Method and system for predictive browsing

• US 8,560,964 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2008
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dodson, Christopher N., Walker, Keith R., O'Connell, Brian M., Locke, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kujundzic, Dino
• Application Number:
  US12/034,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20090210806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,064 Days
• Field of Search: 715/744, 715/760, 715/816, 715/745, 715/817, 715/819
• US Class Current: 715/819
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

In a method for automatically navigating potential websites for predictive browsing based on user activities along with efficiency of verifying content updates, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of websites and its associated attributes that a user visits can be recorded and stored in a storage engine. The potential sites can be predicted by a predictive engine component based upon a past browsing history and various environmental factors that are recorded in the storage engine. A dynamic content detection engine component examines each potential websites and detects if the site has been updated. The predictive engine component enables the user to navigate to the potential websites thereby permitting faster website browsing.

Claims

1. A method for automated website browsing, the method comprising:

a computer obtaining a plurality of attributes associated with a visited website;

based on a web browser being navigated to the visited website, said computer predicting that the web browser will be navigated from the visited website to a next website, the predicting being based, at least in part, on a history of navigating the web browser to the next website from the visited website, and based, at least in part, on the plurality of attributes associated with the visited website;

based on the predicting, said computer automatically navigating the web browser to the next website from the visited website absent entry of a uniform resource locator of the next website into the web browser by a user, wherein automatically navigating the web browser to the next website comprises displaying the next website in the web browser;

displaying a website selection control in the web browser for selection by the user of the web browser; and

after selection of the website selection control by the user of the web browser, initiating said predicting and said automatically navigating the web browser to the next website.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of attributes comprise a browsing frequency, length, day-of-week, time-of-day, and number of visits to the visited website, and a uniform resource locator of the visited website, and wherein the plurality of attributes are stored in a data store.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predicting comprises:

said computer determining at least one potential next website, of a plurality of visited websites, to automatically load in the web browser, based, at least in part, upon a history of navigating to the at least one potential next website from said visited website, and based, at least in part, on said plurality of attributes associated with said visited website;

said computer verifying content updates corresponding to said at least one potential next website; and

said computer selecting the next website from the at least one potential next website.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said computer verifying content updates comprises at least one of:

said computer examining headers to detect if content of said at least one potential next website has changed since a last time said at least one potential next website was visited;

said computer determining if said content has changed since said last time said at least one potential next website was visited;

said computer detecting a section of said at least one potential next website that is dynamic; and

said computer prompting a user to select a portion of said at least one potential next website.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the computer determining the at least one potential next website to automatically load in the web browser further comprises:

the computer identifying a current uniform resource locator of the web browser, the current uniform resource locator being a uniform resource locator of the visited website to which the web browser is currently navigated; and

the computer identifying which websites of the plurality of visited websites were navigated to from the current uniform resource locator, and which were visited at a same time-of-day as a current time-of-day and a same day-of-week as a current day-of-week.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one potential next website comprises a plurality of potential next websites, and wherein the computer selecting the next website from the plurality of potential next websites comprises:

the computer determining, for each website of the plurality of potential next websites, a total number of visits at a current time-of-day;

the computer determining whether any single website of the plurality of potential next websites has more total visits than every other website of the plurality of potential next websites; and

responsive to a single website having more total visits than every other website of the plurality of potential next websites, the computer selecting the single website as the next website to load in the web browser.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one potential next website comprises a plurality of potential next websites, and wherein the computer selecting the next website from the plurality of potential next websites comprises:

the computer determining, for each website of the plurality of potential next websites, a total number of visits at a current time-of-day;

the computer determining whether any single website of the plurality of potential next websites has more total visits than every other website of the plurality of potential next websites; and

responsive to no website of the plurality of potential next websites having more total visits than every other website of the plurality of potential next websites;

the computer determining whether the user has indicated a preference of one website of the plurality of potential next websites over all other websites of the plurality of potential next websites; and

responsive to the user not having indicated preference of one website;

the computer prompting selection of a preference of one website by the user;

the computer storing the selected preference of the one website in a preference table; and

the computer selecting the one website as the next website to load in the web browser.

8. A computer system comprising a processor and computer readable storage medium, said computer readable storage medium storing computer program code configured to be executed by the processor to implement a method for automated website browsing, the method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of attributes associated with a visited website;

based on a web browser being navigated to the visited website, predicting that the web browser will be navigated from the visited website to a next website, the predicting being based, at least in part, on a history of navigating the web browser to the next website from the visited website, and based, at least in part, on the plurality of attributes associated with the visited website;

based on the predicting, automatically navigating the web browser to the next website from the visited website absent entry of a uniform resource locator of the next website into the web browser by a user, wherein automatically navigating the web browser to the next website comprises displaying the next website in the web browser;

displaying a website selection control in the web browser for selection by the user of the web browser; and

after selection of the website selection control by the user of the web browser, initiating said predicting and said automatically navigating the web browser to the next website.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of attributes comprise a browsing frequency, length, day-of-week, time-of-day, and number of visits to the visited website, and a uniform resource locator of the visited website, and wherein the plurality of attributes are stored in a data store.

