WO2009040342A1

WO2009040342A1 - Method and system and device for assisting navigation on data communications networks

Info

Publication number: WO2009040342A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/062690
Authority: WO
Inventors: Claudio Cecchetto
Original assignee: Dj's Gang S.R.L.
Priority date: 2007-09-24
Filing date: 2008-09-23
Publication date: 2009-04-02
Also published as: ITMI20071836A1

Abstract

A system for assisting navigation on a data communications network, particularly the Internet, comprising a server and a plurality of navigation assistance devices which operate on computers that can be connected to the server, the navigation assistance devices being provided with a graphical interface, with means for defining a plurality of URLs adapted to define configuration data sets, and with means for sending to the server the configuration data sets, the server being provided with means for receiving the configuration data sets, with means for publishing the configuration data sets on the network, and with means for sending the data sets to other navigation assistance devices.

Description

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METHOD AND SYSTEM AND DEVICE FOR ASSISTING

NAVIGATION ON DATA COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of information sharing in the informatics environment over a data communications network, particularly as regards the Internet.

Background Art

The amount of information currently present on the Internet requires increasingly sophisticated search and selection tools that allow to identify relatively rapidly and precisely what can be truly of interest to oneself within the tens of billions of pages that currently can be reached by any personal computer that is online.

Navigation itself is therefore often started by means of appropriately provided tools, commonly known as "navigation bars", that allow to preselect the network entry point by identifying a neighborhood of what may be of interest to oneself.

Typically, a navigation bar comprises a number of thematic channels

(music, weather, news, finance, love, books, vacations, et cetera), which the user selects in order to navigate in the context in which he is interested. Navigation bars with the corresponding channels are substantially divided into two different categories: included within web pages, particularly in so-called "portals", i.e., pages created to be used specifically as a starting point for navigation; or as separate applications, i.e., independent of the web page being visited. This second category comprises both navigation bars that are completely disconnected from the web browser

(the program used for navigating the Internet) and navigation bars provided as plug-ins, i.e., as additional elements, of the navigation programs themselves.

The most popular navigation bars include, for example, the GoogleBar™ and the YahooBar™. Data communications service providers also often provide navigation bars that complement or integrate with the Internet navigation program in order to provide quicker access to certain channels or services (e.g., the navigation bar of the Alice™ service).

By way of the navigation bars it is thus possible to provide tools that allow faster access to certain thematic channels or to specific web pages.

One of the uses of the Internet that is currently experiencing the greatest expansion is the sharing of information among users, particularly by means of blogs and communities, which constitute virtual meeting groups of a sort. By accessing a blog or a community it is in fact possible to share opinions, photographs, videos and discuss thematic subjects.

The people who take part in a specific blog or community are normally people who share interests and who accordingly are often interested in exchanging information with the same people met on the network or with other people that have a same profile. This means that in a large number of cases these people, in view of their common interests, would also be interested in navigating the Internet in those pages that contain the same information read by a person of the community who has the same interests.

However, currently no tools are known which allow to achieve such goals rapidly and efficiently. In particular, although in some cases it is possible to customize one's navigation bars, it is not possible to provide simply and straightforwardly the same navigation bar to a third party, except for example by making that party recreate it by sending the necessary information via e-mail to said party. Likewise, the pages visited during navigation by one user can be viewed by another user only if the first user takes care to store the visited addresses to then provide them to one or more interested third-party users, for example via e-mail.

These procedures for sharing navigation channels and navigated pages, however, are very awkward, because they require manual intervention both on the part of the user who wishes to share his data and on the part of users who wish to benefit from the activity of the first user, and knowledge of personal data of other users.

The aim of the present invention is therefore to overcome the current limitations of technology for navigation and data sharing among users having similar interests.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to define entry points and thematic channels that can be shared at will among different users automatically.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for automatic sharing of information arising during navigation performed by a different person, in real time or not, at the same time ensuring that the sharing of information among a plurality of users occurs in a safe and controlled manner, avoiding risks linked to file sharings that might harm one's own computer, as instead occurs for example in connections of the so- called peer-to-peer type. Disclosure of the Invention

This aim, these objects and others that will become better apparent hereinafter are all achieved by a system for assisting navigation on a data communications network, particularly the Internet, comprising a server and a plurality of navigation assistance devices which operate on computers that can be connected to the server over the data communications network, characterized in that the navigation assistance devices are provided with a graphical interface, with means for defining a plurality of links to web pages that are suitable to define one or more configuration data sets, and with means for sending to the server the one or more configuration data sets; the server is provided with means for receiving the configuration data sets, with means for publishing them on the network and with means for sending them in turn to other navigation assistance devices.

