Systems and methods for enabling a user to operate on displayed web content via a web browser plug-in
A method and apparatus is disclosed that transmits a plug-in module to a web browser of a client computer. The web browser displays web content in a main window. The plug-in module, when activated, causes the web browser to display a user interface to a user of the client computer. The user interface is separate from the main window of the web browser, displays at least a portion of the web content, and is configured to enable the user to operate on the displayed at least a portion of the web content.
1. A method comprising:
transmitting, by a server computer, a plug-in module to a web browser of a client computer, the web browser displaying web content in a main window;
transmitting, by the server computer, the plug-in module to a second client computer;
receiving, at the server computer, a URL from the plug-in module at the second client computer;
identifying, by the server computer, the web content in an index based on the URL received from the second client computer; and
transmitting, by the server computer, an advertisement to the second client computer for display.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting of the plug-in module further comprises transmitting the plug-in module to the web browser to cause the web browser to display a user interface, the user interface further configured to enable the user to provide a rating for the web content.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting of the plug-in module further comprises transmitting the plug-in module to the web browser to cause the web browser to display a user interface, the user interface further configured to enable the user to provide a comment for the web content.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting of the plug-in module further comprises transmitting the plug-in module to the web browser to cause the web browser to display a user interface, the user interface further configured to enable the user to submit the web content to a search engine.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting of the plug-in module further comprises transmitting the plug-in module to the web browser to cause the web browser to display a user interface, the user interface further configured to enable the user to identify the web content for submission to a search engine.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting of the plug-in module further comprises transmitting the plug-in module to the web browser to cause the web browser to display a user interface, the user interface further configured to transmit a URL of the displayed web content to the server computer for extraction of the displayed at least a portion of the web content.
7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising extracting, by the server computer, the at least a portion of the web content from the displayed web content after receiving the URL.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting of the plug-in module further comprises transmitting the plug-in module to the web browser to cause the web browser to display a user interface, the user interface further configured to enable the user to post at least some of the web content to a social networking site.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the displaying of the web content in a user interface further comprises displaying representative information of the web content selected from a group of representative information types consisting of a picture, an icon, a sentence, and a paragraph in the web content.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting of the plug-in module further comprises transmitting the plug-in module to the web browser to cause the web browser to display a user interface, the user interface further configured to display advertisements posted by other users who have communicated with the server computer for a plug-in module.
11. A server computer comprising:
a processor; and
a storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising:
transmission logic executed by the processor for transmitting a plug-in module to a web browser of a client computer, the web browser displaying web content in a main window;
transmission logic executed by the processor for transmitting a plug-in module to a web browser of a second client computer;
logic executed by the processor for receiving a URL from the plug-in module at the second client computer;
logic executed by the processor for identifying the web content in an index based on the URL received from the second client computer; and
transmission logic executed by the processor for transmitting an advertisement to the second client computer for display.
12. The server computer of claim 11 , wherein the transmission logic for transmitting the plug-in module further comprises transmission logic for transmitting the plug-in module to the web browser to cause the web browser to display a user interface, the user interface further configured to enable the user to provide a rating for the web content.
13. The server computer of claim 11 , wherein the transmission logic for transmitting the plug-in module further comprises transmission logic for transmitting the plug-in module to the web browser to cause the web browser to display a user interface, the user interface further configured to enable the user to provide a comment for the web content.
14. The server computer of claim 11 , wherein the transmission logic for transmitting the plug-in module further comprises transmission logic for transmitting the plug-in module to the web browser to cause the web browser to display a user interface, the user interface further configured to enable the user to submit the web content to a search engine.
15. The server computer of claim 11 , wherein the transmission logic for transmitting the plug-in module further comprises transmission logic for transmitting the plug-in module to the web browser to cause the web browser to display a user interface, the user interface further configured to enable the user to identify the web content for submission to a search engine.
16. The server computer of claim 11 , wherein the transmission logic for transmitting the plug-in module further comprises transmission logic for transmitting the plug-in module to the web browser to cause the web browser to display a user interface, the user interface further configured to transmit a URL of the displayed web content to the server computer for extraction of the displayed at least a portion of the web content.
17. The server computer of claim 16 , further comprising extraction logic executed by the processor for extracting the at least a portion of the web content from the displayed web content after receiving the URL.
18. The server computer of claim 11 , wherein the transmission logic for transmitting the plug-in module further comprises transmission logic for transmitting the plug-in module to the web browser to cause the web browser to display a user interface, the user interface further configured to enable the user to post at least some of the web content to a social networking site.
19. The server computer of claim 11 , wherein the transmission logic for transmitting the plug-in module further comprises transmission logic for transmitting the plug-in module to the web browser to cause the web browser to display a user interface, the user interface further configured to display representative information of the web content selected from a group of representative information types consisting of a picture, an icon, a sentence, and a paragraph in the web content.
20. A system, comprising:
a server computer comprising:
a processor; and
a storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising:
transmission logic executed by the processor for transmitting a plug-in module to a web browser of a client computer, the web browser displaying web content in a main window;
transmission logic executed by the processor for transmitting a plug-in module to a web browser of a second client computer;
logic executed by the processor for receiving a URL from the plug-in module at the second client computer;
logic executed by the processor for identifying the web content in an index based on the URL received from the second client computer; and
transmission logic executed by the processor for transmitting an advertisement to the second client computer for display.