System and method for internet meta-browser for users with disabilities

• US 9,690,452 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2011
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anthony Warren Lee, Jonathan Seliger, Manny Sandler, Vernon Lun
• Original Assignee: Anthony Warren Lee, Jonathan Seliger, Manny Sandler, Vernon Lun
• Inventors: Seliger, Jonathan, Sandler, Manny, Lun, Vernon, Lee, Anthony Warren
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mrabi, Hassan
• Application Number:
  US13/642,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20130246904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,254 Days
• Field of Search: 715234, 715865
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• 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: 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

The present invention is a system and method operable with generally available browser technology that may facilitate improved access and navigation of the Internet and world-wide web by a user who is a novice user or is a user with disabilities. A browser plug-in component may cause the display of buttons, indicators and/or textual information to a user to aid a user in accessing and navigating the webpages. The buttons, indicators and/or textual information may be provided as an overlay on existing webpages. The overlay and webpage display may be tailored to specific users at a point in time and over time so that the overlay elements may reflect user preferences and/or a level of access/navigation activities that is appropriate to the user.

Claims

1. A system for providing one or more browser functions operable by a user who is one or more of the following:

a novice user or a user with disabilities, characterized in that the system comprises;

a. a computer device linked to a display device;

b. a browser interface operable by the computer device to provide access to one or more activity pages, including access to one or more webpages; and

c. a browser plug-in component operable with the browser interface to provide to the user one or more function options selectable by a user for accessing, navigating within, and moving between the one or more activity pages, said function options being generated based upon activity data to be tailored to a specific user over time as a user'"'"'s abilities improve or worsen and any disability of the user improves or worsens, such that the function options are presented to the user at each new session of use of the browser interface by a user in the one or more activity pages that are untransformed at an expertise level and a disability accommodation as appropriate in format, positioning and availability for the user to access, navigate, and move between the one or more activity pages, and said activity data pertaining to the activities of the user utilizing the one or more function options being collected by the system, and said function options including browser functions.

2. The system of claim 1, characterized in that it comprises the one or more function options including one or more of the following elements being overlaid on the one or more activity pages, including one or more webpages:

i. one or more buttons operable by a user to activate and cause the performance of browser functions;

ii. one or more indicators operable to indicate operations of the computer device or Internet to a user; and

iii. one or more textual information operable to provide information to a user;

whereby the content of the one or more activity pages, including the one or more webpages, may be fully accessible by the user; and

whereby the overlay elements generate access and navigation of the one or more activity pages, including the one or more webpages, by the user at the expertise level appropriate to the user.

3. The system of claim 2, characterized in that the one or more buttons are presented to the user in format, size, shape, style and content consistent with the expertise level appropriate to the user.

4. The system of claim 1, characterized in that it comprises the one or more webpages being accessible via Internet or intranet connections.

5. The system of claim 1, characterized in that is comprises the browser plug-in dynamically augmenting the content of the one or more webpages.

6. The system of claim 1, characterized in that the one or more function options include one or more user preferences to be set by the user.

7. The system of claim 1, characterized in that the activity data is stored to one or more data storage means linked to the computer device.

8. The system of claim 1, characterized in that the system exists in a cloud computing environment.

9. A method of browser functions for accessing and navigating one or more options by a user who is one or more of the following:

a novice user, or a user with disabilities, characterized in that the method comprises the following steps;

a. initiating a browser session by authenticating the user;

b. recognizing an expertise level of the user for the browser session;

c. applying a browser plug-in component operable with a browser interface and thereby providing one or more function options selectable by a user for accessing, navigating within, and moving between one or more activity pages to the user, said one or more activity pages including one or more webpages, and generating the one or more function options based upon the expertise level of the user and any disability of the user and thereby presenting said one or more function options in the one or more activity pages that are untransformed to be compatible in format, positioning and availability with the expertise level of the user and a disability accommodation for the user, and said function options including browser functions; and

d. the user utilizing the one or more function options to access, and navigate within, and move between the one or more activity pages.

10. The method of claim 9, characterized in that it comprises the further step of presenting the one or more function options as one or more of the following:

a. one or more buttons operable by a user to activate and cause the performance of browser functions;

b. one or more indicators operable to indicate operations of the computer device or Internet to a user; and

c. one or more textual information operable to provide information to a user;

to fully access the content of the one or more activity pages.

11. The method of claim 9, characterized in that it comprises the further step of recognizing the expertise level of the user to be varying expertise levels for one or more different sessions.

12. The method of claim 9, characterized in that it comprises the further steps of:

a. collecting activity data pertaining to the;

utilization of the one or more function options by the user, and access and navigation of the one or more activity pages by the user;

b. storing the activity data in one or more data storage means;

c. analyzing the activity data to generate one or more metrics; and

d. utilizing the one or more metrics to recognize the expertise level of the user to be applied in the session; and

e. utilizing the activity data and metrics to generate the one or more function options for a new session of the browser interface initiated by the user in accordance with the expertise level and disability accommodation relevant to the user that may improve or worsen over time.

13. The method of claim 9, characterized in that it comprises the further step of accessing and navigating the one or more activity pages that include at least one of the following:

a. one or more webpages;

b. one or more pages for viewing photographs;

c. one or more pages for displaying, drafting, saving or sending email; and

d. one or more pages presenting institutional information, said one or more institutional information pages being accessible if the user is an institutional member.

14. The method of claim 9, characterized in that it comprises the further steps of the user setting one or more user preferences;

and the one or more user preferences being stored in one or more data storage means.

15. The method of claim 14, characterized in that it comprises the further step of an authorized user accessing and setting the one or more user preferences.

16. The method of claim 9, characterized in that it comprises the further step of presenting only the one or more function options available to the user pertaining to one of the one or more activity pages accessed by the user.

17. The method of claim 9, characterized in that it comprises the further step of the user hiding or moving the one or more function options on one of the one or more activity pages accessed by the user.

18. The method of claim 9, characterized in that it comprises the further step of displaying the one or more function options as a browser widget.

19. The method of claim 9, characterized in that it comprises the further step of presenting requests, notices or suggestions to the user.