;

(i) selecting the resource for association with the shortcut object;

(ii) creating the shortcut object in a name space provided by an operating system, the shortcut object including a locator for the resource; and

(iii) when the shortcut object is selected, automatically activating a browser to find the resource, the locator included with the shortcut object being employed to identify a location of the resource so that the resource can be accessed with the browser.