Systems, methods and computer program products for modifying web content for display via pervasive computing devices

• US 6,457,030 B1
• Filed: 01/29/1999
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Adams, Samuel S., Hild, Stefan G., LaMaire, Richard O., Smith, John R., Maruyama, Hiroshi, Mohan, Rakesh, Singhal, Sandeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Application Number:
  US09/240,137
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 707/523, 707/501.1, 707/513, 707/522, 345/738, 345/781, 345/760, 709/217-219
• US Class Current: 715/239
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer program products are provided for modifying Web content files, such as HTML files, for display via pervasive computing devices that have smaller displays and various performance limitations compared with desktop computing devices. Upon receiving a request from a pervasive computing device for an HTML file, the HTML file is analyzed for a link to a content modification file that contains information about how to modify elements within the HTML file so as to render the HTML file displayable via the pervasive computing device.

Claims

1. A method of modifying a Web content file for display via a pervasive computing g device, the method comprising the following steps:

receiving a request from a pervasive computing device for the Web content file, wherein the Web content file contains an element having a characteristic that hinders display thereof via the pervasive computing device;

analyzing the Web content file for a link to a content modification file associated with the requested Web content file;

retrieving the content modification file, wherein the content modification file references the element in the Web content file, wherein the content modification file contains information about modifying the element so as to be displayable via the requesting pervasive computing device; and

modifying the element using the information contained within the retrieved content modification file.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of serving the requested Web content file with the modified element to the pervasive computing device for display thereon.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the Web content file is a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) file.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of retrieving a content modification file associated with the Web content file comprises the steps of:

computing a hash value using content within the Web content file; and

retrieving a content modification file associated with the computed hash value from a repository of content modification files.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of modifying the element comprises the step of replacing the element with an alternative element identified within the retrieved content modification file, wherein the alternative element is displayable via the pervasive computing device.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of modifying the element comprises the step of splitting the element into multiple elements.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of modifying the element comprises modifying the element to conform with identified characteristics of the pervasive computing device.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the Web content file comprises a plurality of elements, wherein each element has a respective priority value assigned thereto, and wherein the step of modifying an element comprises the step of removing elements that have respective priority values that are below a selected threshold value.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the Web content file comprises a plurality of elements, wherein each element has a respective priority value assigned thereto, and wherein the step of modifying an element comprises the step of modifying elements that have respective priority values that are below a selected threshold value.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein the retrieved content modification file is an extensible Markup Language (XML) file.

11. A method of modifying a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) file for display via a pervasive computing device, wherein the HTML file contains a plurality of elements each having respective characteristics that can hinder display thereof via the pervasive computing device, the method comprising the following steps which are performed by a data processing system in communication with a Web server that receives a request from the pervasive computing device for the HTML file:

analyzing the requested HTML file for a link to a content modification file, wherein the content modification file references the plurality of elements, and wherein the content modification file contains information about modifying the plurality of elements so as to render the elements displayable via the pervasive computing device;

retrieving the identified content modification file; and

replacing at least one element with an alternative element identified in the retrieved content modification file, wherein the alternative element is displayable via the pervasive computing device.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the plurality of elements have respective priority values assigned thereto, and further comprising the step of removing elements that have respective priority values that are below a selected threshold value.

13. A method according to claim 11 wherein the plurality of elements have respective priority values assigned thereto, and further comprising the step of modifying elements that have respective priority values that are below a selected threshold value.

14. A method according to claim 11 further comprising the step of splitting at least one of the elements into multiple elements.

15. A system for modifying a Web content file for display via a pervasive computing device, comprising:

means for receiving a request from a pervasive computing device for the Web content file, wherein the Web content file contains an element having a characteristic that hinders display thereof via the pervasive computing device;

means for analyzing the Web content file for a link to the content modification file;

means for retrieving a content modification file associated with the requested Web content file, wherein the content modification file references the element in the Web content file, wherein the content modification file contains information about modifying the element so as to be displayable via the requesting pervasive computing device; and

means for modifying the element using the information contained within the retrieved content modification file.

16. A system according to claim 15 further comprising means for serving the requested Web content file with the modified element to the pervasive computing device for display thereon.

17. A system according to claim 15 wherein the Web content file is a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) file.

18. A system according to claim 15 wherein the means for retrieving a content modification file associated with the Web content file comprises:

means for computing a hash value using content within the Web content file; and

means for retrieving a content modification file associated with the computed hash value from a repository of content modification files.

19. A system according to claim 15 wherein the means for modifying the element comprises means for replacing the element with an alternative element identified within the retrieved content modification file, wherein the alternative element is displayable via the pervasive computing device.

20. A system according to claim 15 wherein the means for modifying the element comprises means for splitting the element into multiple elements.

21. A system according to claim 15 wherein the means for modifying the element comprises means for modifying the element to conform with identified characteristics of the pervasive computing device.

