Customized and consolidated bookmarks

• US 7,548,922 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2005
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rybczynski, Eric S., Ravi, Kumar, Silveyra, Manuel, Altaf, Faheem
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stevens; Robert
• Application Number:
  US11/130,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20060265381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,491 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/10, 715/206, 715/216, 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9562 Bookmark management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided for customizing and consolidating bookmarks into folders in an Instant Messaging (IM) environment as well as an Internet browser. An IM GUI is provided that contains IM contacts and online information for those IM contacts, such as Web searches or bookmarks, which can be accessed by the user. Sorting of the IM contacts by a specific subject matter or category is provided as well as prioritizing of IM contacts based on subject matter expertise or frequently visited bookmarks. Searching of information contained in the IM environment as well as the Internet is also provided.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for customizing and consolidating bookmarks, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a requesting user to add a set of contacts to a local agent, wherein the requesting user specifies specific contacts to include in the set of contacts using a graphical user interface;

in response to receiving the request, determining whether the set of contacts is authorized by the set of contacts to be added to the local agent, wherein each of the specific contacts in the set of contacts sets policies for sharing bookmarks that are owned by the specific contacts, wherein the policies determine permissions and privileges associated with the bookmarks assigned to specific users, wherein a specific contact in the set of contacts assigns different permissions and privileges for an individual bookmark to a first specific user than to a second specific user, and wherein the individual bookmark is shared with the first specific user and the individual bookmark is not shared with the second specific user;

in response to determining that the set of contacts is authorized to be added to the local agent, providing a plurality of bookmarks associated with the set of contacts to the requesting user based on determined permissions and privileges associated with the bookmarks assigned to the requesting user, wherein each contact in the set of contacts is an Instant Messaging contact, the providing step further comprising;

displaying, on a display device, bookmark categories of the set of contacts, wherein each of the bookmark categories contain a set of bookmarks added by the specific contact in the set of contacts; and

prompting the requesting user for a category in which to add the set of contacts, wherein the category indicates a specific subject matter for a selection of at least one set of bookmarks;

receiving the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks from the plurality of bookmarks that correspond to the category and are associated with the set of contacts, wherein the requesting user selects desired bookmark categories from the set of contacts that correspond to the category to form the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks using the graphical user interface; and

adding the set of contacts and the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks to the category on the local agent for the requesting user, wherein the local agent is an Instant Messaging agent and the requesting user is an Instant Messaging user of the Instant Messaging agent.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the category is an existing category; and

in response to the category being an existing category, adding the set of contacts and the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks to the category.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

in response to the category not being an existing category, creating a new category; and

adding the set of contacts and the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks to the new category.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of contacts, the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks, and category are stored as stored information in a requesting user'"'"'s data structure at the local agent and a master agent, and wherein the master agent is an Instant Messaging agent.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein initialization of the local agent synchronizes the stored information in the requesting user'"'"'s data structure at the local agent with the stored information at the master agent. agent.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the local agent sorts and displays the stored information based on the category, wherein the local agent displays the set of contacts associated with the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks, wherein the local agent displays a rating that the set of contacts has associated with the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks, and wherein the local agent displays a rating for the requesting user'"'"'s access to the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the local agent stores the set of contacts, the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks, and the category in a data structure, and wherein an Internet browser uses the stored information to display the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks in the Internet browser.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the set of contacts is unauthorized to be added to the local agent, prompting the set of contacts to authorize access using a plurality of Instant Messaging agents;

receiving an authorization response or denial response from the set of contacts;

in response to receiving a denial response from the set of contacts, sending an error message to the requesting user; and

in response to receiving an authorization response from the set of contacts, granting authorization to add the set of contacts to the local agent.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the set of contacts is authorized to be added to the local agent comprises:

searching a data structure for authorization information;

determining if the requesting user is recorded in the data structure;

in response to the requesting user being recorded in the data structure, determining if the requesting user is blocked from authorization based on information in the data structure; and

in response to the requesting user not being blocked from authorization, granting authorization to add the set of contacts.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the requesting user to search for a particular subject matter;

searching the local agent for first subject matter results related to the requested particular subject matter using stored contacts and bookmarks for the requesting user on the local agent; and

returning the first subject matter results to the requesting user.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

prompting the requesting user for first user input to determine if the first subject matter results provide sufficient information;

in response to the first subject matter results not providing sufficient information, searching a remote source for second subject matter results related to the requested particular subject matter; and

returning the second subject matter results to the requesting user.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

prompting the requesting user to determine if the second subject matter results provide sufficient information;

in response to the second subject matter results providing sufficient information, determining if the requesting user has privileges to access the second subject matter; and

in response to the requesting user not having sufficient privileges to access the second subject matter, requesting access from an owner of the second subject matter.

