Navigation pattern on a directory tree

• US 20050102635A1
• Filed: 10/05/2004
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jiang, Zhaowei Charlie, Cui, Yingquing Lawrence
• Granted Patent: US 7,343,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/851
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Navigation management occurs in a mobile device during a directory up-down scroll and it involves a user interface and a directory (e.g., mobile directory of photos). The directory is a tree-shaped hierarchy of nodes such that any node on the directory is selectable by a user via the user interface. This way navigation can flow up-down through the directory. Additionally, the navigation management involves associating a state and one or more action items with each node and saving the state. The state is an expanded or collapsed condition of the node. If the state of a particular node is expanded, additional nodes at a lower level of the hierarchy are presented to the user. If its state is collapsed only that particular node is presented and the other nodes are hidden. The user interface includes for any node selected by the user its associated one or more action items.

Claims

1. A method for managing navigation in mobile devices, comprising:

providing user interface in a mobile device;

constructing a directory as a tree-shaped hierarchy of nodes;

providing the directory such that any node on the directory is selectable by a user via the user interface, whereby navigation can flow up-down through the directory;

associating a state and one or more action items with each node;

saving the state of each node, the state being an expanded or collapsed condition of the node, wherein if the state of a particular node is expanded additional nodes at a lower level of the hierarchy are presented to the user, otherwise if the state is collapsed only that particular node is presented and the other nodes are hidden; and

for any node selected by the user providing in the user interface its associated one or more action items.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the directory is a mobile album.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the nodes in the tree-shaped hierarchy include a root node and any number of child nodes, and wherein any node that is childless is a leaf node which in the mobile album is a photo.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein for any node that is selected by the user, the one or more action items associated with that node are action choices provided in the user interface either as icons or as menu items.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein for any node selectable by the user during the up-down navigation the number of action items associated with such node is determined by its nature, there being provided only action items that apply to such node.

6. A method as in claim 5, further comprising providing overflow indicators when the number of these action items exceeds a maximum number of action items that fit in the user interface, wherein the overflow indicators enable the user to scroll back a forth through all these action items.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein, initially, a visible part of the directory provided to the user includes a top level of the tree-shaped hierarchy of nodes in a collapsed state, but as selected ones of these nodes are toggled they are expanded and more nodes, at a lower level of the hierarchy, are made visible and when toggled again these higher-level nodes are again collapsed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a wireless device.

9. A computer readable medium embodying a computer program with program code for managing navigation in mobile devices, comprising:

program code for providing user interface in a mobile device;

program code for constructing a directory as a tree-shaped hierarchy of nodes;

program code for providing the directory such that any node on the directory is selectable by a user via the user interface, whereby navigation can flow up-down through the directory;

program code for associating a state and one or more action items with each node;

saving the state of each node, the state being an expanded or collapsed condition of the node, wherein if the state of a particular node is expanded additional nodes at a lower level of the hierarchy are presented to the user, otherwise if the state is collapsed only that particular node is presented and the other nodes are hidden; and

program code for providing in the user interface for any node selected by the user its associated one or more action items.

10. A computer readable medium as in claim 9, wherein the directory is a mobile album.

11. A computer readable medium as in claim 10, wherein the nodes in the tree-shaped hierarchy include a root node and any number of child nodes, and wherein any node that is childless is a leaf node which in the mobile album is a photo.

12. A computer readable medium as in claim 9, wherein for any node that is selected by the user, the one or more action items associated with that node are action choices provided in the user interface either as icons or as menu items.

13. A computer readable medium as in claim 9, wherein for any node selectable by the user during the up-down navigation the number of action items associated with such node is determined by its nature, there being provided only action items that apply to such node.

14. A computer readable medium as in claim 13, further comprising program code for providing overflow indicators when the number of these action items exceeds a maximum number of action items that fit in the user interface, wherein the overflow indicators enable the user to scroll back a forth through all these action items.

15. A computer readable medium as in claim 9, wherein, initially, a visible part of the directory provided to the user includes a top level of the tree-shaped hierarchy of nodes in a collapsed state, but as selected ones of these nodes are toggled they are expanded and more nodes, at a lower level of the hierarchy, are made visible and when toggled again these higher-level nodes are again collapsed.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the mobile device is a wireless device.

17. A system for providing management of navigation in a mobile device, comprising:

a processor;

a screen for user interface; and

a memory embodying a client-side program with program code for causing the processor to perform steps, including;

providing the user interface;

constructing a directory as a tree-shaped hierarchy of nodes;

providing the directory such that any node on the directory is selectable by a user via the user interface, whereby navigation can flow up-down through the directory;

associating a state and one or more action items with each node;

saving in the memory the state of each node, the state being an expanded or collapsed condition of the node, wherein if the state of a particular node is expanded additional nodes at a lower level of the hierarchy are presented to the user, otherwise if the state is collapsed only that particular node is presented and the other nodes are hidden; and

for any node selected by the user providing in the user interface its associated one or more action items.

18. A system as in claim 17, wherein the directory is a mobile album.

19. A system as in claim 18, wherein the nodes in the tree-shaped hierarchy include a root node and any number of child nodes, and wherein any node that is childless is a leaf node which in the mobile album is a photo.

20. A system as in claim 17, wherein for any node that is selected by the user, the one or more action items associated with that node are action choices provided in the user interface either as icons or as menu items.

21. A system as in claim 17, wherein for any node selectable by the user during the up-down navigation the number of action items associated with such node is determined by its nature, there being provided only action items that apply to such node.

22. A system as in claim 21, wherein the client-side program has further program code for causing the processor to perform the further step of providing overflow indicators when the number of these action items exceeds a maximum number of action items that fit in the user interface, wherein the overflow indicators enable the user to scroll back a forth through all these action items.

23. A system as in claim 17, wherein, initially, a visible part of the directory provided to the user includes a top level of the tree-shaped hierarchy of nodes in a collapsed state, but as selected ones of these nodes are toggled they are expanded and more nodes, at a lower level of the hierarchy, are made visible and when toggled again these higher-level nodes are again collapsed.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the mobile device is a wireless device.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the mobile device is a wireless camera phone.