Title: Interactive personal directory
Abstract: A process for generating personalized digital directory pages for display with a navigator program including a personalization step including recording in a temporary memory of a client station a digital file corresponding to an HTML page comprising hypertext links for access to other pages and descriptors associated with pictograms and proceeding to a display of the page on the client station, recording in a temporary memory of the client station at least one personalization file comprising a link identifier and at least one personalization descriptor selected by the user, transmitting the content of the temporary memory to the server, and recording in a server memory the personalization file data linked with the user identifier and the link identifier in question.
Patent Number: 7,020,646 Issued on 03/28/2006 to Brexel, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Brexel; Catherine (19-21 route des Gardes, F-92190 Meudon, FR);
Vivensang; Nathalie (17-19 rue d'Estienne d'Orves, F-92250 La Garenne-Colombes, FR)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
422469 |
| Filed:
|
April 24, 2003 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Current U.S. Class: |
707/1; 707/8; 707/10 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
G06F 17/30 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
707/1-10,100-1041,515,522
715/501.1
709/202
345/853
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 6199082 | Mar., 2001 | Ferrel et al.
| |
| 6516337 | Feb., 2003 | Tripp et al.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 1 030 247 | Aug., 2000 | EP.
| |
| WO 00/5574/1 | Sep., 2000 | WO.
| |
Other References
Keller, Richard M. et al., A Bookmarking Service For Organizing and Sharing
URLS, Computer Networks and ISDN Systems, vol. 29, No. 8-13, (Jan. 9, 1997),
pp. 1103-1114.
|
Primary Examiner: Rones; Charles
Assistant Examiner: Abel-Jalil; Neveen
Attorney, Agent or Firm: DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP
Parent Case Text
RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/FR01/03326, with
an international filing date of Oct. 26, 2001, which is based on French Patent
Application No. 00/13856, filed Oct. 27, 2000.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A process for generating personalized digital directory pages for display
with a navigator program including a personalization step comprising:
recording in a temporary memory of a client station a digital file corresponding
to an HTML page comprising hypertext links for access to other pages and descriptors,
proceeding to a display of the page on the client station,
recording in a temporary memory of the client station at least one personalization
file comprising a link identifier and at least one personalization descriptor selected
by the user of the client station,
transmiffing the content of the temporary memory to the server, and
recording in a server memory the personalization file data linked with the user
identifier and the link identifier, a first database of users comprising for each
user a unique identifier and at least one associated user descriptor, a second
database of sites comprising for each site a unique identifier and an address,
a third database of site categories comprising for each category a unique identifier
and a multiplicity of site identifiers, and a fourth database of descriptors comprising
a unique identifier for each descriptor and a multiplicity of site identifiers
and user identifiers, with a request from the client station comprising a category
identifier and the user identifier, and causing the generation of a file comprising
the site identifiers associated with the category identifier transmitted by the
client station, and for each of said site identifiers the category identifier corresponding
to the site identifier and the user identifier.
2. The process according to claim 1, wherein selection of the descriptor by the
user is performed by designating one of the descriptors displayed on the directory
page, recording the identity of the displayed descriptor, by designating the site
and the transmission by the client station to the server of a digital file comprising
pairs formed by at least one category descriptor and a site identifier.
3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the display comprises a filter enabling
selection of the identifiers of the sites to be displayed as a function of associated
personal descriptor value.
4. The process according to claim 1, further comprising selecting sites to be
deleted comprising selecting a deletion descriptor, selecting one or more site
identifiers, assigning a predefined value to a descriptor corresponding to each
of the selected sites, and transmitting information to the server for recording
in the descriptor database of the value in relation with the sites to be deleted.
5. The process according to claim 1, further comprising adding sites to a category
including selecting a site identifier and assigning a value corresponding to an
existing category, and transmitting the information to the server and recording
in the category database the identifier of the selected site.
6. The process according to claim 1, further comprising adding an additional category.
7. The process according to claim 1, further comprising recording personal comments
and displaying an icon linked to sites bearing a personal comment, the icon being
associated with a link for switching between the display of the personal conmient
or the public summary.
