Patent Abstract:
A system and method for advanced network viewing is disclosed. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a system and method for generating a representation of a linked site is disclosed. A user may view the contents of a linked site from an original site accessed by the user without manually accessing the linked site. One method of accomplishing this task includes the steps of accessing a first site; querying at least one of a link and a second site linked to the first site; generating a representation of the linked second site; and communicating the representation wherein the representation enables a user to preview the linked second site. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention the representation may comprise a thumbnail representation of the second site so that users may preview the contents of the second site by accessing the first site.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention generally relates to network browsing, and particularly to a system and method providing advanced network viewing. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The Internet, and more particularly the World Wide Web, has experienced remarkable growth with no signs of decreasing. Because of the astonishing growth, navigating through the vast amounts of information contained in this resource has become increasingly more complex as the number of sites and resources has expanded. A search for a particular field or area of information may involve searching through a variety of sites and pages that contain links to other sites and pages, forming a maze that is difficult to sift through. Sometimes the text representing the link may be misleading about the contents contained in the site. Without knowing the actual content of each linked site, it is necessary to access each individual page to view the contents of the desired page to determine if the contents are applicable. Downloading and communicating each individual site may waste a great deal of time. Problems with access times, throughput rates, and processor speeds may make the process even more burdensome and expensive. 
   Additionally, searches for a particular area of interest or topic may develop erroneous results, such as sites and pages that are not relevant to the stated search request. Often, words and terms are included in the relevant site searching data to merely draw users to the particular provider&#39;s site. This descriptive information may have no bearing on the particular topic desired. Even if the information is relevant, the user may not choose to access it because the description for the site is inadequate. Furthermore, some site providers may use several names and addresses to keep drawing users to the same site. A user is often forced to access the same site repeatedly while trying to locate information on a particular topic. 
   The present invention addresses these and other limitations in existing products and technologies. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, the present invention provides a system and method for advanced network viewing. In one aspect of the invention, a system and method for generating a representation of a linked site is disclosed. A user may view a representation of the contents of a linked site from the display of an original site accessed by the user without manually accessing the linked site. One method of accomplishing this task includes the steps of accessing a first site; querying at least one of a link and a second site linked to the first site; generating a representation of the linked second site; and communicating the representation wherein the representation enables a user to preview the linked second site in the display of the first site. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention the representation may comprise a thumbnail representation of the site so that users may preview the contents of the site. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a system and method wherein a first site may utilize a utility to automatically query a link or a linked second site contained in the first site and store the representation of the linked second site is disclosed. In this embodiment, a user may access a first site and view representations of a second linked site from a display of the first linked site. The system may store representations in the first site, thereby eliminating the need for the system to access the linked second site every time the first site is accessed for display. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a system and method is disclosed wherein a second site may utilize a utility to automatically query itself to form and store the representation of the second linked site, and wherein a first site may utilize a utility to automatically query the second site and store the representation from the second site on the first site. In this embodiment, a user may access a first site and view representations of a second linked site in the display of the first linked site. Because the system may store representations in the first site, it eliminates the need for the system to access the linked second site every time the first site is accessed for display. 
   It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the general description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The numerous advantages of the present invention may be better understood by those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying figures in which: 
       FIG. 1  is an illustration depicting an exemplary embodiment of the present invention wherein a representation is disposed proximally to a link contained in a display of a site; 
       FIG. 2A  is an illustration depicting an exemplary embodiment of the present invention wherein a plurality of representations are displayed in hierarchies on a separate window; 
       FIG. 2B  is a block diagram depicting the interrelationship of the results of an exemplary search; 
       FIG. 3  is an illustration depicting exemplary representations of linked sites; 
       FIG. 4A  is an illustration depicting an exemplary embodiment of the present invention wherein representations are disposed proximally to links contained in a display of a site; 
