Browser Intermediary

• US 20120266090A1
• Filed: 04/18/2011
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Nealer, Bryan W., Qin, Li-Juan, Chin, Peter, Acker, Christopher A., Belfiore, Joseph D. III
• Application Number:
  US13/089,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20120266090A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A browser intermediary provides a user interface that displays representations of various types of available web-based content. Selection of a particular web-based content from the browser intermediary causes a web browser application to be launched and the selected web-based content to be loaded in the browser user interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a user-submitted command to launch a browser application; and

in response to receiving the user-submitted command, launching a browser intermediary instead of launching the browser application, the browser intermediary presenting a user interface that displays selectable representations of multiple web pages.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selectable representations of multiple web pages include representations of one or more user-specified favorite web pages.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selectable representations of multiple web pages include representations of one or more recently viewed web pages.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selectable representations of multiple web pages include representations of one or more frequently viewed web pages.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selectable representations of multiple web pages include representations of web pages that are currently popular.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selectable representations of multiple web pages include representations of web pages associated with top news stories.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selectable representations of multiple web pages include representations of web content shared through recent social networking updates.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selectable representations of multiple web pages include representations of recent Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user-submitted selection through the browser intermediary; and

in response to the user-submitted selection through the browser intermediary, launching the browser application.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein launching the browser application includes loading a web page in a user interface associated with the browser application, the web page being associated with the user-submitted selection received through the browser intermediary.

11. One or more computer readable media encoded with computer-executable instructions that, when executed, configure a computer system to perform a method as recited in claim 1.

12. A mobile computing device comprising:

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor;

a browser application, at least partially stored in the memory and executable on the processor, to provide access to the World Wide Web; and

a browser intermediary, at least partially stored in the memory and executable on the processor, the browser intermediary configured to execute when the browser application is selected by a user for execution, thereby delaying execution of the browser application, the browser intermediary including;

a user interface module for rendering a user interface that includes any combination of;

representations of user-specified favorite web pages;

representations of recently viewed web pages;

representations of frequently viewed web pages;

representations of currently popular web content;

representations of recent real-time data;

a browser interface for identifying the user-specified favorite web pages, the recently viewed web pages, and the frequently viewed web pages;

a top stories interface for identifying the currently popular web content; and

a social network interface for identifying at least a portion of the recent real-time data.

13. A mobile computing device as recited in claim 12, the browser intermediary further including an Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed interface for identifying at least a portion of the recent real-time data.

14. One or more computer readable media encoded with instructions that, when executed, direct a computing device to perform operations comprising:

displaying a browser intermediary user interface that includes selectable representations of a plurality of web-based content;

receiving a user-submitted selection of a representation of a particular web-based content; and

in response to receiving the user-submitted selection, launching a browser application and loading a web page associated with the web-based content into a user interface associated with the browser application.

15. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 14, wherein the browser intermediary user interface includes a section for displaying representations of user-specified favorite web pages.

16. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 14, wherein the browser intermediary user interface includes a section for displaying representations of currently popular web-based content.

17. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 14, wherein the browser intermediary user interface includes a section for displaying representations of real-time data updates.

18. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 17, wherein the real-time data updates include a social network post.

19. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 17, wherein the real-time data updates include a really simple syndication (RSS) feed post.

20. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 17, wherein the real-time data updates are associated with entities with which a user of the computing device has an established relationship.