Hypertext displaying apparatus and hypertext displaying program

• US 7,398,303 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2002
• Issued: 07/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Takuya, Kawano, Masakazu, Kato, Atsunobu, Hirose, Takako
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone; Jason D
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH CHAU
• Application Number:
  US10/046,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20020100058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,364 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-218, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]

Abstract

A hypertext displaying apparatus is provided. When a link destination indicated in stored data is designated, a processing section instructs a transmission/reception section to download hypertext data at the link destination, and instructs a history storage section to register an identifier of the currently-displayed stored data. If a user gives a “previous content” instruction, the processing section reads from a stored information storage section the stored data corresponding to the identifier registered in the history information storage section, so that the stored data is displayed on a screen.

Claims

1. A hypertext displaying apparatus for downloading hypertext data from a server device coupled to said hypertext display apparatus via a network, and displaying a content represented by the hypertext data, said hypertext displaying apparatus comprising:

a download section operable to download, when a link destination is selected, hypertext data at the selected link destination from the server device via the network, and store the downloaded hypertext data in a temporary storage section;

a stored data storage section operable to store hypertext data selected by a user from among the hypertext data having been downloaded and having been stored in said temporary storage section by said download section;

a display section operable to display a content represented by a stored data in said stored data storage section or a content represented by hypertext data which is newly downloaded by said download section;

a displaying history storage section operation to store a displaying history of at least one content represented by the hypertext data newly downloaded by said download section, wherein the displaying history is in accordance with an order in which the at least one content is displayed by said display section; and

a redisplaying order control section operable to control, in accordance with the displaying history stored in said displaying history storage section, an order in which contents are redisplayed by the display section, wherein;

when a content represented by a first stored data in said stored data storage section is displayed, and a content represented by a second stored data in said stored data storage section is displayed next as a source content having at least one link destination indicated within the source content, and the link destination within the source content is selected, said displaying history storage section stores a displaying history of the source content represented by the second stored data and a content at the selected link destination without storing a displaying history of the content represented by the first stored data; and

when the content at the selected link destination indicated within the source content is displayed by said display section, and an instruction for displaying a content preceding the content at the link destination is issued, said redisplaying order control section allows contents to be redisplayed by said display section in a sequential manner in accordance with an order of the displaying history, going back at least to the source content, which is stored in said displaying history storage section.

2. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a list displaying section operable to display a list of the stored data in said stored data storage section;

and

a select section operable to select a stored data from the displayed list by said list displaying section,

wherein said display section displays a content represented by stored data which is selected by said select section.

3. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said stored data storage section assigns an identifier to each unit of hypertext data stored therein, the identifier being used for identifying the hypertext data; and

in the displaying history stored in said displaying history storage section, the source content is described in the form of an identifier assigned thereto.

4. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an identicalness determination section operable to determine identicalness between the hypertext data representing a source content to be redisplayed and the hypertext data stored in said stored data storage section which corresponds to the identifier assigned to the hypertext data representing the source content,

wherein, when said identicalness determination section denies identicalness between the hypertext data associated with the source content, said redisplaying order control section instructs said download section to again download the hypertext data representing the source content based on the acquisition source address, so that the downloaded hypertext data is displayed by said display section.

5. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

for each unit of hypertext data stored, the stored data storage section stores an identifier and an acquisition source address of the hypertext data indicating an address of the hypertext data on the network;

in the displaying history stored in said displaying history storage section, the source content is described in the form of an identifier assigned thereto and an acquisition source address of the hypertext data representing the source content; and

said identicalness determination section determines identicalness between the hypertext data associated with the source content based on the acquisition source address.

6. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said temporary storage section is operable to temporarily store hypertext data newly downloaded by said download section, and to temporarily store, when a content at a link destination indicated in a source content represented by the hypertext data stored in said stored data storage section is newly displayed by said display section, the hypertext data representing the source content,

wherein said redisplaying order control section instructs said display section to redisplay a content based on the hypertext data stored in said temporary storage section.

7. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said temporary storage section is operative not to store the same hypertext data in a redundant manner.

8. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said temporary storage section is operative to temporarily store only a latest version of any given hypertext data.

9. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a stored data deletion section operable to delete hypertext data stored in said stored data storage section in accordance with an instruction given by the user, wherein:

for each unit of hypertext data stored, the stored data storage section stores an identifier and an acquisition source address of the hypertext data indicating an address of the hypertext data on the network; and

if the hypertext data representing a source content to be redisplayed has been deleted by said stored data deletion section, said redisplaying order control section instructs said download section to again download the hypertext data representing the source content based on the acquisition source address, so that the downloaded hypertext data is displayed by said display section.

10. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a stored data deletion section operable to deleting hypertext data stored in said stored data storage section in accordance with an instruction given by the user,

wherein said stored data deletion section is operative not to delete the hypertext data when the hypertext data has been registered in said displaying history storage section.

11. The hypertext displaying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said stored data storage section assigns an identifier to each unit of hypertext data stored therein, the identifier being used for identifying the hypertext data;

said temporary storage section is operable to temporarily store a uniform resource identifier of hypertext data newly downloaded by said download section, and to temporarily store an identifier and a uniform resource identifier of the hypertext data representing the source content; and

when displaying a content represented by the hypertext data stored in said stored data storage section as instructed by said redisplaying order control section, said display section reads the hypertext data from said stored data storage section based on the identifier of the hypertext data stored in said temporary storage section, so as to display the content represented by the hypertext data.

