WO2001084368A2

WO2001084368A2 - Method and apparatus for fast web browsing

Info

Publication number: WO2001084368A2
Application number: PCT/SE2001/000930
Authority: WO
Inventors: Niclas STÅHL
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date: 2000-04-28
Filing date: 2001-04-27
Publication date: 2001-11-08
Also published as: AU2001252844A1; WO2001084368A3

Abstract

The invention relates to a Web browser and a method for a Web browser (10) that allows a user to start downloading a second page (16) without disturbing the reading of the first page (15). A user that has the first page (15) stored in the memory (13) and shown in the display (12) can order the start of the downloading of the second page (16). This second page (16) will then be downloaded and stored in another part of the memory (13) than the part occupied by the first page (15). The browser (10) then waits for a command to be given by the user before it displays the second page (16).

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FAST WEB BROWSING

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to network browsers and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for loading of data to Internet and World Wide Web (hereinafter Web) browsers.

Description of Related Art

The Web can be regarded as a giant database. The data is spread out over many "sites", located on computers connected to the Internet. A site can contain data in one or more data sources, often text files called pages or Web pages, each identified by its own, unique address, called Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

A page often contains references to other pages, easily accessible by activating the "link". An advantage of this is that it is possible to keep pages small and easy to update, by having several small pages linked to each other, rather than a single, big page. An example of this is Web based a newspaper, where different journalists could be responsible for keeping their own articles updated, while an editor updates the main page, with links to the different articles, each one on a different page. From this example it will also be obvious that the content of a site can change rapidly.

Pages often contain other kinds of information than pure text. Pictures are most common, but the pages can also contain for example application programs, forms and sound files. All in all, pages often contain a large amount of data to be transferred from a site to the browser. On for example an internal network (Intranet) transmission speeds are often quite high, resulting in a low delay when downloading a page. The same often applies to other kinds of high-speed connections.

When the transmission speed is low, however, the time it takes to download a page can be considerable. This is usually the case when using a modem or surfing with a mobile telephone, as well as when the accessed site experiences heavy load regardless of the bandwidth in-between. These waiting times are often very annoying and can cause much stress for the person surfing. If said person only accesses one page, the wait is often acceptable. When, on the other hand, the person accesses several pages in a row the wait between each page is often much more annoying.

A solution known to the art is to start downloading the text and wait with the images until all the text has been downloaded. As the images often contain more information than the text, this approach works rather well, bringing down the time a user has to wait until he can start reading something on the page. The total time the user has to wait remains the same, however.

Another solution is to open another browser window in which the second page is downloaded. A disadvantage with this solution is that it can be difficult to handle more than one browser window, especially if the size of the display is small, as it often is on handheld terminals.

Yet another solution uses a feature called "prefetching". This feature is said to be useful in two instances. Firstly, when having used a search engine, this solution will automatically download the second page while the first is being read, and so on. Secondly, it can be used to prefetch pages on sites that aren't search engines. In this case it is possible to configure a browser equipped with this solution to automatically fetch certain pages that fit a profile predetermined by the user; an example being prefetching the quotes for a certain stock when accessing a site with stock quotes. This solution is not, however, able to dynamically adjust to for instance new pages or sudden, new interests. That is to say that the solution cannot for example be used to prefetch pages about subjects not in the predetermined profile.

The present invention seeks to overcome these problems in providing a solution to reduce the time it takes to access consecutive pages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus for reducing the time it takes to access consecutive Web pages. Said method and apparatus allows a user to start the downloading of a second page while reading a first page. The second page is stored in a memory and can then be accessed immediately when the user so requests.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had by reference to the following Detailed Description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts schematically a browser and a number of pages; and

FIG. 2 depicts a flowchart illustrating a method according to the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the drawings, FIG 1 illustrates a browser 10, comprising means for navigation, for instance a control window 11 (hereinafter used as an example of means for navigation), and a document window 12. The control window 11 is typically used to navigate the Web, i.e. to choose which page to download etc., for example using so-called "Back" or "Home" buttons, or a list of "Bookmarks". The control window 11 is also used to print a page, to search for information in a page and so on. The document window 12, on the other hand, displays a selected page. As mentioned above, there can be a significant delay between the start of the downloading and the display of the whole page. During this delay, the document window 12 is often blank or gets filled with information as the data gets downloaded.

