Methods, Apparatus and Computer Programs for Navigating Within a User Interface

• US 20070209007A1
• Filed: 02/21/2007
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Phillips, Mark Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,966,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer program are disclosed for navigating within a user interface. Navigation within the user interface is monitored and, if detected navigation instructions satisfy a predefined criterion such as if they exceed a predefined rate of movement, one or more return points or bookmarks within the user interface are recorded to facilitate return to those positions.

Claims

1. A method for navigating within a user interface of a data processing apparatus, comprising the steps of:

detecting a user-initiated navigation instruction for navigating from a first position within the user interface to a second position;

determining whether the navigation instruction satisfies a predefined criterion; and

in response to the navigation instruction satisfying the predefined criterion, recording the first position to enable a user to return to the first position by initiating a predefined return instruction.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps, subsequent to recording the first position, of:

detecting a predefined user-initiated instruction to return to the first position; and

in response to said detecting step, returning from the second position to the first position.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of recording the first position comprises:

recording the first position as a candidate return point in response to detecting one of a set of navigation instructions; and

recording the candidate return point as an active return point in response to determining that the navigation instruction satisfies the predefined criterion.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined criterion relates to a movement parameter of a user-initiated navigation within the user interface.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the movement parameter is a distance between the first position and the second position, and the predefined criterion is whether the distance exceeds a threshold distance.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the movement parameter is a rate of movement comprising a measure of movement relative to a time period.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said rate of movement is calculated directly from said navigation commands.

8. A method according to claim 4, wherein the navigation instruction comprises a sequence of user interactions with the data processing apparatus, wherein the movement parameter is a time difference between user interactions of the sequence, and wherein the predefined criterion is whether the time difference is less than a threshold.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the navigation instruction satisfies a predefined criterion comprises checking whether the navigation instruction is a search instruction.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the navigation instruction satisfies a predefined criterion comprises checking whether the navigation instruction is an instruction Within the group comprising a Ctrl-Home instruction and a Ctrl-End instruction.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined criterion is defined relative to a known pattern of navigation for a current user of the data processing apparatus.

12. A method according to claim 1, in which said first position is recorded only if data has been displayed to said user at said first position for longer than a predetermined time threshold.

13. A method according to claim 1, in which the steps of detecting, determining and recording are repeated for a plurality of positions within the user interface.

14. A method according to claim 13, in which any one of said plurality of recorded positions is selectable by said user to enable return to the selected position in response to a predefined user command.

15. A method according to claim 14 in which said plurality of positions are displayed for selection in relative time or position order.

16. A method according to claim 1, in which said user interface includes a displayed document.

17. A method according to claim 1, in which said first position and said second position are both recorded and are marked so as to be identifiable by said user as the start and end respectively of a navigation instruction which satisfies said predefined criterion.

18. An apparatus for supporting navigation within a user interface, the apparatus comprising:

means for presenting a user interface;

means for detecting a user-initiated navigation instruction for navigating from a first position within the user interface to a second position;

means for determining whether the navigation instruction satisfies a predefined criterion; and

means, responsive to the navigation instruction satisfying the predefined criterion, for recording the first position to enable a user to return to the first position by initiating a predefined return instruction.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for presenting a user interface is a display device.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for detecting, means for determining and means for recording are implemented in computer program code.