8. The process according to claim 1, further comprising recording a preloading
indicator enabling command of the preloading of the associated site, and displaying
commanding the appearance of a clickable icon for opening a window with the HTML
page loaded in cache memory and causing modification of the appearance of the descriptor
as a function of the preloading status in the process of loading in the cache memory,
preloaded and immediately displayable, or already displayed during the session.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention pertains to an interactive personal directory constituted in
the form of digital pages transmitted by a server to a client station connected
to the Internet or to a telecommunications network.
BACKGROUND
Known in the state of the art are various patents pertaining to processes for
generating directory pages.
As an example, WO 00/55741 pertains to a system and management and link classification
process (also called URL, or Uniform Resource Locator) which enables creation of
public and personal repertoires of these links with the goal of improving Internet
navigability. In various forms of implementation, that system stores Web links
for multiple users in a database and provides processes for the extraction and
posting of these Web links, processes for searching for Web links that are linked
to existing links that a user stored in the system, as well as other associated
characteristics. The users can organize and manage the link collections and search
for related links in the link collections of other users. The characteristic criteria
for database correspondence can use other information to search for relationships
such as the user profile information comprising, e.g., age, sex and type of professional activity.
The article "A bookmarking service for organizing and sharing URLs" published
in "Computer Networks and ISDN Systems", North Holland Publishing, Amsterdam, Vol.
29, No. 8-13 of Sep. 1, 1997, describes another solution for constituting a collection
of links and personalizing this collection.
It would therefore be advantageous to enable each user connected to a page server
via a network of the Internet or intranet type to personalize a directory in an
interactive manner by associating personal descriptors with the proposed sites.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a process for generating personalized digital directory
pages for display with a navigator program including a personalization step including
recording in a temporary memory of a client station a digital file corresponding
to an HTML page including hypertext links for access to other pages and descriptors
associated with pictograms and proceeding to a display of the page on the client
station, recording in a temporary memory of the client station at least one personalization
file including a link identifier and at least one personalization descriptor selected
by the user, transmitting the content of the temporary memory to the server, and
recording in a server memory the personalization file data linked with the user
identifier and the link identifier in question.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Better comprehension of the invention will be obtained from the description
below of a nonlimitative example of implementation with reference to the attached
drawings in which:
FIG. 1 schematically represents the architecture of the server, and
FIG. 2 represents a view of the display generated by the process according to
the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The invention provides greater comfort and freedom for the internaut by allowing
management of successive navigations and to modify and enrich the content of the
lists that are offered.
For this purpose, the invention pertains in its broadest sense to a process for
generating personalized digital directory pages intended to be displayed with a
navigator type program, comprises a personalization step:
- recording in a temporary memory of a client station a digital file corresponding
to an HTML page comprising hypertext links for access to other pages as well as
descriptors associated with pictograms and proceeding to the display of the page
on the client station,
- recording in a temporary memory of the client station at least one personalization
file comprising a link identifier and at least one personalization descriptor selected
by the user,
- transmitting the content of the temporary memory to the server, and
- recording in the server memory the personalization file data linked
with the user identifier and the link identifier in question.
According to a preferred mode of implementation, there is recorded in a
server memory a first database of users comprising for each user a unique identifier
and at least one associated user descriptor, a second database of sites comprising
for each site a unique identifier and an address, a third table of site categories
comprising for each category a unique identifier and a multiplicity of site identifiers,
and a fourth database of descriptors comprising a unique identifier for each descriptor
and a multiplicity of site identifiers and user identifiers, with a request stemming
from a client station comprising a category identifier and the user identifier,
and causing generation of a file comprising the site identifiers associated with
the category identifier transmitted by the client station, and for each of the
site identifiers the category identifier corresponding to the site identifier and
the user identifier in question.
The selection of the descriptor by the user is advantageously performed by the
designation of one of the pictograms displayed on the directory page, the recording
of the identity of the displayed pictogram descriptor, by the designation of the
site and the transmission by the client station to the server of a digital file
comprising pairs formed by at least one category descriptor and a site identifier.
According to another aspect, the page display means comprise a filter enabling
selection of the identifiers of the sites to be displayed as a function of the
associated personal descriptor value.
According to yet another aspect, the process comprises a step of selecting
sites to be deleted including selecting a deletion pictogram, selecting one or
more site identifiers, and assigning a predefined value to the descriptor corresponding
to each of the selected sites, then transmitting this information to the server
for the recording in the descriptor database of the value in relation with the
sites to be deleted.
