U.S. patent application number 11/199879 was filed with the patent office on 2005-12-08 for system and method of routine navigation.
Invention is credited to Naas, Aaron J..
Application Number | 20050273718 11/199879 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35694984 |
Filed Date | 2005-12-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050273718 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Naas, Aaron J. |
December 8, 2005 |
System and method of routine navigation
Abstract
A system and method for navigating through routinely visited web
pages with a browser that allows a user to navigate through the web
pages using a "Next/Previous" paradigm. The system includes a
routine list having at least one routine, each routine including
user ordered user specified URLs, means for editing the routine
list and its URLs, means for establishing and specifying a routine
from the routine list, and means for sequentially moving from one
URL in the specified routine to another URL in the specified
routine. By specifying a routine from the routine list, the user
can visit a desired group of web pages in a desired order. The
moving means allows the user to easily navigate from one web page
to another web page in the specified routine in accordance with the
user specified order of web pages associated with such routine
regardless of any spontaneous browsing conducted by the user.
Inventors: |
Naas, Aaron J.; (Wake
Forest, NC) |
Correspondence
Address: |
AARON J. NAAS
537 Woodland Drive
Wake Forest
NC
27587
US
|
Family ID: |
35694984 |
Appl. No.: |
11/199879 |
Filed: |
August 9, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11199879 |
Aug 9, 2005 |
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09322627 |
May 28, 1999 |
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60118562 |
Feb 4, 1999 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/745 ;
707/E17.111 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 16/954 20190101;
Y10S 707/99943 20130101; G06F 16/9562 20190101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/745 |
International
Class: |
G06F 017/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A system for navigating through a plurality of user specified
web pages, said system comprising: at least one routine of at least
one web page address for repeated web page viewing by a user with a
web page viewer, wherein said at least one web page address of said
at least one routine are explicitly provided and sequenced by the
user, and said at least one routine is stored for repeated use;
means for user activation of said at least one routine, wherein
said routine activation establishes an initial web page as the
current web page of the web page viewer; means for advancing the
current web page in said web page viewer from that of a first web
page address in said at least one routine sequentially to that of a
second web page address in said at least one routine, wherein said
advancing means is activated with a single user action; means for
returning the current web page in said web page viewer to said
first web page from said second web page.
2. A system according to claim 1 further tolerating interim user
browsing, said system comprising: means for activating at least one
link within said first web page to change the current web page in
said web page viewer to a third web page; means for advancing the
current web page in said web page viewer from said third web page
to said second web page, wherein said advancing means is activated
with a single user action.
3. A system according to claim 2 further comprising an embedded
software navigation panel, said system comprising: a navigation
panel that remains available throughout a user's routine navigation
session; wherein said navigation panel is positioned on said web
page viewer; wherein said advancing means is positioned on said
navigation panel.
4. A system according to claim 2 further comprising a remote
software navigation panel, said system comprising: a navigation
panel that remains available throughout a user's routine navigation
session; wherein said navigation panel is positioned close in
proximity to the currently viewed web page; wherein said advancing
means is positioned on said navigation panel.
5. A system according to claim 2 wherein at least one web page may
be quick-added to said at least one routine from a web page within
said system, with one user action, said system comprising: a
quick-add hypertext link, wherein said quick-add link is provided
on at least one web page whose content is at least partially
managed by said system; means for said quick-add link to contain at
least one web page address; means to activate said quick-add link;
means for said activation to add said contained at least one web
page address to said at least one routine without additional user
interaction beyond said activation means.
6. A system according to claim 2 wherein at least one web page may
be quick-added to said at least one routine from a third party web
page, with one user action, said system comprising: a quick-add
hypertext link, wherein said quick-add link is provided on at least
one third party web page whose content is not managed by said
system; means for said quick-add link to contain at least one web
page address; means to activate said quick-add link; means for said
activation to add said contained at least one web page address to
said at least one routine without additional user interaction
beyond said activation means.
7. A system according to claim 2 wherein at least one web page may
be quick-added to said at least one routine from a third party web
page, with two user actions, said system comprising: a quick-add
hypertext link, wherein said quick-add link is provided on at least
one third party web page whose content is not managed by said
system; means for said quick-add link to contain at least one web
page address; means to activate said quick-add link; means for said
activation to add said contained at least one web page address to
said at least one routine with an additional user acceptance
confirmation action.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 60/118,562, filed on Feb. 4, 1999.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a system for a user to
visit user selected Internet web pages, and more specifically to a
system and method for navigating through user selected web pages
that the user routinely visits.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Originally developed by government and universities, the
Internet, a global computer network interconnecting numerous
computers, is now used by virtually everyone with access to a
computer (especially in North America). The Internet is
particularly useful for electronic commerce and information
exchange. Providing a foundation for electronic commerce and
information exchange, the World Wide Web, or more commonly "the
web", is a massive collection of web servers and/or web pages which
exist around the world and are interconnected by the Internet.
