Apparatus and method for the manual selective blocking of images

• US 6,324,553 B1
• Filed: 11/26/1997
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Day, Paul Reuben, Cragun, Brian John
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paula, Cesar B.
• Application Number:
  US08/979,132
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• Field of Search: 707/501, 707/513, 707/502, 345/339, 345/349, 345/121
• US Class Current: 715/236
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

A browser selectively disables the display of viewable objects in a document. The document contains control tags that describe how associated data is to be displayed. The browser interprets the control tags and formats the associated data to display images on a display screen. The user selects an image that the user desires to be blocked. In response to this selection, the browser saves the control tag that identifies the image in a blocking list and blocks the display of the image. In this way, the user is allowed to decide which images are displayed and which are not.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a document on a display screen, wherein the display of the document generates a plurality of images on the display screen, comprising the computer-executed steps of:

generating an unmodified version of said document, said unmodified version containing said plurality of images, for display on said display screen;

interactively receiving a user selection of a first image of said plurality of images displayed on the display screen to be blocked;

saving said user selection for subsequent use, wherein said saving step comprises;

(a) responsive to said user selection, finding a first control tag in the document, wherein the first control tag identifies the first image, and

(b) storing the first control tag in a blocking list;

subsequently generating a modified version of said document, said modified version being without said first image, wherein the subsequent generating a modified version step searches the blocking list for a stored tag that matches the first control tag in the document; and

displaying the modified version of said document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsequently generating a modified version step further comprises:

displaying blank space in place of the first image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsequently generating a modified version step further comprises:

displaying a blocking icon in place of the first image.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

blocking the display of the first image when a second document is subsequently displayed, wherein the second document also contains the stored control tag.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first control tag further comprises information that describes the formatting of the first image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first control tag further comprises an address of a second document, wherein the second document contains first image data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the address further comprises an address of a directory containing the second document, further comprising:

blocking the display of all images residing in the directory.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the address further comprises an address of a site containing the second document, further comprising:

blocking the display of all images residing at the site.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image is a window.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first control tag further comprises a window signature.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the first image for a delay time prior to the blocking step.

12. A apparatus that displays a document on a display screen, wherein the display of the document generates a plurality of images on the display screen, comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor;

a browser, residing in the memory, wherein the browser;

(a) displays an unmodified version of a document on a display screen, the unmodified version containing a plurality of images, (b) interactively receives a user selection of a first image of said plurality of images on the display screen to be blocked, (c) responsive to the user selection, finds a first control tag in the document and stores the first control tag in a blocking list, wherein the first control tag identifies the first image, and (d) subsequently generates and displays a modified version of the document by searching the blocking list for a stored tag that matches the first control tag in the document, and in response to finding a match, the browser blocks the display of the first image in the modified version of the document.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the browser further displays blank space in place of the first image.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the browser further displays a blocking icon in place of the first image.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the browser further blocks the display of the first image when a second document is subsequently displayed, wherein the second document also contains the stored control tag.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first control tag further comprises information that describes the formatting of the first image.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first control tag further comprises an address of a second document, wherein the second document contains first image data.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the address further comprises an address of a directory containing the second document, and wherein the browser, further blocks the display of all images residing in the directory.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the address further comprises an address of a site containing the second document, and wherein the browser further blocks the display of all images residing at the site.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first image is a window.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the browser further displays the first image for a delay time prior to blocking.

22. A program product that displays a document on a display screen, wherein the display of the document generates a plurality of images on the display screen, comprising:

a browser that;

(a) displays an unmodified version of a document on a display screen, the unmodified version containing a plurality of images, (b) interactively receives a user selection of a first image of said plurality of images on the display screen to be blocked, (c) responsive to the user selection, finds a first control tag in the document and stores the first control tag in a blocking list, wherein the first control tag identifies the first image, and (d) subsequintly generates and displays a modified version of the document by searching the blocking list for a stored tag that matches the first control tag in the document, and in response to finding a match, the browser blocks the display of the first image in the modified version of the document; and

signal-bearing media bearing the browser.

23. The program product of claim 22, wherein the browser further displays blank space in the place of the first image.

24. The program product of claim 22, wherein the browser further displays a blocking icon in place of the first image.

25. The program product of claim 22, wherein the browser further blocks the display of the first image when a second document is subsequently displayed, wherein the second document also contains the stored control tag.

26. The program product of claim 22, wherein the first control tag further comprises information that describes the formatting of the first image.

27. The program product of claim 22, wherein the first control tag further comprises an address of a second document, wherein the second document contains first image data.

28. The program product of claim 27, wherein the address further comprises an address of a directory containing the second document, and wherein the browser, further blocks the display of all images residing in the directory.

29. The program product of claim 27, wherein the address further comprises an address of a site containing the second document, and wherein the browser further blocks the display of all images residing at the site.

30. The program product of claim 22, wherein the first image is a window.

31. The program product of claim 22, wherein the browser further displays the first image for a delay time prior to blocking.

32. The program product of claim 22, wherein the document is an Internet web page.