Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F9/00—Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units
  • G06F9/06—Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units using stored programs, i.e. using an internal store of processing equipment to receive or retain programs
  • G06F9/44—Arrangements for executing specific programs
  • G06F9/451—Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/14—Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
  • G09G—ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION
  • G09G5/00—Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method for adaptively customizing the functions and capabilities of a web browser, a system to achieve the method, and the resulting browser. It can be used to tailor the buttons, features and tools that are available to a user while viewing a web page depending on the nature of the content viewed as well as parameters set by the user or a sponsoring website. It can also be used to increase the commercially available space in a given web page, as well as the exposure time commercialized by a web site.
• GUI graphic user interface
• a user communicates over the Internet using a program called a "browser", the two most popular ones being Intemet Explorer and Netscape, although many other browsers are in common use.
• the browser receives files in a format known as HTML, which is a mark-up language that permits multimedia to be embedded within formatted and stylized text. Narious programming languages, such as Javascript, are also available which permit executable code to be embedded in an HTML file and to run when a browser presents the file to the user. Users of the Internet are therefore quite familiar with the browser as a vehicle for surfing the Internet.
• the browser remained fixed and did not change in its functionality and/or its display in relation to its context. Functions and tools could be customized by changing browser preferences or by downloading plug-ins and helper applications, but they did not dynamically adapt to the sitebeing currently viewed and/or other parameters such as user behavior and preferences.
• the described functionality could be provided by a Browser Provider, which may or may not be authorized by the user to manage his browsing experience by customizing the browser and/or including advertisements on the viewed pages and/or the tool bar.
• An ancillary use for the present invention is to deliver customized advertisements to the user along with the aforementioned functionality.
• many types of advertisements can be served in the process. From buttons and banners to rich media, ShoshkelesTM and sponsored tools. Additionally, this allows for the commercial exploitation of screen real estate previously preserved from this use, such as the tool bar, and for commercialization and sponsoring by parties other than the content provider, such as the Browser Provider.
• the user may choose to have a print button everywhere he surfs or just in news-sites. Or he may want to have pornographic material filtered, to have virus scanning of the content or the data received, to be invisible partially or totally to a web site or a third party related to that website, to prevent cookies from playing on his machine, or to receive a contextual browser change and/or any filtering the provider of the browser may choose to offer.
• the provider may choose a contextual graphic and/or material display of the browser that changes partially or totally in relation to the website or content requested or viewed, such as having a homework button on the browser when the site visited is a children's site.
• the homework button may include tools to help children do homework, such as a calculator, a dictionary or a note taker. It could also include a search box or a link to a website or page in wliich the user or his/her parents could buy books or any other products.
• contextual advertisement inserted, not by the content provider, as is currently common, but by the Browser Provider.
• the Browser Provider may choose to show a related add from the same merchant or a competing one seemingly on top of that add or somewhere else on the screen, including the browser button area; or to show an animated character with or without sound, such as a ShoshkeleTM.
• the provider may choose to offer on top of the screen, or on any part of the screen, a similar airline ticket on another carrier that is either better or cheaper.
• Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the preferred method for producing a contextually adaptive web browser and the operation of a system which does so, both in accordance with the present invention
• Figure 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an alternate method embodying the invention and the operation of a system which provide a contextually adaptive browser; and Figures 3-7 are exemplary screen shots demonstrating the use and operation of a contextually adaptive browser in accordance with the present invention.
• Figure 8 is a functional block diagram illustrating the environment in which the preferred method is utilized.
• Figure 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating the environment in which the method of the alternate embodiment of the invention is utilized.
• FIG 8 illustrates the environment for the first embodiment of the invention.
• a plurality of users computers Ul ...Un are connected to the internet I.
• a plurality of servers (computers) S 1... Sn are also connected to the internet I and are available to the users.
• One of these servers, for example Sn includes a page Pn to be used by a user's browser which will allow the user to convert his browser to a contextual browser.
• Page Pn has a tag (an instruction to acquire code from a remote location). The tag is activated either when the user accesses page Pn or when he clicks on an appropriate object on the page. In either case, executable code is then downloaded to the user's computer which, when run in his browser, causes the browser to become a contextual browser.
• the contextually adaptive browser hereafter also referred to as a contextual browser or "niorphing browser", works by delivering functionality along with the content when an HTML page is requested by the user.
