Systems, methods and computer program products for identifying computer file characteristics that can hinder display via hand-held computing devices

• US 6,417,873 B1
• Filed: 12/11/1998
• Issued: 07/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fletcher, James Corvin, Lindquist, David Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US09/210,308
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 345/853, 345/855, 345/864, 345/746, 345/733, 345/738, 345/744, 345/747, 345/760, 345/765, 345/762, 345/778, 345/440, 345/739, 345/854, 707/501.1, 707/513, 707/514, 707/515, 709/203, 709/220, 709/228, 709/246
• US Class Current: 715/853
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer program products for identifying files from among a plurality of hierarchically-related files within a web site, wherein each of the identified files has one or more characteristics that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device. Operations include selecting a file from among the plurality of hierarchically-related files. The selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file are then analyzed via a web crawler configured to identify characteristics that can hinder display of a respective file within a display of a hand-held computing device. A directed graph representation of the plurality of hierarchically-related files can be displayed that identifies each file having a characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device.

Claims

1. A method of identifying files from among a plurality of hierarchically-related files within a web site, wherein each of the identified files has at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device in communication with the web site, the method comprising the following steps that are performed in a data processing system in communication with the web site:

selecting a file from among the plurality of hierarchically-related files;

analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device; and

displaying a directed graph representation of the plurality of hierarchically-related files, wherein each file having at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device is identified.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of hierarchically-related files comprise web pages and files displayed within web pages.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the step of analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that hinders display via a hand-held computing device is performed by a web crawler.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for a plurality of characteristics that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises analyzing text for at least one of size, style, font and language.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises analyzing image files for format and size.

7. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying within the directed graph representation a description of how to transform an identified file so as to be displayable via a hand-held computing device.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of displaying a directed graph representation of the plurality of hierarchically-related files comprises identifying a file type for a respective file.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of displaying a directed graph representation of the plurality of hierarchically-related files comprises displaying a URL associated with a respective file.

10. A method of identifying files from among a plurality of hierarchically-related files within a web site, wherein each of the identified files has at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device in communication with the web site, the method comprising the following steps that are performed in a data processing system in communication with the web site:

selecting a file from among the plurality of hierarchically-related files;

analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device;

displaying a directed graph representation of the plurality of hierarchically-related files, wherein each file having at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device is identified;

identifying a file type for each respective identified file;

displaying a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with each respective identified file; and

displaying within the directed graph representation a description of how to transform an identified file so as to be displayable via a hand-held computing device.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein the plurality of hierarchically-related files comprise web pages and files displayed within web pages.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the step of analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that hinders display via a hand-held computing device is performed by a web crawler.

13. A method according to claim 10 wherein the step of analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for a plurality of characteristics that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device.

14. A method according to claim 10 wherein the step of analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises analyzing text for at least one of size, style, font and language.

15. A method according to claim 10 wherein the step of analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises analyzing image files for format and size.

16. A system for identifying files from among a plurality of hierarchically-related files within a web site, wherein each of the identified files has at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device in communication with the web site, comprising:

means for selecting a file from among the plurality of hierarchically-related files;

means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device; and

means for displaying a directed graph representation of the plurality of hierarchically-related files, wherein each file having at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device is identified.

17. A system according to claim 16 wherein the plurality of hierarchically-related files comprise web pages and files displayed within web pages.

18. A system according to claim 17 wherein the means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that hinders display via a hand-held computing device comprises a web crawler.

19. A system according to claim 16 wherein the means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for a plurality of characteristics that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device.

20. A system according to claim 16 wherein the means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises means for analyzing text for at least one of size, style, font and language.

21. A system according to claim 16 wherein the means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises means for analyzing image files for format and size.

22. A system according to claim 16 further comprising means for displaying within the directed graph representation a description of how to transform an identified file so as to be displayable via a hand-held computing device.

23. A system according to claim 16 wherein the means for displaying a directed graph representation of the plurality of hierarchically-related files comprises means for identifying a file type for a respective file.

