Browser apparatus, address registering method, browser system and recording medium

• US 6,483,525 B1
• Filed: 04/24/1998
• Issued: 11/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tange, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Application Number:
  US09/065,433
• Time in Patent Office: 1,670 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 345/357, 345/339, 345/765, 345/738, 345/739, 707/513, 707/515, 707/517
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9562 Bookmark management

Abstract

A browser apparatus for browsing a variety of homepages supplied from servers over a communication network, such as the Internet, the address of a homepage is classified and registered through a user carrying out with a mouse a drag-and-drop action of its pointer to shift an item displayed in a region of the screen where the homepage is displayed to one of classifications determined by the user and displayed on the screen. This allows the registration of a homepage address to be simplified.

Claims

1. A browser apparatus for displaying data supplied from a server over a communication network, comprising:

storage means for storing a URL address corresponding to said data from said server and a user-named classification for said data, said storage means storing a plurality of said usernamed classifications, wherein each of said classifications is assigned to a plurality of URL addresses associated with a respective plurality of data from said server;

display means having a screen including first and second regions, said first region for displaying said data supplied from said server and said second region for displaying at least one classification of said data;

command means responsive to an action of a user for controlling a location of a pointer displayed on said screen of said display means; and

control means responsive to a drag-and-drop action of said pointer for dragging a URL address associated with said data displayed in said first region from said first region of said screen to one of said plurality of said user named classifications displayed in said second region of said screen and dropping said dragged URL address in one of said plurality of said user named classifications displayed in said second region of said screen by said command means for controlling said storage means to store said dropped URL address corresponding to said data displayed in said first region in association with the said one of said plurality of said user-named classification thereof displayed in said second region.

2. The browser apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said address corresponding to said data displayed in said first region is stored in association with said classification thereof in said storage means in response to a drag-and-drop action of said command means for shifting from any desired point in said first region to said at least one classification displayed in said second region.

3. The browser apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a display of said second region is constantly displayed on said screen of said display means.

4. The browser apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a display of said second region is held on said screen upon said command means selecting said location in said first region.

5. The browser apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second region is displayed on said screen upon said command means selecting said desired point in said first region.

6. The browser apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least one classification of said data is denoted by a folder icon.

7. The browser apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least one classification of said data is denoted by a button icon.

8. An address registering method comprising the steps of:

displaying data supplied from a server in a first region of a screen of a display unit and displaying a plurality of classifications for said data in a second region of said screen, wherein said classifications can be respectively assigned to a plurality of URL addresses associated with a respective plurality of data from said server;

carrying out a drag-and-drop action for dragging a URL address associated with said data supplied from said server from any point in said first region to one of said plurality of classifications displayed in said second region and dropping the dragged URL address in said one of said plurality of classification displayed in said second region; and

storing said dropped URL address corresponding to said data displayed in said first region into a memory in association with its classification.

9. The address registering method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of denoting said classification of said data by a folder icon.

10. The address registering method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of denoting said classification of said at a by a button icon.

11. A browser system comprising:

a server for supplying data;

storage means for storing a URL address corresponding to said data from said server and a classification for said data, said storage means storing a plurality of said classifications, wherein said classification can be assigned to a plurality of addresses associated with a respective plurality of data;

display means having a screen including a first region and a second region, said first for displaying said data supplied from said server and, and said second region for displaying at least one classification of the data;

command means responsive to an action of a user for controlling a location of a pointer displayed on said screen of said display means; and

control means responsive to a drag-and-drop action of said pointer for dragging a URL address associated with said data displayed in said first region from said first region of said screen to one of said plurality of classifications displayed in said second region of said screen and dropping said dragged URL address in one of said plurality of said user named classifications displayed in said second region of said screen by said command means for controlling said storage means to store said dropped URL address corresponding to said data displayed in said first region in association with said one of said plurality of classification thereof displayed in said second region.

12. The browser system according to claim 11, wherein said address corresponding to said data displayed in said first region is stored in association with said classification thereof in said storage means in response to a drag-and-drop action of said command means for shifting from any desired point in said first region to said at least one classification displayed in said second region.

13. The browser system according to claim 11, wherein a display of said second region is constantly displayed on said screen of said display means.

14. The browser system according to claim 11, wherein a display of said second region is held on the screen upon the command means selecting the desired point in the first region.

15. The browser system according to claim 11, wherein said second region is displayed on said screen upon said command means selecting a desired location in the first region.

16. The browser system according to claim 11, wherein said at least one classification of said data is denoted by a folder icon.

17. The browser system according to claim 11, wherein said at least one classification of said data is denoted by a button icon.

18. A storage medium for storing browser software that displays data supplied from a server in a first region of a screen of a display unit and displays a plurality of classifications for the data in a second region of said screen and, in response to a drag-and-drop action of a pointer for dragging a URL address associated with said data displayed in said first region from said first region of said screen to said second region of said screen and dropping said dragged URL address in one of said plurality of said classifications displayed in said second region by an action of a user, that saves said dropped URL address corresponding to said data displayed in said first region in association with one of said plurality of respective classification displayed in said second region of said screen, wherein said respective classification can be assigned to a plurality of data having different respective addresses.