Method and apparatus for controlling browser functionality in the context of an application

• US 6,476,833 B1
• Filed: 03/30/1999
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Moshfeghi, Mehran
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US09/281,393
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 345/745, 345/742, 345/751, 345/759, 345/839, 345/744, 345/968, 345/853, 345/854, 345/762
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

This invention includes methods and apparatus for browsing markup language documents from within the context of a client-server application running on an end-user device. Browser functionality, which is configured according to user profile information specifying each user'"'"'s authorization and preferences, is embedded in the application, and can be activated by application controls. While some users have unrestricted authorization and access, others are restricted to certain browser functions and to certain allowed network resources. This restriction is enforced by preventing the browser functionality from generating network addresses that are not on a list of allowed network addresses also present in the user profile information. Network access restriction is achieved, in part, by filtering markup language documents before display to delete linking information that is not allowed. Document filtering methods are presented for Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and extensible Markup Language (XML) documents. The document filtering methods are extendable to additional markup languages.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a user to browse markup language documents, the documents being stored for retrieval at one or more computer systems attached to a network and containing linking information representing addresses of network resources, the apparatus comprising:

an end-user device comprising processor, memory, network attachment, input means, and display, wherein the memory stores user profile records whose contents describe characteristics and preferences of the user relating to the user'"'"'s restrictions to at least one of access to network resources and use of browser specific controls, and

an application program comprising;

(i) instructions for causing the processor to perform an application function which displays an application window including application specific controls and data, wherein the application specific controls are responsive to the content of the user profile records and comprise a browser control, and

(ii) instructions for causing the processor to perform, responsive to user activation of the browser control, a browser function which displays within the application window a browser sub-window including browser specific controls and markup language documents, wherein both the displayed browser specific controls and linking information retained in the displayed markup language documents are responsive to the content of the user profile records.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the browser specific controls comprise a location entry field for user input of linking information representing resource addresses to be accessed, and wherein the browser function displays or not the location entry field responsively to contents of the user profile records.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein contents of the user profile records comprise an indication of allowed linking information, and wherein the browser function retains only allowed linking information in the displayed markup language documents, whereby the user can only access only allowed resources from a displayed markup language document.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the browser function filters markup language documents in order to delete linking information that is not indicated as allowed by contents of the user profile records.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the markup language documents comprise HTML documents, and wherein the browser function filters an HTML document by parsing the document to find href attributes, by locating linking information in found href attributes, by resolving addresses in located linking information to absolute addresses, and by deleting located linking information from the HTML document that is not indicated as allowed by contents of the user profile records.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the markup language documents comprise XML documents, and wherein the browser function filters an XML document by parsing the document for XLink elements, by locating linking information from all href attributes associated with found XLink elements, by resolving addresses in located linking information to full address, and by deleting located linking information from the XML document that is not indicated as allowed by contents of the user profile records.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the href attributes associated with an XLink element are either (i), if the XLink element has a simple type, located in the element start-tag, or (ii), if the XLink element has an extended type, located in locator and document element children of the XLink element.

8. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the indication of allowed linking information indicates only whether or not entire markup language documents are allowed.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the memory also stores instructions for interpreting Java codes, and wherein the instructions of the application program comprise interpretable Java codes.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein user profile or user directory databases are resident on one or more network attached computer systems, and wherein the application program further comprises instructions for downloading the user profile records from the user profile or user directory databases.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising business data server systems which provide business data requested by the end-user device.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user profile records relate to the user'"'"'s restrictions to access to network resources and use of browser specific controls.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said user profile records are created for each user but not by each user so that each user does not have access to his or her user profile record and cannot alter his or her user profile record.

14. A method for a user to browse markup language documents at an end-user device, the documents being stored for retrieval at one or more computer systems attached to a network and containing linking information representing resource addresses, the method comprising the steps of:

entering user identification information,

authenticating entered user identification information and loading user profile records associated with the authenticated user to the end-user device, the user profile records relating to the user'"'"'s restrictions to at least one of access to network resources and use of browser specific controls,

displaying an application window at the end-user device including application specific controls and data, wherein the application specific controls are responsive to the content of the user profile records and comprise a browser control, and

displaying, within the application window and responsively to user activation of the browser control, a browser sub-window including browser specific controls and markup language documents, wherein both the displayed browser specific controls and linking information retained in the displayed markup language documents are responsive to the content of the user profile records.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the browser specific controls comprise a location entry field for user input of linking information representing resource addresses to be accessed, and wherein displaying or not of the location entry field in the browser sub-window is responsive to contents of the user profile records.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein contents of the user profile records comprise an indication of allowed linking information, and wherein displaying markup language documents in the browser sub-window retains only allowed linking information, whereby the user can access only allowed resources from displayed markup language documents.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein all linking information is indicated as allowed.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein displaying markup language documents further comprises filtering markup language documents before display to delete linking information that is not indicated as allowed by contents of the user profile records.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the markup language documents comprise HTML documents, and wherein the filtering HTML markup language documents further comprises:

parsing an HTML document to find href attributes,

locating linking information from the found href attributes,

resolving addresses in located linking information to absolute addresses, and

deleting located linking information that is not indicated as allowed by contents of the user profile records.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the markup language documents comprise XML documents, and wherein the filtering XML markup language documents further comprises:

parsing an XML document to find XLink elements,

locating linking information from all href attributes associated with found XLink elements,

resolving addresses in located linking information to absolute addresses, and

deleting located linking information that is not indicated as allowed by contents of the user profile records.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the locating linking information further comprises finding all href attributes associated with a found XLink element by

if the XLink element has a simple type, finding all href attributes in the element start-tag, and

if the XLink element has an extended type, finding all href attributes in locator and document element children of the XLink element.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the displaying a browser sub-window further comprises:

creating dynamically a homepage markup language document which includes the linking information indicated to be allowed, and

displaying the homepage markup language document in the browser sub-window so that the allowed displayed linking information can be accessed by the user.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein the browser specific controls further comprise a control the activation of which causes display of a selection list presenting the linking information indicated to be allowed for user selection and access.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein the indication of allowed linking information indicates only whether or not entire markup language documents are allowed.

25. The method of claim 14 wherein user profile or user directory databases are resident on one or more network attached computer systems, and wherein loading the user profile records to the end-user device comprises downloading the user profile records across the network from the user profile or user directory databases.

26. The method of claim 14 further comprising, prior to the step of entering identification information, a step of directing a browser program active in the end-user device to a markup language document which causes loading of instructions into the end-user device for performing the subsequent steps of displaying an application window and displaying a browser sub-window.

27. The method of claim 14, wherein the user profile records relate to the user'"'"'s restrictions to access to network resources and use of browser specific controls.

28. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

creating for each user but not by each user a user profile record, and

preventing access by each user to his or her user profile record so that each user cannot alter his or her user profile record.