Automatic web page thumbnail generation

• US 6,356,908 B1
• Filed: 07/30/1999
• Issued: 03/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Paolini, Michael A., Brown, Michael Wayne, Lawrence, Kelvin Roderick
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Application Number:
  US09/364,694
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/500, 707/530, 707/3, 707/513, 707/102, 709/219, 382/305
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

A method for presenting content from the page in a distributed database. In a preferred embodiment, a page of data from the database is presented to a user. The page has a plurality of links to linked pages in the database. A set of thumbnail images of the linked pages in the database is presented to the user near the links to the linked pages.

Claims

1. A method for presenting content from a web page in a distributed database, comprising the steps of

presenting a web page from the distributed database, wherein said web page includes a plurality of links to linked web pages in the distributed database, wherein the linked web pages are written in a markup language;

retrieving at least one of the linked web pages;

parsing the markup language of the at least one of the linked web pages;

creating a thumbnail image of the at least one of the linked web pages, wherein the thumbnail image represents how the at least one of the linked web pages would be displayed by a browser which parsed the markup language of the at least one of the linked web pages; and

presenting the thumbnail image of the at least one of the linked web pages proximate to the web page so that a user may examine a thumbnail image to determine whether to navigate to a corresponding linked web page.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the thumbnail is presented in a separate panel.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the thumbnail image is presented proximate to a corresponding link.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the thumbnail corresponding to a link is presented when a pointer icon is moved proximate to the link.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein thumbnail images of at least two linked web pages are presented and wherein the thumbnail images are presented in a list.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the list is a scrollable list.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the markup language is a hypertext markup language.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the markup language is an extensible markup language.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein there are at least two thumbnails and wherein the thumbnails are arranged around the perimeter of the presentation of the web page.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein there are at least two thumbnails, the web page is presented in a frame, and the thumbnails are arranged around the perimeter of the frame.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the thumbnail is presented in a dragable palette.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the pallet is resizable.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the thumbnail is resizable.

14. A computer program product in a computer readable media for use in a data processing system for presenting content from a web page in a distributed database, comprising:

first instructions for presenting a web page from the distributed database, wherein said web page includes a plurality of links to linked web pages in the distributed database, wherein the linked web pages are written in a markup language;

second instructions for retrieving at least one of the linked web pages;

third instructions for parsing the markup language of the at least one of the linked web pages;

fourth instructions for creating a thumbnail image of the at least one of the linked web pages, wherein the thumbnail image represents how the at least one of the linked web pages would be displayed by a browser which parsed the markup language of the at least one of the linked web pages; and

fifth instructions for presenting the thumbnail image of the at least one of the linked web pages proximate to the web page so that a user may examine a thumbnail image to determine whether to navigate to a corresponding linked web page.

15. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein there are at least two thumbnails and the thumbnails are presented in a separate panel from the web page.

16. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein the thumbnail is presented proximate to a corresponding link.

17. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein the thumbnail corresponding to a link is presented where a pointer icon is moved proximate to the corresponding link.

18. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein the thumbnail is presented in a dragable palette.

19. The computer program product as recited in claim 18, wherein the palette is resizable.

20. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein the thumbnail is resizable.

21. A system for presenting content from a web page in a distributed database, comprising:

first means for presenting a web page from the distributed database, wherein said web page includes a plurality of links to linked web pages in the distributed database, wherein the linked web pages are written in a markup language;

second means for retrieving at least one of the linked web pages;

third means for parsing the markup language of the at least one of the linked web pages;

fourth means for creating a thumbnail image of the at least one of the linked web pages, wherein the thumbnail image represents how the at least one of the linked web pages would be displayed by a browser which parsed the markup language of the at least one of the linked web pages; and

fifth means for presenting the thumbnail image of the at least one of the linked web pages proximate to the web page so that a user may examine a thumbnail image to determine whether to navigate to a corresponding linked web page.

22. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein there are at least two thumbnails and the thumbnails are presented in a separate panel from the web page.

23. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein the thumbnail is presented proximate to a corresponding link.

24. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein the thumbnail corresponding to a link is presented where a pointer icon is moved proximate to the corresponding link.

25. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein the thumbnail is presented in a dragable palette.

26. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the palette is resizable.

27. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein the thumbnail is resizable.

28. A computer network, comprising:

a network;

a server connected to the network for providing web pages; and

client connected to the network;

wherein

the network provides communications between the client and the server;

the client receives a web page from the server;

the client presents the web page from the server, wherein said web page includes a plurality of links to linked web pages, wherein the linked web pages are written in a markup language;

the client retrieves at least one of the linked web pages;

the client parses the markup language of the at least one of the linked web pages;

the client creates a thumbnail image of the at least one of the linked web pages, wherein the thumbnail image represents how the at least one of the linked web pages would be displayed by a browser which parsed the markup language of the at least one of the linked web pages; and

the client presents the thumbnail image of the at least one of the linked web pages proximate to the web page so that a user may examine a thumbnail image to determine whether to navigate to a corresponding linked web page.

29. The computer network as recited in claim 28, wherein the thumbnail is resizable.

30. The computer network as recited in claim 28, wherein the thumbnail corresponding to a link is presented where a pointer icon is moved proximate to the corresponding link.