• the preferred embodiment of the invention involves two functional phases (described in figure 1): activation of the contextual browser; and operation of the contextual browser.
• Activation of the contextual browser involves removing the standard browser page tool bar and replacing it with a customized one. This operation is done in different ways depending on the browser engine being used.
• the preferred method includes: closing or hiding the current browser window; • opening a new window without a border or toolbar; splitting the new window into upper and lower frames; and placing the new contextual tools in the top frame while reserving the lower frame to display web pages.
• the browser is Netscape, it is possible to remove the standard toolbar without closing the current window and opening a new one.
• the steps which follow are similar to those performed with Internet Explorer: splitting the window into upper and lower frames and placing the new contextual tools in the top frame, while displaying web pages in the lower one.
• Contextual browser (CB) activation is initiated when the user logs on to a web page having an embedded tag (a request within the page for code from a remote source) .
• execution of the tag causes a test to be performed regarding whether the CB is already active (Block 102). If it is, operation skips to block 107; otherwise, operation continues at block 103 where a determination is made of the kind of browser being used. If the browser is Internet Explorer (IE), operation continues at block 105; and if the browser is Netscape, operation continues at block 106.
• IE Internet Explorer
• a new, border-less window is opened, the original window is closed or hidden (depending on the version of the browser), the new window is divided into upper and lower frames, the contextual navigation tools are loaded onto the top frame and the web page which contained the CB tag is loaded onto the bottom frame.
• the tool bar is removed from the current window, the window is split into upper and lower frames; the contextual navigation tools are loaded into the upper frame, and the web page which contained the CB tag is loaded into the bottom frame.
• Distinct methods are used for the two browsers, owing to the diverse capabilities of the browsers.
• operation resumes at block 107, where those tags which include the TARGET parameter (a designation of where called code is to be executed), are set to a value equal to SELF (a designation to execute the code at the location of the tag. This is done to prevent a value of TOP (a designation to execute on the top level of the page) from breaking the frames.
• SELF a designation to execute the code at the location of the tag. This is done to prevent a value of TOP (a designation to execute on the top level of the page) from breaking the frames.
• TOP a designation to execute on the top level of the page
• This new tool bar must include the essential navigational commands, allowing users to browse the web, but it can also contain custom tools, like games, chat, IM, virus scan, etc.
• Table 1 is a list of basic browser functions, including Operating System GUI elements, that must be replaced in order to provide users with the standard browser features they have come to expect. It should be noted that, by the very nature of the invention, these components can be tailored, reshuffled, sponsored, augmented, etc... It should also be noted that some of these functions are GUI essentials, which are stripped out by utilizing a border-less window and must be replaced for the standard window operation; like the ability to drag or minimize a window
• FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the environment for the second embodiment of the invention.
• a plurality of users Ul...Un are connected to the internet I, as are a plurality of servers. Three of those servers are shown in the figure: an ad or advertising server A, a contractual browser server C, and a content provider (server) P.
• a user initiates the processor of acquiring a Contextual Browser by logging onto the contextual browser server (CBS).
• CBS contextual browser server
• this server delivers its home page, a link is included, upon which the user must click to obtain a contextual browser.
• the link to the contextual browser could be provided on a second page and the process initiated automatically when that page is accessed, hi either case, the user's request for accessing page causes a further page to be downloaded which contains the executable code to create the contextual browser.
• FIG. 2 which relates to an alternate embodiment, of a contextually adaptive browser
• functionality is accomplished by having the user 200 communicate with the contextual browser provider at a Contextual Browser Server (CBS) 210, using his regular browser 250.
• the user initiates the process by logging on to the contextual browser provider home page CBS 210 (communication 1 in Fig.2).
• the CBS delivers its home page HTML code to the user (communication 2) including a link, displayed on the page, to activate the contextual browser.
• browser 250 opens a new HTML document window 260, in full screen mode, on the user's computer.
• the HTML document for window 260 which will become the contextual browser, includes HTML code requesting the user's personalized browsing tools and a personal home page from the CBS (communication 3).
• CBS 210 retrieves user preferences from Database 220 (communication 4) and assembles a new HTML document which includes a personalized set of tools for the current context, along with the user's personal home page inside a frame. This HTML document is then delivered to the user (communication 5) and his computer receives and executes it, activating the contextual browser.
