Smart browser panes

• US 7,664,770 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2003
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lycos Incorporated (Brightcom Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wilde, Thomas, Jackson, Lincoln
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAO, PHUONG THAO
• Application Number:
  US10/679,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20050076019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,325 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102, 707/2, 707/3, 715/760, 715/781
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

An article of manufacture and method includes displaying content associated with a universal resource locator (URL) on a graphical user interface (GUI), receiving a first search parameter for a first search engine, displaying a first search result in a first pane of the GUI, the first search result associated with a first search parameter, determining a second search parameter associated with a URL from the first search parameter for a second search engine, displaying a second search result in a second pane of the GUI, the second search result associated with a second search parameter.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying content associated with a uniform resource locator (URL) on a graphical user interface (GUI) executing on a client computer;

receiving a first search parameter for a first search engine;

displaying, in a first pane of the GUI, a first search result generated by the first search engine, the first search result comprising URL links to web pages associated with the first search parameter;

parsing a URL associated with the first search result from the first search engine to extract a second search parameter for a second search engine, the second search engine being a different search engine from the first search engine;

communicating the second search parameter from the client computer to the second search engine to cause the second search engine to perform a search based on the second search parameter;

displaying, in a second pane of the GUI, a second search result generated by the second search engine, the second search result being different from the first search result and comprising URL links to web pages associated with the second search parameter, the second pane being generated if the URL or a portion of the URL matches an entry in a predefined list, entries in the list corresponding to search engines and being configured to allow the second pane to be generated automatically for a particular search engine;

automatically updating the second search result in the second pane in response to a first change in the first search result in the first pane; and

automatically updating the first search result in the first pane in response to a second change in the second search result in the second pane.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second change comprises a user navigation in the second pane.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first change comprises a user navigation in the first pane.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the user navigation comprises:

a user selecting a URL link included in the first search result in the first pane of the GUI; and

wherein automatically updating the second search result in the second pane comprises;

updating a link in the second pane in response to the link viewed in the first pane.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

permitting viewing of a new web page in the first pane by clicking on links in both the first and second panes.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

allowing entering of a search in the second pane; and

displaying results of the search in the first pane.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying a default page when no search results are generated.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically updating the predefined list.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

disabling the second pane based on a rule.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the rule comprises disabling the second pane if no search results are generated.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the rule comprises disabling the second pane in response to external input.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the external input comprises an input received via a button or hyperlinik.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a personal preference from an external source.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the personal preference includes a language preference, an opening preference, a size of the second pane, or the second search result.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

opening the second pane in response to an input in a passive mode.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

automatically opening the second pane in an active mode.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first search result comprises:

displaying addresses associated with the first search result, and

wherein displaying the second search result comprises;

displaying addresses associated with the second search result.

18. One or more machine readable storage media for storing instructions that are executable, the instructions for causing one or more processing devices to:

display content associated with a uniform resource locator (URL) on a graphical user interface (GUI) executing on a client computer;

receive a first search parameter for a first search engine;

display, in a first pane of the GUI, a first search result generated by the first search engine, the first search result comprising URL links to web pages associated with the first search parameter;

parsing a URL associated with the first search result from the first search engine to extract a second search parameter for a second search engine, the second search engine being a different search engine from the first search engine;

communicate the second search parameter from the client computer to the second search engine to cause the second search engine to perform a search based on the second search parameter;

display, in a second pane of the GUI, a second search result generated by the second search engine, the second search result being different from the first search result and comprising URL links to web pages associated with the second search parameter, the second pane being generated if the URL or a portion of the URL matches an entry in a predefined list, entries in the list corresponding to search engines and being configured to allow the second pane to be generated automatically for a particular search engine;

automatically update the second search result in the second pane in response to a first change in the first search result in the first pane; and

automatically update the first search result in the first pane in response to a second change in the second search result in the second pane.

19. The one or more machine readable storage media of claim 18 wherein the second change comprises a user navigation in the second pane.

20. The one or more machine readable storage media of claim 18 wherein the first change comprises a user navigation in the first pane.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a computer system including a processor and memory; and

a machine readable storage medium storing a program product comprising instructions that when executed cause the computer system to;

display content associated with a uniform resource locator (URL) on a graphical user interface (GUI) executing on a client computer;

receive a first search parameter for a first search engine;

display, in a first pane of the GUI, a first search result generated by the first search engine, the first search result being associated with the first search parameter;

parse a URL associated with the first search result from the first search engine to extract a second search parameter for a second search engine, the second search engine being a different search engine from the first search engine;

communicate the second search parameter from the client computer to the second search engine to cause the second search engine to perform a search based on the second search parameter;

display, in a second pane of the GUI, a second search result generated by the second search engine, the second search result being different from the first search result and being associated with the second search parameter, the second pane being generated if the URL or a portion of the URL matches an entry in a predefined list, entries in the list corresponding to search engines and being configured to allow the second pane to be generated automatically for a particular search engine;

automatically updating the second search result in the second pane in response to a first change in the first search result in the first pane; and

automatically updating the first search result in the first pane in response to a second change in the second search result in the second pane.