Shortcut sets for controlled environments
First Claim
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1. A method comprising:
- maintaining, in storage, a plurality of shortcut sets;
wherein each shortcut set of the plurality of shortcut sets contains associations between one or more hint tokens and one or more data sources;
storing data that indicates characteristics of a plurality of sources of requests;
after storing the data, receiving at a server that includes one or more processors, from a source, a request containing a particular hint token;
identifying, by the server, a characteristic of the source of the request;
wherein the step of identifying the characteristic is performed by the server based on (a) the stored data, and (b) information that identifies the source;
from the plurality of shortcut sets, the server selecting a shortcut set that is specifically associated with the characteristic of the source of the request;
determining, by the server, whether the selected shortcut set contains the particular hint token; and
in response to determining that the selected shortcut set contains the particular hint token, the server directing the source to a data source associated, within the selected shortcut set, with the particular hint token.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for shortcut sets to data sources, such as web sites, is disclosed. The shortcut sets may be associated with a controlled environment. A controlled environment might be a home, corporation, business, etc. As an example, an information technology (IT) manager configures shortcuts for the employees of the company. As another example, a family member configures shortcuts that are common to all family members, when at home. A user may enter a shortcut into a search box of a web browser to be directed to a data source. If the shortcut indicates a search at the data source is desired, then a search is automatically performed at the data source.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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maintaining, in storage, a plurality of shortcut sets; wherein each shortcut set of the plurality of shortcut sets contains associations between one or more hint tokens and one or more data sources; storing data that indicates characteristics of a plurality of sources of requests; after storing the data, receiving at a server that includes one or more processors, from a source, a request containing a particular hint token; identifying, by the server, a characteristic of the source of the request; wherein the step of identifying the characteristic is performed by the server based on (a) the stored data, and (b) information that identifies the source; from the plurality of shortcut sets, the server selecting a shortcut set that is specifically associated with the characteristic of the source of the request; determining, by the server, whether the selected shortcut set contains the particular hint token; and in response to determining that the selected shortcut set contains the particular hint token, the server directing the source to a data source associated, within the selected shortcut set, with the particular hint token. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 27, 28)
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9. An apparatus comprising:
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a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium communicatively coupled to the processor, said computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform; maintaining, in storage, a plurality of shortcut sets; wherein each shortcut set of the plurality of shortcut sets contains associations between one or more hint tokens and one or more data sources; storing data that indicates characteristics of a plurality of sources of requests; after storing the data, receiving at a server, from a source, a request containing a particular hint token; identifying, by the server, a characteristic of the source of the request; wherein the step of identifying the characteristic is performed by the server based on (a) the stored data, and (b) information that identifies the source; from the plurality of shortcut sets, the server selecting a shortcut set that is specifically associated with the characteristic of the source of the request; determining, by the server, whether the selected shortcut set contains the particular hint token; and in response to determining that the selected shortcut set contains the particular hint token, the server directing the source to a data source associated, within the selected shortcut set, with the particular hint token. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 29, 30)
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17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the processors to perform:
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maintaining, in storage, a plurality of shortcut sets; wherein each shortcut set of the plurality of shortcut sets contains associations between one or more hint tokens and one or more data sources; storing data that indicates characteristics of a plurality of sources of requests; after storing the data, receiving at a server, from a source, a request containing a particular hint token; identifying, by the server, a characteristic of the source of the request; wherein the step of identifying the characteristic is performed by the server based on (a) the stored data, and (b) information that identifies the source; from the plurality of shortcut sets, the server selecting a shortcut set that is specifically associated with the characteristic of the source of the request; determining, by the server, whether the selected shortcut set contains the particular hint token; and in response to determining that the selected shortcut set contains the particular hint token, the server directing the source to a data source associated, within the selected shortcut set, with the particular hint token. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 31, 32)
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25. A method comprising:
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maintaining, in storage, a plurality of shortcut sets; wherein each shortcut set of the plurality of shortcut sets contains associations between one or more hint tokens and one or more data sources; storing data that indicates characteristics of a plurality of sources of requests; after storing the data, receiving at a server that includes one or more processors, from a source, a request containing a particular hint token; identifying, by the server, a characteristic of the source of the request; wherein the step of identifying the characteristic is performed by the server based on (a) the stored data, and (b) information that identifies the source; from the plurality of shortcut sets, the server selecting a shortcut set that is specifically associated with the characteristic of the source of the request; determining, by the server, whether the selected shortcut set contains the particular hint token; and in response to determining that the selected shortcut set contains the particular hint token, the server sending to the source a message that causes the source to receive data from a data source associated, within the selected shortcut set, with the particular hint token. - View Dependent Claims (26, 33, 34)
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Specification