In FIG. 1 are also shown a memory 13, usually a cache memory (called simply 'cache'), three pages 15, 16, 17 located somewhere on the Web, and a list of pages 18 that will be described below. The first of these pages 15 has been downloaded to the memory 13 and is shown in the document window 12, as is indicated by the arrows.

Previously when a user wanted to access two pages 15 and 16 consecutively, he would usually go through the following steps: • Order the downloading of the first page 15.

Wait for the first page 15 to be downloaded (and stored in the memory 13) and displayed in the document window 12. Read some or all of the information in the first page 15. Order the downloading of the second page 16. • Wait for the second page 16 to be fully downloaded (and stored in the memory 13) and displayed in the document window 12. Read some or all of the information in the second page 16.

The present invention, however, improves this procedure by enabling the possibility to download a second page 16 without disturbing the display of the first page 15 at all. This is achieved by allowing the user to order the "hidden" download of the second page 16; whereupon the browser 10 starts to download said second page 16 from the Web, storing it in another place of the memory 13. The user is then able to continue reading the first page 15 while the second page 16 is downloaded. Whenever the user has finished with the first page 15 he can give the order to the browser 10 using some the navigational means 11 - for example by selection with a mouse or by pressing a button or key, advantageously the "Forward" key or its equivalent - to display the second page 16 instead. The means 11 to give the order could normally be inactive, and only activated when the download of the second page 16 has been initiated. Alternatively, the browser 10 itself could give said order, for instance when a timer has expired. The above- mentioned procedure could then be as follows:

Order the downloading of the first page 15.

Wait for the first page 15 to be downloaded (and stored in the memory

13) and displayed in the document window 12.

Order the downloading of the second page 16 (and stored in another part of the memory 13).

Read some or all of the information on the first page 15.

Order the switch to the second page 16.

Read some or all of the information on the second page 16.

As can readily be seen from this, this procedure removes one period of waiting at the minimal expense of having to order the switch to the second page 16, which for instance could be done by activating the link to a third page 17. The time it takes to order the switch is, normally, significandy shorter than the period of waiting for the second page 16 to be downloaded: This will result in a saving of the time it takes to access consecutive Web pages and, especially, a reduced amount of stress experienced by the user. As these benefits are cumulative, i.e. accessing three pages in a row saves two waiting periods and so on, the total benefits can be considerable.

Extending the procedure above can make it much more efficient to access several often-accessed pages in a row. A user, knowing that he usually accesses the same pages every morning, could put these pages in a list 18; or more accurately, the URLs or identifiers of those pages. When the user gives the order, the browser 10 starts downloading all the pages in the list 18, displaying the first one, while the remaining pages lie waiting in the memory 13 as they are downloaded. As the browser establishes a TCP/IP connection for downloading a page, this approach could save the disconnection and reconnection if two consecutively accessed pages are stored on the same site, thus reducing network traffic.

Should, however, the user activate a link in a displayed page - i.e. the user wants to access a third page 17, while the second page 16 is being downloaded - several different options exist. A simple option is simply to put the downloading of the second page 16 on hold, download the third page 17, display it and continue with the downloading of the second page 16. Another option is to continue with the downloading of the second page 16 and, simultaneously or consecutively, download the third page 17 to the memory 13 as if it was a third item on the list 18 described above, an option easily extended to any number of pages. A further option is to download the pages simultaneously, where each page, depending on in which order the download was ordered, is designated as "second page", "third page", etc. Yet another possibility would be to open a new browser window for the download and display of this third page 17. A further possibility is to ask the user in some kind of dialogue box. Preferably, the user himself could decide between the different options in advance by making choices in the browser 10.

