Methods, systems, and computer program products for grouping tabbed portion of a display object based on content relationships and user interaction levels

• US 20080005686A1
• Filed: 06/28/2006
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scenera Technologies LLC (Scenera Research LLC)
• Original Assignee: Scenera Technologies LLC (Scenera Research LLC)
• Inventors: Singh, Mona
• Granted Patent: US 9,195,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for grouping tabbed portions of a display object based on content relationships and user interaction levels are disclosed. According to one method, a display object including one or more tabbed portions is provided for display via a computer display device. A level of user interaction associated with each of the tabbed portions is monitored. User input for adding new information to the display object is received. A level of content relationship between the new information and the information including in the at least one of the tabbed portions is determined. A new tabbed portion is created and grouped with the at least one tabbed portion based on the determined level of content relationship and the level of user interaction associated with the at least one tabbed portion.

Claims

1. A method for grouping tabbed portions of a display object based on content relationships and user interaction levels, the method comprising:

providing a display object including one or more tabbed portions for display to a user via a computer display device;

monitoring a level of user interaction associated with each of the tabbed portions;

receiving user input for adding new information to the display object;

determining a level of content relationship between the new information and information included in at least one of the tabbed portions; and

creating a new tabbed portion including the new information and grouping the new tabbed portion with the at least one tabbed portion based on the determined level of content relationship and the level of user interaction associated with the at least one tabbed portion.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a display object including one or more tabbed portions includes providing a window object including one or more folder tabs.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a display object including one or more tabbed portions includes providing a window object controllable by a web browser to control display of one or more web pages as one or more folder tabs.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring a level of user interaction associated with each of the tabbed portions includes, for each tabbed portion, monitoring at least one of a recency of user interaction associated with the tabbed portion and an amount of time associated with the user interaction.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring a level of user interaction associated with each tabbed portion includes, for each tabbed portion, detecting when the tabbed portion has focus and monitoring a time during which the tabbed portion maintains focus.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring a level of user interaction associated with each of the tabbed portions includes, for each tabbed portion, monitoring an amount of user input associated with the tabbed portion.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving user input for adding information to the display object includes receiving user input for adding a web page as a tabbed portion to the display object.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving user input for adding information to the display object includes detecting at least one of:

an activation of a link displayed a tabbed portion;

an entering of information associated with an element of the display object;

a request for adding the information from executable code associated with the display object; and

a request for adding the information from an application program not directly associated with the display object.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a level of content relationship between the new information and information included in at least one of the tabbed portions includes comparing a portion of the new information to be or being associated with an element of the new tabbed portion and information associated with an element of the at least one tabbed portion and assigning a score to the content relationship between the new information and the information included in the at least one tabbed portion based on results of the comparison.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the elements of the tabbed portions include at least one of a title bar, a tab bar, a location bar, a search bar, a tool bar, a status bar, a browser pane, a history pane, a favorites pane, a link associated with at least one of the browser, history, and favorites pane, metadata, a header portion, a footer portion, information included in a list item, and a control.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the portions of information compared are associated with corresponding elements of the new and the at least one tabbed portion to be grouped.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein grouping the new tabbed portion with the at least one tabbed portion includes identifying a first tabbed portion from the plurality of tabbed portions having a highest level of content relationship among the plurality of tabbed portions with the new information, determining whether the first tabbed portion has a level of user interaction that exceeds a threshold, and, in response to determining that the level of user interaction associated with the first tabbed portion exceeds the threshold, grouping the new tabbed portion with the first tabbed portion.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein grouping the new tabbed portion with the at least one tabbed portion includes, in response to determining that the first tabbed portion does not have a level of user interaction that exceeds the threshold, refraining from grouping the new tabbed portion with the first tabbed portion and selecting a second tabbed portion having a second highest level of content relationship with the new information as a candidate for grouping with the new tabbed portion.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein grouping the new tabbed portion with the at least one tabbed portion includes associating the new tabbed portion with the at least one tabbed portion as a parent of the at least one tabbed portion in response to the at least one tabbed portion having a first level of user interaction and a first level of content relationship with the new information.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein grouping the new tabbed portion with the at least one tabbed portion includes associating the new tabbed portion with the at least one tabbed portion as a child of the at least one tabbed portion in response to the at least one tabbed portion having a second level of user interaction higher than the first level of user interaction and at least the first level of content relationship with the new information.

16. The method of claim 1 comprising displaying the new tabbed portion with the at least one tabbed portion in a manner that illustrates the grouping between the new tabbed portion and the at least one tabbed portion.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein displaying the new tabbed portion with the at least one tabbed portion in a manner that illustrates the grouping includes displaying the new tabbed portion and the at least one tabbed portion in a manner that illustrates a parent-child relationship between the new tabbed portion and the at least one tabbed portion.

