Named bookmark sets

• US 6,211,871 B1
• Filed: 11/19/1999
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• 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:
  US09/443,752
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 345/329, 345/335, 345/331, 345/353, 345/357, 345/333, 345/356, 707/501, 395/200.35, 395/200.33, 395/200.47
• US Class Current: 715/744
• 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:

managing a plurality of persistently stored bookmarks by a bookmark manager in a browser, wherein each of the bookmarks is a member of one of a plurality of bookmark sets, wherein one of the bookmark sets can be set as an active bookmark set at a given time wherein only URLs in the active bookmark set are accessible through the bookmark manager, all other bookmark sets being inactive bookmarks sets having URLs inaccessible through the bookmark manager;

responsive to user selection, setting one of the bookmark sets as the active bookmark set in the bookmark manager;

using the bookmark manager to present the bookmarks in the active bookmark set; and

accessing a URL through the bookmark manager corresponding to a selected one of the bookmarks in the active bookmark set;

wherein URLs are accessible by the browser through manual entry and as a hyperlink in a web page.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein the step of creating a bookmark set is password protected.

5. 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.

6. 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 are deleted from the bookmark manager in a single operation.

7. 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;

setting 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.

8. 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.

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

a browser having a bookmark manager for managing a plurality of persistently stored bookmarks, wherein each of the bookmarks is a member of one of a plurality of bookmark sets, wherein one of the bookmark sets can be set as an active bookmark set at a given time wherein only URLs in the active bookmark set are accessible through the bookmark manager, all other bookmark sets being inactive bookmarks sets having URLs inaccessible through the bookmark manager;

means responsive to user selection for setting one of the bookmark sets as the active bookmark set in the bookmark manager;

means for presenting the bookmarks in the active bookmark set using the bookmark manager; and

means for accessing a URL through the bookmark manager corresponding to a selected one of the bookmarks in the active bookmark set;

wherein URLs are accessible by the browser through manual entry and as a hyperlink in a web page.

10. The system as recited in claim 9 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.

11. The system as recited in claim 9 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.

12. The system as recited in claim 9 further comprising:

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

means for setting 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.

13. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for providing access to the Internet using a plurality of bookmark sets comprising:

a browser having a bookmark manager for managing a plurality of persistently stored bookmarks, wherein each of the bookmarks is a member of one of a plurality of bookmark sets, wherein one of the bookmark sets can be set as an active bookmark set at a given time wherein only URLs in the active bookmark set are accessible through the bookmark manager, all other bookmark sets being inactive bookmarks sets having URLs inaccessible through the bookmark manager;

means responsive to user selection for setting one of the bookmark sets as the active bookmark set in the bookmark manager;

means for presenting the bookmarks in the active bookmark set using the bookmark manager; and

means for accessing a URL through the bookmark manager corresponding to a selected one of the bookmarks in the active bookmark set;

wherein URLs are accessible by the browser through manual entry and as a hyperlink in a web page.

14. The product as recited in claim 13 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.

15. The product as recited in claim 13 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.

16. The product as recited in claim 13 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.