Method and apparatus for persistent access to Web resources using variable time-stamps

• US 7,120,862 B1
• Filed: 06/28/1999
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Ong, Ping-Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Thu V.
• Application Number:
  US09/342,408
• Time in Patent Office: 2,661 Days
• Field of Search: 707/511, 707/513, 707/500.1, 707/203, 707/3, 715/511, 715/513, 715/500.1, 715/500, 715/501.1
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9562 Bookmark management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for providing persistent storage of Web resources. Uniform Resource Locators (“URLs”) that identify Web resources are augmented to include a time stamp. A web browser and a web server are disclosed that accommodate a time stamp parameter and allow a user to refer to any Web address with a precise target date. The disclosed Web browser can optionally include a mechanism to facilitate the specification of the desired date and time, or the user can manually append the time stamp to the URL indicated in the “Location” window of the browser. The persistent Web servers (i) receive URLs containing a time stamp, relative or variable time-stamp, (ii) extract the time stamp, (iii) retrieve the appropriate Web page(s) corresponding to the time-stamp, and (iv) return the appropriate page(s) or links to the client. Wildcard characters and date ranges can be used in the variable time-stamp to implement a variable time stamp when a user is not sure of the date for a specific web resource or wishes to specify more than one precise date and time. The persistent Web servers include a persistent archive for storing all of the versions of Web resources that will be persistently available to Web users.

Claims

1. A method for providing an electronic document, said electronic document having multiple versions, each of said versions having a time-stamp, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for said electronic document, said request including a variable time-stamp;

identifying versions of said electronic document corresponding to said variable time-stamp;

obtaining two or more of said versions of said electronic documents identified by said variable time-stamp; and

updating, in response to said request, one or more embedded hyperlinks in each of at least two of said two or more obtained versions of said electronic document to include a timestamp based on a requested timestamp.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein an address identifying said electronic document includes said time-stamp.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said address is a Uniform Resource Locator.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said Uniform Resource Locator as an associated request header for indicating said variable time-stamp.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said request is specified using a browser.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said request includes a relative time stamp.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said variable time-stamp includes a wildcard character.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said variable time-stamp includes a date range.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying a list of web resources that satisfy said variable time-stamp.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said variable time-stamp can be utilized to identify a version of said electronic document having an unknown time.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of displaying a list of said versions satisfying said variable time-stamp.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of displaying a list of links in an order specified by a user.

13. A system for storing an electronic document having multiple versions, said system comprising:

a memory for storing said multiple versions of said electronic document in an archive of electronic documents; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to;

receive a request for one of said versions of said electronic document, said request including a variable time-stamp;

identify versions of said electronic document corresponding to said variable time-stamp;

obtain two or more of said versions of said electronic documents identified by said variable time-stamp; and

update, in response to said request, one or more embedded hyperlinks in each of at least two of said two or more obtained versions of said electronic document to include a timestamp based on a requested timestamp.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein an address identifying said electronic document includes said time-stamp.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein said address is a Uniform Resource Locator.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said Uniform Resource Locator has an associated request header for indicating said variable time-stamp.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein said request is specified using a browser.

18. The system according to claim 13, wherein said request includes a relative time stamp.

19. The system according to claim 13, wherein said variable time-stamp includes a wildcard character.

20. The system according to claim 13, wherein said variable time-stamp includes a date range.

21. The system according to claim 13, wherein said processor is further configured to display a list of web resources that satisfy said variable time-stamp.

22. The system according to claim 13, wherein said variable time-stamp can be utilized to identify a version of said electronic document having an unknown time.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein said processor is further configured to display a list of said versions satisfying said variable time-stamp.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein said processor is further configured to display a list of links in an order specified by a user.

25. An article of manufacture for accessing an electronic document, said article of manufacture comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising program code means for causing a computer to;

receive a request for one of said versions of said electronic document, said request including a variable time-stamp; and

identify versions of said electronic document corresponding to said variable time-stamp;

obtain two or more of said versions of said electronic documents identified by said variable time-stamp; and

update, in response to said request, one or more embedded hyperlinks in each of at least two of said two or more obtained versions of said electronic document to include a timestamp based on a requested timestamp.