13. A data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a communications system connected to the bus system;

a storage device connected to the bus system, wherein the storage device includes a set of instructions;

an instruction execution unit; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to receive a request from a requesting user to add a set of contacts to a local agent;

wherein the requesting user specifies specific contacts to include in the set of contacts using a graphical user interface;

determine whether the set of contacts is authorized by the set of contacts to be added to the local agent in response to receiving the request, wherein each of the specific contacts in the set of contacts sets policies for sharing bookmarks that are owned by the specific contacts, wherein the policies determine permissions and privileges associated with the bookmarks assigned to specific users, wherein a specific contact in the set of contacts assigns different permissions and privileges for an individual bookmark to a first specific user than to a second specific user, and wherein the individual bookmark is shared with the first specific user and the individual bookmark is not shared with the second specific user;

provide the plurality of bookmarks associated with the set of contacts to the requesting user based on determined permissions and privileges associated with the bookmarks assigned to the requesting user in response to determining that the set of contacts is authorized to be added to the local, wherein each contact in the set of contacts is an Instant Messaging contact, wherein provide the plurality of bookmarks further comprises;

display bookmark categories of the set of contacts, wherein each of the bookmark categories contain a set of bookmarks added by the specific contact in the set of contacts; and

prompt the requesting user for a category in which to add the set of contacts, wherein the category indicates a specific subject matter for a selection of at least one set of bookmarks;

receive the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks from the plurality of bookmarks that correspond to the category and are associated with the set of contacts, wherein the requesting user selects desired bookmark categories from the set of contacts that correspond to the category to form the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks using the graphical user interface; and

add the set of contacts and selection of the set of bookmarks to the category on the local agent for the requesting user, wherein the local agent is an Instant Messaging agent and the requesting user is an Instant Messaging user of the Instant Messaging agent.

14. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the processing unit further executes a set of instructions to determine if the category is an existing category;

and add the set of contacts and the selection of the set of bookmarks to category in response to the category being an existing category.

15. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the processing unit further executes a set of instructions to prompt the set of contacts to authorize access in response to determining that the set of contacts is unauthorized to be added to the local using a plurality of Instant Messaging agents;

receive an authorization response or denial response from the set of contacts;

send an error message to the requesting user in response to receiving a denial response from the set of contacts; and

grant authorization to add the set of contacts to the local agent in response to receiving an authorization response from the set of contacts.

16. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the processing unit further executes a set of instructions to receive a request from the requesting user to search for a particular subject matter;

search the local agent for first subject matter results related to the requested particular subject matter using stored contacts and bookmarks for the requesting user on the local agent; and

return the first subject matter results to the requesting user.

17. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium including computer usable program code encoded thereon executed on a computer for customizing and consolidating bookmarks, said computer program product including;

computer usable program code for receiving a request from a requesting user to add a set of contacts to a local agent, wherein the requesting user specifies specific contacts to include in the set of contacts using a graphical user interface;

computer usable program code for determining whether the set of contacts is authorized by the set of contacts to be added to the local agent in response to receiving the request, wherein each of the specific contacts in the set of contacts sets policies for sharing bookmarks that are owned by the specific contacts, wherein the policies determine permissions and privileges associated with the bookmarks assigned to specific users, wherein a specific contact in the set of contacts assigns different permissions and privileges for an individual bookmark to a first specific user than to a second specific user, and wherein the individual bookmark is shared with the first specific user and the individual bookmark is not shared with the second specific user;

computer usable program code for providing the plurality of bookmarks associated with the set of contacts to the requesting user based on determined permissions and privileges associated with the bookmarks assigned to the requesting user in response to determining that the set of contacts is authorized to be added to the local agent, wherein each contact in the set of contacts is an Instant Messaging contact, the computer usable program code for providing the plurality of bookmarks further comprising;

computer usable program code for displaying bookmark categories of the set of contacts, wherein each of the bookmark categories contain a set of bookmarks added by the specific contact in the set of contacts; and

computer usable program code for prompting the requesting user for a category in which to add the set of contacts, wherein the category indicates a specific subject matter for a selection of at least one set of bookmarks;

computer usable program code for receiving the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks from the plurality of bookmarks that correspond to the category and are associated with the set of contacts, wherein the requesting user selects desired bookmark categories from the set of contacts that correspond to the category to form the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks using the graphical user interface; and

computer usable program code for adding the set of contacts and the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks to the category on the local agent for the requesting user, wherein the local agent is an Instant Messaging agent and the requesting user is an Instant Messaging user of the Instant Messaging agent.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

computer usable program code for determining if the category is an existing category; and

computer usable program code for adding the set of contacts and the selection of the at least one set of bookmarks to the category in response to the category being an existing category.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

computer usable program code for prompting the set of contacts to authorize access in response to determining that the set of contacts is unauthorized to be added to the local agent using a plurality of Instant Messaging agents;

computer usable program code for receiving an authorization response or denial response from the set of contacts; and

computer usable program code for sending an error message to the requesting user in response to receiving a denial response from the set of contacts; and

computer usable program code for granting authorization to add the set of contacts to the local agent in response to receiving an authorization response from the set of contacts.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

computer usable program code for receiving a request from the requesting user to search for a particular subject matter;

computer usable program code for searching the local agent for first subject matter results related to the requested particular subject matter using stored contacts and bookmarks for the requesting user on the local agent; and

computer usable program code for returning the first subject matter results to the requesting user.