Methods, articles and apparatus for providing a browsing session

• US 6,675,202 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2000
• Issued: 01/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cary D. Perttunen
• Original Assignee: Cary D. Perttunen
• Inventors: Perttunen, Cary D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/580,703
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/245, 345/712, 345/713, 345/853, 345/854, 345/855, 707/1, 707/10, 707/100
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A browsing session is provided to a user based on a tree which relates a plurality of computer-readable items. In response to a user-initiated selection of a first item in the tree, at most two of the items are outputted and/or retrieved before receiving a subsequent user-initiated selection of another item in the tree. If the first item is an internal item of the tree, a child of the first item in the tree is outputted and/or retrieved. If the first item has a sibling in the tree which has not been outputted and/or retrieved within the browsing session, the sibling is outputted and/or retrieved.

Claims

1. A method of providing a browsing session to a user, the method comprising:

(a) providing a tree which relates a plurality of computer-readable items; and

(b) in response to a user-initiated selection of a first computer-readable item in the tree;

retrieving the first computer-readable item from a local cache;

displaying the first computer-readable item;

retrieving exactly two of the computer-readable items via a computer network, the exactly two of the computer-readable items consisting of a second computer-readable item which is a child of the first computer-readable item in the tree and a third computer-readable item which is a sibling of the first computer-readable item in the tree and had not been retrieved within the browsing session; and

storing the second computer-readable item and the third computer-readable item in the local cache.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, after (b):

(c) in response to a user-initiated selection of the second computer-readable item in the tree;

retrieving the second computer-readable item from the local cache;

displaying the second computer-readable item;

retrieving exactly two of the computer-readable items via the computer network, the exactly two of the computer-readable items consisting of a fourth computer-readable item which is a child of the second computer-readable item in the tree and a fifth computer-readable item which is a sibling of the second computer-readable item in the tree; and

storing the fourth computer-readable item and the fifth computer-readable item in the local cache.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, after (b):

(c) in response to a user-initiated selection of the third computer-readable item in the tree;

retrieving the third computer-readable item from the local cache;

displaying the third computer-readable item;

retrieving exactly two of the computer-readable items via the computer network, the exactly two of the computer-readable items consisting of a fourth computer-readable item which is a child of the third computer-readable item in the tree and a fifth computer-readable item which is a sibling of the third computer-readable item in the tree and had not been retrieved within the browsing session; and

storing the fourth computer-readable item and the fifth computer-readable item in the local cache.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first computer-readable item comprises a first Web page, the second computer-readable item comprises a second Web page, and the third computer-readable item comprises a third Web page.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first computer-readable item comprises a first message, the second computer-readable item comprises a second message, and the third computer-readable item comprises a third message, wherein the second message is a reply to the first message, and wherein the first message and the third message are replies to a fourth message.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a first plurality of similarity values between a search expression and the computer-readable items; and

determining a second plurality of similarity values between a corresponding plurality of pairs of the computer-readable items;

wherein said providing a tree comprises determining an optimum path tree based upon the first plurality of similarity values and the second plurality of similarity values, the optimum path tree indicating a respective optimum path between the search expression and each of the plurality of computer-readable items.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a first plurality of similarity values between a search expression and the computer-readable items; and

determining a second plurality of similarity values between a corresponding plurality of pairs of the computer-readable items;

wherein said providing a tree comprises determining an optimum spanning tree based on the first plurality of similarity values and the second plurality of similarity values.

8. An apparatus for providing a browsing session based on a tree which relates a plurality of computer-readable items, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiver to communicate with a computer network;

at least one user input device to receive user-initiated selections;

a processor responsive to the at least one input device and in communication with the transceiver;

a display device responsive to the processor; and

at least one memory in communication with the processor to provide a local cache;

wherein the processor is responsive to a user-initiated selection of a first computer-readable item in the tree to;

retrieve the first computer-readable item from the local cache;

display the first computer-readable item using the display device;

retrieve exactly two of the computer-readable items via the computer network using the transceiver, the exactly two of the computer-readable items consisting of a second computer-readable item which is a child of the first computer-readable item in the tree and a third computer-readable item which is a sibling of the first computer-readable item in the tree and had not been retrieved within the browsing session; and

store the second computer-readable item and the third computer-readable item in the local cache.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the processor is responsive to a subsequent user-initiated selection of the second computer-readable item in the tree to:

retrieve the second computer-readable item from the local cache;

display the second computer-readable item using the display device;

retrieve exactly two of the computer-readable items via the computer network using the transceiver, the exactly two of the computer-readable items consisting of a fourth computer-readable item which is a child of the second computer-readable item in the tree and a fifth computer-readable item which is a sibling of the second computer-readable item in the tree; and

store the fourth computer-readable item and the fifth computer-readable item in the local cache.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the processor is responsive to a subsequent user-initiated selection of the third computer-readable item in the tree to:

retrieve the third computer-readable item from the local cache;

display the third computer-readable item using the display device;

retrieve exactly two of the computer-readable items via the computer network using the transceiver, the exactly two of the computer-readable items consisting of a fourth computer-readable item which is a child of the third computer-readable item in the tree and a fifth computer-readable item which is a sibling of the third computer-readable item in the tree and had not been retrieved within the browsing session; and

store the fourth computer-readable item and the fifth computer-readable item in the local cache.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first computer-readable item comprises a first Web page, the second computer-readable item comprises a second Web page, and the third computer-readable item comprises a third Web page.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first computer-readable item comprises a first message, the second computer-readable item comprises a second message, and the third computer-readable item comprises a third message, wherein the second message is a reply to the first message, and wherein the first message and the third message are replies to a fourth message.

13. A computer-readable medium for providing a browsing session based on a tree which relates a plurality of computer-readable items, the computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable content which directs a computer to respond to a user-initiated selection of a first computer-readable item in the tree to:

retrieve the first computer-readable item from a local cache;

display the first computer-readable item;

retrieve exactly two of the computer-readable items via a computer network, the exactly two of the computer-readable items consisting of a second computer-readable item which is a child of the first computer-readable item in the tree and a third computer-readable item which is a sibling of the first computer-readable item in the tree and had not been retrieved within the browsing session; and

store the second computer-readable item and the third computer-readable item in the local cache.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the computer-readable content directs the computer to respond to a subsequent user-initiated selection of the second computer-readable item in the tree to:

retrieve the second computer-readable item from the local cache;

display the second computer-readable item;

retrieve exactly two of the computer-readable items via the computer network, the exactly two of the computer-readable items consisting of a fourth computer-readable item which is a child of the second computer-readable item in the tree and a fifth computer-readable item which is a sibling of the second computer-readable item in the tree; and

store the fourth computer-readable item and the fifth computer-readable item in the local cache.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the computer-readable content directs the computer to respond to a subsequent user-initiated selection of the third computer-readable item in the tree to:

retrieve the third computer-readable item from the local cache;

display the third computer-readable item;

retrieve exactly two of the computer-readable items via the computer network, the exactly two of the computer-readable items consisting of a fourth computer-readable item which is a child of the third computer-readable item in the tree and a fifth computer-readable item which is a sibling of the third computer-readable item in the tree and had not been retrieved within the browsing session; and

store the fourth computer-readable item and the fifth computer-readable item in the local cache.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the first computer-readable item comprises a first Web page, the second computer-readable item comprises a second Web page, and the third computer-readable item comprises a third Web page.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the first computer-readable item comprises a first message, the second computer-readable item comprises a second message, and the third computer-readable item comprises a third message, wherein the second message is a reply to the first message, and wherein the first message and the third message are replies to a fourth message.