10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the predicting comprises:

determining at least one potential next website, of a plurality of visited websites, to automatically load in the web browser, based, at least in part, upon a history of navigating to the at least one potential next website from said visited website, and based, at least in part, on said plurality of attributes associated with said visited website;

verifying content updates corresponding to said at least one potential next website; and

selecting the next website from the at least one potential next website.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the verifying content updates comprises at least one of:

examining headers to detect if content of said at least one potential next website has changed since a last time said at least one potential next website of interest was visited;

determining if said content has changed since said last time said at least one potential next website was visited;

detecting a section of said at least one potential next website that is dynamic; and

prompting a user to select a portion of said at least one potential next website.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the determining the at least one potential next website to automatically load in the web browser comprises:

identifying a current uniform resource locator of the web browser, the current uniform resource locator being a uniform resource locator of the visited website to which the web browser is currently navigated; and

identifying which websites of the plurality of visited websites were navigated to from the current uniform resource locator, and which were visited at a same time-of-day as a current time-of-day and a same day-of-week as a current day-of-week.

13. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the at least one potential next website comprises a plurality of potential next websites, and wherein the selecting the next website from the plurality of potential next websites comprises:

determining, for each website of the plurality of potential next websites, a total number of visits at a current time-of-day;

determining whether any single website of the plurality of potential next websites has more total visits than every other website of the plurality of potential next websites; and

responsive to a single website having more total visits than every other website of the plurality of potential next websites, selecting the single website as the next website to load in the web browser.

14. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the at least one potential next website comprises a plurality of potential next websites, and wherein the selecting the next website from the plurality of potential next websites comprises:

determining, for each website of the plurality of potential next websites, a total number of visits at a current time-of-day;

determining whether any single website of the plurality of potential next websites has more total visits than every other website of the plurality of potential next websites; and

responsive to no website of the plurality of potential next websites having more total visits than every other website of the plurality of potential next websites;

determining whether the user has indicated a preference of one website of the plurality of potential next websites over all other websites of the plurality of potential next websites; and

responsive to the user not having indicated preference of one website;

prompting selection of a preference of one website by the user;

storing the selected preference of the one website in a preference table; and

selecting the one website as the next website to load in the web browser.

15. A computer-usable storage medium storing computer program code, said computer program code comprising program instructions executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of attributes associated with a visited website;

based on a web browser being navigated to the visited website, predicting that the web browser will be navigated from the visited website to a next website, the predicting being based, at least in part, on a history of navigating the web browser to the next website from the visited website, and based, at least in part, on the plurality of attributes associated with the visited website;

based on the predicting, automatically navigating the web browser to the next website from the visited website absent entry of a uniform resource locator of the next website into the web browser by a user, wherein automatically navigating the web browser to the next website comprises displaying the next website in the web browser;

displaying a website selection control in the web browser for selection by the user of the web browser; and

after selection of the website selection control by the user of the web browser, initiating said predicting and said automatically navigating the web browser to the next website.

16. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 15, wherein said plurality of attributes comprise a browsing frequency, length, day-of-week, time-of-day, and number of visits to the visited website, and a uniform resource locator of the visited website, and wherein the plurality of attributes are stored in a data store.

17. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the predicting comprises:

determining at least one potential next website, of a plurality of visited websites, to automatically load in the web browser, based, at least in part, upon a history of navigating to the at least one potential next website from said visited website, and based, at least in part, on said plurality of attributes associated with said visited website;

verifying content updates corresponding to said at least one potential next website; and

selecting the next website from the at least one potential next website.

18. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the verifying content updates comprises at least one of:

examining headers to detect if content of said at least one potential next website has changed since a last time said at least one potential next website was visited;

determining if said content has changed since said last time said at least one potential next website was visited;

detecting a section of said at least one potential next website that is dynamic; and

prompting a user to select a portion of said at least one potential next website.

19. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the determining the at least one potential next website to load in the web browser comprises:

identifying a current uniform resource locator of the web browser, the current uniform resource locator being a uniform resource locator of the visited website to which the web browser is currently navigated; and

identifying which websites of the plurality of visited websites were navigated to from the current uniform resource locator, and which were visited at a same time-of-day as a current time-of-day and a same day-of-week as a current day-of-week.

20. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the at least one potential next website comprises a plurality of potential next websites, and wherein the selecting the next website from the plurality of potential next website comprises:

determining for each website of the plurality of potential next websites, a total number of visits at a current time-of-day;

determining whether any single website of the plurality of potential next websites has more total visits than every other website of the plurality of potential next websites; and

responsive to no website of the plurality of potential next websites having more total visits than every other website of the plurality of potential next websites;

determining whether the user has indicated a preference of one website of the plurality of potential next websites over all other websites of the plurality of potential next websites; and

responsive to the user not having indicated preference to one website;

prompting selection of a preference to one website by the user;

storing the selected preference to one website in a preference table; and

selecting the one website as the next website to load in the web browser.