Advantageously, the device for assisting navigation on a data communications network according to claim 1 can comprise means for customizing the graphical interface.

Conveniently, the configuration data set comprises a plurality of thematic channels and a plurality of URLs associated with such thematic channels, including a plurality of main addresses related to web pages per each of the channels.

The navigation assistance device according to the invention also comprises means for storing locally identification data of a session of the navigation activity associated with the thematic channels and means for sending to said server the identification data of the navigation session. Moreover, the navigation assistance device comprises means for receiving identification data of a session of the navigation activity associated with the thematic channels and means for decoding and replaying the navigation activity of interest.

This aim and this object are also achieved by a method for sharing navigation information, comprising the steps of: at a server of a service provider, associating to a main navigation assistance device that operates on a first computer one or more secondary navigation devices that operate on remote computers; sending to the server, from said main device, identification data of information regarding navigation performed on the first computer; sending from the server to one or more secondary navigation devices the information regarding the navigation performed on the first computer; using, on the part of the remote computers, the received navigation information to follow the same navigation path performed on the first computer. Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description, given by way of non-limiting example and illustrated in the accompanying figures, wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic view of the architecture of a navigation assistance system according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view of an example embodiment of a graphical interface of the navigation device according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a view of an example embodiment of a graphical interface for generating a configuration data set for the navigation assistance device according to the invention;

Figure 4 is a view of a second exemplifying screen for generating a configuration data set of the navigation assistance device according to the present invention. Ways to carrying out the Invention

With reference to Figure 1, such figure identifies a server 10, managed by a service provider, which is connected to a data communications network 5, for example the Internet.

The server 10 comprises a database 11 , which can store a plurality of configuration data sets 12 and of navigation data 13, 14. The server 10 is further provided with means 15 for receiving, over the data communications network 5, configuration data sets 12 and navigation data 13, 14, with means 16 for publishing on the network such one or more configuration data sets, and with means 17 for sending to the navigation assistance devices configuration data 12 and navigation information 13, 14.

The figure further shows a plurality of computers 20, 30, which are connected to the same data communications network 5 and are controlled by users 6, 7. The computers 20, 30 comprise means for navigating on the data communications network 5, in particular at least one Internet navigation program or Web browser 21, even a conventional one, and a navigation assistance device 22, 32 according to the invention.

Merely for description purposes, such computers are divided into a main computer 20 and secondary computers 30, and likewise the corresponding navigation assistance devices are divided into a main navigation assistance device 22 and secondary navigation assistance devices 32. However, the characteristics of the computers 20, 30 and especially of the devices 22, 32 can be, and preferably are, entirely identical. The navigation assistance devices comprise graphical interface means 23, means 60 for defining a plurality of IJRLs that are adapted to define configuration data sets 12, means for selecting navigation information, means 24, 34 for transferring configuration data sets and/or navigation information with the server 10 over the network 5.

Figure 2 is a schematic view of an example embodiment of a graphical interface 23 of the navigation assistance device 22, 32 according to the invention.

Such figure identifies a window for images 41, a box for displaying a web address 42, a channel bar 43 comprising a plurality of labels 44, a button 45 identified by the label "TAXI". One or more URLs can be associated with each label 44; the term URL ("Uniform Resource Locator") indicates a sequence of characters that identifies uniquely the address of a resource that is available on the data communications network 5, particularly a resource that is available on the Internet, such as a web page, a document, a picture, a video and others.

Figure 3 shows an example screen 50 that allows to generate configuration data for the navigation assistance device 22, 32. In particular, in the example screen 50 there is a box 51 for entering the name to be assigned to a configuration data set 12, a button 52 that allows to select a picture that will be displayed as a preview in a window 53 and, as will become apparent hereinafter, in the window 41 when the device 32 is loaded with the corresponding configuration data set 12, a box 54 for entering a URL that will be displayed as an initial and reference address (so-called "homepage") in the box 42 when the device 32 is loaded with the configuration data set 12, a plurality of selection boxes 55 that allow to select audio and/or video data to be played back by the device 32 when the device is loaded with the configuration data block 12. Figure 4 illustrates a second exemplifying screen 60 for generating a configuration data block 12 of the navigation assistance device 32 according to the present invention, which clearly shows a plurality of channel identifiers 61 , each associated with a box 62 that allows to select an existing label for the channel or to create one at will, by acting on an appropriately provided button 63.