[0004] Each web server has access to the Internet or an intranet
(or "private" Internet) and supplies services using web pages. A
collection of one or more related web pages are commonly organized
by a web site, or "site". A web site can be as simple as a single
web page concerning a single topic. Alternatively, a web site may
include a myriad of web pages on a wide range of topics. Each web
page, or "page", may be thought of as a file found on a computer
disk drive or remotely accessible from a web server. A web page is
any computer file that conforms to a hypertext mark-up language
(HTML) standard file format and presents information understandable
to a human.
[0005] Within a web page are web links, or "links", that are
regions containing a graphical or textual representation and a
uniform resource locator (URL) to another page on the web. When a
user clicks on or otherwise selects the link, the web browser loads
and displays the web page associated with the URL. A URL is
essentially a computer address for a web page. URL is the standard
for naming specific web pages and includes what protocol to use
when retrieving the page, on which specific machine the web page
exists and where on that machine's file system the page is stored.
To access a web page, the user needs to know the URL of the web
page, and each page on the web has its own distinct URL. For
example, the URL for CBS News is "http://www.cbsnews.com".
[0006] A web browser, or "browser", is a program on a computer
which enables the user to examine HTML web pages retrieved by URL
over the web. When web browsing, or "browsing", a web browser is
used by a computer user to examine information on the World Wide
Web. Due to the interconnected nature of web pages, provided by the
aforementioned links, web browsing can begin on one page and topic
and quickly deviate to other topics as the user's attention is
swayed by attractive or interesting web links. Browsing can easily
turn into aimless web wandering.
[0007] A user commonly connects to the Internet and uses the World
Wide Web to find an answer to a specific question, to find
entertainment, and to find current news/content. Most web pages are
intentionally connected, via links, to other web pages, which are
connected to other pages, and those to other pages, and so on.
Regardless of the reason a user chooses to begin a web browsing
session, the user typically explores at least some of those web
links. The user commonly finds pages that the user has never seen
before. With the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web,
many thousands of web servers and millions of web pages quickly
sprouted. This explosion of web based content also created problems
with locating user-desired information and tracking web pages of
interest.
[0008] There are other ways that a person may find web pages. A
user can find the URLs for potentially interesting web pages from
movie marquees, television commercials, billboards,
magazines/newspapers, and food packages. These web sites very often
provide information, solicit consumer feedback, and market
products. Well known search engines have also been created to
provide web page URLs that are particularly useful when the user
knows the topic of the desired pages but doesn't know where to find
them.
[0009] A seemingly unlimited number of web pages have been
developed that are based on an equally unlimited number of diverse
topics. Faced with the difficulty of retracing the steps of a
browsing session to find previously encountered interesting or
relevant pages, several tools have been created to allow a user to
keep a reference to the URL of a web page for browsing directly at
a later time. To assist users in keeping track of which web pages a
user has loaded/visited and which web pages the user might want to
return to, the "Go Menu", "History List", "bookmarks", and personal
toolbar features have been added by most web browsers.
[0010] Go Menu tracks recently loaded URLs in a list format in an
order of last in time that is cleared at the end of a web browsing
session and is useful for returning to pages that the user visited.
History List is a long-term storage version of the Go Menu feature
that also includes a list of URLs. However, the History List
feature maintains the list across different web browsing sessions
until the items on the list expire or the user intentionally
empties the list The History List feature is useful for allowing
the user to return to pages that were visited within the last few
days. Unfortunately, the ability to organize the Go Menu and
History List is out of the user's control. Additionally, Go Menu
and History List only provide a temporary list of URLs. If the user
desires to keep a URL for a longer term, other methods, which are
all based on the bookmark concept, are available.
[0011] Most web browsers provide "backward"/"forward" buttons. In a
web browsing session, the user typically visits many web sites in
any arbitrary order by clicking on the links of the web pages. When
the user begins the session, the backward, or "back", button is
initially inactive. Once the user chooses a web link and the
browser loads the page associated with the link, activation of the
back button returns the browser to the page the user was viewing
immediately before the link was chosen. The forward button does the
opposite of the back button and is inactive until the user
activates the back button. After the user activates the back
button, the forward button can be used to return the browser to the
most recently loaded web page. Unfortunately, conventional
backward/forward buttons are subject to the user's real-time
selection of web pages and are provided to users merely as an
"undo"/"redo" mechanism.
