EP0817099A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Client-side, Server-side and collaborative spell check of URL's
Assignee: Sun Microsystems Inc
•
Filing: 1997-06-23
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2017-06-23
Abstract
Abstract Spell checking of network addresses such as Uniform Resource Locator (URL) addresses is provided at three levels. Each is invoked when a connection to the specified network address is unable to be established. At a client level, the specified URL is compared with URL's previously successfully used to find candidate misspellings. At a server level, directory and file names are checked against corresponding components of the URL to which connection was requested to return a list of candidate correct spellings to the requestor. Excluded from the list returned to the requestor are the correct spellings of "hidden" files to which general access is not desired. At a network access provider level, information about URL's successfully used by all customers is accumulated and used to provide a candidate list of correct spellings to a user. Older entries are periodically pruned from the database to control size.
Inventors
- 👤 Jakob Nielsen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 23:02
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/90; G06F16/95; G06F16/955; G06F16/9566
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
110 words
Apparatus for checking spelling of network
addresses, comprising: a. a first database containing valid network
protocol names; b. a second database containing valid network server
names; c. a third database containing valid component
names; and d. a computer configured to analyze a network
address, used in an attempt to establish a connection to that
address but which did not result in a connection, to compare
portions of that address with one of said first, second or
third databases containing corresponding information and
present to a user one or more alternative spellings of that
address if a portion of that address does not match
identically a valid entry in the database.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
42 words
Apparatus of claim 1 in which said one or more
alternative spellings are presented in a form so that a user
my select one of said alternative spellings with an input
device and attempt to connect again using the selected
alternative spelling.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
97 words
Apparatus for checking spelling of network
addresses received at a server having a hierarchical directory
structure from a remote user, comprising: a. a database containing names of hidden files; b. and a computer configured to analyze network
addresses term by term beyond the server address, to compare
portions of an address with corresponding portions of the
hierarchical directory and to present to said remote user one
or more alternative spellings if a directory or file name does
not match identically a valid entry in the hierarchical
directory, unless such an alternative spelling is contained in
said database.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
43 words
Apparatus of claim 3 in which said one or more
alternative spellings are presented in a form so that said
remote user can select one of said alternative spellings with
an input device and attempt to connect again using the
selected alternative spelling.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
100 words
Apparatus for checking spelling of network
addresses received from a remote user at a network access
provider, comprising: a. a database containing remote server names to
which users have successfully connected; b. a database containing network addresses; and c. a computer configured to analyze a network
addresses, received from a remote user which did not result in
a connection, to compare portions of that address with
portions of each database containing corresponding information
and present to a user one or more alternative spellings if a
portion of a network address does not identically match a
valid entry in the databases.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
43 words
Apparatus of claim 5 in which said one or more
alternative spellings are presented in a form so that said
remote user can select one of said alternative spellings with
an input device and attempt to connect again using the
selected alternative spelling.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
42 words
A system for checking spelling of network
addresses received from a user, comprising at least any two of
a client spell checker, a network access provider spell
checker and a server spell checker resident on respective
computers connected to a communications network.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
35 words
A system for checking spelling of network
addresses received from a user, comprising: a. a network; and b. a computer connected to said network configured
to spell check network addresses and to suggest alternative
spellings.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of claim 8 in which said computer is
operated as a client in a client-server mode.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of claim 8 in which said computer is
operated as a server in a client-server mode.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 8 in which said computer is
operated as a network access provider.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
100 words
A method of checking spelling of network
addresses, comprising the steps of: a. performing of a step of comparing a portion of a
network address received from a user which did not result in
a connection with entries in a database containing
corresponding portions of network addresses which had
previously resulted in connections; and b. performing of a step of identifying candidate
matches from the database which match imperfectly a portion of
a network address, and c. performing of a step of when one or more
candidate matches is found, providing a list of said candidate
matches to said user.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 12, in which candidate
matches are provided to a user in a hypertext format which
permits selection and use of one of said candidate matches in
a connection request by clicking on a candidate match.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
85 words
A method of checking spelling of network
addresses in a server having a hierarchical directory,
comprising the steps of: a. performing a step of comparing a portion of a
network address received from a remote user which did not
result in access to a document on the server with
corresponding portions of the hierarchical directory, and b. performing a step of presenting to said remote
user alternative spellings if a directory or file name does
not match identically a valid entry in the hierarchical
directory.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 14 in which the names of
hidden files are excluded from the list of alternative
spellings presented to a user.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
115 words
A method of checking spelling of network
addresses at a network access provider, comprising the steps
of: a. providing an element for performing the step of
storing remote server names and network addresses, to which
network access provider users have successfully connected, in
one or more databases; b. providing an element for performing the step of
comparing portions of an address received from a network
access provider user which did not result in a connection,
with corresponding portions said database; and c. providing an element for performing the step of
presenting to said network access provider user alternative
spellings if a portion of an address does not identically
match a valid entry in the database.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
90 words
A computer program product, comprising: a. a memory medium; and b. a computer program stored on said memory medium,
said computer program containing instructions for comparing a
portion of a network address received from a user, which did
not result in a connection, with entries in a database of
network addresses, which previously resulted in a connection,
to identify candidate matches which match imperfectly the
network address received from the user, and when one or more
candidate matches is found, providing a list of said candidate
matches to said user.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
93 words
A computer program product for checking spelling
of network addresses in a server having a hierarchical
directory, comprising: a. a memory medium; and b. a computer program stored on said memory medium,
said computer program containing instructions for comparing a
portion of a network address received from a user which did
not result in access to a document on the server with
corresponding portions of the hierarchical directory and to
present to a user alternative spellings if a directory or file
name does not match identically a valid entry in the
hierarchical directory.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
101 words
A computer program product for checking spelling
of network addresses in a server having a hierarchical
directory, comprising: a. a memory medium; and b. a computer program stored on said memory medium,
said computer program containing instructions for storing
remote server names and network addresses to which users have
successfully connected in one or more databases, comparing
portions of an address received from a user which did not
result in a connection with corresponding portions of said
database; and presenting to a user alternative spellings if a
portion of an address does not match identically a valid entry
in the database.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.