Browsing web content using predictive navigation links

• US 20060085766A1
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ragno, Robert J., Dominowska, Ewa
• Granted Patent: US 7,810,035 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing

Abstract

A predictive travel log system using one or more ranking schemes to predict the location that a user would seek to navigate to through back and forward navigation in a web browser is provided. The navigation functionality can be exposed through traditional back and forward buttons with drop down travel log menus found in a browser user interface.

Claims

1. A method for providing navigational alternatives to a user viewing a web page comprising:

identifying out-links on a web page;

determining whether an out-link is a same site out-link;

ranking same site out-links ahead of other out-links; and

causing items representing the out-links in ranked order to be displayed.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a same site out-link contains a keyword; and

ranking a same-site out-link containing the keyword higher than a same site out-link not containing the keyword.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a same site out-link is a higher level out-link; and

ranking a higher level same site out-link higher than a same site out-link which is not a higher level out-link.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising comparing the address of the same site out-link to the address of the web page to determine whether a same site out-link is a higher level out-link.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said comparing applies fuzzy prefix logic.

6. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 1.

7. A method for providing navigational alternatives to a user viewing a web page comprising:

identifying out-links on a web page;

ranking the out-links based on criteria associated with the content of each out-link page; and

causing items representing the out-links to be displayed in ranked order.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the criteria includes the number of in-links to each out-link page.

9. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 7.

10. A method for providing navigational alternatives to a user viewing a web page comprising:

identifying in-links for a web page;

ranking the in-links; and

causing items representing the in-links to be displayed in ranked order while displaying the web page.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein ranking in-links includes receiving the in-links from a search engine.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein ranking the in-links includes ranking same site in-links higher than other in-links.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

determining whether a same site in-link contains a keyword; and

ranking a same-site in-link containing the keyword ahead of a same site in-link not containing the keyword.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether a same site in-link is a higher level in-link; and

ranking a higher level same site in-link higher than a same site in-link which is not a higher level in-link.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising comparing the address of the same site in-link to the address of the web page to determine whether a same site in-link is a higher level in-link.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein said comparing applies fuzzy prefix logic.

17. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 10.

18. In a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display and a user interface selection device, a method of navigating from one page to another, comprising the steps of:

(a) retrieving a predictive navigational alternative for a page;

(b) displaying the predictive navigational alternative; and

(c) receiving a selection signal indicative of the user interface selection device selecting the predictive navigation alternative, and, in response to the selection signal, displaying a page represented by the predictive navigational alternative.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said displaying step includes displaying the predictive navigation alternative in a standalone user interface component.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the standalone user interface component is a toolbar.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the predictive navigational alternative is an in-link.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the predictive navigation alternative is an out-link.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein said step of retrieving further includes retrieving a plurality of ranked predictive navigational alternatives and said step of displaying further includes displaying the predictive navigational alternatives in ranked order.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said of displaying further includes displaying a predictive navigational alternative from a first ranking category and a predictive navigational alternative from a second ranking category in a manner that distinguishes the navigation alternative from the first ranking category from the predictive navigational alternative from the second ranking category.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising displaying the navigational alternative from the first ranking category in one color and displaying the navigational alternative from the second category in another color.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein plural ranking categories exist for ranking navigational alternatives, said method further comprising:

displaying indicia for each ranking category; and

receiving a selection signal indicative of the user interface selection device selecting the indicia, and, in response to the selection signal selecting the indicia, displaying predictive navigational alternatives in ranked order for the ranking category corresponding to the selected indicia.

27. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 18.

28. The method of claim 18, wherein said step of retrieving the predictive navigational alternative comprises performing a search for web pages having subject matter related to the subject matter of the web page.

29. A method for providing navigational alternatives to a user viewing a web page comprising:

identifying links to or from a web page;

ranking the links based on behavior of other users; and

displaying items representing the links in ranked order.

30. The method according to claim 29, where the behavior of other users includes the number of times other web pages have been navigated to from the web page.

31. The method according to claim 29, where the behavior includes pages that answer queries by other users that return the web page.

32. A navigational toolbar for providing navigational alternatives providing during browsing comprising:

a first selectable region identifying in-links present in a currently viewed web page; and

a second selectable region identifying out-links present in the current viewed web page.