Searching and serving bookmark sets based on client specific information

• US 6,314,423 B1
• Filed: 07/16/1998
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Herman, Himmel, Maria Azua, LaBaw, Jeffrey Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): RONES, CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US09/116,861
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 707/513, 707/3, 707/501, 707/5, 707/104, 707/10, 345/349, 345/335, 345/357, 345/347, 345/355, 706/10, 709/203, 709/245, 709/218
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9562 Bookmark management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/919 Geographic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

One or more searchable repositories of bookmark sets are stored in a computer system, each bookmark set can be downloaded to a client browser as a unit. Each bookmark set contains a set of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and is associated with related information such as a set of keywords, one or more topics and user specific information. The bookmark set is downloadable as a unit to the client browser. When a search query from a client containing a set of keywords is received, the stored bookmark sets are searched for one or more bookmark sets associated with at least one keyword matching a keyword from the search query. A list of bookmark sets which satisfy the query, i.e. are associated with matching keywords, are returned to the client browser. Responsive to a request for downloading a selected bookmark set, the selected bookmark is served to the client. The selected bookmark set is received and used by the client browser to access the set of URLs in the selected bookmark set.

Claims

1. A method for serving bookmarks to a client browser, comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of bookmark sets at a server coupled to a network, each bookmark set containing a set of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), associated with a set of keywords and downloadable as a unit;

designating respective bookmarks of at least one bookmark set as base bookmarks or variable bookmarks, wherein base bookmarks are always served with the bookmark set and variable bookmarks are served with the bookmark set if a set of conditions are met;

responsive to a search query from a client containing a set of keywords, searching for one or more bookmark sets associated with at least one keyword matching a keyword from the search query;

sending a list of bookmark sets associated with matching keywords;

responsive to a request for downloading a selected bookmark set, determining that the set of conditions have been met;

serving the selected bookmark set via the network to client, including both base and variable bookmarks;

receiving the selected bookmark set at the client; and

installing the bookmark set in the client browser to access the set of URLs.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the set of conditions is client specific data associated with the client.

3. The method as recited claim 2 wherein the client specific data is a client location at which the client is located.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the client specific data is user profile data associated with the client.

5. A system including processor, memory and network connector for providing bookmarks to a browser in a computer system comprising:

means for storing a plurality of bookmark sets at a first computer system computer system coupled to a network, each bookmark set containing a set of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), searchable by a set of keywords and downloadable as a unit;

means for designating respective bookmarks within a bookmark set as base bookmarks which are served whenever the bookmark set is served and respective bookmark as variable bookmarks which are served only when a predetermined condition is detected;

means for detecting a client query for a bookmark set, the client query containing a set of search criteria;

means for finding a bookmark set which satisfies the search criteria;

means for determining whether the client query meets the predetermined condition; and

means responsive to finding a bookmark set which satisfies the search criteria and the predetermined condition for serving the bookmark set including both base and variable bookmarks via the network to a second computer system for installation in a client browser in the second computer system to access the set of URLs.

6. The system as recited in claim 5 further comprising means for registering the bookmark sets at the first computer system.

7. The system as recited in claim 5 wherein the predetermined condition is that the client is located within a certain geographic region.

8. The system as recited in claim 5 wherein the predetermined condition is that a client identifier associated with the client is identified.

9. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for providing bookmarks to a browser in a computer system comprising:

means for storing a plurality of bookmark sets at a server coupled to a network, each bookmark set containing a set of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), associated with a set of keywords and downloadable as a unit;

means for designating respective bookmarks within at least one bookmark set as base bookmarks which are always served when the bookmark set is served or variable bookmarks which are served when a set of conditions are met;

means responsive to a search query from a client containing a set of keywords for searching for one or more bookmark sets associated with at least one keyword matching a keyword from the search query and whether the search query met the set of conditions;

means for sending a list of bookmark sets associated with matching keywords;

means for responsive to a request for downloading a selected bookmark set, serving the selected bookmark set including variable bookmarks via the network to client;

means for receiving the selected bookmark set at the client; and

means for installing the bookmark set in the client browser to access the set of URLs.

10. The product as recited in claim 9 further comprising:

means for the registering each of the plurality of bookmark sets and associated keywords at the server.

11. The product as recited in claim 9 wherein the set of conditions is client specific data associated with the client.

12. The product as recited claim 11 wherein the client specific data is a client location at which the client is located.

13. The product as recited in claim 11 wherein the client specific data is user profile data associated with the client.