Methods, systems and computer program products for assisted browser navigation

• US 8,214,745 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2004
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chapman, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): ULRICH, NICHOLAS S
• Application Number:
  US10/751,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20050149616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,102 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 709/248, 709/213, 709/217, 715/738, 715/751, 715/709, 715/708, 715/748, 707/E17.112
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/15 Synchronised browsing

Abstract

Assisting navigation of a first browser executing on a first data processing system is provided by navigating, responsive to a second browser executing on a second data processing system, to identify information to be displayed using the first browser on the first data processing system. An identifier is request to associate with the identified information and the identifier is dynamically generated responsive to the request for an identifier. The identifier is associated with the identified information to be displayed using the first browser such that the identified information may be retrieved using the identifier.

Claims

1. A method of assisted browser navigation, said method comprising:

a server creating a user context that reflects a context of a session between a user browser and the server;

said server creating a consultant context that reflects a context of a session between a consultant browser and the server;

a first user of the user browser identifying, to a second user of the consultant browser by communication via telephone or email from the first user to the second user, information that the first user is unable to locate and desires to obtain;

responsive to the first user identifying the desired information to the second user, said second user navigating to the desired information using the consultant browser;

responsive to the second user navigating to the desired information, said consultant browser transmitting to the server context information identifying an access to the desired information;

said server receiving the transmitted context information and storing the received context information in the consultant context;

said server receiving from the consultant browser a request for an identifier pertaining to the context information;

said server generating the identifier in response to the received request, said identifier not being a Universal Resource Locater (URL);

after said generating the identifier, said server generating an association relating to the identifier, said association associating the identifier with the context information by comprising a pointer to the context information;

after said generating the association, said server storing the identifier and the association in a repository coupled to the server and providing the identifier to the consultant browser;

after said server providing the identifier to the consultant browser, said consultant browser providing the identifier to the second user;

after said consultant browser providing the identifier to the second user, said second user providing the identifier to the first user via telephone or email from the second user to the first user;

after said second user providing the identifier to the first user, said user browser receiving the identifier from the first user;

after said user browser receiving the identifier from the first user, said server receiving the identifier from the user browser, wherein said receiving the identifier from the user browser comprises retrieving the identifier from a data entry field of a web page after the user browser has entered the identifier into the data entry field;

after said server receiving the identifier from the user browser, said server identifying the stored identifier in the repository from the received identifier and using the stored association relating to the identifier to identify the context information stored in the consultant context;

after said server using the stored association, said server storing the identified context information in the user context, wherein the server is configured to transmit the context information in the user context to the user browser for enabling the user to access, via the user browser, the desired information.

2. A method of assisted browser navigation, said method comprising:

a server creating a user context that reflects a context of a session between a user browser and the server;

said server creating a consultant context that reflects a context of a session between a consultant browser and the server;

said server storing context information in the consultant context after the context information was received by the server from the consultant browser after a first user of the user browser identified, to a second user of the consultant browser via telephone or email from the first user to the second user, information that the first user desires to obtain and after the first user has requested that the second user assist the first user in obtaining access to the desired information and after the second user navigated to the desired information using the consultant browser;

said server receiving from the consultant browser a request for an identifier pertaining to the context information;

said server generating the identifier in response to the received request, said identifier not being a Universal Resource Locater (URL);

after said generating the identifier, said server generating an association relating to the identifier, said association associating the identifier with the context information by comprising a pointer to the context information;

after said generating the association, said server storing the identifier and the association in a repository coupled to the server and providing the identifier to the consultant browser;

after said server providing the identifier to the consultant browser, said server receiving the identifier from the user browser after the consultant browser provided the identifier to the second user and after the second user provided the identifier to the first user via telephone or email from the second user to the first user and after the first user provided the identifier to the user browser, wherein said receiving the identifier from the user browser comprises retrieving the identifier from a data entry field of a web page after the user browser has entered the identifier into the data entry field;

after said server receiving the identifier from the user browser, said server identifying the stored identifier in the repository from the received identifier and using the stored association relating to the identifier to identify the context information stored in the consultant context;

after said server using the stored association, said server storing the identified context information in the user context, wherein the server is configured to transmit the context information in the user context to the user browser for enabling the user to access, via the user browser, the desired information context information in the user context are performed by the assistant navigation circuit/module.