APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR STAGING BOOKMARKS

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus and method for intermediate storage of tentative bookmark information is disclosed. The bookmark staging mechanism of the present invention allows a web user, during a browsing session, to temporarily "stage" or "mark" visited sites as potential bookmarks. At the close of the browsing session, or at some other appropriate time during the browsing session, the user can review the list of staged bookmarks and "promote" any or all staged bookmarks while simultaneously discarding any undesired bookmarks. The promoted bookmarks become part of the user's standard bookmark file and can be accessed at a later time, as desired. In addition, the user has the option of quitting the browser and saving the staging area, with the intermediate or staged bookmarks intact. The user can then return at a later time and continue the same search, using the previously staged bookmarks. This unique process allows a user to maintain a list of high-quality bookmarks that will lead the user back to the sites which are most suited to the user's specific information needs. A user can bookmark any and all promising sites without worrying about the possibility of spending hours deleting bookmarks that ultimately prove less valuable. Similarly, a user can bookmark even less promising sites and, if no better sites materialize during subsequent searching, promote those staged sites to the permanent bookmark file for later use.