[0012] Bookmark, or "Favorites", capture the URL of a single user
chosen web page, along with the human readable title for that web
page. Keeping a bookmark of a web page allows a user to permanently
keep a record of the name and address of a web page for re-visiting
in the future. Additionally, "Bookmarks List", or "Favorites list"
are provided by most browsers as a permanent storage for one or
more user chosen bookmarks and may include a folder metaphor for
organizing large numbers of bookmarks by category or theme.
Alternatively, bookmarks may be stored on a personalized toolbar
provided by some browsers, notably Netscape Navigator which is
produced by Netscape.
[0013] Internet search sites, or "search sites" or "search
engines", and Internet portals, or "portals", find and catalogue as
many web pages as possible for users to search. In operation, a
user supplies words to search for in web pages, and the search site
returns a list of relevant pages. A search site may also provide
lists (or menus) of different categories of web page topics which
assist in leading the user to web pages of the user's interest.
[0014] An Internet portal is a mature web site that provides a
wealth of typically unrelated but useful information. The
consolidation of information into one web site makes the Internet
portal a popular destination. The intent of the portal is to
provide enough information so that the user does not need to leave
the web site to find other information or entertainment. For
example, a small sample of what conventional portals now provide
includes: Internet web site searching, breaking news stories, stock
quotes, up-to-date sports scores, horoscope information, lottery
results and weather forecasts. In order to provide a user with
convenient access to user desired web pages, most conventional
portals provide a personal link as a substitute for the
aforementioned browser based bookmark and a single personal list as
a substitute for a browser based bookmarks list. Thus, conventional
portals run afoul of the same problems as conventional bookmark
concepts.
[0015] The bookmarks feature is well suited for web browsing when
individual web pages are desired. This process includes deciding
which web page to visit, finding the web page in the bookmarks
list, and choosing the associated bookmark to load the page.
However, if the user has a routine of looking at current web based
news/content, and frequents one or more web sites which provide
regularly updated information, the process becomes burdensome. In
order to visit each of the desired web sites, the user must
mentally recall which site is first in the user's routine, find and
chose the bookmark, examine the web page (which may take an
extended period of time based on whether the user decides to
explore web links from that page), decide which of the intended
sites in the routine have not yet been visited in this session and
repeat this "hunt and click" process with the next site in the
routine until all the desired sites have been viewed. This process
is time consuming, mentally taxing and subject to mistakes of
memory, especially if the user's routine consists of more than
three pages. Although, the user can type each of the URLs
associated with the web pages into the browser one at a time and
forego using bookmarks altogether, this would merely cause more
inconvenience, inefficiency and time consumption.
[0016] What is therefore needed is a system for navigating through
a list of routinely visited web pages with a browser that is
convenient and efficient. More particularly, what is needed is a
system for navigating through a list of URLs or web pages with a
browser that allows a user to specify the list content and list
order. Further needed is a system that allows the user to navigate
through the list of web pages according to the user specified order
using a "Next/Previous" paradigm.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The present invention is a system for navigating through a
list of routinely visited web pages with a browser that is
convenient and efficient More particularly, the present invention
provides a system for navigating through a list of URLs or web
pages with a browser that allows a user to specify the list content
and list order. The present invention provides a system for
navigating through the list of web pages that allows the user to
navigate through the web pages according to the user specified list
order using a "Next/Previous" paradigm.
[0018] The invented system comprises a routine list having at least
one routine, each routine comprises at least one sequentially
ordered user specified web page, means for establishing and
specifying a routine from the routine list, and means for
sequentially moving from one web page in the specified routine to
another web page in the specified routine while browsing. By
specifying a routine from the routine list, the user can visit a
desired group of web pages in a desired order. The invented system
may further comprise a master web page list of user specified web
pages for incorporation into each of the routines and means for
editing the web page list. The master web page list provides a
"pool" of web pages or URLs for the user to include in a particular
routine. The means for editing the master web page list allows the
user to add or remove desired web pages or URLs for use in any of
the routines.