       FIG. 4B  is a flow chart depicting an exemplary method of previewing linked sites; 
       FIG. 5  is an illustration depicting an exemplary embodiment of the present invention wherein a separate window is utilized as a menu; 
       FIG. 6  is an illustration depicting an exemplary embodiment of the present invention wherein a linked site provides representations to sites that are linked to it; 
       FIG. 7  is a block diagram depicting an exemplary organization of linked site hierarchies; 
       FIG. 8  is a flow chart depicting an exemplary method of generating representations of linked sites by a site provider during idle time and/or periodic updates; and 
       FIG. 9  is a block diagram depicting an exemplary information handling system according to the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown for previewing linked network sites. A network may include a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), Internet, world wide web, online information service, billboard service, etc. Sites may include web sites, pages, file transfer protocol sites, nodes, billboards, and other resources as contemplated by a person of ordinary skill in the art. A user may access a site  10  containing a link  20  to another site  30 , such as a web site or page. To preview the linked site  30 , a representation  22  of the linked site  30  may be generated and communicated to a user in the display of the site  10 , in this example displayed proximally to the link  20 . In this example, the representation  22  is a thumbnail, such as a miniature version of an image of the linked site  30  that may be utilized to enable quick previewing of multiple images and pages. A thumbnail representation  22  may incorporate a snapshot taken of the linked site  30 . In this manner, a user may preview the contents of the linked site  30  without manually accessing the linked site  30 . It should be apparent that the representation may be communicated in a wide variety of ways, including but not limited to aural, visual, tactile and other methods as contemplated by a person of ordinary skill in the art. Additionally, the system may query linked sites after downloading text and other information so that a user may view the contents of a site while the system generates representations of linked sites. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 2A , an exemplary embodiment is shown wherein a window  24 , separate from the display of the site  10  ( FIG. 1 ), is utilized to preview linked sites  20  contained in the originally accessed site  10 . In this embodiment, a user may preview a plurality of linked sites  20  contained in a site  10  ( FIG. 1 ) by viewing representations  22  of the linked sites  20 . Additionally, the relevancy of the linked sites  20  to a user&#39;s request may be readily determined. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2B , a user may search for information regarding wooden bats. A user may then perform a search  202  using the terms “wooden bat” and receive a search result  204 . Previously, a user needed to manually access each individual site to determine its relevancy. This may require accessing a plurality of hierarchies of sites and branches contained therein to find the desired information. For example, a user may wish to purchase a bat, which may require the user to access a sport site  210 , then a sport network site  212 , baseball merchandise site  214 , and finally a bat site  216 . By utilizing the present invention to preview sites, a user may determine that the sport  210  branch of the result is the most relevant, while ignoring erroneous results such as how to make a bat  224  in a woodworking site  220  and vampire bats  232  in a news story  230 . 
   In the present example, a user searching for “wooden bats” may be interested in purchasing a wooden bat, making a wooden bat, etc. By utilizing the present invention, a user may initiate a preview function of the present invention, for instance, by using a keystroke or a combination of key strokes, voice command, cursor position, etc. to generate a linked site preview screen  24  as shown in  FIG. 2A . The preview screen  24  may contain a listing of linked sites  20  as well as representations  22  of the sites  20 . By viewing the representations  22  and links  20 , a user may determine that certain sites contain information relevant to the current search, such as baseball merchandise as opposed to a wood listing in a woodworking site. A user may then judge the relevancy of a search result by not only viewing a textual listing of the link  20 , but by viewing a representation  22  of the linked site  30  ( FIG. 1 ) itself. As discussed earlier, a representation  22  may incorporate a thumbnail of the linked site  30  ( FIG. 1 ) so that a user may view the contents of the actual linked site  30  ( FIG. 1 ), instead of relying on the accuracy of the link description. In this way, a user may avoid misrepresentations by site providers and other erroneous listings by viewing the actual contents of the site through the use of a representation  22  without the need of manually accessing the linked site  30  ( FIG. 1 ). 
   Additionally, the separate preview screen  24  may be utilized to determine the relevancy of linked sites  30  contained in a particular site  10  ( FIG. 1 ). This allows a user to utilize a separate preview screen  24  for a site  10  ( FIG. 1 ) that contains a plurality of links, contains a large amount of information, etc. A user may then determine not only the relevancy of the linked sites  20  by viewing the representations  22  of those sites, but may also view the totality of the linked sites  22  contained in the site  10  without locating each link  20  contained in the site  10  ( FIG. 1 ). For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , if a user accessed a comprehensive site containing links to a variety of information, the user may utilize the linked site preview screen  24  to determine the contents of the site, as well as preview the subject matter of linked sites  30  ( FIG. 1 ) by utilizing representations  22  of the sites  30  ( FIG. 1 ). 