The term "channel" references, in this context, a label that identifies a thematic title, for example "News", "Sports", "Music", "Links", "Online shopping", "Television", "Search", and so forth. A data set is associated with each channel and corresponds to a possible navigation on sites that are correlated with the selected theme. These data can comprise URLs defined by the user who is defining the channel and data related to a navigation performed by the user himself or by other users who navigated by using that channel and stored the data in a data file, as will become better apparent hereinafter.

Operation of the system is as follows.

The users 6, 7 connect, by means of their own navigation programs

21 , 31 and the data communications network 5, to the server 10 of the service provider, in order to download and install the computer program that constitutes the core of the navigation assistance device 32, in conventional ways.

Once the program has been downloaded, it is run on the computer of the user and present a graphical interface that is similar to what is shown in Figure 2 by way of example, loaded with a block of default configuration data, i.e., data predefined by the service provider.

At this point, a user, for example the user 6, can create his own data set in order to customize and configure his own navigation assistance device

22. To do this, by means of conventional interface means, for example by selecting a menu item, he accesses the configuration page 50. By selecting the box 51 , the user enters a title at will in order to define the name of the configuration data set.

By selecting the graphical button 52, the user can select one or more multimedia files to be assigned to the configuration data set being processed, for example a picture, an audio file, or an audio/video file, depending on the choice made on the selection boxes 55.

At this point, the system according to the invention allows a first step for recording the configuration data set 12 as defined by the user 6.

The user 6 sends the configuration data set 12 to the server 10 of the service provider, who enters this configuration data set 12 in the database 11 and notifies to the user the successful outcome of the operation and the clearance to share the data set. In particular, if the operation has been completed successfully, the user is now authorized to share his data with the other users that belong to the community via the server 10 of the service provider. The user 6 can access the channel configuration screen 60 to define the title and content of each of a plurality of channels 62 that appear in the graphical interface 60 of the configuration device. To do this, the user selects the box that corresponds to the channel that he wishes to enter or edit and selects an existing label or creates a new label to be associated with that channel, by means of the graphic button 63.

It is possible to associate with each channel a plurality of URLs, which can be defined by the user by way of conventional interface means, which are well-known to the person skilled in the art and are not described here. Once the channel has been filled in, it is stored and saved in the database 11 in the server 10 of the service provider, in a private area of the user 6, where it can be selected and edited, even subsequently, by the user 6. By accessing the system in his own private area, the user in fact can retrieve each configuration data block 12 of which he is the author and, once a configuration data set has been selected, the user 6 can modify every component, such as the appearance, images and multimedia data and the set of channels, as described above.

Initially, the configuration data block thus created remains private for the user who created it. By doing so, the user 6 can have available a plurality of private configuration data sets 12, which allow him to access rapidly pages he is interested in, depending on the purpose of his navigation session, retrieving one or the other of his configuration data sets.

However, the user 6 can decide to share his configuration data sets 12 with other users 7. In this case, a user 7 connects to the server 10, displays the list of configuration data sets 12 and/or performs the search within the available configuration data sets and selects a configuration data set 12 that he is interested in.

The means 34 for exchanging data with the server 10 send the selected configuration data set 12 to the navigation assistance device 32. The graphical interface of the navigation assistance device 32 is updated accordingly, making available to the user 7 the channel set 44, 62 defined previously by the user 6, each comprising a set of URLs selected previously by the user 6 and, accordingly, of probable interest to the user 7.

By using an appropriately provided button, not shown in the figure, the user 7 further can download directly onto his computer the content of all the URLs defined in the channel 44, 62 he is interested in.

The navigation assistance devices 22, 32 are also provided with known means for storing navigation activity, which allow to record the sequence of URLs selected by the user 6, 7 during navigation.

Once navigation has ended, this navigation information 13, associated with one of the channels 44, 62, can be shared by the user 6 with other users, by sending it to the server 10 and making it available to other users. The exchange of this information occurs always by sending only the URLs related to navigation and always through the mediation of the server 10, so as to avoid any risk related to the potentially dangerous conditions and contents that affect peer-to-peer type connections, i.e., connections with direct sharing between computers 20, 30.

Moreover, in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, information sharing can occur also in real time or pseudoreal time. To do this, the user 6 who works on the computer 20, which is indicated here for the sake of description as main computer in contrast with the similar computers 30 referenced here as secondary, can create, in manners which are similar to what has been described above, a description data set related to a function which, for the sake of clarity in description, is referenced here as TAXI. In particular, the user 6 creates a data set 14 that contains a description of the path that the TAXI will follow and sends this information to the server 10, indicating whether the TAXI is public or private.

