Scrolling web pages using direct interaction

• US 20060048071A1
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jarrett, Robert J., Duncan, Richard J., Rimas-Ribikauskas, Emily K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,434,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention provide a system and method for scrolling or dragging information on a display. A panning tool is provided that may scroll information, such as a web page, on a display in tandem with movement of a cursor. If interactive elements are present on the page or document, an interactive element may be activated as desired. Scrolling may be accomplished with the panning tool either on non-interactive elements or interactive elements that are not required to be activated. Furthermore, inertia of movement of the information on a display is optimized and autoscrolling is provided in which a page or document may be scrolled without dragging.

Claims

1. A method of providing a display control mechanism for information in a data processing system, comprising:

displaying information in a display area on a display in said data processing system, the displayed information comprising at least one of an interactive element or a non-interactive element;

displaying a cursor on said display, said cursor capable of being activated by an input device;

determining if display information in the display area on the display is to be scrolled based on movement of said cursor after being activated and position of said cursor on said display in relation to the at least one of an interactive element or a non-interactive element; and

scrolling the displayed information in tandem with moving said cursor in the display area if an element underlying said cursor when activated in the display area is a non-interactive element.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the displayed information is scrolled in tandem with moving said cursor in the display area if an element underlying said cursor when activated in the display area is selected from the group consisting of a button, checkbox, radio, ONCLICK Javascript handler and a cursor with attribute set to hand.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising activating an element underlying the cursor when the cursor is activated in the display area if said element is an interactive element.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein displayed information is not scrolled in tandem with moving the cursor if the element underlying the cursor when the cursor is activated in the display area is an interactive element.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said interactive element is selected from the group consisting of a scrollbar, an editing handle, a hyperlink, a text box, a password box, an applet, an object, an ONDRAGSTART Javascript handler, Javascript/DHTML, ActiveX, JAVA applets, and an ONMOUSEDOWN Javascript handler.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the information is a web page.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the direction of the scrolling of the displayed information is within a tolerance range of the direction of the moving of the cursor.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the tolerance range is 20 pixels.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the direction of scrolling of the displayed information is horizontal or vertical.

10. A system for providing a display control mechanism for information in a data processing system, comprising:

a display for displaying information in a display area and displaying a cursor, the displayed information comprising at least one of an interactive element or a non-interactive element, said cursor capable of being activated by an input device;

a processor for determining if display information in the display area on the display is to be scrolled based on movement of said cursor after being activated and position of said cursor on said display in relation to the at least one of an interactive element or a non-interactive element,

wherein the displayed information is scrolled in the display in tandem with moving said cursor in the display area if an element underlying said cursor when activated in the display area is a non-interactive element.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the displayed information is scrolled in tandem with moving said cursor in the display area if an element underlying said cursor when activated in the display area is selected from the group consisting of a button, checkbox, radio, ONCLICK Javascript handler and a cursor with attribute set to hand.

12. The system of claim 10 further comprising activating an element underlying the cursor when the cursor is activated in the display area if said element is an interactive element.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein displayed information is not scrolled in tandem with moving the cursor if the element underlying the cursor when the cursor is activated in the display area is an interactive element.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said interactive element is selected from the group consisting of a scrollbar, an editing handle, a hyperlink, a text box, a password box, an applet, an object, an ONDRAGSTART Javascript handler, Javascript/DHTML, ActiveX, JAVA applets, and an ONMOUSEDOWN Javascript handler.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the information is a web page.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the direction of the scrolling of the displayed information is within a tolerance range of the direction of the moving of the cursor.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the tolerance range is 20 pixels.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the direction of scrolling of the displayed information is horizontal or vertical.

19. A computer-readable medium comprising executable code for performing the steps of:

displaying information in a display area on a display, the displayed information comprising at least one of an interactive element or a non-interactive element;

displaying a cursor on said display, said cursor capable of being activated by an input device;

determining if display information in the display area on the display is to be scrolled based on movement of said cursor after being activated and position of said cursor on said display in relation to the at least one of an interactive element or a non-interactive element; and

scrolling the displayed information in tandem with moving said cursor in the display area if an element underlying said cursor when activated in the display area is a non-interactive element.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the displayed information is scrolled in tandem with moving said cursor in the display area if an element underlying said cursor when activated in the display area is selected from the group consisting of a button, checkbox, radio, ONCLICK Javascript handler and a cursor with attribute set to hand.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 further comprising activating an element underlying the cursor when the cursor is activated in the display area if said element is an interactive element.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein displayed information is not scrolled in tandem with moving the cursor if the element underlying the cursor when the cursor is activated in the display area is an interactive element.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 wherein said interactive element is selected from the group consisting of a scrollbar, an editing handle, a hyperlink, a text box, a password box, an applet, an object, an ONDRAGSTART Javascript handler, Javascript/DHTML, ActiveX, JAVA applets, and an ONMOUSEDOWN Javascript handler.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the information is a web page.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the direction of the scrolling of the displayed information is within a tolerance range of the direction of the moving of the cursor.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 25 wherein the tolerance range is 20 pixels.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 25 wherein the direction of scrolling of the displayed information is horizontal or vertical.

28-99. -99. (canceled)