   In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it may be preferable to utilize a representation of a linked site based on descriptive information contained in the site and/or on the link itself. Descriptive information may include search information utilized by browsers to access relevant sites in a search, such as tags, domain names, etc. As shown in  FIG. 3 , representations may be generated by identifying descriptive information contained in the link, linked site tag, etc. For example, if a weather link  342  was identified, a weather representation  332  may be displayed. Representations may be stored in a library that may be accessed to generate a representation correlated with the appropriate descriptive information. Examples of associating descriptive information, such as keywords, with representations include a sports representation  334  for sports keywords such as sport  344 , baseball, football, etc., an automobile representation  336  for automobile related keywords, such as car, automobile  346 , motorcar etc. It may also be preferable to utilize a separate screen  324  so a user may view the links contained in a site in a concise manner as well as topical relationships based on key words contained in the descriptive information, such as a link, linked site tag, domain name, etc. A user searching a particular area of interest may follow representations based on the area of interest, such as weather  342 , sports  344 , or automobiles  346 . The user may then quickly scan the links and representations without manually accessing the actual linked site. Furthermore, a user may view representations based on the linked site tag or other hidden descriptive information to utilize information not normally seen, thereby allowing the viewer to base viewing options on a wider range of information. Moreover, it may be preferable to allow the user to customize representation/keyword correlation as well as the representations and keywords themselves to allow personalized previewing. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 4A , an exemplary embodiment is shown wherein the display of a site, in this instance a web page, includes representations displayed proximally to a plurality of links. In this example, a web page displaying sports related links is shown. Representations  22  are disposed proximally, in this instance directly before, the corresponding link  20 . In some instances, a link may not be accessible, thereby preventing a representation, such as a thumbnail, of the contents of the linked site to be created for the inaccessible site. An inaccessible representation  26  ( FIG. 7 ) may be generated indicating that the link is not accessible. A variety of representations may be utilized to indicate the cause of the inaccessibility, such as server not responding, etc. Additionally, it may be preferable to utilize a library of representations based on keywords so that topic, etc may preview the linked site. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 4B , an exemplary method for determining the accessibility of a site is shown. A user may access a site  402  containing links to other sites. A linked site may be queried  404  to generate a representation of the site. The system may then determine if a site is accessible  406 . If the site is not accessible, the system may generate a not accessible representation  408 . However, if the site is accessible, a representation of the linked site  410 , such as a thumbnail, library representation matched through keywords, etc. may be generated. The representation may then be communicated  412  so a user may preview the linked site without manually accessing the linked site. 
   Accessing a separate screen containing representations of linked sites may be accomplished in a variety of ways. As shown in  FIG. 5 , a separate screen  24  may be utilized as a pop-up menu to display representations  22  contained in a site  10 . A separate screen  24  may be initiated utilizing a variety of methods such as a key-press combination, right-clicking a mouse when the cursor  28  is over a link  20 , merely moving a cursor  28  over a link  20  which may then automatically display a preview screen  24 , etc. Additionally, a separate screen may be utilized to preview sites connected to a particular link  20 , or all links contained in the site. For example, a separate screen may be utilized to display representations for a link disposed proximally to a cursor  28 , so that when a user moves a cursor  28  near a link  20 , a separate screen, such as a pop-up menu, is displayed showing representations of linked sites connected to that particular link. 
   In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it may be preferable to initiate and terminate the advanced network viewing aspects of the present invention by a key press or other user action. In some instances computing power and throughput rate are limited in a user&#39;s system. Therefore, a user may not wish to preview all the linked sites contained in an originally accessed site. Therefore, by utilizing a key-press combination, macro, or other switch or method a user may initiate the present system to preview sites contained within a site, while forgoing initiation of the process in other sites at the discretion of the user. 
   Furthermore, it may be preferable to search not only a site linked to the currently accessed site, but also site links contained in the linked sites. Referring now to  FIG. 7 , a plurality of hierarchies  700  of linked sites is shown. A first hierarchy  710  may contain a site  712  currently accessed by a user. A currently accessed site  712  may also contain links to a second hierarchy  720  of linked sites, such as linked site one  722 , linked site two  724  through linked site n  726 . Additionally, linked site one  722  may contain links to a third hierarchy  730  of linked sites, such as linked site one-a  732 , and linked site one-b  734 . Similarly, linked site two  724  may contain links to a third hierarchy  730  such as linked site two-a  736 , linked site two-b  738 , linked site two-c  740 , etc. By enabling a user to preview links contained in linked sites, a user may determine not only the content of a first linked site, but also additional linked sites contained in the first linked site so as to enlarge the previewing scope. However, hierarchies  700  may continue indefinitely as sites contain links to other sites. Therefore, it may be preferable to limit the number of hierarchies  700  according to the needs and preferences of the user. For example, a user with a high access rate and fast processing capabilities may choose to preview a great number of sites. On the other hand, a user with limited resources, such as slow access speeds and slow processors, etc. may limit the present system to searching through a second hierarchy, third hierarchy, etc. Moreover, it may be preferable to limit the amount of linked sites previewed in a given site to further conserve resources. For example, it may be preferable to limit a preview to two linked sites, such as linked site one  722  and linked site two  724 . Hierarchies  700  may be displayed as nested groups, as shown in  FIGS. 2A and 5 , tree charts, block diagrams, organization charts, etc. as contemplated by a person of ordinary skill in the art. 
