Method, System, and Graphical User Interface for Displaying Hyperlink Information

• US 20110134066A1
• Filed: 02/15/2011
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chris Blumenberg, Francisco Ryan Tolmasky, Richard Arthur Williamson
• Original Assignee: Chris Blumenberg, Francisco Ryan Tolmasky, Richard Arthur Williamson
• Inventors: Williamson, Richard, Tolmasky, Francisco Ryan, Blumenberg, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 8,547,353 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

Methods, systems, and graphical user interfaces for displaying hyperlink information are disclosed. In one embodiment, a portable electronic device with a touch screen display: displays content on the touch screen display, wherein the content includes a plurality of links to additional content; detects a contact by a finger with the touch screen display, wherein the contact includes an area of contact; determines a point within the area of contact; choosing a first link in the plurality of links based on proximity of the first link to the determined point; and displays information associated with the first link over the displayed content, wherein the information associated with the first link includes information other than anchor text of the first link.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a touch screen display;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

displaying content on the touch screen display, wherein the content includes a plurality of links to additional content;

detecting a contact by a finger with the touch screen display, wherein the contact includes an area of contact;

determining links that at least partially overlap the area of contact;

choosing a first link in the determined links that at least partially overlap the area of contact;

displaying text information associated with the first link over the displayed content, wherein the text information associated with the first link includes text information other than anchor text of the first link, and the text information is configured to cease to be displayed in response to detecting predetermined criteria;

detecting a link activation input; and

,

in response to detecting the link activation input;

activating the first link when the link activation input is detected while the text information associated with the first link is displayed; and

not activating the first link when the link activation input is detected after the text information associated with the first link has ceased to be displayed.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein

the first link is the link in the determined links that at least partially overlap the area of contact that is closest to a determined point within the area of contact, and

the content on the touch screen display has an associated scale factor, and the choosing is limited to links located within a distance from the determined point that is determined in accordance with the scale factor.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein choosing is limited to links located within a predetermined distance from a determined point within the area of contact.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the text information associated with the first link is displayed after the contact is maintained for at least a predetermined time.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising instructions for removing the displayed text information associated with the first link if the contact with the touch screen is maintained for greater than a predetermined time.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the location of the text information associated with the first link is displayed over the top half of the displayed content if the location of the contact is in the bottom half of the displayed content and the location of the text information associated with the first link is displayed over the bottom half of the displayed content if the location of the contact is in the top half of the displayed content.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a portable electronic device with a touch screen display, cause the portable electronic device to:

display content on the touch screen display, wherein the content includes a plurality of links to additional content;

detect a contact by a finger with the touch screen display, wherein the contact includes an area of contact;

determine links that at least partially overlap the area of contact;

choose a first link in the determined links that at least partially overlap the area of contact;

display text information associated with the first link over the displayed content, wherein the text information associated with the first link includes text information other than anchor text of the first link, and the text information is configured to cease to be displayed in response to detecting predetermined criteria;

detect a link activation input; and

,

in response to detecting the link activation input;

activate the first link when the link activation input is detected while the text information associated with the first link is displayed; and

not activate the first link when the link activation input is detected after the text information associated with the first link has ceased to be displayed.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein

the first link is the link in the determined links that at least partially overlap the area of contact that is closest to a determined point within the area of contact, and

the content on the touch screen display has an associated scale factor, and the choosing is limited to links located within a distance from the determined point that is determined in accordance with the scale factor.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein choosing is limited to links located within a predetermined distance from a determined point within the area of contact.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the text information associated with the first link is displayed after the contact is maintained for at least a predetermined time.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions that cause the portable electronic device to remove the displayed text information associated with the first link if the contact with the touch screen is maintained for greater than a predetermined time.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the location of the text information associated with the first link is displayed over the top half of the displayed content if the location of the contact is in the bottom half of the displayed content and the location of the text information associated with the first link is displayed over the bottom half of the displayed content if the location of the contact is in the top half of the displayed content.

13. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a touch screen display;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

displaying content on the touch screen display, wherein the content includes a plurality of links to additional content;

detecting a contact by a finger with the touch screen display, wherein the contact includes an area of contact;

determining links that at least partially overlap the area of contact;

determining a first link in the determined links that at least partially overlap the area of contact;

displaying text information associated with the first link over the displayed content, wherein the text information associated with the first link includes text information other than anchor text of the first link;

ceasing to detect the contact; and

,

in response to ceasing to detect the contact;

activating the determined first link when the contact ceases to be detected before predetermined activation criteria are met; and

enabling the displayed text information associated with the first link to be selected to activate the first link when the contact ceases to be detected after the predetermined activation criteria are met.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the predetermined activation criteria are met when the displayed text information associated with the first link has been displayed for more than a predetermined amount of time.

15. The device of claim 13, further comprising instructions for determining a point within the area of contact, wherein the first link is a link that satisfies two or more predetermined proximity criteria with respect to proximity of the first link to the point, including a closest proximity criterion and a maximum proximity criterion.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the closest proximity criterion is that the determined first link is the link in the determined links that at least partially overlap the area of contact that first intersects a predefined spiral path starting at the point.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the content on the touch screen display has an associated scale factor, and wherein the maximum proximity criterion is that the determined first link is located within a distance from the point that is determined in accordance with the scale factor.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a portable electronic device with a touch screen display, cause the portable electronic device to:

display content on the touch screen display, wherein the content includes a plurality of links to additional content;

detect a contact by a finger with the touch screen display, wherein the contact includes an area of contact;

determine links that at least partially overlap the area of contact;

determine a first link in the determined links that at least partially overlap the area of contact;

display text information associated with the first link over the displayed content, wherein the text information associated with the first link includes text information other than anchor text of the first link;

cease to detect the contact; and

,

in response to ceasing to detect the contact;

activate the determined first link when the contact ceases to be detected before predetermined activation criteria are met; and

enable the displayed text information associated with the first link to be selected to activate the first link when the contact ceases to be detected after the predetermined activation criteria are met.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the predetermined activation criteria are met when the displayed text information associated with the first link has been displayed for more than a predetermined amount of time.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions that cause the portable electronic device to determine a point within the area of contact, wherein the first link is a link that satisfies two or more predetermined proximity criteria with respect to proximity of the first link to the point, including a closest proximity criterion and a maximum proximity criterion.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the closest proximity criterion is that the determined first link is the link in the determined links that at least partially overlap the area of contact that first intersects a predefined spiral path starting at the point.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the content on the touch screen display has an associated scale factor, and wherein the maximum proximity criterion is that the determined first link is located within a distance from the point that is determined in accordance with the scale factor.