TERMINAL, HISTORY MANAGEMENT METHOD, AND COMPUTER USABLE STORAGE MEDIUM FOR HISTORY MANAGEMENT

• US 20100180225A1
• Filed: 05/26/2008
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Access Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Access Company Limited
• Inventors: Nagamachi, Masayuki, Arima, Kazuhiro, Aida, Satoshi, Chiba, Ohki
• Granted Patent: US 8,756,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/777
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• 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: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

A terminal device which can access Web contents individually for each window, the terminal device comprising a history storing means for associating each of histories of Web contents with predetermined image information, and storing the histories of the Web contents so that the histories of the Web contents can be managed for each window, an input means for receiving user'"'"'s input operations, an image retrieving means for retrieving the image information by referring to the histories of each window, when a predetermined input operation is received, an image arranging means for arranging the retrieved image information for each window in a row, which is made to be in correspondence with each window, in a time series by referring to the histories, and displaying the arranged image information on a screen, and a focusing means for focusing on one piece of the arranged image information in response to the input operation.

Claims

1. A terminal device which can access Web contents individually for each window, comprising:

a history storing unit that associates each of histories of Web contents with predetermined image information, and stores the histories of the Web contents so that the histories of the Web contents can be managed for each window;

an input unit that receives user'"'"'s input operations;

an image retrieving unit that retrieves the image information by referring to the histories of each window, when a predetermined input operation is received;

an image arranging unit that arranges the retrieved image information for each window in a row, which is made to be in correspondence with each window, in a time series by referring to the histories, and displays the arranged image information on a screen; and

a focusing unit that focuses on one piece of the arranged image information in response to the input operation.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the input unit comprises a first directional key to shift a focus in a first direction, and a second directional key to shift the focus in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first directional key, and

wherein the focusing unit shifts the focus in a direction corresponding to an operation of the first directional key or the second directional key, and changes the image information to be focused.

3. The terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the image arranging unit, at least, arranges image information corresponding to histories of an active window in a row corresponding to the first direction in a time series, and arranges image information corresponding to a Web content which is lastly displayed by a window except for the active window in the second direction.

4. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the image arranging unit arranges image information corresponding to histories of an active window in a row corresponding to a first direction, at the same time, for a Web content which is lastly displayed by a window except for the active window, the image arranging unit arranges a message, which shows that it is possible to switch to the window, in a second direction.

7. The terminal device according to claim 1,

further comprising:

a display magnification changing unit that changes a magnification on the group of pieces of image information arranged on the screen.

8. The terminal device according to claim 7, wherein when a magnification on a piece of image information which is currently displayed attains a predetermined magnification, the terminal device accesses a Web content by referring to a history corresponding to the piece of image information.

9. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein when an input operation to decide to select a piece of image information which has been focused is made, the terminal device accesses a Web content by referring to a history corresponding to the piece of image information.

10. The terminal device according to claim 1,

further comprising:

a thumbnail generating unit that generates a thumbnail of a Web content, which has been accessed, as the predetermined image information.

11. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein each window is a tab window which is opened on a single main window.

13. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the input unit is a touch panel, and the focusing unit focuses on a piece of image information which is selected on a touch panel.

5. A terminal device which can access Web contents individually for each window, comprising:

a history storing unit that associates each of histories of Web contents with predetermined image information, and stores the histories of the Web contents so that the histories of the Web contents can be managed for each window;

an input unit that receives user'"'"'s input operations;

an image retrieving unit that retrieves pieces of image information corresponding to a Web content which is in a state in which the Web content is currently browsed on an active window, Web contents which are accessed before and after the Web content, and Web contents which are lastly displayed on windows except for the active window, respectively, by referring to histories of each window;

an image arranging unit that arranges the pieces of image information in such a way that the piece of image information of the Web content which is in the state in which the Web content is browsed is placed at the center of a screen, the pieces of image information of the Web contents which are accessed before and after are placed at a left part and at a right part of the screen, the pieces of image information of the Web contents which are lastly displayed on the windows except for the active window are placed at an upper part and at a lower part of the screen; and

a focusing unit that focuses on one of the arranged pieces of image information.

6. The terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the input unit includes a first directional key for moving the focus of pieces of image information in the horizontal direction of the screen and a second directional key for moving the focus of pieces of image information in the vertical direction of the screen;

and wherein the terminal device further comprises;

an image arrangement changing unit that changes the arrangement of the pieces of image information on the screen so that the pieces of image information placed in the horizontal direction slide in the horizontal direction in accordance with an amount of operations on the first directional key, the pieces of image information of each window placed in the vertical direction slide in the vertical direction in accordance with an amount of operations on the second directional key, and the pieces of image information of the window corresponding to the piece of image information placed at the center of the screen are arranged in a time series in the horizontal direction of the screen.