In the case of a public TAXI, the data set 14 is visible to every user 7 and can be selected from a list and/or searched by means of a search engine that operates in conventional ways. In the case of a private TAXI, the name remains hidden and the user 7 who wishes to get on the TAXI must already know the name of the TAXI and/or enter an appropriate password.

The departure of the TAXI consists in the start of navigation by the user 6. In this case, as the user 6 navigates, by means of his navigation program 21 , in the data communications network 5, known means intercept the URLs selected by the user and send them to the server 10. The server 10 checks for the presence of users currently on board the TAXI and sends to each of the navigation assistance devices 32 the IJRLs received from the navigation assistance device 22 as they are received. The devices 32 are provided with means for receiving and decoding this information and with means for storing such information locally, so as to be able to reproduce subsequently the path of the TAXI, or for opening each URL in the navigation program 21 as soon as it is received, according to known interaction modes, so as to allow to follow the path of the TAXI in real time. In practice, whenever the user 6 selects a new link during navigation, such link is sent to the server 10 and from there to the connected devices 32, which allow to access the same resource.

It has thus been shown that the present device achieves the proposed aim and objects. In particular, a system has been shown which allows a plurality of users to share automatically navigation information made available by other users, by using navigation assistance devices that act both as navigation bars that can be configured indirectly by third parties and as devices for exchanging and sharing navigation information in real time or not. Clearly, numerous modifications are evident and can be made promptly by the person skilled in the art without abandoning the scope of the protection of the appended claims. For example, it is obviously irrelevant for the purposes of the invention whether the navigation assistance device is provided as a plug-in that is internal to a navigation program, as an external application that is connected thereto, or as a full replacement thereof.

Therefore, the scope of the protection of the appended claims must not be limited by the illustrations or preferred embodiments shown in the description by way of example, but rather the claims must comprise all the characteristics of patentable novelty that can be deduced from the present invention, including all the characteristics that would be treated as equivalent by the person skilled in the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MI2007A001836 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference. Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. A system for assisting navigation on a data communications network (5), particularly the Internet, comprising a server (10) and a plurality of navigation assistance devices (22, 32) which operate on computers (20, 30) that can be connected to said server (10) over said data communications network (5), characterized in that:

- said navigation assistance devices (22, 32) are provided with a graphical interface (23), with means (60) for defining a plurality of links (62, 44) to web pages that are adapted to define one or more configuration data sets (12), and with means (24) for sending to said server (10) said one or more configuration data sets (12);

- said server (10) is provided with means (15) for receiving said configuration data set from said devices, with means (16) for publishing said one or more configuration data sets on the network, and with means (17) for sending said configuration data

(12) to said navigation assistance devices (22, 32).

2. A device for assisting navigation on a data communications network according to claim 1.

3. The navigation assistance device according to claim 2, characterized in that said configuration data set comprises a plurality of thematic channels.

4. The navigation assistance device according to claim 3, characterized in that said configuration data set comprises a plurality of URLs associated with said thematic channels.

5. The navigation assistance device according to claim 4, characterized in that said plurality of IJRLs associated with said thematic channels comprises a plurality of main addresses related to web pages for each one of said channels.

6. The navigation assistance device according to any one of claims 2-5, characterized in that it comprises means for storing locally data that identify a session of the navigation activity associated with said thematic channels and means for sending to said server said identification data of said navigation session.

7. The navigation assistance device according to any one of claims 2-6, characterized in that it comprises means for receiving identification data of a session of the navigation activity associated with said thematic channels, means for decoding said data and for replaying said navigation activity.

8. A method for sharing information regarding navigation on a data communications network (5), comprising the steps of:

- at a server (10) of a service provider, associating to a main navigation assistance device (22) that operates on a first computer (20) one or more secondary navigation devices (32) that operate on remote computers (30); — sending, from said main navigation device (22) to said server (10), data that identify information regarding navigation (14) performed on said first computer (20);

- sending, from said server (10) to said one or more secondary navigation devices (32), said information (14) regarding navigation performed on said first computer (20);

- using, on the part of said remote computers (30), said navigation information (14) to follow the same navigation path performed on said first computer (20).

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that said navigation information is sent progressively to said server during navigation as it is updated.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that said navigation information is forwarded to said one or more secondary navigation devices during navigation, as it is updated.

1 1. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that said navigation information is sent to said server in a single block, once navigation has ended.

12. The method according to claim 9 or 1 1, characterized in that said navigation information is forwarded by said server to said one or more secondary navigation devices in a single block.