DISCOVERABILITY AND NAVIGATION OF HYPERLINKS

• US 20100100800A1
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Cote, Joseph Paul-Emile-Pierre, Brown, Christopher R., Cordell, John P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,152,324 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/208
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking

Abstract

A user may discover and navigate among hyperlinks through the use of a keyboard. For example, a user may press a tab key to discover and navigate to a first hyperlink that is part of a hypertext document. The first hyperlink is, in response, given focus and a focus shape is drawn around the text or graphics for the hot region of the hyperlink. If the user again presses the tab key, the next hyperlink is given focus and a focus shape (i.e., an outline that surrounds the next hyperlink) is drawn around the next hyperlink. A user may also tab to a placeholder for an image in order to make a decision whether the image should be downloaded or not.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a request to navigate to a hyperlink that is included as part of a document; and

responsive to receiving the request, visually identifying the hyperlink without visually identifying one or more other hyperlinks included as part of the document.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a series of requests to navigate to a plurality of the one or more hyperlinks; and

responsive to each request of the series of requests, visually identifying a corresponding one of the plurality of the one or more other hyperlinks without visually identifying others of the plurality of the one or more other hyperlinks.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the hyperlink is configured to be visually identified with a first focus shape, and wherein one or more of the other hyperlinks are configured to be visually identified with a second focus shape that is different than the first focus shape.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the request to navigate to the hyperlink is received responsive to input to a computer keyboard.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the request to navigate to the hyperlink is received responsive to a programmatically-generated tab request.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the hyperlink and the one or more other hyperlinks are part of an image map that is configured to be displayed as at least a portion of the document.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the image map specifies a focus shape for each of the hyperlink and the one or more other hyperlinks.

8. One or more tangible computer-readable memories storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive a series of requests to navigate to hyperlinks on a web page; and

responsive to receiving the series of requests, visually highlight, one at a time, individual respective hyperlinks that correspond to a request of the series of requests.

9. The one or more tangible computer-readable memories of claim 8, wherein the web page is associated with an element list that includes a field for each of the hyperlinks and wherein each field includes a reference to a next hyperlink of the hyperlinks to be visually highlighted responsive to receiving each of the series of requests.

10. The one or more tangible computer-readable memories of claim 8, wherein the web page is associated with an image map that specifies, for each of the hyperlinks, drawing data to be used to visually highlight each of the hyperlinks.

11. The one or more tangible computer-readable memories of claim 8, wherein each hyperlink of a plurality of the hyperlinks is associated with a different focus shape to be used to visually highlight the hyperlink.

12. The one or more tangible computer-readable memories of claim 11, wherein the different focus shape includes one of a rectangle, a circle, or a non-rectangular polygon.

13. The one or more tangible computer-readable memories of claim 8, wherein the series of requests are received responsive to input to a keyboard.

14. The one or more tangible computer-readable memories of claim 8, wherein one or more of the series of requests are programmatically generated.

15. The one or more tangible computer-readable memories of claim 8, wherein the web page includes a first frame and a second frame nested within the first frame, and wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to, responsive to receiving the series of requests, first visually highlight one or more of the hyperlinks associated with the first frame and then visually highlight one or more of the hyperlinks associated with the second frame.

16. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining a shape of a hot region associated with a hyperlink that is included as part of a document; and

placing focus on the hot region based on the shape of the hot region without placing focus on one or more other hyperlinks that are included as part of the document.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a request to navigate to one or more of the other hyperlinks; and

placing focus on the one or more of the other hyperlinks without placing focus on the hyperlink.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a series of requests to navigate to a plurality of the one or more other hyperlinks; and

responsive to receiving each of the series of requests, placing focus on each of the plurality of the one or more other hyperlinks according to a predetermined sequence.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein each of plurality of the one or more other hyperlinks is associated with a different focus shape.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the shape of the hot region comprises one of a rectangle, a circle, or a non-rectangular polygon.