[0019] The moving means allows the user to navigate to a
next/previous web page in the order of web pages for a particular
routine regardless of any intermediate browsing conducted by the
user. In a preferred embodiment, the moving means comprises means
for advancing from a current web page in the specified routine to a
next web page in the specified routine. Optionally, the moving
means further comprises means for returning to a previous web page
in the specified routine from the current web page in the specified
routine. The user is afforded a single button that requires a
single click to sequentially move forward through the pages that
the user has chosen for a routine. In addition, the user is
afforded a single button that requires a single click to
sequentially move backward through such pages. When the user
specifies and begins a routine, the pages corresponding to the
specified routine are served to the web browser one page at a time.
The user is allowed to organize and advance through the
user-specified pages for a particular routine in a fashion that is
comparable to a slide presentation.
[0020] Using the means for establishing and specifying a routine,
the user can create and label multiple routines depending on the
user's own web browsing habits. The means for establishing and
specifying a routine from the routine list comprises: means for
adding web pages; means for associating web pages to the routines;
and means for specifying the order of web pages in the routine. To
add web pages or URLs to a routine, associate web pages to a
routine, specify the order of web pages in the routine or specify a
routine, conventional methods of data entry are used. Examples of
such data entry methods include typing a URL into an interface,
pointing and clicking, for example with a mouse, on GUI components
that correspond to web pages or routines, and dragging and dropping
GUI components. The means for specifying further comprises means
for editing a routine to allow the user to modify a routine, such
as by adding or removing web pages or URLs from the routine.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0021] The principle object of the present invention is to provide
a system and method for navigating through a list of routinely
visited web pages.
[0022] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
system and method for conveniently and efficiently visiting user
specified web pages in a user-specified order.
[0023] Another, more particular object of the present invention is
to provide a system and method for navigating through at least one
routine of user specified web pages that provides a simple means
for sequentially moving from one web page in the routine to another
web page in the routine.
[0024] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
system and method for navigating through at least one routine of
user specified web pages for use with a web browser that may be
implemented as a web based application external to the browser, as
a core feature of a web browser, or as a browser plug-in module for
an existing web browser.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] The foregoing and other objects will become more readily
apparent by referring to the following detailed description and the
appended drawings in which:
[0026] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network and computer
system with which the present invention may be used.
[0027] FIG. 2 is a display of an embodiment of a routine list
screen in accordance with the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 3 is a display of an embodiment of a web page list
screen in accordance with the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 4 is a display of an embodiment of an edit routine list
screen and means for editing a routine list in accordance with the
present invention.
[0030] FIG. 5 is a display of an embodiment of an edit routine
screen and means for editing a routine in accordance with the
present invention.
[0031] FIG. 6a is a display of a routine screen showing an
advancing means and a returning means in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0032] FIG. 6b is a display of a routine screen showing an
advancing means and a returning means in a detached window in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 7 is a screen display of a known browser feature having
a bookmark list that allows a user to return to the desired web
pages.
[0034] FIG. 8 is a display of an embodiment of an edit routine
screen and a means for editing a routine list in accordance with
the present invention.
[0035] FIG. 9 is a display of an embodiment of a routine screen in
accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0036] The present invention is a system for navigating through a
list of routinely visited web pages with a browser that is
convenient and efficient More particularly, the present invention
provides a system for navigating through a list of URLs, or web
pages, with a browser that allows a user to specify the list
content and list order. The present invention provides a system for
navigating through the list of web pages that allows the user to
navigate through the web pages according to the user specified list
order using a "Next/Previous" paradigm.
[0037] While the system and method of the present invention are
described herein and shown in the figures as an embodiment of a
computer system running a Microsoft Windows.RTM. operating system
and running a Netscape Navigator.RTM. Web browser developed by
Netscape Corporation of Mountain View, Calif., other conventional
computer systems, operating systems networks, and browsers may be
used with the present invention as equivalents.
[0038] The invented system and method are ideally suitable for use
with a conventional web browser. Referring now to the figures, FIG.
1 is schematic diagram of a network, shown generally at 10, and
computer system 14 with which the present system and method may be
used. The user computer system 14 is coupled to the Internet 12
using a transfer control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP)
interface. The user connects the computer system 14 to an Internet
service provider (ISP) 16 which in turn connects the system 14 to
the Internet 12. A web browser on the computer system 14 provides
user access to content on the Internet 12 and web sites. The
computer system 14 has a monitor, at least one input device, such
as a keyboard or mouse, and a connection to the Internet, such as
by a modem or local area network. Additionally, the web browser on
the computer system 14 may connect to a web server 18 that is
connectable to the Internet 12 and that supplies user services
through web pages.