18. A system for grouping tabbed portions of a display object based on content relationships and user interaction levels associated with the tabbed portions, the system comprising:

a display object presentation controller for providing a display object including one or more tabbed portions for display to a user via a computer display device;

a user interaction monitor for monitoring a level of user interaction associated with each of the tabbed portions;

a tab controller for receiving user input for adding information to the display object;

a related tab manager for determining a level of content relationship between the new information and information included in at least one of the tabbed portions; and

wherein the tab controller is adapted to create a new tabbed portion including the new information and to group the new tabbed portion with the at least one tabbed portion based on the level of user interaction associated with the at least one tabbed portion and the determined level of content relationship.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the display object presentation controller comprises a window object presentation controller for displaying a window object including one or more folder tabs.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the display object presentation controller is adapted to provide a window object usable by a web browser for displaying one or more web pages as one or more folder tabs.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the user interaction monitor is adapted to determine the level of user interaction associated with each of the tabbed portions based on at least one of a recency of user interaction and an amount of time associated with each user interaction with each of the tabbed portions.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein the user interaction monitor is adapted to begin measuring time associated with a user interaction in response to one of the tabbed portions having focus.

23. The system of claim 18 wherein the user interaction monitor is adapted to determine the level of user interaction associated with each of the tabbed portions based on an amount of user input associated with each tabbed portion.

24. The system of claim 18 wherein the tab controller is adapted to receive user input for adding a new web page to the display object.

25. The system of claim 18 wherein the tab controller is adapted to detect at least one of:

activation of a link displayed a tabbed portion;

an entering of information associated with an element of the display object;

a request for adding the information from executable code associated with the display object; and

a request for adding the information from an application program not directly associated with the display object.

26. The system of claim 18 wherein the related tab manager is adapted to identify a first tabbed portion that is related to the new tabbed portion by comparing a portion of the new information to be or being associated with an element of the new tabbed portion and information associated with an element of the at least one tabbed portion and assigning a score to the content relationship between the new information and the information included in the at least one tabbed portion based on results of the comparison.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the elements of the tabbed portions include at least one of a title bar, a tab bar, a location bar, a search bar, a tool bar, a status bar, a browser pane, a history pane, a favorites pane, a link associated with at least one of the browser, history, and favorites pane, metadata, a header portion, a footer portion, information included in a list item, and a control.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the portions of information compared are associated with corresponding elements of the new and the at least one tabbed portion to be grouped.

29. The system of claim 18 wherein the tab controller is adapted to identify a first tabbed portion including information having a highest level of content relationship with the new information and to group the first tabbed portion with the new tabbed portion in response to the first tabbed portion having a level of user interaction that exceeds a threshold.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the tab controller is adapted to refrain from grouping the first tabbed portion with the new tabbed portion in response to the first tabbed portion having a level of user interaction that does not exceed the threshold and to identify a second tabbed portion of the plurality of tabbed portions with information having a second highest level of content relationship with the new information as a candidate for grouping with the new tabbed portion.

31. The system of claim 18 wherein the tab controller is adapted to associate the new tabbed portion with the at least one tabbed portion as a parent of the at least one tabbed portion in response to the at least one tabbed portion having a first level of content relationship with the new information and the at least one tabbed portion having a first level of user interaction.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the tab controller is adapted to associate the new tabbed portion with the at least one tabbed portion as a child of the at least one tabbed portion in response to the at least one tabbed portion having the first level of content relationship with the new information and the at least one tabbed portion having a second level of user interaction higher than the first level of user interaction.

33. The system of claim 18 wherein the tab controller is adapted to display the new tabbed portion with the at least one tabbed portion in a manner that indicates the grouping between the new tabbed portion and the at least one tabbed portion.

34. A system for grouping tabbed portions of a display object based on content relationships and user interaction levels associated with the tabbed portions, the system comprising:

means for providing a display object including one or more tabbed portions for display to a user via a computer display device;

means for monitoring a level of user interaction associated with each of the tabbed portions;

means for receiving user input for adding information to the display object;

means for determining a level of content relationship between the new information and information included in at least one of the tabbed portions; and

means for creating a new tabbed portion including the new information and grouping the new tabbed portion with the at least one tabbed portion based on the determined level of content relationship and the level of user interaction associated with the at least one tabbed portion.

35. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a computer readable medium for performing steps comprising:

providing a display object including one or more tabbed portions for display to a user via a computer display device;

monitoring a level of user interaction associated with each of the tabbed portions;

receiving user input for adding information to the display object;

determining a level of content relationship between the new information and information included in at least one of the tabbed portions; and

creating a new tabbed portion including the new information and grouping the new tabbed portion with the at least one tabbed portion based on the level of content relationship and the level of user interaction associated with the at least one tabbed portion.