22. A system according to claim 15 wherein the Web content file comprises a plurality of elements, wherein each element has a respective priority value assigned thereto, and wherein the means for modifying an element comprises means for removing elements that have respective priority values that are below a selected threshold value.

23. A system according to claim 15 wherein the Web content file comprises a plurality of elements, wherein each element has a respective priority value assigned thereto, and wherein the means for modifying an element comprises means for modifying elements that have respective priority values that are below a selected threshold value.

24. A system according to claim 15 wherein the retrieved content modification file is an extensible Markup Language (XML) file.

25. A system for modifying a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) file for display via a pervasive computing device, wherein the HTML file contains a plurality of elements each having respective characteristics that can hinder display thereof via the pervasive computing device, comprising:

means for analyzing the requested HTML file for a link to a content modification file, wherein the content modification file references the plurality of elements, and wherein the content modification file contains information about modifying the plurality of elements so as to render the elements displayable via the pervasive computing device;

means for retrieving the identified content modification file; and

means for replacing at least one element with an alternative element identified in the retrieved content modification file, wherein the alternative element is displayable via the pervasive computing device.

26. A system according to claim 25 wherein the plurality of elements have respective priority values assigned thereto, and further comprising means for removing elements that have respective priority values that are below a selected threshold value.

27. A system according to claim 25 wherein the plurality of elements have respective priority values assigned thereto, and further comprising means for modifying elements that have respective priority values that are below a selected threshold value.

28. A system according to claim 25 further comprising means for splitting at least one of the elements into multiple elements.

29. A computer program product for modifying a Web content file for display via a pervasive computing device, the computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code means embodied in the medium, the computer readable program code means comprising:

computer readable program code means for receiving a request from a pervasive computing device for the Web content file, wherein the Web content file contains an element having a characteristic that hinders display thereof via the pervasive computing device;

means for analyzing the Web content file for a link to the content modification file;

computer readable program code means for retrieving a content modification file associated with the requested Web content file, wherein the content modification file references the element in the Web content file, wherein the content modification file contains information about modifying the element so as to be displayable via the requesting pervasive computing device; and

computer readable program code means for modifying the element using the information contained within the retrieved content modification file.

30. A computer program product according to claim 29 further comprising computer readable program code means for serving the requested Web content file with the modified element to the pervasive computing device for display thereon.

31. A computer program product according to claim 29 wherein the Web content file is a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) file.

32. A computer program product according to claim 29 wherein the computer readable program code means for retrieving a content modification file associated with the Web content file comprises:

computer readable program code means for computing a hash value using content within the Web content file; and

computer readable program code means for retrieving a content modification file associated with the computed hash value from a repository of content modification files.

33. A computer program product according to claim 29 wherein the computer readable program code means for modifying the element comprises computer readable program code means for replacing the element with an alternative element identified within the retrieved content modification file, wherein the alternative element is displayable via the pervasive computing device.

34. A computer program product according to claim 29 wherein the computer readable program code means for modifying the element comprises means for splitting the element into multiple elements.

35. A computer program product according to claim 29 wherein the computer readable program code means for modifying the element comprises computer readable program code means for modifying the element to conform with identified characteristics of the pervasive computing device.

36. A computer program product according to claim 29 wherein the Web content file comprises a plurality of elements, wherein each element has a respective priority value assigned thereto, and wherein the computer readable program code means for modifying an element comprises computer readable program code means for removing elements that have respective priority values that are below a selected threshold value.

37. A computer program product according to claim 29 wherein the Web content file comprises a plurality of elements, wherein each element has a respective priority value assigned thereto, and wherein the computer readable program code means for modifying an element comprises computer readable program code means for modifying elements that have respective priority values that are below a selected threshold value.

38. A computer program product according to claim 29 wherein the retrieved content modification file is an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file.

39. A computer program product for modifying a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) file for display via a pervasive computing device, wherein the HTML file contains a plurality of elements each having respective characteristics that can hinder display thereof via the pervasive computing device, comprising:

computer readable program code means for analyzing the requested HTML file for a link to a content modification file, wherein the content modification file references the plurality of elements, and wherein the content modification file contains information about modifying the plurality of elements so as to render the elements displayable via the pervasive computing device;

computer readable program code means for retrieving the identified content modification file; and

computer readable program code means for replacing at least one element with an alternative element identified in the retrieved content modification file, wherein the alternative element is displayable via the pervasive computing device.

40. A computer program product according to claim 39 wherein the plurality of elements have respective priority values assigned thereto, and further comprising computer readable program code means for removing elements that have respective priority values that are below a selected threshold value.

41. A computer program product according to claim 39 wherein the plurality of elements have respective priority values assigned thereto, and further comprising computer readable program code means for modifying elements that have respective priority values that are below a selected threshold value.

42. A computer program product according to claim 39 further comprising computer readable program code means for splitting at least one of the elements into multiple elements.