[0039] In a most basic form, the invented system comprises a
routine having a list of user specified web pages for repeated user
navigation and viewing with a web page viewer and means for
sequentially moving from a first web page to a second web page in
the routine. More particularly, the invented system comprises a
routine list having at least one routine, each routine comprising
at least one sequentially ordered user specified web page, means
for controlling a web page viewer for retrieving the user specified
web page and displaying the web page, means for establishing and
specifying a routine from the routine list, and means for
sequentially moving from one web page in the specified routine to
another web page in the specified routine while browsing. By
specifying a routine from the routine list, the user can visit a
desired group of web pages in a desired order. In the following
embodiment, the present invention is presented to the user as a web
based application that is external to the browser.
[0040] The moving means allows the user to navigate to a
next/previous web page in the order of web pages for a particular
routine regardless of any intermediate browsing conducted by the
user. For example, while a web page having a user specified URL in
a particular routine is displayed, the user may select one or more
links that are found in the current web page. Once the link is
selected, the web browser loads and displays the corresponding web
page which may have a URL that is different from the user specified
URL of the web page in the particular routine. The moving means
allows the user to load the next/previous web page in the routine
regardless of the web page that is displayed by the web browser and
the number of links the user may have selected to arrive at such
web page.
[0041] In a preferred embodiment, the moving means comprises means
for sequentially advancing from a current web page in the specified
routine to a next web page in the specified routine. Optionally,
the moving means further comprises means for sequentially returning
to a previous web page in the specified routine from the current
web page in the specified routine. The moving means is coupled to
the controlling means.
[0042] The user is afforded a single "Next" button that requires a
single click to sequentially move forward through the pages that
the user has chosen for a routine. In addition, the user is
afforded a single "Previous" button that requires a single click to
sequentially move backward through such pages. When the user
specifies and begins a routine, the pages corresponding to the
specified routine are served to the web browser one page at a time
under the direction of the controlling means. When the user is
finished viewing a web page from the routine, the user may activate
these aforementioned "Next" or "Previous" buttons to visit the next
web page in sequence or return to a previous web page in sequence.
The user is allowed to organize and advance through the
user-specified pages for a particular routine in a fashion that is
comparable to a slide presentation.
[0043] The advancing means and the returning means are preferably
clickable graphical user interface (GUI) components, such as icons
or buttons, that are located on the periphery of the window
displaying the hypertext page, or web page, associated with the
current URL. For example, the advancing means is a clickable button
icon that is labeled "Next" and the returning means is a clickable
button icon that is labeled "Previous". Variations of the labels on
the icons are contemplated and include but are not limited to
forward/backward directional arrows, Next/Previous, Forward/Back,
and plus sign/minus sign. These controls are located around the
frame of the window displaying the hypertext page. In an
alternative embodiment, the advancing means and the returning means
are remotely located with respect to the hypertext page of the
currently specified URL. For example, the advancing means is a
"Next" button and the returning means is a "Previous" button that
are both located in a detached window separated from the window
that is displaying the hypertext page. This embodiment is
particularly well suited for downloaded web pages which may escape
the frame of the window displaying the hypertext page, and remove
or obscure the Next/Previous buttons.
[0044] Using the invented system, the user can create and label
multiple routines depending on the user's own web browsing habits.
For example, the user may create the following multiple routines to
view on different periodic bases: a theater performance information
web site and movie review web site for visiting once a month; a
television schedule web site, a 5-day local weather forecast, and
an investment tips web site for visiting each week; a web based
comic strip, an international news web site and a local news web
site for visiting in the morning of each day; and, a stock quotes
web page and several interactive message board web sites for
visiting every few hours throughout the work day.
[0045] The means for establishing and specifying a routine from the
routine list comprises: means for adding web pages; means for
associating web pages to the routines; and means for specifying the
order of web pages in the routine. To add web pages to a routine,
associate web pages to a routine, specify the order of web pages in
the routine or specify a routine, conventional methods of data
entry are used. Examples of such data entry methods include typing
a URL into an interface, pointing and clicking, for example with a
mouse, on GUI components that correspond to URLs or routines, and
dragging and dropping GUI components. The means for specifying
further comprises means for editing a routine to allow the user to
modify a routine, such as by adding or removing web pages from the
routine. Once the user specifies which web pages or URLs are to be
visited in a particular routine, the particular routine is ready
for use at any frequency the user desires.
[0046] The invented system may further comprise a master web page
list of user specified web pages for incorporation into each of the
routines and means for editing the master web page list. The master
web page list provides a "pool" of web pages or URLs for the user
to include in a particular routine. The means for editing the
master web page list allows the user to add or remove desired web
pages for use in any of the routines.