   It may be preferable to store representations of linked sites on the server storing the originating site to conserve resources of an information handling system, such as throughput and processing power. Thus, when utilizing the previewing abilities of the present invention, a system may display representations, for instance from references to coded graphic images on the server storing the originating site, thereby obviating the need to access the linked sites each time the originating site is accessed. It may be preferable to generate and update representations during idle times of the server information handling system so as not to affect the performance of the system. 
   An exemplary method of providing and storing representations in this manner is shown in  FIG. 8 . A site provider server may contain a utility that may be initiated by a predetermined event  802  to query  808  a linked site. A predetermined event  802  may include when the provider server system is idle  804  so as not to affect performance of the server system or during a scheduled periodic update of site links  806 , etc. The server system may query  808  links contained in the provider site  810 . The server system may then generate a representation of the linked site  814  based on the query so as to correlate keywords contained in the link with a graphical representation or query sites linked to the provider site  812  so as to create a thumbnail representation, etc. Next the system may store the representation in the provider site  816 , for instance as a coded graphic image, so when a user accesses the provider site  818  the provider site may communicate the representation to the user  820  without accessing the linked site  30  ( FIG. 1 ). In this way, a user may automatically preview linked sites from a provider site without needing to access the linked sites every time the provider site is accessed, thereby conserving processor and other information handling resources. 
   As shown in  FIG. 6 , a utility may reside on a site provider server  602  to access each site link to provide a representation for storage on the site provider server  602  site. In this instance, a second site linked to a first site may provide representations of the second site to the first site. Representations may be stored on the first site, for example as coded graphic images. Accordingly, when a user accesses a first site, representations of the second site may be communicated that were previously stored on the first site so a user may preview the contents of the first site without manually accessing the second site. For example, if a provider of a popular site had many originating sites linked to the provider site, the provider may utilize a utility wherein the originating sites may obtain representations of the provider site for storing on the originating sites. As shown in  FIG. 1 , this may eliminate the need for the originating site  10  to access the linked site  30  to form a representation  22  of the site  30  each time the originating site  10  is accessed. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 9 , a block diagram of an exemplary information handling system  900  according to the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, processor  902 , system controller  912 , cache  914 , and data-path chip  918  are each coupled to host bus  910 . Processor  902  is a microprocessor such as a 486-type chip, a Pentium®, Pentium II®, Pentium III® or other suitable microprocessor. Cache  914  provides high-speed local-memory data (in one embodiment, for example, 512 KB of data) for processor  902 , and is controlled by system controller  912 , which loads cache  914  with data that is expected to be used soon after the data is placed in cache  912  (i.e., in the near future). Main memory  916  is coupled between system controller  914  and data-path chip  918 , and in one embodiment, provides random-access memory of between 16 MB and 128 MB of data. In one embodiment, main memory  916  is provided on SIMMS (Single In-line Memory Modules), while in another embodiment, main memory  916  is provided on DIMMs (Dual In-line Memory Modules), each of which plugs into suitable sockets provided on a motherboard holding many of the other components shown in  FIG. 9 . Main memory  916  includes standard DRAM (Dynamic Random-Access Memory), EDO (Extended Data Out) DRAM, SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM), or other suitable memory technology. System controller  912  controls PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus  920 , a local bus for system  900  that provides a high-speed data path between processor  902  and various peripheral devices, such as video, disk, network, etc. Data-path chip  918  is also controlled by system controller  912  to assist in routing data between main memory  916 , host bus  910 , and PCI bus  920 . 
   In one embodiment, PCI bus  920  provides a 32-bit-wide data path that runs at 33 MHZ. In another embodiment, PCI bus  920  provides a 64-bit-wide data path that runs at 33 MHZ. In yet other embodiments, PCI bus  920  provides 32-bit-wide or 64-bit-wide data paths that runs at higher speeds. In one embodiment, PCI bus  920  provides connectivity to I/O bridge  922 , graphics controller  927 , and one or more PCI connectors  921 , each of which accepts a standard PCI card. In one embodiment, I/O bridge  922  and graphics controller  927  are each integrated on the motherboard along with system controller  912 , in order to avoid a board-connector-board signal-crossing interface and thus provide better speed and reliability. In the embodiment shown, graphics controller  927  is coupled to a video memory  928  (that includes memory such as DRAM, EDO DRAM, SDRAM, or VRAM (Video Random-Access Memory)), and drives VGA (Video Graphics Adaptor) port  929 . VGA port  929  can connect to VGA-type or SVGA (Super VGA)-type displays. Other input/output (I/O) cards having a PCI interface can be plugged into PCI connectors  921 . 
