System and method for the dynamic improvement of internet browser navigability

• US 7,222,303 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2001
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RhythmOne LLC (Nexxen International Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hotbar.com, Inc. (Zango Incorporated)
• Inventors: Oren, Dobronsky, Karni, Gabriella
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THANH T
• Application Number:
  US09/864,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20020057299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,190 Days
• Field of Search: 345/825, 345744-747, 345/749, 345/760, 345/779, 345/810, 345/835, 345/840
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

A method and system for dynamically providing the on-demand addition of graphic and other information to a web brower'"'"'s toolbar. The HotbarToolbar comprises a plurality of categorized or rated links, which in the presently preferred embodiment are organized under customized, newly and dynamically added toolbar buttons known as hotbuttons. The name and/or content of the hotbuttons may change dynamically in accordance with various factors (including, but not limited to, changes in URL).

Claims

1. A method for presenting graphic and other information in a toolbar area of a browser, the method comprising:

providing a plug-in for installation in a browser, the plug-in stored on a computer-readable medium comprising programming instructions for;

displaying a user-selectable button in the toolbar area of the browser;

wherein the user-selectable button includes at least one of graphic information and a text label, the user-selectable button for directing a user to at least one web site corresponding to the text label; and

updating the graphic information and the text label dynamically based on a web site that is being accessed via the browser.

2. The method of claim 1, the graphic information including text information.

3. The method of claim 1, the graphic information corresponding to content of the web site that is being accessed by the browser.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a selection of the button results in a presentation of links to at least one web site related to the text label.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a selection of the button results in the browser being directed to a web site having content related to the text label of the button.

6. The method of claim 1, the graphic information including an advertisement.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the text label based on an additional factor, other than the web site being accessed via the browser.

8. The method of claim 7, the additional factor comprising an attribute of a user of the browser.

9. The method of claim 1, said updating further comprising updating an appearance of the button based on the web site being accessed by the browser.

10. A method for dynamically updating an attribute of a browser via a plug-in, the method comprising:

providing graphic information in a toolbar area of a browser; and

updating the graphic information dynamically based on a web site that is being accessed via the browser.

11. The method of claim 10, the graphic information further comprising a user-selectable button that includes a text label, the button for directing a user to at least one web site corresponding to the text label.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the text label is updated based on the web site that is being accessed via the browser.

13. The method of claim 10, the graphic information including text information.

14. The method of claim 10, the graphic information corresponding to content of the web site that is being accessed by the browser.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

updating the text label based on an additional factor, other than the web site being accessed via the browser.

16. A system for providing on-demand addition of graphic and other information to a toolbar area of a browser, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor and arranged for storing a plug-in for a web browser, the plug-in containing processing instructions that, when executed, direct the processor to display a user-selectable button in the toolbar area of the web browser, and to update the displayed user-selectable button dynamically based on a web site that is being accessed via the browser, wherein the user-selectable button includes at least one of a text label and the graphic information.

17. A system for presenting graphic and other information in a toolbar area of a browser, the system comprising:

a plug-in for installation in a browser, the plug-in stored on a computer-readable medium comprising;

means for displaying a user-selectable button in the toolbar area of the browser;

wherein the user-selectable button includes at least on of graphic information and a text label, the user-selectable button for directing a user to at least one web site corresponding to the text label; and

means for updating the graphic information and the text label dynamically based on a web site that is being accessed via the browser.

18. The system of claim 17, the graphic information including text information.

19. The system of claim 17, the graphic information corresponding to content of the web site that is being accessed by the browser.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein a selection of the button results in a presentation of links to at least one web site related to the text label.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein a selection of the button results in the browser being directed to a web site having content related to the text label of the button.

22. The system of claim 17, the graphic information including an advertisement.

23. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

means for updating the text label based on an additional factor, other than the web site being accessed via the browser.

24. The system of claim 23, the additional factor comprising an attribute of a user of the browser.

25. The system of claim 17, the updating further comprising means for updating an appearance of the button based on the web site being accessed by the browser.

26. A system for dynamically updating an attribute of a browser via a plug-in, the system comprising:

means for providing graphic information in a toolbar area of a browser; and

means for updating the graphic information dynamically based on a web site that is being accessed via the browser.

27. The system of claim 26, the graphic information further comprising a user-selectable button that includes a text label, the button for directing a user to at least one web site corresponding to the text label.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the text label is updated based on the web site that is being accessed via the browser.

29. The system of claim 26, the graphic information including text information.

30. The system of claim 26, the graphic information corresponding to content of the web site that is being accessed by the browser.

31. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

means for updating the text label based on an additional factor, other than the web site being accessed via the browser.