[0047] The invented system and method may reside external to the
web browser as a web based application, or internal to the web
browser as a native application. If the invented system and method
reside internal to the web browser, the invented system and method
may be incorporated as part of a new software, new upgrade versions
of existing software or as a standard add-on module to existing
software. Additionally, the invented system and method collects
information, such as desired URLs for a particular routine, from
the user, then controls the web browser through all of the user
selected web pages found in the routines with a substantially
simple interface. The Previous and Next navigation controls are
available to the user at all times once the routine is initiated.
The invented system and method allow the user to create/customize
the routines as well to specify/modify/reorder web pages within
such routines.
[0048] FIG. 2 is a screen display of an embodiment of a routine
list screen 84 in accordance with the present invention. The
routine list 22 is displayed on the routine list screen 84 along
with identifiers 24, or names, for each routine that is entered by
the user. Information regarding the most recent activation of a
particular routine is displayed next to each associated routine,
shown at 86. Buttons or icons are also displayed with each routine
that allow a user to start (START) 26, or run, a particular
routine, remote operate (REMOTE) 27 a particular routine, open
(OPEN) 29, or view, a particular routine to view user selected web
pages associated with the routine, and edit (EDIT) 28 a selected
routine. When the open 29 icon or button is activated, the web
pages associated with the opened routine are preferably Listed.
[0049] Additionally, a means for adding a routine, shown generally
at 89, may be provided in order to allow a user to link to the
mechanisms at a edit routine list screen 40 (FIG. 4) and a edit
routine screen 50 (FIG. 5), described in further detail
hereinbelow. When a particular routine is opened, the routine list
screen 84 provides a list of the web sites 88 associated with the
opened routine. The routine list screen 84 additionally provides a
means for linking to the edit routine list screen 40, shown at 20,
and means for linking to the edit web page screen 30, shown at 25.
The means for linking 20 to the edit routine screen and the means
for linking 25 to the edit web page screen may be provided as
buttons or icons that link to other locations in the present
invention.
[0050] FIG. 3 is a display of an embodiment of a web page list
screen 30 in accordance with the present invention. When PAGES LIST
25 (FIG. 2) is activated on the routine list screen 84, for example
by clicking on the text, the web page list screen 30 is displayed
and the current master web page list 32 is presented to the user
along with a name field 31 and an address, or URL, field 39. The
user may identify a desired web site using a user chosen name and
entering the corresponding URL for such site. Additionally, the
user may add (ADD) 33 a new page with a user entered name and
associated URL, delete (DELETE) 34 a selected page from the web
page list 32, copy (COPY) 35 the name of a selected page to the
name field 31 and address field 39, or modify (MODIFY) 36 a
selected page by clicking on the appropriate text or icon. The user
may also save (SAVE) 38 changes to the web page list 32 or cancel
(CANCEL) 37 changes to the web page list 32 by clicking a button or
icon that is associated with the same. The web page list screen 30
provides a user selected collection of web pages or URLS that may
be assigned to a particular routine.
[0051] FIG. 4 is a display of an embodiment of an edit routine list
screen 40 and means for editing a routine list, shown generally at
41, in accordance with the present invention. When ROUTINES LIST 20
(FIG. 2) is activated on the routine list screen 84, the edit
routine list screen 40 is displayed along with the routine list 48
and a name field 49. The user selects a routine for editing by
highlighting the appropriate routine name in the routine list 48.
Additionally, the user may ADD 43 a new routine to the routine list
48, COPY 44 a selected routine name to the name field, or MODIFY 45
the name of a selected routine, and may CANCEL 46 or SAVE 47
changes to the routine list by clicking onto an appropriate button
or icon.
[0052] For example, when the user desires to change the name of a
particular routine, the user highlights the particular routine in
the routine list 48, types a new name in the name field 49, and
clicks on to the MODIFY icon 45. In another example, if the user
desires to delete a particular routine, the user simply highlights
the routine in the routine list 48 and clicks on the DELETE icon 42
to remove the routine from the routine list 48.
