System, method and apparatus for selecting, displaying, managing, tracking and transferring access to content of web pages and other sources

• US 7,360,166 B1
• Filed: 08/17/2005
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Clipmarks, LLC (Forbes Inc.)
• Inventors: Krzanowski, Derek
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Assistant Examiner(s): Heffington, John M
• Application Number:
  US11/206,258
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 715/520, 715/521, 715/767, 715/788
• US Class Current: 715/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus for selecting, displaying, managing, tracking and transferring access to content of Internet web pages and other sources along with custom text messages has programming permitting a user to create custom selections of selected image, animation, movie and text content items, and other types of content items from web pages or other sources from the same or different network sources containing multiple content items, along with user-supplied text messages, in an independent, resizable, rescalable browser window; permitting the user to transfer access to the custom selection of content items to a recipient; permitting the user or recipient to navigate quickly to a source of a content item in the custom selection; and permitting the user to define search keywords for performing searches related to content items in a custom selection; and other features. A method of tracking viewing and sharing activities of content items and custom selections of content items by users and recipients is also disclosed. A method of assisted content selection provides temporary borders around content items on mouseover. A method of Dynamic Content Display provides updating of selected content items.

Claims

1. A system for selecting content items from web pages, comprising:

a user computing device having a network browser application and a user input pointing device;

said browser application being operable to display, in a browser window, a source web page having a plurality of displayed content items;

said browser application being operable to receive an initial selection of an initial content item in response to input from a user through said pointing device;

said browser application analyzing said source web page and defining a group of selectable objects in a hierarchical lineage of said initial content item in said source web page;

an excluded object being excluded from said group of selectable objects if a difference in a dimension of said excluded object, as compared to a corresponding dimension of a parent object of said excluded object, is less than a predetermined value; and

said browser application being operable to receive an alternate selection of an alternate content item from among content items defined by said group of selectable objects, said alternate selection being in response to input from said user through said pointing device.

2. A system for selecting content items from web pages, as in claim 1, wherein:

said browser application displays an graphical alternate selection user interface operable to receive said alternate selection.

3. A system for selecting content items from web pages, as in claim 2, wherein:

said alternate selection user interface includes a slide bar having a predetermined number of positions, each position corresponding to an object in said group of selectable objects.

4. A system for selecting content items from web pages, as in claim 2, wherein:

said browser application displays a graphical selection indicator substantially immediately around or substantially coextensively over said initial content item; and

upon receiving said alternate selection of said alternate content item, said browser application moves said graphical selection indicator to be substantially immediately around or substantially coextensively over said alternate content item;

whereby said graphical selection indicator provides an accurate and readily discernible indication of a content of said alternate content item.

5. A system for selecting content items from web pages, comprising:

a user computing device having a network browser application and a user input pointing device;

said browser application being operable to display, in a browser window, a source web page having a plurality of displayed content items;

said browser application being operable to receive a first selection of a first content item from among said plurality of displayed content items, said first selection being received in response to input from a user through said pointing device;

upon receipt of said first selection, said browser application displaying a first graphical selection indicator substantially immediately around or substantially coextensively over said first content item;

said browser application being operable to receive a second selection of a second content item from among said plurality of displayed content items, said second selection being received in response to input from a user through said pointing device;

said first and second content items being defined by first and second objects in said source web page, respectively, and said second object being outside a lineage of said first object in a hierarchy of said source web page;

upon receipt of said second selection, said browser application displaying a second graphical selection indicator substantially immediately around or substantially coextensively over said second content item;

said first and second graphical indicators being displayed simultaneously; and

in response to input from said user through said pointing device, said browser application storing a definition of said first and second content items, exclusive of non-selected ones of said plurality of displayed content items, said definition including complete network addresses for said first and second content items.

6. A system for selecting content items from web pages, as in claim 5, wherein:

said first and second graphical selection indicators each comprise a translucent or transparent overlay substantially coextensively over said first and second selected content items, respectively.

7. A system for selecting content items from web pages, as in claim 6, wherein:

said first and second graphical selection indicators each comprise a text overlay.

8. A system for selecting content items from web pages, comprising:

a user computing device having a network browser application and a user input pointing device;

said browser application being operable to display, in a browser window, a source web page having a plurality of displayed content items;

said browser application being operable to receive a first selection of a first content item from among said plurality of displayed content items, said first selection being received in response to input from a user through said pointing device;

upon receipt of said first selection, said browser application displaying a first graphical selection indicator substantially immediately around or substantially coextensively over said first content item;

said browser application being operable to receive a second selection of a second content item from among said plurality of displayed content items, said second selection being received in response to input from a user through said pointing device;

said first and second content items being defined by first and second objects in said source web page, respectively, and said second object being outside a lineage of said first object in a hierarchy of said source web page;

upon receipt of said second selection, said browser application displaying a second graphical selection indicator substantially immediately around or substantially coextensively over said second content item;

said first and second graphical indicators being displayed simultaneously;

said browser application is operable to receive a third selection of a third content item from among said plurality of displayed content items, said third selection being received in response to input from a user through said pointing device;

said third content items being defined by a third object in said source web page;

said third object being within said lineage of said first object and being inferior to said first object in said hierarchy of said source web page; and

said browser application rejecting said third selection of said third content item; and

in response to input from said user through said pointing device, said browser application storing a definition of said first and second content items, exclusive of non-selected ones of said plurality of displayed content items, said definition including complete network addresses for said first and second content items.

9. A system for selecting content items from web pages, comprising:

a user computing device having a network browser application and a user input pointing device;

said browser application being operable to display, in a browser window, a source web page having a plurality of displayed content items;

said browser application being operable to receive a first selection of a first content item from among said plurality of displayed content items, said first selection being received in response to input from a user through said pointing device;

upon receipt of said first selection, said browser application displaying a first graphical selection indicator substantially immediately around or substantially coextensively over said first content item;

said browser application being operable to receive a second selection of a second content item from among said plurality of displayed content items, said second selection being received in response to input from a user through said pointing device;

said first and second content items being defined by first and second objects in said source web page, respectively, and said second object being outside a lineage of said first object in a hierarchy of said source web page;

upon receipt of said second selection, said browser application displaying a second graphical selection indicator substantially immediately around or substantially coextensively over said second content item;

said first and second graphical indicators being displayed simultaneously;

said browser application is operable to receive a third selection of a third content item from among said plurality of displayed content items, said third selection being received in response to input from a user through said pointing device;

said third content items being defined by a third object in said source web page;

said third object being within said lineage of said first object and being superior to said first object in said hierarchy of said source web page;

said browser application discarding said first selection of said first content item and removing said first graphical selection indicator;

said browser application displaying a third graphical selection indicator substantially immediately around or substantially coextensively over said third content item;

said second and third graphical indicators being displayed simultaneously; and

in response to input from said user through said pointing device, said browser application storing a definition of said second and third content items, exclusive of non-selected ones of said plurality of displayed content items, said definition including complete network addresses for said second and third content items.