Method and system for predictive browsing

• US 8,893,043 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2013
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Walker, Keith R., O'Connell, Brian M., Locke, Richard A., Dodson, Christopher N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kujundzic, Dino
• Application Number:
  US14/039,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20140026082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 715/744
• 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 one website of a plurality of next websites, the predicting being based, at least in part, on a history of navigating the web browser to the potential next websites from the visited website, and based, at least in part, on the plurality of attributes associated with the visited website;

said computer determining which next websites of the plurality of potential next websites have been updated, at least in part, since most recently being visited by the web browser;

based on determining which next websites of the plurality of potential next websites have been updated, said computer identifying least one website of the plurality potential next websites that has not been updated since most recently being visited by the web browser;

said computer eliminating identified at least one website of the plurality of potential next websites from consideration as a next website to which the web browser is to be navigated, the eliminating to obtain one or more remaining potential next websites which have been updated, at least in part, since most recently being visited by the web browser; and

based on the eliminating, said computer selecting a next website from the one or more remaining potential next websites and 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 navigating the web browser to the next website comprises displaying the next website in the web browser.

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

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

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the computer determining the plurality of potential next websites to 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.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the computer selecting the next website from the one or more remaining potential next websites comprises:

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

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

based on a single website having more total visits than every other website of the one or more remaining potential next websites, the computer selecting the single website as the next website to load in the web browser.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the computer selecting the next website from the one or more remaining potential next websites comprises:

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

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

based on no website of the one or more remaining potential next websites having more total visits than every other website of the one or more remaining potential next websites;

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

based on 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.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said computer determining which next websites of the plurality of potential next websites have been updated comprises at least one of:

said computer determining whether content of a potential next website of the plurality of potential next websites has changed since a last time said potential next website was visited; and

said computer detecting a section of a potential next website of the plurality of potential next websites, that is dynamic.

7. 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.

8. A computer system comprising a hardware 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 one website of a plurality of potential next websites, the predicting being based, at least in part, on a history of navigating the web browser to the potential next websites from the visited website, and based, at least in part, on the plurality of attributes associated with the visited website;

determining which next websites of the plurality of potential next websites have been updated, at least in part, since most recently being visited by the web browser;

based on determining which next websites of the plurality of potential next websites have been updated, identifying at least one website of the plurality of potential next websites that has not been updated since most recently being visited by the web browser;

eliminating the identified at least one website of the plurality of potential next websites from consideration as a next website to which. the web browser is to be navigated, the eliminating. to obtain one or more remaining potential next Websites which have been updated, at least in part, since most recently being visited by the web browser; and

based on the eliminating, selecting a next website from the one or more remaining potential next websites and 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 navigating the web browser to the next website comprises displaying the next website in the web browser.

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

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

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the determining the plurality of potential next websites 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.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the selecting the next website from the one or more remaining potential next websites comprises:

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

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

based on a single website having more total visits than every other website of the one or more remaining potential next websites, selecting the single website as the next website to load in the web browser.

12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the selecting the next website from the one or more remaining potential next websites comprises:

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

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

based on no website of the one or more remaining potential next websites having more total visits than every other website of the one or more remaining potential next websites;

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

based on 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.

13. The computer system of claim 8, wherein determining which next websites of the plurality of potential next websites have been updated comprises at least one of:

determining whether content of a potential next website of the plurality of potential next websites has changed since a last time said potential next website was visited; and

detecting a section of a potential next website of the plurality of potential next websites that is dynamic.

14. 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.

15. A non-transitory 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 one website of a plurality of potential next websites, the predicting being based, at least in part, on a history of navigating the web browser to the potential next websites from the visited website, and based, at least in part, on the plurality of attributes associated with the visited website;

determining which next websites of the plurality of potential next websites have been updated, at least in part, since most recently being visited by the web browser;

based on determining which next websites of the plurality of potential next websites have been updated, identifying at least one website of the plurality of potential next websites that not been undated since most recently being visited by the web browser;

eliminating a the identified at least one website of the plurality of potential next websites from consideration as a next website to which the web browser is to be navigated, the eliminating to obtain one or more remaining potential next websites which have been updated, at least in part, since most recently being, visited by the web browser; and

based on the eliminating, selecting a next website from the one or more remaining potential next websites and 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 navigating the web browser to the next website comprises displaying the next website in the web browser.

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

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

17. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the determining the plurality of potential next websites 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.

18. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the selecting the next website from the one or more remaining potential next website comprises:

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

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

based on no website of the one or more remaining potential next websites having more total visits than every other website of the one or more remaining potential next websites;

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

based on the user not having indicated preference to one website;

prompting selection of a preference to 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.

19. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 16, wherein determining which next websites of the plurality of potential next websites have been updated comprises at least one of:

determining whether content of a potential next website of the plurality of potential next websites has changed since a last time said potential next websites was visited; and

detecting a section of a potential next website of the plurality of potential next websites that dynamic.

20. 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.