[0053] FIG. 5 is a display of an embodiment of an edit routine
screen 50 and means for editing a routine, shown generally at 72,
in accordance with the present invention. When the EDIT icon 28
(FIG. 2) is activated on the routine list screen 84, the edit
routine screen 50 is displayed along with the unused portion of the
master web page list 51, a web page list 52 for the selected
routine, a name field 70 and a URL field 71. The user may ADD 55 a
page with a user entered name and associated URL, COPY 56 the name
of a selected page to the name field 70 and address field 71, or
MODIFY 57 the selected URL, or page, in the master web page list 51
or in the web page list 52 for the selected routine to the entered
name field 70 and address field 71. Additionally, the user may
CANCEL 58 or SAVE 59 changes made to the edit routine screen 50 by
clicking onto an appropriate button or icon. The means for editing
a routine 72 displays the available web sites or pages that a user
may incorporate into a particular routine from the master web page
list 51. The edit routine screen 50 allows a user to identify which
web sites are associated with a particular routine.
[0054] A page that is selected from the master web page list 51 may
be moved into and out of a selected routine by simply highlighting
the desired page in the master web page list 51 or the web page
list 52 for the selected routine and clicking an INCLUDE or EXCLUDE
icon, shown generally at 53. Each routine is order specific, and
the user may reorder the selected pages within a particular routine
using conventional methods of data entry. The user may also DELETE;
54 selected pages from the master web page list 51 or selected
pages from the web page list 52 that are associated with a
particular routine.
[0055] FIG. 6a is a display of a routine screen 60 showing an
advancing means 64 and a returning means 62 in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention. When a START icon 26 is
clicked on the routine list screen 84, the routine associated with
the selected START icon 26 is activated. A routine screen 60 is
presented, and the advancing means 64 and returning means 62 are
positioned on the periphery of the routine screen 60 so as to
always be available and not interfere with the display of the
current web page. In a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, a banner 61 is displayed across the top of the displayed
web page 60 that identifies the selected routine and optionally
contains advertising. Alternatively, the banner may be displayed at
various locations on the screen display.
[0056] The routine screen 60 may additionally display an indicator
63 of the currently viewed web page.
[0057] For example, the indicator 63 may be a list box that
displays the name or address of a web page in a routine that is
visited by the user. Even if the user links to other sites after
arriving at the web page in the routine, and such sites are
displayed in the routine screen 60, the list box displays the
currently visited web page in the routine. The indicator positioned
in the banner 61, or remote 67, described further hereinbelow, does
not change until one of the associated controls, such as
Next/Previous 64, 62 or 69, 68, is used.
[0058] FIG. 6b is a display of a routine screen 66 showing an
advancing means 69 and a returning means 68 with a remote paradigm
67 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In
this embodiment, the advancing means 69 and the returning means 68
are both positioned within the remote paradigm 67 and located on
the periphery of the routine screem 66. This embodiment of the
present invention is particularly suited for web sites that do not
allow a border or banner, as shown in FIG. 6a, to be framed around
the web page. The remote paradigm 67 provides the user with the
ability to view the next web site in the routine or view the
previous web site in the routine regardless of potential web site
interference, which may intentionally or unintentionally remove the
banner 61 (FIG. 6a).
[0059] In this embodiment, the aforementioned indicator 63 is
positioned in the remote 67. The indicator 63 may additionally
display all of the web pages that are associated with the routine
being operated by the user and provide a clickable button for each
web page. The list box also allows the user to jump out of the web
page sequence and view any of the web pages associated with the
routine by simply clicking on an associated page or name in the
list box. The advancing means 64, 69 and the returning means 62, 68
are preferably presented to the user as clickable buttons or
icons.
[0060] The present invention may optionally include a "quick-add"
means for adding web sites to the master web page list 32, or
directly to the web page list 52 for a routine. When a routine is
selected, and the user has located a desirable web page, the
quick-add feature allows the user to easily add the page to the
routine without having to manually type the information into a text
field. Another embodiment of the quick add feature is to provide
icons, buttons, and links on various associated and non-associated
web pages found across the Internet which, when activated,
conveniently add specific web pages to the master web page list 32,
and if requested, make the association to the web page list 52 for
specific routines. For example, the quick-add means may be a link
on the CBSNews web page that allows a user to quickly add the page
to the routine with a single action.
EXAMPLE 1
[0061] FIG. 7 is a screen display of a known web browser having a
bookmark feature that allows a user to retrieve desired web pages.
The known web browser page 100 includes a bookmark feature 101 for
a user to keep a record of favored web sites or web pages for
future recall. When the user desires to sequentially view
cbs.marketwatch, dbusiness.com, abcnews.com, sportschannel,
myyahoo!, and webcalender using the known web browser bookmark
feature, the user must make numerous physical and mental steps. For
example, the user must initially click onto the bookmark feature
101. By clicking on the bookmark feature 101, a menu 115 is
displayed and the user must click onto a business and finance
folder 102. By clicking on the business and finance folder 102, a
menu 116 associated with the business and finance folder is
displayed along with the web sites. The user must click on a
cbs.marketwatch bookmark 103 to display the cbs.marketwatch web
site.
