SLIDING TABS

• US 20070198947A1
• Filed: 02/22/2006
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cox, Patrick, Perry, Jeremy, McGowan, Patrick
• Application Number:
  US11/307,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198947A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/786
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A method to control presentation of multiple tabs and associated content on a display may include distinguishing a selected tab from the multiple tabs and displaying the content associated with the selected tab on the display. The method may also include performing one of a group of functions that may include auto-scrolling the multiple tabs across the display in response to selecting another tab, wherein at least one tab is only partially visible; scrolling at least the unselected tabs in an animated ticker fashion across the display; or facilitating manual scrolling of at least the unselected tabs across the display.

Claims

1. A method to control presentation of multiple tabs and associated content on a display, the method comprising:

distinguishing a selected tab from the multiple tabs and displaying the content associated with the selected tab on the display;

performing one of a group comprising;

auto-scrolling the multiple tabs across the display in response to selecting another tab, wherein at least one tab is only partially visible on the display;

scrolling at least the unselected tabs in an animated ticker fashion across the display; and

facilitating manual scrolling of at least the unselected tabs across the display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein facilitating manual scrolling comprises presenting one of a sliding means and a scroll bar.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein facilitating manual scrolling comprises manually scrolling at least the unselected tabs in response to operation of one of a function key, a multi-position button, a touchpad, and a joystick, on a device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving a newly selected tab of the multiple tabs to a predetermined location on the display in response to the newly selected tab being selected.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving a newly selected tab of the multiple tabs to a leftmost tab position on the display in response to the newly selected tab being selected.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising scrolling the multiple tabs in a re-circulating fashion in a predefined sequential order.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining the multiple tabs in a predefined sequential order during auto-scrolling and scrolling.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising auto-scrolling the multiple tabs only in response to the partially visible tab being selected.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein scrolling at least the unselected tabs in an animated ticker fashion comprises continuously sliding the multiple tabs in a predefined sequential order across the display behind the selected tab.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising sliding the multiple tabs at a predetermined speed to permit selecting a new tab.

11. A system for at least one of computing and communicating, comprising:

a display; and

a module to control presentation of multiple tabs and associated content of each tab on the display, wherein only some tabs of the multiple tabs are substantially completely visible on the display simultaneously and the multiple tabs being slidable to present any partially visible and non-visible tabs.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the module to control presentation of multiple tabs and associated content is adapted to perform one of a group comprising:

auto-scrolling the multiple tabs across the display in response to selecting another tab, wherein at least one tab is only partially visible;

scrolling at least the unselected tabs in an animated ticker fashion across the display; and

facilitating manual scrolling of at least the unselected tabs across the display.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising one of a sliding means and a scroll bar presentable on the display to facilitate manual scrolling of the multiple tabs.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising a predetermined location on the display to where a newly selected tab is movable in response to selection.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a processor, wherein the module to control presentation of the multiple tab is operable on the processor; and

a transceiver coupleable to the processor for communications.

16. A computer program product to control presentation of multiple tabs and associated content on a display, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therein, the computer usable medium comprising;

computer usable program code configured to distinguish a selected tab from the multiple tabs and to display the content associated with the selected tab on the display; and

computer usable program code configured to perform one of a group comprising;

auto-scrolling the multiple tabs across the display in response to selecting another tab, wherein at least one tab is only partially visible;

scrolling at least the unselected tabs in an animated ticker fashion across the display; and

facilitating manual scrolling of at least the unselected tabs across the display.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising computer usable program code configured to scroll at least the unselected tabs in response to operation of one of a virtual sliding means, a virtual scroll bar rendered on the display, a function key, a multi-position button, a touchpad and a joystick on a device.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising computer usable program code configured to move a new tab of the multiple tabs to a predetermined location on the display in response to the new tab being selected.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising computer usable program code configured to scroll the multiple tabs in a re-circulating fashion in a predefined sequential order.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to auto-scroll the multiple tabs only in response to the partially visible tab being selected.

21. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising computer usable program code configured to continuously slide the multiple tabs in the animated ticker fashion at a predetermined speed to permit selecting a new tab.