Collaborative browsing of the internet

• US 7,546,344 B1
• Filed: 01/12/2007
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Knapp Investment Company Limited
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aravamudan, Murali, Papanicolaou, Andreas Constantine, Vishwanathan, Kumar K
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean; Frantz B.
• Application Number:
  US11/652,920
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 715/500, 715/751, 715/752, 715/753
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/15 Synchronised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a technique for collaborative browsing among users at two or more different PCs. In an illustrative system in accordance with the present invention, copies of selected URLs are shared among collaborating PCs, each of which uses the URL to retrieve the corresponding document. In this system, a PC is configured to select hyperlinks for itself and one or more other PCs. Each URL corresponding to a selected hyperlink is communicated via the Internet (using standard Internet protocols) to a server. The server broadcasts the URL to the collaborating PCs each of which retrieves the corresponding document in conventional fashion. The server knows the IP addresses of the collaborating PCs through a collaboration set-up process which occurs in advance of the actual collaborative browsing session.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating collaborative viewing by at least first and second collaborators at respective at least first and second clients in communication with a network having a least one information resource available from at least one server in communication with said network, the method practiced at said at least first and second clients, the method comprising:

sending at least one message for storage at a collaboration server connected to said network, each such message indicating network address information for said at least first and second clients to be included in said collaborative viewing,

sending at least one resource selection message to said collaboration server, each resource selection message comprising network address information for said at least one information resource,

receiving from said collaboration server at each of said at least first and second clients at least one message identifying network address information for said at least one information resource, and

using said received network address information at at least one of said at least first and second clients to access said at least one information resource,

thereby facilitating said collaborative viewing.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said network is an Internet Protocol (IP) network and said messages comprise at least one IP packet.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least part of said at least one information resource is available at least in part at other than said collaboration server.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said at lease one information resource comprises at least one hypertext meta language (html) document having an associated URL.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said collaboration server and at least one of said clients are co-located.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said collaboration server and said at least one of said clients are resident in the same computer.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one resource comprises a plurality of documents, the ordered selection of which is specified by said at least one resource selection message sent by said at least one of said clients.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein, at any particular time, said resource selection messages are sent by exactly one of said clients.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein, said exactly one of said clients is a collaboration leader.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein a new collaboration leader is designated for subsequent time by a current new-leader message sent by a current collaboration leader designating said new collaboration leader, each of said collaborators receiving a notification message announcing the new collaboration leader, the one of said notification messages to said new collaboration leader including a token empowering said new collaboration leader with status as a collaboration leader.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein, at any particular time, resource selection messages may be sent by more than one of said clients.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said resource selection message is associated with a collaboration session, and wherein said resource selection message further comprises session identification information, said session identification information identifying and plurality of collaborators and authentication information available to said collaboration server relating to each of said plurality of collaborators.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said authentication information is based on information received from at least one of said clients prior to receipt of a resource selection message associated with said session.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said resource locator message is sent to said network for delivery to particular collaborators only after the identity of said particular collaborators have been authenticated.