[0062] After the user has viewed the cbs.marketwatch web site, the
user must again click on the bookmarks feature 101 to open the
bookmark menu 115. The user must then re-access the business and
finance folder 102 to display the associated business and finance
menu 116. The user must then click on a dbusiness.com 104 bookmark
in order to display the dbusiness.com web site. After the user has
viewed the dbusiness.com web site, the user must then click on the
bookmark feature 101 to again display the bookmark menu 115. The
user must then click on a news and sports folder 105 to gain access
to an associated news and sports menu 117 of web sites. The user
must then click on an abcnews.com bookmark 106 to display the
abcnews.com web site.
[0063] After the user has finished viewing the abcnews.com web
site, the user must then click on the bookmark feature 101 to
reopen the bookmark menu 115. The user must then click on the news
and sports folder 105 in order to display the associated news and
sports menu 117 of web sites. The user must then click on a sports
channel bookmark 107 in order to display the sports channel web
site. After the user has finished viewing the sports channel web
site, the user must then click on the bookmark feature 101 to
access the bookmark menu 115 and locate and click on a myyahoo!
icon 108. After the user has finished viewing the myyahoo! web
site, the user must then click on the bookmark feature 101 in order
to view the bookmark menu 115. The user must then click on a what's
new and cool folder 109 in order to view an associated what's new
and cool menu 118 of web sites. The user must then click on a web
calendar 110 bookmark in order to display the web calendar web
site. The known process of retrieving web sites using a bookmark
feature is clearly an over-complicated task, involving multiple
steps and multiple memory recalls of web site-folder organization,
when the user desires to view a list of routinely visited web
sites.
EXAMPLE 2
[0064] FIG. 8 is a display of an embodiment of an edit routine
screen 90 and a means for editing a routine in accordance with the
present invention. The edit routine screen 90 shows the content of
this example's routine as a different embodiment of the edit
routine screen 50 (FIG. 5). The edit routine screen 90 may also
include a library (not shown) of pre-determined websites, URLs, or
web pages for conveniently adding to the master web page list 32 or
directly to the web page list 52 (FIG. 5) for a selected
routine.
[0065] FIG. 9 is a screen display of an embodiment of a routine
page 111 in accordance with the present invention. When the run
icon 26 is activated on the routine list screen 84 (FIG. 2), the
fist web site associated with the selected routine is presented to
the user. In comparison with the previous example where the user
desires to sequentially view cbs.marketwatch, dbusiness.com,
abcnews.com, sportschannel, myyahoo!, and webcalender, the invented
system and method allows the user to view the same web sites by
simply clicking on the advancing means or NEXT 112 button or icon.
For example, the cbs.marketwatch web site is initially displayed to
the user. To view the next web site for the routine, or
dbusiness.com, the user clicks on the NEXT 112 button or icon and
the abcnews.com web site is displayed to the user. After the user
has finished viewing the abcnews.com web site, the user clicks on
the NEXT 112 button or icon and the sportschannel web site is
displayed to the user. After the user has finished viewing the
sportschannel web site, the user clicks on the NEXT 112 button or
icon and the myyahoo! web site is displayed to the user. After the
user has finished viewing the myyahoo! web site, the user clicks on
the NEXT 112 button or icon and the webcalender web site is linked
and displayed to the user.
[0066] In contrast with conventional web site retrieval, the
present invention eliminates the memory recall and the multiple
precise action burdens that are required for viewing routinely
visited web sites with the features provided in existing web
browsers.
SUMMARY OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0067] The present invention provides a system and method for
navigating through a list of routinely visited web pages. The
present invention provides a system and method for conveniently and
efficiently visiting user specified web pages in a user-specified
order. The present invention provides a system and method for
navigating through at least one routine of user specified web pages
that provides a simple means for sequentially moving from one web
page in the routine to another web page in the routine. The present
invention provides a system and method for navigating through at
least one routine of user specified web pages for use with a web
browser that may be implemented as a web based application external
to the browser, as a core feature of a web browser, or as a browser
plug-in module for an existing web browser.
[0068] It is to be understood that the foregoing description and
specific embodiments are merely illustrative of the best mode of
the invention and the principles thereof, and that various
modifications and additions may be made to the apparatus by those
skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of
the invention, which is therefore understood to be limited only by
the scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *
References