FIG. 2 depicts a flowchart of an embodiment of the method according to the invention.

Step 201 "Start" is initiated when the user orders the download of the second page 16. '

Step 202 "Download second page" follows directly after step 201 "Start". In this step, the Web browser 10 downloads the second page 16. Virtually simultaneously with, or following step 202, the Web browser 10 stores the second page 16 in a different part of the memory 13 than that occupied by the first page, as previously described; step 203. If stored virtually simultaneously with the downloading, the second page 16 is advantageously stored in bits as the data gets downloaded or in bigger chunks made up of the downloaded bits. (In this context, "bits" does not necessarily refer to computer term, but could be used in a wider sense.)

Having downloaded and stored the second page 16, the Web browser 10 waits for the order to display the second page 16 to be given: step 204 "Wait for display order". When the order is received, the next step becomes step 205, "Display second page". After displaying the second page 16, the Web browser has finished and goes to step 206, "End".

While the above-mentioned method is fully functional, it is advantageous to have the browser await an order to display a page while downloading or storing the same or a different page. In the case where there is more than one page to download, for instance when the user has defined a list 18 as described above, the method could be slightly different. The method would then still comprise the steps 202 "Download second page" and 203 "Store in memory". A further step is to read the identifier of a page from the list 18.. The method will then iteratively read the next identifier from the list 18, and download and store the corresponding pages according to the steps mentioned (although in this case step 202 is somewhat of a misnomer, as the page being downloaded can also be a third, fourth etc. page). While downloading pages, the browser 10 simultaneously awaits the command to display the page following the one presently displayed, i.e. if the third page is displayed, the following page is the fourth page and so on.

As can be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, the above-mentioned embodiment of the method can be embellished with various extra features. It is up to the user to decide whether these extra features are useful or not. One such feature is to make the "Forward" (or similar) button or menu choice, a simple way of switching to the next page. Normally, said button, together with the "Back" button is used to move between pages already downloaded and viewed in the browser 10. A short example will clarify the above-mentioned. Let's assume the user has downloaded two pages, a first and second page, and that the second page is displayed. Furthermore, a third page has been downloaded and is stored in the memory. In this case, while displaying the second page, the "Back" button refers to the first page while the "Forward" button points to the third page. If the user activated "Back", the first page would be displayed, after which "Back" wouldn't refer to anything while "Forward" would refer to the second page. The third page would still be stored in the memory as the page succeeding the second page.

Although several preferred embodiments of the method and system of the present invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth and defined by the following claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method for downloading data to and displaying data in a browser (10) having a document window (12) and a memory (13), where a first page (15) is displayed in the document window (12) and stored in the memory (13), the method comprising the steps of: downloading (202) a second page (16); storing (203) the second page in the memory (13); waiting (204) for an order to display the second page (16); and having received the order, displaying (205) the second page

(16).

2. The method according to claim 1, where the order to display the second page (16) is given by the browser (10).

3. The method according to claim 2, where the order is triggered by the expiration of a timer.

4. The method according to claim 2, where said order is triggered by the activation of a link to a third page (17).

5. The method according to claim 1, where the order to display the second page (16) is given by the user.

6. The method according to claim 5, where the browser (10) further comprises means for ordering the display of the second page (16), and the user uses the means to order the display of the second page (16).

7. The method according to claim 6, where the means for ordering the display of the second page (16) are comprised in the means for navigation (11) inherent in the browser (10).

8. The method according to claim 6, where the means for ordering the display of the second page (16) is activated when the downloading of the second page (16) has been initiated (202).

9. The method according to claim 7, where the second page (16) is stored in the memory (13) in such a way that activating "Forward" or its equivalence displays it.