   In one embodiment, I/O bridge  922  is a chip that provides connection and control to one or more independent IDE connectors  924 – 925 , to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port  926 , and to ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) bus  930 . In this embodiment, IDE connector  924  provides connectivity for up to two standard IDE-type devices such as hard disk drives, CDROM (Compact Disk-Read-Only Memory) drives, DVD (Digital Video Disk) drives, or TBU (Tape-Backup Unit) devices. In one similar embodiment, two IDE connectors  924  are provided, and each provide the EIDE (Enhanced IDE) architecture. In the embodiment shown, SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) connector  925  provides connectivity for up to seven or fifteen SCSI-type devices (depending on the version of SCSI supported by the embodiment). In one embodiment, I/O bridge  922  provides ISA bus  930  having one or more ISA connectors  931  (in one embodiment, three connectors are provided). In one embodiment, ISA bus  1030  is coupled to I/O controller  952 , which in turn provides connections to two serial ports  954  and  955 , parallel port  956 , and FDD (Floppy-Disk Drive) connector  957 . In one embodiment, FDD connector  957  is connected to FDD  958  that receives removable media (floppy diskette)  959  on which is stored data and/or program code  960 . In one such embodiment, program code  960  includes code that controls programmable system  900  to perform the method described below. In another such embodiment, serial port  954  is connectable to a computer network such as the Internet, and such network has program code  960  that controls programmable system  900  to perform the method described below. In one embodiment, ISA bus  930  is connected to buffer  932 , which is connected to X bus  940 , which provides connections to real-time clock  942 , keyboard/mouse controller  944  and keyboard BIOS ROM (Basic Input/Output System Read-Only Memory)  1045 , and to system BIOS ROM  946 . 
     FIG. 9  shows one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, however other bus structures and memory arrangements are specifically contemplated. 
   In one embodiment, I/O bridge  922  is a chip that provides connection and control to one or more independent IDE connectors  924 – 925 , to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port  926 , and to ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) bus  930 . In this embodiment, IDE connector  924  provides connectivity for up to two standard IDE-type devices such as hard disk drives or CDROM (Compact Disk-Read-Only Memory) drives, and similarly IDE connector  925  provides connectivity for up to two IDE-type devices. In one such embodiment, IDE connectors  924  and  925  each provide the EIDE (Enhanced IDE) architecture. In one embodiment, I/O bridge  922  provides ISA bus  930  having one or more ISA connectors  931  (in one embodiment, three connectors are provided). In one embodiment, ISA bus  930  is coupled to I/O controller  952 , which in turn provides connections to two serial ports  954  and  955 , parallel port  956 , and FDD (Floppy-Disk Drive) connector  957 . In one embodiment, ISA bus  930  is connected to buffer  932 , which is connected to X bus  940 , which provides connections to real-time clock  942 , keyboard/mouse controller  944  and keyboard BIOS ROM (Basic Input/Output System Read-Only Memory)  945 , and to system BIOS ROM  946 . 
   Although the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it should be recognized that elements thereof may be altered by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, one of the embodiments of the invention can be implemented as sets of instructions resident in the main memory  916  of one or more information handling systems configured generally as described in  FIG. 9 . Until required by the information handling system, the set of instructions may be stored in another readable memory device, for example in a hard disk drive or in a removable memory such as an optical disk for utilization in a CD-ROM drive, a floppy disk for utilization in a floppy disk drive, a floptical disk for utilization in a floptical drive, or a personal computer memory card for utilization in a personal computer card slot. Further, the set of instructions can be stored in the memory of another information handling system and transmitted over a local area network or a wide area network, such as the Internet, when desired by the user. Additionally, the instructions may be transmitted over a network in the form of an applet that is interpreted or compiled after transmission to the computer system rather than prior to transmission. One skilled in the art would appreciate that the physical storage of the sets of instructions or applets physically changes the medium upon which it is stored electrically, magnetically, chemically, physically, optically or holographically so that the medium carries computer readable information. 
   It is believed that the system and method of the present invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the forgoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or without sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form herein before described being merely an explanatory embodiment thereof. It is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such changes.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6