24. A system according to claim 16 wherein the means for displaying a directed graph representation of the plurality of hierarchically-related files comprises means for displaying a URL associated with a respective file.

25. A system for identifying files from among a plurality of hierarchically-related files within a web site, wherein each of the identified files has at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device in communication with the web site, comprising:

means for selecting a file from among the plurality of hierarchically-related files;

means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device;

means for displaying a directed graph representation of the plurality of hierarchically-related files, wherein each file having at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device is identified;

means for identifying a file type for each respective identified file;

means for displaying a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with each respective identified file; and

means for displaying within the directed graph representation a description of how to transform an identified file so as to be displayable via a hand-held computing device.

26. A system according to claim 25 wherein the plurality of hierarchically-related files comprise web pages and files displayed within web pages.

27. A system according to claim 26 wherein the means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that hinders display via a hand-held computing device comprises a web crawler.

28. A system according to claim 25 wherein the means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for a plurality of characteristics that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device.

29. A system according to claim 25 wherein the means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises means for analyzing text for at least one of size, style, font and language.

30. A system according to claim 25 wherein the means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises means for analyzing image files for format and size.

31. A computer program product for identifying files from among a plurality of hierarchically-related files within a web site, wherein each of the identified files has at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device in communication with the web site, the computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code means embodied in the medium, the computer readable program code means comprising:

computer readable program code means for selecting a file from among the plurality of hierarchically-related files;

computer readable program code means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device; and

computer readable program code means for displaying a directed graph representation of the plurality of hierarchically-related files, wherein each file having at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device is identified.

32. A computer program product according to claim 31 wherein the plurality of hierarchically-related files comprise web pages and files displayed within web pages.

33. A computer program product according to claim 32 wherein the computer readable program code means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that hinders display via a hand-held computing device comprises a web crawler.

34. A computer program product according to claim 31 wherein the computer readable program code means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises computer readable program code means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for a plurality of characteristics that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device.

35. A computer program product according to claim 31 wherein the computer readable program code means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises computer readable program code means for analyzing text for at least one of size, style, font and language.

36. A computer program product according to claim 31 wherein the computer readable program code means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises computer readable program code means for analyzing image files for format and size.

37. A computer program product according to claim 31 further comprising computer readable program code means for displaying within the directed graph representation a description of how to transform an identified file so as to be displayable via a hand-held computing device.

38. A computer program product according to claim 31 wherein the computer readable program code means for displaying a directed graph representation of the plurality of hierarchically-related files comprises computer readable program code means for identifying a file type for a respective file.

39. A computer program product according to claim 31 wherein the computer readable program code means for displaying a directed graph representation of the plurality of hierarchically-related files comprises computer readable program code means for displaying a URL associated with a respective file.

40. A computer program product for identifying files from among a plurality of hierarchically-related files within a web site, wherein each of the identified files has at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device in communication with the web site, the computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code means embodied in the medium, the computer readable program code means comprising:

computer readable program code means for selecting a file from among the plurality of hierarchically-related files;

computer readable program code means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device;

computer readable program code means for displaying a directed graph representation of the plurality of hierarchically-related files, wherein each file having at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device is identified;

computer readable program code means for identifying a file type for each respective identified file;

computer readable program code means for displaying a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with each respective identified file; and

computer readable program code means for displaying within the directed graph representation a description of how to transform an identified file so as to be displayable via a hand-held computing device.

41. A computer program product according to claim 40 wherein the plurality of hierarchically-related files comprise web pages and files displayed within web pages.

42. A computer program product according to claim 41 wherein the computer readable program code means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that hinders display via a hand-held computing device comprises a web crawler.

43. A computer program product according to claim 40 wherein the computer readable program code means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises computer readable program code means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for a plurality of characteristics that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device.

44. A computer program product according to claim 40 wherein the computer readable program code means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises computer readable program code means for analyzing text for at least one of size, style, font and language.

45. A computer program product according to claim 40 wherein the computer readable program code means for analyzing the selected file and files hierarchically-related to the selected file for at least one characteristic that can hinder display thereof via a hand-held computing device comprises computer readable program code means for analyzing image files for format and size.