10. The method according to claim 1, where a third page (17), accessed while the second page (16) is being downloaded, is downloaded according to the method when the second page (16) is fully downloaded.

11. The method according to claim 1, where a third page (17), accessed while the second page (16) is being downloaded, is downloaded immediately, while the second page (16) is put on hold until the third page (17) is fully downloaded.

12. The method according to claim 1, further enabling the simultaneous download of two or more pages.

13. The method according to claim 1, where the step of storing (203) the second page (16) in the memory (13) is virtually simultaneous with the downloading (202) of the second page (16).

14. The method according to claim 13, where data corresponding to the second page (16) is stored in the memory (13) as soon as it gets downloaded by the browser (10).

15. The method according to claim 13, where data corresponding to the second page (16) is stored in the memory (13) in chunks of data.

16. The method according to claim 1, where the step of waiting (204) for an order to display the second page (16) in the document window (12) is simultaneous with the downloading of a page.

17. The method according to claim 1, where the second page (16) is stored in a different part of the memory (13) than the part occupied by the first page (15).

18. The method according to claim 1, where the browser further comprises a list (18) of identifiers to pages, and where the method further comprises the step of reading the next entry from the list (18), and where the method is executed iteratively for each of the pages on the list (18).

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising iteratively reading entries from the list (18), downloading (202) and storing (203) the corresponding page, while simultaneously waiting (204) for the order to display a page or displaying (205) the same page.

20. Browser (10) for downloading and displaying data, having a document window (12) and a memory (13), where a first page (15) is displayed in the document window (12) and stored in the memory (13), comprising means for: downloading a second page (16); storing the second page in the memory (13); waiting for an order to display the second page (16) in the document window (12); and displaying the second page (16) in the document window (12).

21. The browser (10) according to claim 20, further comprising means for the browser (10) itself to give the order to display the second page (16).

22. The browser (10) according to claim 21, further comprising a timer, the expiration of which triggers the order.

23. The browser (10) according to claim 21, further comprising means to trigger the order upon activation of a link to a third page (17).

24. The browser (10) according to claim 20, further comprising means for the user to give the order to display the second page (16).

25. The browser (10) according to claim 24, where the means for the user to give the order to display the second page (16) are comprised in the means ' for navigation (11) inherent in the browser (10).

26. The browser (10) according to claim 24, where the means for ordering the display of the second page (16) is activated when the downloading of the second page (16) is initiated.

27. The browser (10) according to claim 20, further comprising the means to download a third page (17), accessed while the second page (16) is being downloaded, when the second page (16) is fully downloaded.

28. The browser (10) according to claim 20, further comprising the means to download a third page (17), accessed while the second page (16) is being downloaded, immediately, while the second page (16) is put on hold until the third page (17) is fully downloaded.

29. The browser (10) according to claim 20, further comprising the means to enable the simultaneous download of several pages.

30. The browser (10) according to claim 20, further comprising the means to virtually simultaneously download and store the second page (16) in the memory

(13)

31. The browser (10) according to claim 30, further comprising the means to store data corresponding to the second page (16) in the memory (13) as soon as it gets downloaded by the browser (10).

32. The browser (10) according to claim 30, further comprising the means to store data corresponding to the second page (16) in the memory (13) in chunks made up of the data.

33. The browser (10) according to claim 20, further comprising the means to simultaneously download a page and wait for an order to display the second page ( 16) in the document window (12).

34. The browser (10) according to claim 20, further comprising the means to store the second page (16) in a different part of the memory (13) than the part occupied by the first page (15).

35. The browser (10) according to claim 20, further comprising a list (18) of identifiers to pages, and the means to iteratively read the next entry from the list (18), and to download and store the corresponding pages.

36. The browser (10) according to claim 35, further comprising the means to iteratively read entries from the list (18), download and store the corresponding page, and the means to simultaneously wait for the order to display a page or display the same page.