Transparent injection of specific content into web pages viewed while browsing

• US 7,107,526 B1
• Filed: 01/19/2000
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Weller, Scott Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton, Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): HILLERY, NATHAN
• Application Number:
  US09/487,585
• Time in Patent Office: 2,428 Days
• Field of Search: 715/530, 715/513, 715/526, 715/527
• US Class Current: 715/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/17 Web printing

Abstract

A software program is installed somewhere on a network and acts as a custom proxy service. The software is used to filter content returning from a source to a web browser. At an appropriate point in the returning data stream, non-selectable content, such as, for example a corporate logo, or selectable content, such as, for example, a linking to other document sources or a print function, is injected. If the selectable content requires support processing, the software program installed on the network will process the selectable content and provide an end user with the processed information without requiring the end user'"'"'s downloading device to process the downloaded information.

Claims

1. A method of injecting control content into a displayed document on a display device, comprising:

receiving a document;

determining whether the received document contains a plurality of links to respective retrievable items;

inserting injectable control content, represented by an icon, button or image, into the received document at a specified location adjacent to and in respect to the plurality of links to the respective retrievable items; and

outputting the received document including the injectable control content to the display device,

wherein selection of the injectable control content adjacent to each link executes a functional operation upon the respective retrievable item identified by the respective link,

wherein the functional operation comprises at least one of a document printing function, a document storage function, a document editing function, an email function and a facsimile function, and

wherein the functional operation is performed by and on a server that is separate from, and in communication with the display device over a network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the retrievable items identified in the received document is at least one of a file, a folder, a picture, a movie, a sound, or a document.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the injectable control content provides processing of each of the retrievable items without installing software on the display device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified location to insert the injectable content is determined by a user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the document includes receiving the document using at least one of either a wired connection or a wireless connection to a network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the received document includes forwarding using at least one of either a wired connection or a wireless connection to the display device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the document is received at the display device; and

the injectable control content is inserted by the display device.

8. An apparatus for injecting control content into a displayed document on a display device, comprising:

an input circuit that receives an incoming document;

a content database that stores injectable control content;

a memory that stores a location for inserting the stored injectable control content into the received document;

a content monitoring circuit that monitors the incoming document for a plurality of links to respective retrievable items;

a content injection circuit that injects the injectable control content, represented by an icon, button or image, into the incoming document at a specified location adjacent to and in respect to the plurality of links to the respective retrievable items; and

an output circuit that outputs the received document including the injectable control content to the display device,

wherein selection of the injectable control content adjacent to each link executes a functional operation upon the respective retrievable item identified by the respective link,

wherein the functional operation comprises at least one of a document printing function, a document storage function, a document editing function, an email function and a facsimile function, and

wherein the functional operation is performed by and on a server that is separate from, and in communication with the display device over a network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the injectable control content provides processing of each of the retrievable items without installing software on the display device.

10. A control system that injects control content into a document on a display device, the control system comprising:

an input circuit that receives an incoming document;

a content database that stores injectable control content;

a memory that stores a location for inserting the stored injectable control content into the received document;

a content monitoring circuit that monitors the incoming document for a plurality of links to respective retrievable items;

a content injection circuit that injects the injectable control content, represented by an icon, button or image, into the incoming document at a specified location adjacent to and in respect to the plurality of links to the respective retrievable items; and

an output circuit that transmits the received document including the injectable control content to a display manager of the display device,

wherein the display manager displays a graphical user interface on the display device, the graphical user interface comprising injectable control content,

wherein selection of the injectable control content adjacent to each link executes a functional operation upon the respective retrievable item identified by the respective link,

wherein the functional operation comprises at least one of a document printing function, a document storage function, a document editing function, an email function and a facsimile function, and

wherein the functional operation is performed by and on a server that is separate from, and in communication with the display device over a network.

11. The control system of claim 10, wherein at least one injectable control content includes at least one selectable icon to access at least one treatment option screen.

12. The control system of claim 11, wherein the treatment option screen has at least one option to process a retrievable item identified in the received document.

13. The control system of claim 12, wherein the treatment option screen is separately displayed for each retrievable item identified in the received document.

14. The control system of claim 13, wherein each treatment option screen is sequentially displayed for each retrievable item identified in the received document.

15. The control system of claim 14, wherein the treatment option screen includes a selectable icon to return to a previous treatment option screen.

16. The control system of claim 11, wherein the treatment option screen has at least one first portion identifying each retrievable item identified in the received document to be processed, at least one second portion for identifying each retrievable item identified in the received document not to be processed, and at least one control for moving a retrievable item identifier between the first and second portions.

17. The control system of claim 11, wherein the treatment option screen lists each retrievable item identified in the received document.

18. The control system of claim 17, wherein the list includes at least one markable box, each markable box associated with one retrievable item identified in the received document.

19. The control system of claim 18, wherein a marked markable box indicates that the associated retrievable item identified in the received document is to be processed, and an unmarked markable box indicates that the associated retrievable item identified in the received document is not to be processed.

20. The control system of claim 18, wherein a marked markable box indicates that the associated retrievable item identified in the received document is not to be processed, and an unmarked markable box indicates that the associated retrievable item identified in the received document is to be processed.

21. The control system of claim 11, wherein the treatment option screen includes a selectable icon to accept the treatment identified on the treatment option screen.

22. The control system of claim 11, wherein the treatment option screen includes a selectable icon to exit the treatment option screen.

23. The control system of claim 11, wherein the treatment option screen includes at least one portion having at least one option to display the injectable control content adjacent to a retrievable item identified in the received document.