These sites are in fact only deleted from the displayed list. They can be reactivated
by a subsequent operation.
The process advantageously comprises a step for the addition of sites to a category
including selecting a site identifier and assigning to it a value corresponding
to an existing category, then transmitting said information to the server and recording
in the category database the identifier of the selected site.
This operation can be performed by an action on a "copy" pictogram associated
with a link to an application performing the operations in question and designating
the destination (category). It also enables adding a site which is not in the database
and adding it to a category by means of a form to be filled out.
According to another aspect, the process comprises recording on the server
new categories of sites specific to a user or to a user community.
Turning now to FIG. 1, the server comprises a set of tables:
- a table (1) of "users" in which are recorded for each user a unique
identifier IDut as well as the user's personal data;
- a table (2) of "categories" in which are recorded for each category
or family of sites a unique identifier IDcat as well as a text or graphical
designation of the category, a description and optionally a unique identifier IDcm
corresponding to a class of categories that groups together multiple categories;
- a table (3) containing the identifiers of categories and sites belonging
to that category;
- a table (4) of "sites" containing unique identifiers of sites IDsite
and the IP address of the site as well as optionally a descriptor of the site;
- a table (5) of "preferences" in which are recorded for each user and
each site a preference indicator.
The preference indicator is modified by the user from a client station. The internaut
selects a category of sites by sending a request constructed by the selection of
a hypertext link displayed on the computer screen and the recording of an identifier
associated with this hypertext link, and transmitting it to the server in the form
of a digital file containing the selected category identifier as well as a user
identifier. In return, the server sends a file containing the information associated
with the category identifier and the list of sites associated with this category
identifier as well as the preference indicators if such exist. This file is used
by a navigator to produce a screen such as is represented in FIG. 2.
The user has available a collection of pictograms that can be selected for annotating
a site appearing on the list. The pictogram "to visit" enables preselecting sites
that the internaut wants to visit subsequently.
The pictogram "remove" allows removal of a pictogram appearing in relation with
a listed site by superposition with the existing pictogram. The pictogram "preloading"
enables the command to preload the site. It is associated with a computer procedure
commanding the appearance of a clickable icon for opening a window with the HTML
page loaded in cache memory. The computer procedure moreover causes modification
of the appearance of the pictogram as a function of the preloading status (in the
process of loading in the cache memory, preloaded and immediately displayable,
or already displayed during the session).
The "smileys" pictograms allow annotation regarding the interest level of a site.
The "comment" pictogram enables recording of a comment related to a site. This
function also allows replacement of the summary proposed by the "site" table with
a personal comment recorded in the "preferences" table.
The sites bearing comments are presented in relation with a clickable pictogram
enabling display alternatively of the personal comment or the public summary. Recording
the personal comment can optionally be supplemented by the recording of information
for the display solely of the personal comment or of the personal comment accompanied
by the public summary, or of a clickable icon enabling switching back and forth
between the two types of comments.
The "vote" pictogram allows associating with the site an indicator common to
multiple users, making it appear in the "best of" or the preferred sites of an
internaut community.
The display also has additional functions such as:
- a list of short cuts enabling direct access to preferred pages,
- a history storing in memory and displaying the list of recently visited sites,
- an add function for adding sites from other lists. This function can
include adding a site created by the internaut.
Another function is the personalized management of favorite sites. This function
includes recording in a table the identifiers of sites preselected by the user,
and of creating in the welcome page a list of the preselected sites to enable rapid
access to these sites by a hypertext link. Favorite sites are designated by the
attribution of a pictogram which, in addition to adding a visible mark in the margins
of the designated sites, also automatically integrates them in the list of favorite sites.
Another function includes recording in a category table a personal category
in which the user can register selected or created sites constituting a directory
corresponding to these personal interest centers.
Another function includes assigning to selected sites a "to visit" icon enabling
filtering the display of the directory page so as to optionally display only the
sites bearing this indicator in the corresponding table associated with the user.
The HTML page optionally comprises a library of unassigned pictograms enabling
modification of the graphical form of the standard pictograms or the creation of
additional functions. This library can be displayed in an additional window or
in part of the principal window.
The invention is described above as a nonlimitative example.
*