• the contextual browser operates with the new toolbar and capabilities, but remains unchanged.
• the request goes directly to the content provider 240 (communication 6a), resulting in the update of only the frame containing the home page, while the rest of the HTML document is preserved.
• all pages requested from this point on would be received from the content provider 240 and displayed within the frame contained in the HTML document generated by the CBS.
• the contextual browser 260 continues to be adaptive.
• Content requests from user 200 are redirected through CBS 210 (communication (6b).
• the CBS requests the content from the content provider 240 (communication 7b) and analyzes available data such as user preferences, content being viewed and user behavior to determine what tools and what layout better suits the current activity.
• CBS 210 then assembles into a new HTML document the required set of tools, based on information received from database 220 (communication 9b) and optional data received from Ad Server 230 (communication 10b), along with the requested content, and this new document is delivered to the user 100 (communication lib).
• Figure 3 is a screen shot of a browser window customized for America Online presenting a page from Yahoo.com. Here some of the conventional tool bar elements are present, but the toolbar is highly customized.
• Figure 4 illustrates a browser window customized for Blockbuster Video showing a page from Fox.com.
• the toolbar is entirely customized, and a drop down menu has been activated to locate the nearest Blockbuster store.
• FIGs 5-7 illustrate a contextually adaptive browser window that has been customized for Yalioo.com.
• the toolbar provides branding exposure for Yahoo, hi each case, however, the user is using the Yahoo browser to view his Internet service provider's site (America On Line), h figure 6, the user has accessed a foreign language page, which was sensed by the browser, and a translation drop down menu was provided.
• the user has entered a financial site, and the browser has adapted its context by using financial symbols in the toolbar and providing an icon which permits access to a financial calculator.
• the first task is to determine whether the window containing the page is an CB window.
• topFrame.nube . src srclenguaje+"_nubes .gif" ; notarget ( ) ; agregarurl () ; ⁇
• the CB handles commands such as MINIMIZE, MAXIMIZE, RESTORE, CLOSE in an internal fashion, since the standard browser functions are not available.
• the window title bar is another of the standard browser features that the CB TM must perform internally due to the fact that the standard one is deactivated by the CB . Such bar allows for the dragging, minimizing and maximizing of the window, just like any normal Microsoft WindowsTM window.
• Each one of the CB buttons has three possible states, each state has an event associated to it.
• the following code manages those states and their events.
• boton_back.src srclenguaje+"_boton_back_roll .gif" ; break ;
• boton_weather.src srclenguaje+"_boton_weather_roll .gif"; break;
• ok_mute (okPlaySound ( ' ok_weather ' ) ; ⁇ openAd( 'http://www.weather.com' ) ; return false; break; case "advl”: setTimeout ( "okSwap ( ' advl ' , ' out ' ) ; " , 500) ; if ( !
• a special function stops the loading of the CB , depending on the browser engine being used.
• oka-ookaTM One of the special features of the CB (ooka-ookaTM) is how it prints pages. This function replaces the header of printed documents so that the name ooka-ookaTM is included in the printout. function imprimirO
• search engine built into the CB .
• Such tool is initially hidden and is only visible as a text input field on activation. After a search is performed, a new window is opened with the results.
• GOOGLE is the engine powering the search. Any search engine could be used.
• the CB checks whether the page to link to resides within the enabled site, or in other words if it should be displayed on the lower frame or if the CB should be deactivated and the page rendered in a normal window.
• ⁇ tmp String(objecto) ; objectosobj eto .parentElement ;

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• 2002
  • 2002-04-03 US US10/116,763 patent/US20030080995A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-10-11 KR KR1020047005418A patent/KR20050035510A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-10-11 MX MXPA04003373A patent/MXPA04003373A/es unknown
  • 2002-10-11 EP EP02801034A patent/EP1454227A4/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2002-10-11 CN CNB028201450A patent/CN100346286C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-10-11 CA CA002462431A patent/CA2462431A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-10-11 JP JP2003535049A patent/JP2005505825A/ja active Pending
  • 2002-10-11 BR BR0213641-4A patent/BR0213641A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-10-11 WO PCT/US2002/032543 patent/WO2003032146A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2002-10-11 IL IL16125002A patent/IL161250A0/xx unknown
  • 2002-10-11 RU RU2004113303/09A patent/RU2004113303A/ru not_active Application Discontinuation

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