HTTP caching proxy to filter and control display of data in a web browser

• US 6,886,013 B1
• Filed: 09/11/1997
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Beranek, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pardo, Thuy N.
• Application Number:
  US08/927,660
• Time in Patent Office: 2,784 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.57, 395/200.33, 395/200.47, 345/507, 345/334, 345/349, 345/118, 707/500, 707/3, 707/10, 707/522, 707/513, 709/247, 715/513, 715/522, 715/854
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/40 Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/917 Text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A method of controlling how a Web document is presented for display on a browser of a client machine. The Web document typically is formatted according to a markup language such as HTML. The method uses a client side HTTP caching proxy to intercept the Web document and then dynamically rewrite the document before it is displayed on the browser. In particular, as the Web document is received from the server, the HTML is parsed to identify the format of the document and the information therein. A filter mechanism is then used to reformat the Web document according to some given protocol, and the re-formatted Web document is then passed to the browser for display. Dynamic alteration of the HTML in this manner enables control of the “look and feel” of the browser display.

Claims

1. A method of controlling presentation on a client of a Web document formatted according to a markup language and supported on a server, the client including a browser and connectable to the server via a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:

as the Web document is received on the client, parsing the Web document to identify formatting information;

altering the formatting information to modify at least one display characteristic of the Web document; and

passing the Web document to the browser for display.

2. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 1 further including the step of displaying the Web document with the modified display characteristic on the browser.

3. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 1 wherein the modified display characteristic is a background color.

4. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 1 wherein the modified display characteristic is a font color.

5. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 1 wherein the modified display characteristic is a spacing of text.

6. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 1 wherein the modified display characteristic is a modified frame of a frame set.

7. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 1 wherein the modified display characteristic is a portion of a page layout.

8. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 1 wherein the modified display characteristic is a table format.

9. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 1 wherein the formatting information is modified upon a given event.

10. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 9 further including the step of embedding a display object in the Web document.

11. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 1 wherein the markup language is Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

12. A method of controlling presentation on a client of a Web document formatted according to hypertext markup language (HTML) and supported on a server, the client including a browser and connectable to the server via a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:

as the Web document is received on the client, parsing the Web document to identify HTML formatting information;

altering at least one characteristic of the HTML formatting information to create a modified Web document;

passing the modified Web document to the browser; and

displaying the modified Web document.

13. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 12 wherein the step of altering at least one characteristic of the HTML formatting information includes modifying information associated with an HTML markup tag selected from the group of HTML markup tags consisting essentially of:

BODY, TITLE, H, P, BR, FONT, A HREF, IMG SRC, FRAMESET, FRAME, FRAME SRC, TABLE, TR, TD, FORM INPUT, ALIGN, MARGIN, HSPACE, VSPACE, EMBED, and LAYER.

14. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 12 wherein the modified Web document includes a display object.

15. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 14 wherein the display object is a dedicated area of the modified Web document on the browser.

16. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 15 wherein the display object displays content in the dedicated area.

17. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 16 wherein the content is a message.

18. The method as described in claim 12 wherein the computer network is the Internet and the client is a Web appliance.

19. A computer program product in computer-readable media for use in controlling presentation on a client of a Web document formatted according to a markup language (HTML) and supported on a server, the client including a browser and connectable to the server via a computer network, the computer program product comprising:

means for parsing the Web document as the Web document is received on the client to identify markup language formatting information;

means responsive to the parsing means for altering at least one characteristic of the formatting information to create a modified Web document; and

means responsive to the altering means for passing the modified Web document for display on the browser.

20. The computer program product as described in claim 19 wherein the markup language is HTML and the means for altering modifies information associated with an HTML markup tag selected from the group of HTML markup tags consisting essentially of:

BODY, TITLE, H, P, BR, FONT, A HREF, IMG SRC, FRAMESET, FRAME, FRAME SRC, TABLE, TR, TD, FORM INPUT, ALIGN, MARGIN, HSPACE, VSPACE, EMBED, and LAYER.

21. The computer program product as described in claim 19 further including a means for caching control information for controlling the parsing means.

22. The computer program product as described in claim 19 wherein the computer network is the Internet and the client is a Web appliance.

23. A client computer connectable to the Internet, comprising:

a processor having an operating system;

a browser application run by the operating system;

a proxy having a cache associated therewith and including;

means for parsing the Web document as the Web document is received by the proxy to identify markup language formatting information;

means responsive to the parsing means for re-formatting the Web document; and

means responsive to the re-formatting means for delivering the Web document to the browser.

24. The computer as described in claim 23 wherein the markup language is HTML and the means for altering modifies information associated with an HTML markup tag selected from the group of HTML markup tags consisting essentially of:

BODY, TITLE, H, P, BR, FONT, A HREF, IMG SRC, FRAMESET, FRAME, FRAME SRC, TABLE, TR, TD, FORM INPUT, ALIGN, MARGIN, HSPACE, VSPACE, EMBED, and LAYER.

25. A method of displaying a Web document on a Web browser on a client, the Web document formatted according to a markup language and supported on a Web server, the method comprising the steps of:

as the Web document is received on the client, parsing the Web document to identify formatting information;

re-formatting the Web document in accordance with at least one filter property defined by a use of the client;

transmitting the re-formatted Web document to the Web browser; and

display the re-formatted Web document using the browser.

26. The method of displaying a Web document as described in claim 25 wherein the markup language is Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

27. The method of displaying a Web document as described in claim 26 wherein the step of re-formatting the Web document is effected using information stored in a cache.

28. A method of controlling presentation on a Web apparatus of a Web document formatted according to a markup language and supported on a server, the Web apparatus including a browser having a display area, the method comprising the steps of:

as a data stream comprising the Web document is received by the web apparatus, parsing the data stream to identify formatting information in the Web document;

inserting control information into the data stream such that when the Web document is displayed on the browser, a portion of the display area is reserved for display of given content; and

using the browser to display the Web document on the display area, wherein the control information inhibits display of the Web document in the portion of the display area reserved for display of the given content.

29. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 28 further including the step of displaying given content in the portion of the display area.

30. The method of controlling presentation as described in claim 29 wherein the given content includes a message.

31. A method of controlling presentation on a Web client of a Web document formatted according to a markup language and supported on a server, the Web client having a browser, the method comprising the steps of:

discovering a display system type associated with the Web apparatus, the display system type defined at least in part by display characteristics of the browser;

as a data stream comprising the Web document is received on the Web client, parsing the data stream to identify formatting information in the Web documents; and

inserting control information into the data stream to reformat the Web document for optimal display on the browser, wherein the control information is selected based on the discovered display system type.