Image-based and predictive browsing

• US 8,826,141 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Dimitrov, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, RUAY L
• Application Number:
  US12/713,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20110202847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• Field of Search: 715200-277, 715700-867, 700701-866, 709201-229, 705/2, 705/14.55, 705 50- 79, 345 30-111, 348206-2319, 707200-206, 1/1
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1396 specially adapted for monitoring users' activity

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for image-based browsing of resources, such as webpages, on a communication device, providing for image-based navigation of recently accessed resources and image-based selection of resources matching partial or complete address strings entered in an input field. Also provided are systems and methods for predictive loading of resources, by detecting browsing actions such as zooming in and hovering over thumbnail images of previously accessed resources, and initiating HTTP requests for those resources over a network before receipt of an express command to retrieve the resource. To improve the user-perceived responsiveness of the device to commands to download and display resources such as webpages comprising embedded objects, the order of requesting updated versions of the embedded objects is determined by analysis of the portion of the webpage of interest to the user. Prioritizing of various browser-related tasks is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

caching data in memory of a communication device for a webpage displayed on a display screen by the communication device, the webpage including a plurality of embedded objects, the webpage being last displayed by the communication device in an enlarged view comprising at least one, but not all, of the plurality of embedded objects;

in response to a subsequent command to display the webpage, the communication device;

identifying the at least one of the plurality of embedded objects that was last displayed in the enlarged view;

initiating a first request over a network for data for each of the at least one of the plurality of embedded objects thus identified;

after initiating the first request, initiating at least a further request over the network for data for a remainder of the plurality of embedded objects,

the first request and the further request thus being transmitted in a different order than an order determined by a default traversal of a webpage structure of the webpage.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least one of the plurality of embedded objects that was last displayed in the enlarged view is carried out with reference to the cached data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cached data includes a screenshot representation of the webpage.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, after initiating the first request:

while waiting for a response to the first request, displaying the screenshot representation of the webpage on the display screen.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response to the first request, the response comprising data for each of the at least one of the plurality of embedded objects thus identified; and

displaying the webpage using the data received in the response.

6. A communication device, comprising:

a memory;

a display screen;

at least one communications subsystem; and

a processor configured to;

cache data in the memory for a webpage displayed on the display screen, the webpage including a plurality of embedded objects, the webpage being last displayed by the communication device in an enlarged view comprising at least one, but not all, of the plurality of embedded objects;

in response to a subsequent command to display the webpage;

identify the at least one of the plurality of embedded objects that was last displayed in the enlarged view;

initiate a first request via the at least one communications subsystem for data for each of the at least one of the plurality of embedded objects thus identified;

after initiating the first request, initiate at least a further request over the network for data for a remainder of the plurality of embedded objects,

the first request and the further request thus being transmitted in a different order than an order determined by a default traversal of a webpage structure of the webpage.

7. The communication device of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to identify the at least one of the plurality of embedded objects that was last displayed in the enlarged view with reference to the cached data.

8. The communication device of claim 6, wherein the cached data includes a screenshot representation of the webpage.

9. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to, after the first request is initiated,

while waiting for a response to the first request, display the screenshot representation of the webpage on the display screen.

10. The communication device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a response to the first request, the response comprising data for each of the at least one of the plurality of embedded objects thus identified; and

display the webpage on the display screen using the data received in the response.

11. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable code which, when executed by a processor of a communication device having a memory and display screen, causes the communication device to:

cache data in the memory for a webpage displayed on the display screen, the webpage including a plurality of embedded objects, the webpage being last displayed by the communication device in an enlarged view comprising at least one, but not all, of the plurality of embedded objects;

in response to a subsequent command to display the webpage;

identify the at least one of the plurality of embedded objects that was last displayed in the enlarged view;

initiate a first request via the at least one communications subsystem for data for each of the at least one of the plurality of embedded objects thus identified;

after initiating the first request, initiate at least a further request over the network for data for a remainder of the plurality of embedded objects,

the first request and the further request thus being transmitted in a different order than an order determined by a default traversal of a webpage structure of the webpage.

12. A method executed by a processor of a communication device, the method comprising:

initially receiving, over a network, a first webpage, the first webpage comprising an HTML document and a plurality of embedded objects;

caching data for the first webpage in memory of the communication device;

displaying a portion of the first webpage on a display screen of the communication device at an enlarged scale, the portion of the first webpage thus displayed at the enlarged scale comprising a subset of the plurality of embedded objects of the first webpage, a remainder of the plurality of embedded objects not being comprised in the portion;

after displaying the portion of the first webpage, displaying a second webpage in place of the first webpage;

subsequently receiving a command to re-display the portion of the first webpage, and response to the command,

first transmitting, over the network, a request for the subset of the plurality of embedded objects comprised in the portion;

then

next transmitting, over the network, requests for the HTML document and the remainder of the plurality of embedded objects not comprised in the portion,

the request for the subset of the plurality of embedded objects and the requests for the HTML document and the remainder of the plurality of embedded objects being transmitted in a different order than an order determined by a default traversal of a structure of the HTML document; and

receiving, over the network, a response to at least the request for the subset of the plurality of embedded objects comprised in the portion.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising re-displaying the portion of the first webpage upon receipt of the response to the request for the subset of the plurality of embedded objections comprised in the portion.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the subset of the plurality of embedded objects of the first webpage comprises an embedded video object.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the enlarged scale is greater than a 100% scale.

16. A communication device, comprising:

a memory;

a display screen;

at least one communications subsystem; and

a processor configured to;

initially receive, over a network, a first webpage, the first webpage comprising an HTML document and a plurality of embedded objects;

cache data for the first webpage in memory of the communication device;

displaying a portion of the first webpage on the display screen at an enlarged scale, the portion of the first webpage thus displayed at the enlarged scale comprising a subset of the plurality of embedded objects of the first webpage, a remainder of the plurality of embedded objects not being comprised in the portion;

after displaying the portion of the first webpage, displaying a second webpage in place of the first webpage;

subsequently receiving a command to re-display the portion of the first webpage, and response to the command,

first transmitting, over the network, a request for the subset of the plurality of embedded objects comprised in the portion;

then

next transmitting, over the network, requests for the HTML document and the remainder of the plurality of embedded objects not comprised in the portion,

the request for the subset of the plurality of embedded objects and the requests for the HTML document and the remainder of the plurality of embedded objects being transmitted in a different order than an order determined by a default traversal of a structure of the HTML document; and

receiving, over the network, a response to at least the request for the subset of the plurality of embedded objects comprised in the portion.

17. The communication device of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to re-display the portion of the first webpage on the display screen upon receipt of the response to the request for the subset of the plurality of embedded objections comprised in the portion.

18. The communication device of claim 16, wherein the subset of the plurality of embedded objects of the first webpage comprises an embedded video object.

19. The communication device of claim 16, wherein the enlarged scale is greater than a 100% scale.