Method, apparatus, and program for associating successive repointing of a browser's load function with navigational links in web pages

Abstract

A mechanism is provided for associating a locational affinity between a series link and a cursor or other control to allow consistent paging through a series of pages without having to physically scroll the page and relocate the cursor over the link. A web browser scans for key phrases or words in links, as well as other indications of sequentiality, such as incrementing numbers and alphabetical patterns. The browser may scan the link text, uniform resource locators, graphic filenames, and alt text associated with graphics. When a series link is identified, such as a link to a “next” or “previous” page, the browser may automatically scroll the page and reposition the mouse cursor over the link. The browser may also provide a right-click menu that provides menu items associated with next page and previous page links. Furthermore, the browser may provide buttons in a toolbar for navigation between next page and previous page links. Preferences may be defined by the user for customizing the key words and interface options in order to identify series links.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.