Collaborative network navigation synchronization mechanism

• US 6,487,195 B1
• Filed: 10/23/1996
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Teradata US, Inc. (Teradata Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Choung, Byung-Sun, Gula, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuongchau Ba
• Application Number:
  US08/735,476
• Time in Patent Office: 2,225 Days
• Field of Search: 370/400, 370/401, 370/352, 370/355, 395/200.48, 395/200.36, 395/500, 395/200.49, 395/200.59, 395/200.79, 395/200.53, 395/200.57, 395/200.54, 395/200.3, 395/200.33, 364/280.4, 364/280.6, 364/282.4, 1/1, 709/227, 709/218, 709/202, 709/229, 709/203, 709/204, 709/206
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/15 Synchronised browsing

Abstract

A web site server provides collaborative web page navigation feature for a group of user terminals. The location information of the web pages are relayed to all following terminals of the group, while a leading terminal of the group is navigating through the web pages by using its web browser. Each of the following terminals has a web navigation synchronizer. Upon receiving the web page location information, the web navigation synchronizer updates its respective web browser and activates the browser to locate web pages according to the web page location information.

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing a plurality of web browsers using a collaborative program, each of the plurality of web browsers on a separate computer, comprising:

navigating one or more web sites having at least one web page with a leading one of the web browsers on a leading computer, each of the sites having a location;

synchronizing at least one of the plurality of web browsers with the leading one of the web browsers and displaying the at least one web page on the at least one synchronized web browser using the collaborative program without human intervention; and

establishing voice communication links between each of the users of the web browsers using the collaborative program and transmitting voice data over said voice communication links.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising sending location information from the leading web browser to a collaborative controller, the collaborative controller then forwarding the location information to at least one of the other computers having a web browser.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising gathering session definitions and session lists from at least one of the computers, and sending the gathered session definitions and session lists to at least one of the other computers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the leading computer includes the collaborative controller.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the web sites is on a local data network.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the collaborative controller maintains a collaborative database including at least one of the following:

a) a session definition;

b) a session list; and

c) a leading terminal schedule.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the session definition includes information indicative of the names of users joined into the session and a time schedule for the session.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the session list includes the names and network addresses of one of the session numbers and session terminals.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the leading terminal schedule includes the names and network addresses of the user terminals which will act as leading terminals during the session.

10. The method of claim 6, comprising indicating by a following computer to the leading computer that the following computer is joining a session.

11. A method of synchronizing web browsers on a group of user terminals using a collaborative program, comprising:

designating one of user terminals as a leading terminal;

navigating through web pages having at least one web page with the leading terminal using the web browser;

relaying location information of the browsed web pages to at least one following web browser of the group of user terminals using the collaborative program and displaying the at least one web page on the at least one synchronized web browser without human intervention; and

establishing voice communication links between each of the users of the web browsers using the collaborative program and transmitting voice data over said voice communication links.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising creating a session list including the names and addresses of the session members including the leading terminal and the at least one following terminal.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising providing the name and address of the leading terminal.

14. The method of claim 11, comprising establishing communication links between each of the user terminals.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said relaying step is performed by relaying location information to each of the session members.

16. A computer architecture for synchronizing a plurality of web browsers using a collaborative program, each of the plurality of web browsers on a separate computer, said computer architecture comprising:

navigating means for navigating one or more web sites having at least one web page with a leading one of the web browsers on a leading computer, each of the sites having a location;

synchronizing means for synchronizing at least one of the plurality of web browsers with the leading one of the web browsers and displaying the at least one web page on the at least one synchronized web browser without human intervention; and

establishing means for establishing voice communication links using the collaborative program between each of the users of the web browsers using the collaborative program and transmitting voice data over said voice communication links.

17. A computer system for synchronizing a plurality of web browsers using a collaborative program, each of the plurality of web browsers on a separate computer, the computer system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to said processor, the memory having stored therein sequences of instructions, which, when executed by said processor, cause said processor to perform the steps of;

navigating one or more web sites having at least one web page with a leading one of the web browsers on a leading computer, each of the sites having a location;

synchronizing at least one of the plurality of web browsers with the leading one of the web browsers and displaying the at least one web page on the at least one synchronized web browser without human intervention; and

establishing voice communication links between each of the users of the web browsers using the collaborative program and transmitting voice data over said voice communication links.