Page element identifier pre-classification for user interface behavior in a communications system
View Patent ↗Systems and methods are described for modifying user interface behavior according to page element identifier pre-classification. For example, a number of content page (e.g., webpage) element identifiers (e.g., object classes or identifiers) are pre-classified as linking to associated media objects. When a content page or domain is requested by a user's web interface, the response is intercepted and analyzed to see if it has pre-classified element identifiers. If so, a script is injected in the webpage code or otherwise communicated to the requesting web interface, and the script is executed at the client side. Having executed the script, when a user interacts with a page element having one of the pre-classified element identifiers, the user interface is modified to provide enhanced functionality relating to the media object linked to by the page element.
1. A method for modifying graphical user interface behavior according to element pre-classification, the method comprising:
fetching and analyzing content page code for a content page to determine which page elements within the content page code link to an associated media object;
generating a set of pre-classified element identifiers for the page elements by pre-classifying the page elements that link to the associated media object;
requesting, via a web interface of the user system, the content page from a content server over a network;
receiving the content page code for the content page at the web interface in response to the requesting step;
determining that the content page is associated with the set of pre-classified element identifiers;
requesting the set of pre-classified element identifiers in response to determining that the content page is associated with the set of pre-classified element identifiers;
receiving the set of pre-classified element identifiers in response to the request for the set of pre-classified element identifiers; and
executing a script at the web interface, so that detecting a user interaction with a page element of the content page via a graphical user interface causes the web interface to:
determine whether an identifier of the interacted page element is one of the set of pre-classified element identifiers of the content page indicating that the interacted page element links to an associated media object at a network location separate from the content page; and
modify the graphical user interface by displaying, in response to detecting the user interaction when the identifier of the interacted page element is one of the set of pre-classified element identifiers of the webpage, a graphical element in graphical association with the interacted page element, the graphical element including information relating to the media object linked to by the interacted page element.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving the script along with the content page code at the web interface in response to the requesting step.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, by the user system, the request from the web interface for the content page from the content source; and
issuing, by the user system, a redirect response to the web interface that causes the web interface to issue a second request to a redirect address,
wherein the script is communicated to the user system from the redirect address in response to the second request.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the executing step is performed in response to the receiving step.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifier of the page element is an object class or ID.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the web interface is a web browser, and the script is executed by a plug-in of the web browser.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the user interaction with the page element comprises detecting a mouse event in a location associated with one of the set of page elements.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content page is a webpage or a client application page.
9. A user system in communication with a plurality of content servers via a communications network, the system comprising:
a web interface; and
a client optimizer in communication with the web interface and comprising a processor operable to:
fetch and analyze content page code for a content page to determine which page elements within the content page code link to an associated media object;
generate a set of pre-classified element identifiers for the page elements by pre-classifying the page elements that link to the associated media object;
request, via the web interface, the content page from one of the content servers over the communications network;
receive the content page code for the content page at the web interface in response to the request;
determine that the content page is associated with one of a set of pre-classified domains;
request the set of pre-classified element identifiers from the web interface via the network in response to determining that the content page is associated with one of the set of pre-classified domains;
receive the set of pre-classified element identifiers via the network in response to the request for the set of pre-classified element identifiers; and
execute a script at the web interface, thereby configuring the web interface so that detecting a user interaction with a page element in the retrieved content page via a graphical user interface causes the web interface to:
determine whether an identifier of the interacted page element is one of the set of pre-classified element identifiers of the content page indicating that the interacted page element links to an associated media object at a network location separate from the retrieved content page; and
modify the graphical user interface by displaying, in response to detecting the user interaction when the identifier of the interacted page element is one of the set of pre-classified element identifiers of the webpage, a graphical element in graphical association with the interacted page element, the graphical element including information relating to the media object linked to by the interacted page element.
10. The user system of claim 9 , wherein executing the script renders the client optimizer operable via the web interface to:
detect that a mouse event of the graphical user interface is in a location associated with one of the page elements associated with one of the pre-classified page element identifiers; and
modify the graphical user interface behavior by displaying, in response to the detecting, a graphical element in graphical association with the one of the page elements, the graphical element displaying information relating to the media object linked to by the one of the page elements.
11. The user system of claim 9 , wherein executing the script renders the client optimizer operable via the web interface to:
detect that a mouse event of the graphical user interface is in a location associated with one of the page elements associated with one of the pre-classified page element identifiers;
determine the media object linked to by the one of the page elements; and
query outside the web interface to determine a present local availability of the media object linked to by the one of the page elements.