Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-11
2001-05-01
Alam, Hosain T. (Department: 2172)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000, C709S203000, C709S219000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226642
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a World Wide Web “appliance”, or device and, in particular, to techniques for modifying the appearance of a Web page to be displayed on a Web browser associated with the appliance.
2. Description of the Related Art
The World Wide Web is the Internet's multimedia information retrieval system. In the Web environment, client machines effect transactions to Web servers using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which is a known application protocol providing users access to files (e.g., text, graphics, images, sound, video, etc.) using a standard page description language known as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). HTML provides basic document formatting and allows the developer to specify “links” to other servers and files. In the Internet paradigm, a network path to a server is identified by a so-called Uniform Resource Locator (URL) having a special syntax for defining a network connection. Use of an HTML-compatible browser (e.g., Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer) at a client machine involves specification of a link via the URL. In response, the client makes a request to the server identified in the link and receives in return a document formatted according to HTML.
There has been great interest in providing Internet access at minimal economic cost. While most computers now are pre-configured for Internet access, a significant percentage of households still do not have a personal computer. Thus, it has now been proposed to provide a data processing system that, much like a VCR, may be connected to a television set and used in lieu of a personal computer to provide Web access through a conventional remote control device associated with the system unit. Such a system enables the television to become, in effect, a “Web” appliance. The viewer can rapidly switch between conventional television and Internet access using the remote control unit. All of the conventional “Internet” access tools and navigational functions are preferably “built-in” to the system and thus hidden to the user.
Web page authors design their Web content using standard design constraints and HTML formatting constructs. Nevertheless, it is quite often the case that a given Web page looks different when viewed on different client machines, e.g., a workstation computer running Netscape Navigator™ and a personal computer connected to America OnLine™ and running an AOL-supplied browser. As a result of the differences between browser applications, web designers must often design multiple versions of the same or similar content in order to attempt to maintain consistent content display across different browser types. As a corollary, these multiple Web page versions must then be supported on a given server, and this results in slower page access time and often redundant or wasted Web site storage capacity.
The problem of presenting Web content in a consistent manner across multiple display system formats is exacerbated as more and more machines (such as conventional television-based systems) are provided with the capability of displaying such content. Therefore, although the goal of providing a simple-to-use and inexpensive Web “appliance” is laudable, existing techniques and display methods do not address this problem.
It would be highly desirable to provide a mechanism for processing a Web document retrieved from a Web server in order to modify its display characteristics in a dynamic manner before delivery to the browser. Such a mechanism would have particular utility in that it would obviate generation and storage of multiple versions of a particular Web page yet ensure that the page is displayed consistently across multiple Web content display system types.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary goal of the present invention to dynamically control how information is presented on a browser of a Web system or apparatus that utilizes a television class monitor for displaying Web content.
It is a more particular object of the invention to intercept and re-format a Web document prior to its display on a browser running on a conventional television class display in order to control presentation of that document.
It is a more general object of this invention to enable Web content modification at a client machine such that an author of such content need only create a single version of the page.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a mechanism for modifying Web content prior to its display by a browser to thereby mask differences that would otherwise exist when the content is displayed across different types of display systems including, without limitation, a personal computer, a Web appliance, or the like.
It is a further object of this invention to use a HTTP caching proxy in conjunction with a Web browser running on a Web appliance to dynamically rewrite data received at the client from a Web server before that data is presented on the browser.
It is a more general object of this invention modify the “look and feel” of a Web page from the client side of a Web connection.
A still further object of this invention is to implement a “dynamic HTML” function in a standalone Web appliance or system to thereby modify the appearance of a Web document prior to its display on the browser.
It is a more specific object of the invention to enhance the operation of a Web appliance by using a local proxy to dynamically re-format information received from a Web server.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a Web appliance or system with enhanced display presentation capability through use of a client-side proxy.
Another specific object of this invention is provide a discovery mechanism for use with a Web appliance or system in which the system may discover the characteristics of the various display components therein and then reformat Web content accordingly to enhance the “look and feel” of such content for the discovered characteristics.
In accordance with the invention, a client computer, for example, a Web appliance, is connectable to the Internet and comprises a processor having an operating system, a browser application run by the operating system, a cache, and a proxy. The Web appliance has a television class monitor, such as the cathode ray tube (CRT) of a conventional television, associated therewith. One particular use of the Web appliance may be at a user's home; alternatively, the Web appliance may be located in a public place such as a commercial establishment, an airport, a standalone kiosk, or the like. The proxy includes program means for intercepting and re-formatting a Web document in order to control how the Web document appears on the browser running on the Web appliance. The proxy modifies the “look and feel” of the Web document.
In the preferred embodiment, a method of controlling how a Web document is presented for display on a browser of a Web appliance uses a client side caching proxy. The Web document typically is formatted according to a markup language such as Hypertext Markup Language or “HTML.” The method preferably uses the client side HTTP caching proxy to intercept the Web document and then dynamically rewrites the document before it is displayed on the browser associated with the Web appliance. In particular, as the Web document is received from the server, the HTML is parsed to identify the format of the document and the information therein. A filter mechanism is then used to re-format the Web document according to some given protocol or filter property, and the re-formatted Web document is then passed to the browser for display. Thus, for example, the filter may adjust or modify foreground/background colors, override font types and size, control display geometry (e.g., by reserving some dedicated display area), change URLs or display other URLs, embed files, add, remove or reconfigure frames, or control text and table formats. The filter may also generate a dedicated display area for display of given content, such as advertising banners or scroll
Beranek Michael J.
Lita Christian
Alam Hosain T.
Alam Shahid
International Business Machines - Corporation
LaBraw Jeffrey S.
Yee Duke W.
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