System and method of creating and following URL tours

• US 7,249,315 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2001
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Missiontrek Ltd., Co.
• Original Assignee: Missiontrek Ltd., Co.
• Inventors: Moetteli, John Brent
• Primary Examiner(s): HUTTON JR, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US09/951,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20020049809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,140 Days
• Field of Search: 715/739, 715/738, 715/760, 715/501.1, 715/513, 715/847
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/07 Guided tours

Abstract

A browsing method encoded on a computer-readable medium is provided. The method creates customized summaries of web pages and comprises multiple steps. In a first step, from a thematic or project-based listing of URL links, a selected URL link is activated. In a second step, a tour creation dialog is opened. In a third step, the user is presented with a menu option that enables the user to identify an existing tour or create a new tour. In a fourth step, if the user identifies an existing tour, the URL so selected is added into this existing tour. In a fifth step, if the user chooses to create a new tour, an input window is presented to the user that prompts the user to input a tour name. In a sixth step, once the user inputs the tour name, the new tour is saved.

Claims

1. A program tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium for creating customized summaries of web pages, wherein the program operates on an Internet browser and is adapted to manage Internet research in a research session through use of the Internet browser, wherein navigation on the Internet by a user comprises automatically associating URLs accessed by the user with a pre-defined project name and wherein information regarding user-selected URLs, selected from at least the automatically-associated URLs, is stored in a computer storage medium, wherein said information comprises URL addresses and references to the predefined project name, the program comprising:

a. instructions for activating one of said user-selected URLs;

b. instructions for opening a tour dialog box for creating and/or editing a thematic tour of the user-selected URLs; and

c. instructions for presenting a menu option enabling the user to identify an existing tour or to create a new tour with which the activated user-selected URL is associated, wherein;

if the user identifies an existing tour, adding the activated user-selected URL into the existing tour;

or

if the user creates a new tour, presenting an input window to the user prompting the user to input a tour name and saving the new tour for later access through the browser,

wherein the adding of the URL in an existing tour is accomplished using a link insert mechanism inserting the selected URL in a desired order among any already existing links in the tour, wherein the link insertion mechanism is a selected link insertion device interposed between adjacent links in a thematic link list.

2. A program tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium for creating customized summaries of web pages, wherein the program operates on an Internet browser and is adapted to manage Internet research in a research session through use of the Internet browser, wherein navigation on the Internet by a user comprises automatically associating URLs accessed by the user with a pre-defined project name and wherein information regarding user-selected URLs, selected from at least the automatically-associated URLs, is stored in a computer storage medium, wherein said information comprises URL addresses and references to the predefined project name, the program comprising:

a. instructions for activating one of said user-selected URLs;

b. instructions for opening a tour dialog box for creating and/or editing a thematic tour of the user-selected URLs; and

c. instructions for presenting a menu option enabling the user to identify an existing tour or to create a new tour with which the activated user-selected URL is associated, wherein;

if the user identifies an existing tour, adding the activated user-selected URL into the existing tour;

or

if the user creates a new tour, presenting an input window to the user prompting the user to input a tour name and saving the new tour for later access through the browser,

wherein the adding of the selected URL is accomplished using a tour link editing submethod, wherein said submethod comprises;

instructions for presenting the user with a tour status window which displays existing links in the tour and facilitates the editing of these links through the execution of several steps; and

instructions for inserting the selected URL in a desired order among any already existing URLs in the tour, wherein the link insertion mechanism is a selected link insertion device interposed between adjacent links in a thematic link list.

3. A program tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium for creating customized summaries of web pages, wherein the program manages Internet research in a research session through use of an Internet browser, wherein navigation on the Internet by a user using the Internet browser includes automatically associating URLs accessed by the user with a pre-defined project name and wherein information regarding user-selected URLs, selected from at least the automatically-associated URLs, is stored in a computer storage medium, wherein said information comprises URL addresses and references to the predefined project name, the program comprising:

a. instructions for activating one of said user-selected URLs from a thematic listing of URL links;

b. instructions for opening a tour dialog box for creating and/or editing a thematic tour of the user-selected URLs; and

c. instructions for presenting the user with a menu option enabling the user to identify an existing tour or to create a new tour with which the activated user-selected URL is associated, wherein;

if the user identifies an existing tour, adding the activated user-selected URL into the existing tour;

or

if the user creates a new tour, presenting an input window to the user prompting the user to input a tour name and saving the new tour,

wherein the adding of the selected URL in an existing tour is accomplished using a link insert mechanism inserting the selected URL in a desired order among any already existing URLs in the tour, wherein said link insertion mechanism is a selected link insertion device interposed between adjacent links in the thematic link list.

4. A program tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium for creating customized summaries of web pages, wherein the program operates on an Internet browser and is adapted to manage Internet research in a research session through use of the Internet browser, wherein navigation on the Internet by a user comprises automatically associating URLs accessed by the user with a pre-defined project name and wherein information regarding user-selected URLs, selected from at least the automatically-associated URLs, is stored in a computer storage medium, wherein said information comprises URL addresses and references to the predefined project name, the program comprising:

a. instructions for activating one of said user-selected URLs;

b. instructions for opening a tour dialog box for creating and/or editing a thematic tour of the user-selected URLs; and

c. instructions for presenting a menu option enabling the user to identify an existing tour or to create a new tour with which the activated user-selected URL is associated, wherein;

if the user identifies an existing tour, adding the activated user-selected URL into the existing tour;

or

if the user creates a new tour, presenting an input window to the user prompting the user to input a tour name and saving the new tour for later access through the browser,

wherein the adding of the URL in an existing tour is accomplished using a link insert mechanism inserting the selected URL in a desired order among any already existing links in the tour, and;

instructions for presenting a selected link insertion device interposed between adjacent links in a thematic link list.

5. A program tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium for creating customized summaries of web pages, wherein the program operates on an Internet browser and is adapted to manage Internet research in a research session through use of the Internet browser, the program comprising:

a. instructions for activating a user-selected URL from a thematic listing of URL links;

b. instructions for opening a tour creation dialog; and

c. instructions for presenting the user with a menu option in the tour creation dialog enabling the user to identify an existing tour or to create a new tour, wherein;

if the user identifies an existing tour, adding the activated user-selected URL into the existing tour;

or

if the user creates a new tour, presenting an input window to the user prompting the user to input a tour name and saving the new tour,

wherein the adding of the selected link is accomplished using a tour link editing submethod, wherein the submethod comprises;

instructions for presenting the user with a tour status window which displays all existing URLs in the tour and facilitates editing of these URLs; and

instructions for inserting the selected URL in a desired order among any already existing URLs in the tour using a link insertion mechanism,

wherein the link insertion mechanism is a selected link insertion device interposed between adjacent links in the thematic link list.