Method and apparatus for web page co-browsing

• US 7,941,755 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2007
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle OTC Subsidiary LLC (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Art Technology Group Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Billingslea, Robert, Siegrist, Joseph, Zitnay, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin; Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): HEFFINGTON, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US11/737,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20080276183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• Field of Search: 715/760, 715/708, 715/733, 715/736, 715/740, 715/742, 715/744, 715/866
• US Class Current: 715/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/15 Synchronised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for extracting information from a web page on a standard end user browser without plug-ins, includes the steps of dynamically creating an element on a web page being viewed by an end user, copying at least a portion of the contents of the web page or form field values, and uploading the data to a target domain, wherein the target domain may be different from the domain of the web page. In co-browsing applications, the data uploaded is used to create a copy of the website for display to a third party.

Claims

1. A computerized method performed by an end user computer for extracting data from a web page downloaded by an end user or entered by the end user after page load by text or action at the end user computer comprising the steps of:

dynamically creating an element on the web page being viewed by a user at the end user computer;

determining whether the web page is session based;

copying at least a portion of the contents of the web page into the element or the element'"'"'s src parameter; and

uploading the copied contents to a third party;

wherein the entire contents of the web page are copied if the web page is session based.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically creating and using steps are implemented using JavaScript commands.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the element is an iframe.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the data is uploaded using a POST or a GET.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

using the data to create a copy of the web page being viewed by the user for display to a third party.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of asking the user'"'"'s permission before performing at least one of the dynamically creating and using steps.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the element is hidden.

8. A computerized method performed by an end user computer for extracting data from a web page downloaded by an end user or entered by the end user after page load by text or action at the end user computer comprising the steps of:

dynamically creating an element on the web page being viewed by a user at the end user computer;

determining whether the web page is session based;

copying at least a portion of the contents of the web page into the element or the element'"'"'s src parameter; and

uploading the copied contents to a third party;

wherein only portions of the web page that can be modified by a user are copied if the web page is not session based.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the dynamically creating and using steps are implemented using JavaScript commands.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the element is an iframe.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the data is uploaded using a POST or a GET.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

using the data to create a copy of the web page being viewed by the user for display to a third party.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of asking the user'"'"'s permission before performing at least one of the dynamically creating and using steps.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the element is hidden.

15. An end user system for extracting data from a web page, the data being downloaded by an end user or entered by the end user after page load by text or action at the end user system comprising:

a communications port; and

a processor connected to the communications port and configured to perform the steps of

dynamically creating an element on the web page being viewed by a user at the end user computer;

determining whether the web page is session based;

copying at least a portion of the contents of the web page into the element or the element'"'"'s src parameter; and

uploading the copied contents to a third party;

wherein the entire contents of the web page are copied if the web page is session based.

16. An end user system for extracting data from a web page, the data being downloaded by an end user or entered by the end user after page load by text or action at the end user system comprising:

a communications port; and

a processor connected to the communications port and configured to perform the steps of

dynamically creating an element on the web page being viewed by a user at the end user computer;

determining whether the web page is session based;

copying at least a portion of the contents of the web page into the element or the element'"'"'s src parameter; and

uploading the copied contents to a third party;

wherein only portions of the web page that can be modified by a user are copied if the web page is not session based.