EP0762297A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Use of proxy servers to provide annotation overlays
Assignee: Sun Microsystems Inc
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Filing: 1996-09-05
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2016-09-05
Abstract
Abstract A system and method for providing annotation overlays from diverse sources of commentary for World-Wide Web documents is disclosed. Sources of commentary contribute annotation overlays regarding particular documents on the World-Wide Web. The annotation overlays from a particular source are stored on one or more overlay servers, which are connected to the Web. A user of a Web browser opens an annotation proxy server between the Web browser and the Web servers that intercepts all documents retrieved by the Web browser and merges with the retrieved documents commentary from sources designated by the user of the Web browser that refer to the requested documents. Multiple annotation overlay proxies can be serially connected. The annotation proxy can perform the merge operation by first creating a local annotation directory of annotation overlays from sources designated by the user then, when the user requests a document, merging with the requested document information only from the annotation directory. Alternatively, the annotation proxy can perform the merge operation on the fly by pulling the annotation overlays directly from the Web servers without the use of a local annotation directory.
Inventors
- 👤 Wayne C. Gramlich
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 23:35
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F40/00; G06F40/10; G06F40/166; G06F40/169; G06F16/00; G06F16/90; G06F16/95; G06F16/957; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99931; Y10S707/99933; Y10S707/99934
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
134 words
In a computer network incorporating a plurality of servers used to store documents, each said document having a unique document identifier, and a client computer having a browser configured to request and receive said documents over said network, a system for providing annotation overlays for a requested document, said system comprising: at least one stored overlay group associated with one of said servers, said overlay group encapsulating annotation overlays regarding at least one of said documents, each said stored overlay group having a unique source identifier; and an annotation overlay proxy configured to form a merged document by merging said requested document from a first server with associated annotation overlays regarding said requested document from specified overlay groups and to relay said merged document to a receiver selected from another proxy or said browser.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system of claim 1, wherein at least one overlay group encapsulates a plurality of distinct annotation overlays regarding one of said documents.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
The system of claim 1, wherein at least a subset of said annotation overlays each have associated therewith data indicating with which document or documents said each annotation overlay is to be associated.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
76 words
The system of claim 1, further comprising: an annotation directory associated with said annotation overlay proxy, wherein said annotation directory stores said annotation overlays from said specified overlay groups, and wherein said annotation overlay proxy is configured, in response to a document request issued by said browser, to retrieve a set of associated annotation overlays related to said requested document from said annotation directory prior to merging said set of associated annotations and said requested document.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
70 words
The system of claim 4, wherein said annotation directory is created by said annotation overlay proxy, which, upon receiving a list of said specified overlay groups identified by their unique source identifiers, is configured to retrieve all of said annotation overlays from said specified overlay groups and store said retrieved annotation overlays in an electronic memory coupled to said annotation overlay proxy, said stored annotation overlays forming said annotation directory.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
77 words
The system of claim 1, wherein said annotation overlay comprises: a document id specifying a set of documents to which said annotation overlay is applicable; a pattern in said set of documents; an action code specifying an action to be taken by said annotation overlay proxy with regard to said pattern in said set of documents when creating said merged document; and an argument supplying additional information to assist said annotation overlay proxy in executing said action.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
129 words
In a computer network incorporating a plurality of servers used to store documents, each said document having a unique document identifier, and a client computer having a browser configured to request and receive said documents over said network, a method for providing annotation overlays for a requested document, said method comprising the steps of: associating at least one stored overlay group with one of said servers, said overlay group encapsulating annotation overlays regarding at least one of said documents, each said stored overlay group having a unique source identifier; forming a merged document by merging said requested document from a first server with associated annotation overlays regarding said requested document from specified overlay groups; and relaying said merged document to a receiver selected from another proxy or said browser.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
63 words
The method of claim 7, wherein said annotation overlay comprises: a document id specifying a set of documents to which said annotation overlay is applicable; a pattern in said set of documents; an action code specifying an action to be taken with respect to said set of documents when forming said merged document; and an argument supplying additional information for said action code.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
172 words
The method of claim 8, wherein said action code for a subset of said annotation overlays is selected from the group consisting of a replacement code, an insertion code and a deletion code, such that: 1) when said action code is said replacement code and said requested document is within said set of documents, said action comprises substituting in said merged document said additional information for parts of said requested document having a specified relationship to said pattern; 2) when said action code is said insertion code and said requested document is within said set of documents, said action comprises inserting in said merged document said additional information at a position set wherein each position in said position set has a specified relationship to said pattern; and 3) when said action code is said deletion code and said requested document is within said set of documents, said action comprises preventing from appearing in said merged document any occurrence of a part of said requested document having a specified relationship to said pattern.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
65 words
The method of claim 8, wherein, when said action code is a program code and said requested document is within said set of documents, said action comprises executing a specified filter program on parts of said requested document having a specified relationship to said pattern so that corresponding parts of said merged document include a transformation of said parts operated on by said filter program.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
146 words
A computer-readable memory that can be used to direct a computer to merge stored annotation overlays with documents stored on a computer network to which said computer is coupled, said computer-readable memory comprising: (1) an annotation overlay including: (a) a document id specifying a set of documents to which said annotation overlay is applicable; (b) a pattern in said set of documents; (c) an action code specifying an action to be taken by said computer with regard to said pattern in said set of documents when creating said merged document; and (d) an argument supplying additional information to assist said annotation overlay proxy in executing said action with regard to said pattern; and (2) proxy procedures for forming a merged document by merging said annotation overlay with a requested document within said set of documents, said merging including performing said action specified by said action code.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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