12. The terminal device according to claim 5, wherein each window is a tab window which is opened on a single main window, and the windows except for the active window are tab windows whose tabs are neighboring to a tab of the active tab window on a tab bar of the main window.

14. A history management method, comprising:

a history storing step of associating each of histories of Web contents with predetermined image information, and storing the histories of the Web contents so that the histories of the Web contents can be managed for each window;

an image retrieving step of retrieving the image information by referring to the histories of each window, when a predetermined input operation by a user is received;

an image arranging step of arranging the retrieved image information for each window in a row, which is made to be in correspondence with each window, in a time series by referring to the histories, and displaying the arranged image information on a screen; and

a focusing step of focusing on one piece of the arranged image information in response to the input operation.

15. The history management method according to claim 14, wherein the image arranging step arranges image information corresponding to histories of an active window in a row corresponding to a first direction in a time series, at the same time, for a Web content which is lastly displayed by a window except for the active window, the image arranging step arranges a message, which shows that it is possible to switch to the window, in a second direction.

18. The history management method according to claim 14,

further comprising:

a display magnification changing step of changing a magnification on the group of the pieces of image information arranged on the screen.

19. The history management method according to claim 14, wherein when a magnification on a piece of image information which is currently displayed reaches a predetermined magnification, a Web content is accessed by referring to a history corresponding to the piece of image information.

20. The history management method according to claim 14, wherein when an input operation to decide to select a piece of image information which has been focused is made, a Web content is accessed by referring to a history corresponding to the piece of image information.

21. The history management method according to claim 14,

further comprising:

a thumbnail generating step of generating a thumbnail of a Web content, which has been accessed, as the predetermined image information.

22. The history management method according to claim 14, wherein each window is a tab window which is opened on a single main window.

16. A history management method, comprising:

a history storing step of associating each of histories of Web contents with predetermined image information, and storing the histories of the Web contents so that the histories of the Web contents can be managed for each window;

an image retrieving step of retrieving pieces of image information corresponding to a Web content which is in a state in which the Web content is currently browsed on an active window, Web contents which are accessed before and after the Web content, and Web contents which are lastly displayed on windows except for the active window, respectively, by referring to histories of each window, when a predetermined input operation by a user is received;

an image arranging step of arranging the pieces of image information in such a way that the piece of image information of the Web content which is in the state in which the Web content is browsed is placed at the center of a screen, the pieces of image information of the Web contents which are accessed before and after are placed at a left part and at a right part of the screen, the pieces of image information of the Web contents which are lastly displayed on the windows except for the active window are placed at an upper part and at a lower part of the screen; and

a focusing step of focusing on one of the arranged pieces of image information.

17. The history management method according to claim 16,

further comprising:

an image arrangement changing step of changing the arrangement of the pieces of image information on the screen so that when an input operation for moving a subject of focus to the pieces of image information at the left part or at the right part of the screen is received, the pieces of image information placed in the horizontal direction slide in a direction corresponding to the input operation;

when an input operation for moving the subject of focus to the pieces of image information at the upper part or at the lower part of the screen is received, the pieces of image information of each window placed in the vertical direction slide in a direction corresponding to the input operation; and

the pieces of image information of the window corresponding to the piece of image information placed at the center of the screen are arranged in a time series in the horizontal direction of the screen.

23. The history management method according to claim 16, wherein each window is a tab window which is opened on a single main window, and the windows except for the active window are tab windows whose tabs are neighboring to a tab of the active window on a tab bar of the main window.

24. (canceled)

25. A computer usable storage medium having computer readable instruction stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a terminal device, configures the processor to perform the steps of:

associating each of histories of Web contents with predetermined image information, and storing the histories of the Web contents so that the histories of the Web contents can be managed for each window;

retrieving the image information by referring to the histories of each window, when a predetermined input operation by a user is received;

arranging the retrieved image information for each window in a row, which is made to be in correspondence with each window, in a time series by referring to the histories, and displaying the arranged image information on a screen; and

focusing on one piece of the arranged image information in response to the input operation.

26. A computer usable storage medium having computer readable instruction stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a terminal device, configures the processor to perform the steps of:

associating each of histories Web contents with predetermined image information, and storing the histories of the Web contents so that the histories of the Web contents can be managed for each window;

retrieving pieces of image information corresponding to a Web content which is in a state in which the Web content is currently browsed on an active window, Web contents which are accessed before and after the Web content, and Web contents which are lastly displayed on windows except for the active window, respectively, by referring to histories of each window, when a predetermined input operation by a user is received;

arranging the pieces of image information in such a way that the piece of image information of the Web content which is in the state in which the Web content is browsed is placed at the center of a screen, the pieces of image information of the Web contents which are accessed before and after are placed at a left part and at a right part of the screen, the pieces of image information of the Web contents which are lastly displayed on the windows except for the active window are placed at an upper part and at a lower part of the screen; and

focusing on one of the arranged pieces of image information.