12. A hypertext displaying method for downloading hypertext data from a server device coupled to a hypertext display apparatus via a network, and displaying a content represented by the hypertext data, said hypertext displaying method comprising:

downloading, when a link destination is selected, hypertext data at the selected link destination from the server device via the network, and storing the downloaded hypertext data in a temporary storage section;

storing, in a stored data storage section, hypertext data selected by a user from among the hypertext data having been downloaded and having been stored in said temporary storage section in said downloading of the hypertext data;

displaying a content represented by a stored data in said stored data storage section or a content represented by hypertext data which is newly downloaded in said downloading of the hypertext data;

storing a displaying history of at least one content represented by the hypertext data newly downloaded in said downloading of the hypertext data, the displaying history being in accordance with an order in which the at least one content is displayed in said displaying of the content; and

controlling, in accordance with the displaying history stored in said storing of the displaying history, an order in which contents are redisplayed in said displaying of the content, wherein;

when a content represented by a first stored data in said stored data storage section is displayed, and a content represented by a second stored data in said stored data storage section is displayed next as a source content having at least one link destination indicated within the source content, and the link destination within the source content is selected, said storing of the displaying history stores a display history of the source content represented by the second stored data and a content at the selected link destination without storing a display history of the content represented by the first stored data; and

when the content at the selected link destination indicated within the source content is displayed in said displaying of the content, and an instruction for displaying a content preceding the content at the link destination is issued, said controlling of the order in which contents are redisplayed allows contents to be redisplayed in said displaying of the content in a sequential manner in accordance with an order of the displaying history, going back, at least to the source content stored in said displaying history.

13. The hypertext displaying method according to claim 12, further comprising displaying a list of the stored data in said stored data storage section;

and

selecting a stored data from the displayed list in said displaying of the list,

wherein said displaying displays a content represented by stored data which is selected in said selecting of the stored data.

14. The hypertext displaying method according to claim 13, wherein:

said storing of the hypertext data assigns an identifier to each unit of stored hypertext data stored, the identifier being used for identifying the hypertext data; and

in the displaying history stored in said storing of the displaying history, the source content is described in the form of an identifier assigned thereto.

15. The hypertext displaying method according to claim 14, further comprising determining identicalness between the hypertext data representing a source content to be redisplayed and the hypertext data stored in said storing of the hypertext data which corresponds to the identifier assigned to the hypertext data representing the source content,

wherein, when said determining of the identicalness denies identicalness between the hypertext data associated with the source content, said controlling of the order in which the contents are redisplayed instructs said downloading of the hypertext data to again download the hypertext data representing the source content based on the acquisition source address, so that the downloaded hypertext data is displayed in said displaying of the content.

16. The hypertext displaying method according to claim 15, wherein:

for each unit of hypertext data stored, said storing of the hypertext data stores an identifier and an acquisition source address of the hypertext data indicating an address of the hypertext data on the network; and

in the displaying history stored in said storing of the displaying history, the source content is described in the form of an identifier assigned thereto and an acquisition source address of the hypertext data representing the source content; and

said determining of the identicalness determines identicalness between the hypertext data associated with the source content based on the acquisition source address.

17. The hypertext displaying method according to claim 13, wherein said temporary storing stores hypertext data newly downloaded in said downloading of the hypertext data, and temporarily stores, when a content at a link destination indicated in a source content represented by the hypertext data stored in said storing of the hypertext data is newly displayed in said displaying of the content, the hypertext data representing the source content,

wherein controlling of the order in which contents are redisplayed instructs said displaying of the content to redisplay a content based on the hypertext data stored in said temporarily storing of the hypertext data.

18. The hypertext displaying method according to claim 17, wherein said temporarily storing of the hypertext data does not store the same hypertext data in a redundant manner.

19. The hypertext displaying method according to claim 17, wherein said temporarily storing of the hypertext data stores only a latest version of any given hypertext data.

20. The hypertext displaying method according to claim 13, further comprising deleting hypertext data stored in said storing of the hypertext data in accordance with an instruction given by the user, wherein:

for each unit of hypertext data stored, said storing of the hypertext data stores an acquisition source address of the hypertext data indicating an address of the hypertext data on the network; and

if the hypertext data representing a source content to be redisplayed has been deleted in said deleting of the stored hypertext data, said controlling of the order in which contents are redisplayed instructs said downloading of the hypertext data to again download the hypertext data representing the source content based on the acquisition source address, so that the downloaded hypertext data is displayed in said displaying of the content.

21. The hypertext displaying method according to claim 13, further comprising deleting hypertext data stored in said storing of the hypertext data in accordance with an instruction given by the user,

wherein said deleting of the stored hypertext data does not delete the hypertext data when the hypertext data has been registered in said storing of the displaying history.

22. The hypertext displaying method according to claim 13, wherein:

said storing of the hypertext data assigns an identifier to each unit of stored hypertext data, the identifier being used for identifying the hypertext data;

said temporary storing temporarily stores a uniform resource identifier of hypertext data newly downloaded in said downloading of the hypertext data, and temporarily stores an identifier and a uniform resource identifier of the hypertext data representing the source content in said temporary storage section; and

when displaying a content represented by the hypertext data stored in said storing of the hypertext data in accordance with an instruction from said controlling of the order in which contents are redisplayed, said displaying of the content reads the hypertext data stored in said storing of the hypertext data based on the identifier of the hypertext data stored in said temporarily storing of the identifier so as to display the content represented by the hypertext data.