SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SELECTING A TAB WITHIN A TABBED BROWSER

• US 20100011313A1
• Filed: 09/22/2009
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sauve, Aaron J., Schreiner, Tony E., Van Dok, Cornelis K., Lindsay, Donald J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,631,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/777
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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

The techniques and mechanisms described herein are directed to a method for managing and selecting one out of large set of open tabs in a tabbed browser. Browsing software is configured to provide a quick pick user-interface that visually displays the content of the several tabs, such as a by displaying a thumbnail for each tab. The thumbnails allow a user to easily distinguish between each opened tab. The browsing software may also be configured to recognize a user selection from within the quick pick user-interface and in response, switch back to a tabbed window view and display the selected tab in that view. The browsing software may adjust the tab row so that the selected tab is positioned in a favorable position within the tab row. In addition, within the quick pick user-interface, the user may reposition the thumbnails and/or close the thumbnails, thus affecting the associated tab in the tab row.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A computer-implemented method for navigating content, the method comprising:

displaying a web browser within a window of a display, the web browser window displaying a plurality of open tabs within a tab band, each open tab having separate web page content associated therewith, wherein the plurality of open tabs includes a currently selected tab and one or more non-selected tabs;

displaying a quick pick window on the display in response to user activation of a single quick pick mechanism, the quick pick window displaying a set of graphical views representing web page content for each of the plurality of open tabs within the tab band, wherein each graphical view is scaled so that the web page content for each open tab is displayed within the quick pick window;

receiving user input within the quick pick window; and

modifying the quick pick window based on the user input.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 30 wherein the step of receiving user input within the quick pick window comprises a selection of one of the graphical views, and the step of modifying the quick pick window comprises removing the quick pick window from the display, said method further comprising:

setting the currently selected tab in the web browser window to be the open tab associated with the selected graphical view.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 31 wherein:

the plurality of open tabs within the tab band includes a plurality of visible tabs and a plurality of overflow tabs that are not currently visible within the tab band of the browser window;

the step of receiving user input within the quick pick window further comprises selecting a graphical view corresponding to one of the overflow tabs that is not currently visible within the tab band of the browser window; and

the step of setting the currently selected tab in the web browser window to be the open tab associated with the selected graphical view further comprises adjusting the open tabs within the tab band so that the currently selected tab is made a visible tab.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 31 wherein the tab band is a row.