Lingtweight reference user interface

• US 20080021886A1
• Filed: 05/15/2007
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bailey, Eric, Taboada, Roberto, Pratley, Christopher, Wang-Aryattanwanich, Thiti, Voora, Srinivas, Burukhin, Anatoliy
• Granted Patent: US 7,992,085 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A lightweight information user interface is provided for displaying information about a focused-on (e.g., mouse-over) text item, data item or other object in an electronic document that minimizes interruption of workflow with the electronic document. Upon focus on a word or other object in an electronic document a quick look-up function may be invoked for retrieving information from a local or remote information source about the focused-on item. Retrieved information, for example, translations, dictionary definitions and research information, is displayed in close proximity to the focused-on item in a lightweight information user interface. Information may be displayed according to a variety of media types including text, audio, video, pictures, bitmap images, etc.

Claims

1. A method of providing information associated with a focused-on item in an electronic document, comprising:

receiving a focus on an item contained in an electronic document;

passing data representing the focused-on item to an information source;

at the information source, parsing a data source for information associated with the focused-on item;

returning the information associated with the focused-on item; and

automatically displaying the returned information associated with the focused-on item in a user interface in the electronic document in proximity to the focused-on item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein returning the information associated with the focused-on item includes returning the information associated with the focused-on item in a format associated with each of a plurality of media types, and further comprising providing access to the information associated with the focused-on item in the format associated with each of the plurality of media types via the displayed user interface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein providing access to the information associated with the focused-on item in the format associated with each of the plurality of media types includes providing an audio file that may be selected from the displayed user interface for providing the information associated with the focused-on item in audio format.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein providing access to the information associated with the focused-on item in the format associated with each of the plurality of media types includes providing a video file that may be selected from the displayed user interface for providing the information associated with the focused-on item in video format.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein providing access to the information associated with the focused-on item in the format associated with each of the plurality of media types includes providing a picture that may be formatted according to one or more formatting types that may be displayed in the user interface for providing the information associated with the focused-on item in video format.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein passing data representing the focused-on item to an information source includes passing an Extensible Markup Language (XML) formatted query to the information source that identifies a type of information associated with the focused-on item that is requested from the information source.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing a schema definition for information contained in the information source for allowing the XML formatted query to obtain the type of information associated with the focused-on item that is requested from the information source.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein providing a schema definition for information contained in the information source for allowing the XML formatted query to obtain the type of information associated with the focused-on item that is requested from the information source, includes providing a schema definition for the information associated with the focused-on item in each of the plurality of media types for allowing the XML formatted query to request the information associated with the focused-on item according to any media type supported by the schema definition.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein providing a schema definition for information contained in the information source for allowing the XML formatted query to obtain the type of information associated with the focused-on item that is requested from the information source, includes providing a schema definition for the information associated with the focused-on item for allowing the XML formatted query to return the information associated with the focused-on item for presentation in the displayed user interface according to a prescribed layout.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein passing data representing the focused-on item to an information source includes:

passing the data representing the focused-on item to a recognizer module for determining whether the focused-on item corresponds to a given data type;

if the focused-on item corresponds to a given data type, passing the data representing the focused-on item to an information source containing information associated with the given data type; and

wherein returning the information associated with the focused-on item in a format associated with each of a plurality of media types includes returning information associated with the focused-on item that is further associated with the given data type in a format associated with each of a plurality of media types.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein passing data representing the focused-on item to an information source includes passing the data representing the focused-on item to a dictionary source for obtaining a definition of the focused-on item.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein passing data representing the focused-on item to an information source includes passing the data representing the focused-on item to a translation source for obtaining a translation of the focused-on item from a first language to a second language.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein if the information associated with the focused-on item will not fit in an available display space provided in the user interface, truncating a portion of the information such that only a portion of the information that will fit in the available display space provided in the user interface is displayed.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a selection for displaying the truncated portion of the information; and

displaying the truncated portion of the information in the user interface.

15. The method of claim 14, prior to receiving a selection for displaying the truncated portion of the information, disposing a selectable control on the user interface, which when selected, causes a display of the truncated portion of the information.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein if the information associated with the focused-on item is received from more than one information source, displaying the information in the user interface in one or more sections where information from a first information source is displayed in a first section and where information from a second information source is displayed in a second section.

17. The method of claim 16,

wherein if an available display space in the user interface will not accommodate a display of all sections of information received for display in the user interface, displaying information from a number of sections that will fit in the user interface;

collapsing any sections of information the display of which will not fit in the user interface; and

providing a selectable control in the user interface, which when selected, causes a display of an associated collapsed section of information.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising prioritizing the sections of information according to a preferred display order where a most preferred section is displayed first and a least preferred section is displayed last.

19. A computer readable medium containing computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer perform a method of providing information associated with a focused-on item in an electronic document, comprising:

receiving a focus on an item contained in an electronic document;

passing data representing the focused-on item to a recognizer module for determining whether the focused-on item corresponds to a given data type;

if the focused-on item corresponds to a given data type, passing the data representing the focused-on item to an information source containing information associated with the given data type;

at the information source, parsing a data source for information associated with the focused-on item;

returning information associated with the focused-on item that is further associated with the given data type in a format associated with each of a plurality of media types;

displaying a user interface in the electronic document in proximity to the focused-on item; and

providing access to the information associated with the focused-on item in the format associated with each of the plurality of media types via the displayed user interface.

20. A computer readable medium containing computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer perform a method of providing information associated with a focused-on item in an electronic document, comprising:

receiving a focus on an item contained in an electronic document;

querying one or more data sources for information associated with the focused-on item;

displaying a user interface in the electronic document in proximity to the focused-on item; and

if the information associated with the focused-on item is received from more than one source, displaying the information in the user interface in one or more sections where information from a first data source is displayed in a first section and where information from a second data source is displayed in a second section.