Apparatus and method for filtering downloaded network sites

• US 6,883,020 B1
• Filed: 06/26/1997
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Sullivan, David J., Smith, Ursula, Lemaire, Louise, Taranto, Edward James, Gauvin, William Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C.
• Application Number:
  US08/883,241
• Time in Patent Office: 2,854 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229, 709/224, 709/223, 709/105, 709/203, 709/213, 709/217, 711/202
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

A process and apparatus for storing, in non-volatile memory of a local computer system, a selected remote web page and all web pages in a preselected number of nodes below the selected web page. The stored web pages may be filtered to cause the local computer system to store only web pages that are not larger than a preselected size, or web pages that are stored on the same remote network device.

Claims

1. A method of downloading into memory of a local computer system documents from nodes on a remote network site, the nodes being in a hierarchical tree structure with a plurality of levels, the tree structure having a highest node level, the method comprising:

designating one of the nodes in the tree structure as a root node;

designating an intermediate node level of the tree structure, the intermediate node level being the same as or below the level of the root node and less than a deepest node level; and

downloading, into the memory of the local computer system, documents in the nodes on levels that are in and between the root node and the intermediate node level, comprising;

filtering documents in the nodes on levels that are between the root node and the intermediate node level; and

preventing preselected parts of the documents from being downloaded.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein downloading further comprises:

preventing preselected remote documents from being downloaded into the memory of the local computer system.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein filtering further comprises:

ascertaining whether the filtered remote document is larger than a preselected maximum size.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein filtering further comprises:

ascertaining whether the filtered remote document is at the remote network site.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein filtering further comprises:

ascertaining whether the filtered document is a preselected type.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the remote site is a World Wide Web site.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the memory of the local computer system is free from remote network documents that are in nodes on a higher level than the root node.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is a background process.

9. An apparatus for downloading into memory of a local computer system documents from nodes on a remote network site, the nodes being in a hierarchical tree structure with a plurality of levels, the tree structure having a highest node level, the apparatus comprising:

means for designating one of the nodes in the tree structure as a root node;

means for designating a deepest node level for downloading of the tree structure, the deepest node level for downloading being the same as or below the level of the root node and less than a deepest node level of the tree structure; and

means for downloading, into the memory of the local computer system, documents in the nodes on levels that are in and between the root node and the deepest node level for downloading, comprising;

means for filtering documents in the nodes on levels that are between the root node and the deepest node level for downloading; and

means for preventing preselected parts of the documents from being downloaded.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the means for downloading includes:

means for preventing, subject to the filtering means, preselected remote documents from being downloaded into the memory of the local computer system.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the filtering means comprises:

means for ascertaining whether the filtered remote document is larger than a preselected maximum size.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the filtering means comprises:

means for ascertaining whether the filtered remote document is at the remote network site.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the filtering means comprises:

means for ascertaining whether the filtered documents is a preselected type.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the remote site is a World Wide Web site.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the memory of the local computer system does not contain documents that are in nodes on a higher level than the root node.

16. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon for downloading into memory of a local computer system documents from nodes on a remote network site, the nodes being in a hierarchical tree structure with a plurality of levels, the tree structure having a highest node level, the computer readable code comprising;

program code for designating one of the nodes in the tree structure as a root node;

program code for designating a preselected number of levels below the root node, the preselected number of levels above a deepest node level of the tree structure; and

program code for downloading, into the memory of the local computer system, documents of the preselected number of levels, comprising;

program code for filtering documents in the preselected number of levels; and

program code for preventing preselected parts of the documents from being downloaded.

17. The computer program product as defined by claim 16 wherein the program code for downloading comprises:

program code for preventing, subject to the program code for filtering, preselected remote documents from being downloaded into the memory of the local computer system.

18. The computer program product as defined by claim 17 wherein the program code for filtering comprises:

program code for ascertaining whether the filtered remote document is larger than a preselected maximum size.

19. The computer program product as defined by claim 17 wherein the program code for filtering comprises:

program code for ascertaining whether the filtered remote document is at the remote network site.

20. The computer program product as defined by claim 17 wherein the program code for filtering comprises:

program code for ascertaining whether the filtered document is a preselected type.

21. The computer program product as defined by claim 16 wherein the remote site is a World Wide Web site.

22. The computer program product as defined by claim 16 wherein the memory of the local computer system is free from remote network documents that are in nodes on a higher level than the root node.

23. The computer program product as defined by claim 16 wherein the local computer system includes a browser, the program code for downloading not interrupting execution of the browser.

24. A method of downloading into memory of a local computer system documents from nodes on a World Wide Web site, the nodes being in a hierarchical tree structure with a plurality of levels, the tree structure having a highest node level, the method comprising:

designating as a root node a node in the tree structure at which an accessed page of the World Wide Web site is located;

designating an intermediate node level of the tree structure, the intermediate node level being the same as or below the level of the root node and less than a deepest node level; and

downloading, into the memory of the local computer system, documents in the nodes on levels that are in and between the root node and the intermediate node level, comprising;

filtering documents in the nodes on levels that are between the root node and the intermediate node level; and

preventing preselected parts of the documents from being downloaded.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein downloading further comprises:

preventing preselected remote documents from being downloaded into the memory of the local computer system.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein downloading further comprises:

filtering documents in the nodes on levels that are between the root node and the intermediate node level; and

preventing preselected parts of the documents from being downloaded.