Systems, Methods, and Computer Program Products Providing an Integrated User Interface for Reading Content

• US 20120254745A1
• Filed: 05/03/2010
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zumobi Incorporated (Aclate, Inc.)
• Inventors: SanGiovanni, John, Bederson, Benjamin B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,361,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/34 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A method performed by a portable, processor-based device with a display screen is disclosed. The method includes rendering a Graphical User Interface (GUI) on the display screen. The GUI includes a first scrollable column with a plurality of graphical elements arranged sequentially within the first column, each graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements associated with at least one article of a plurality of articles. The GUI also includes a second scrollable column with a plurality of independent text portions, each of the text portions corresponding to a respective article. The method further includes coordinating the first and second scrollable columns so that when a first article is selected a first text portion associated with the first article is displayed on the display screen, and a first graphical element associated with the first article is displayed next to the first text portion.

Claims

1. A method performed by a portable, processor-based device with a display screen, the method comprising:

rendering a Graphical User Interface (GUI) on the display screen, the GUI including;

a first scrollable column with a plurality of graphical elements arranged sequentially within the first column, each graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements associated with at least one article of a plurality of articles; and

a second scrollable column with a plurality of independent text portions, each of the text portions corresponding to a respective article; and

coordinating the first and second scrollable columns so that when a first article is selected a first text portion associated with the first article is displayed on the display screen, and a first graphical element associated with the first article is displayed next to the first text portion.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

interacting with a human user through the GUI.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the display screen comprises:

a touchscreen receiving input through touching gestures on the display screen.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a second article using the process comprising;

scrolling the second scrollable column, according to received input, to reach a second graphical element associated with the second article; and

scrolling the first scrollable column to reach a second text portion associated with the second article responsive to scrolling the second scrollable column.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a second article using the process comprising;

scrolling the first scrollable column, according to received input, to reach a second text portion associated with the second article; and

scrolling the second scrollable column to reach a second graphical element associated with the second article responsive to scrolling the first scrollable column.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the first text portion and the first graphical element are displayed in a higher fidelity than a second graphical element and a second text portion that are displayed on the display screen and not associated with the first article.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

rendering a third column in the GUI, the third column including a list of the plurality of content articles, the third column further including a plurality of selectable features allowing input to select one or more of the articles and placing selected ones of the articles in the first and second scrollable columns.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

loading the selected ones of the articles for offline use.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

rendering a selectable feature that receives input directing the first and second scrollable columns to be swapped in place.

10. A computer program product having a computer readable medium tangibly recording computer program logic, the computer program product comprising:

code to render upon a display screen a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that has first and second scrollable columns and a plurality of articles shown in the first and second scrollable columns, the first scrollable column including text from the plurality of articles, the second scrollable column including graphical elements from the plurality of articles; and

code to automatically align the first and second scrollable columns so that a first text portion and a first graphical element from a selected article, of the plurality of articles, are displayed side-by-side in the GUI.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 further comprising:

code to provide for selection of any one of the articles of the plurality of articles; and

code to scroll the first and second scrollable columns to align article content in response to selection of any one of the articles.

12. The computer program product of claim 10 in which the selected article comprises a second graphical element, the computer program product further comprising:

code to allow for user scrolling of the first scrollable column to access an entirety of the first text portion; and

code to automatically scroll the second scrollable column to display the first and second graphical elements, the second column being scrolled at a speed in proportion to a speed of the user scrolling of the first column.

13. The computer program product of claim 10 further comprising:

code to receive user touch input through the display screen.

14. The computer program product of claim 10 further comprising:

code to render the first text portion and the first graphical element in a higher fidelity than a second graphical element and a second text portion that are displayed on the display screen and not associated with the selected article.

15. The computer program product of claim 10 further comprising:

code to render a third column in the GUI, the third column including a list of the plurality of articles, the third column further including a plurality of selectable features allowing user input to access one or more of the articles; and

code to place accessed articles in the first and second scrollable columns.

16. A system providing a Graphical User Interface (GUI) rendered upon a display screen, the GUI including a first scrollable column that includes text from a plurality of articles and a second scrollable column that includes graphical elements corresponding to the text, the system including:

a first functional unit receiving input through the GUI selecting at least one of text and a graphical element associated with a first article of the plurality of articles; and

a second functional unit coordinating the first and second scrollable columns to align the text and the graphical element associated with the first article.

17. The system of claim 16 comprising a processor-based tablet device executing computer code and providing the functionality of the first and second functional units.

18. The system of claim 17 further comprising:

a third functional unit adding visual effects that indicate that the text and graphical element of the first article are selected while de-emphasizing text and graphical element not associated with the first article.

19. A computer program product having a computer readable medium tangibly recording computer program logic, the computer program product comprising:

code to provide a Graphical User Interface (GUI) upon a display screen showing a plurality of articles, the GUI including a first column with text of the articles and a second column with graphical elements of the articles;

code to select a first article of the plurality of articles; and

code to scroll at least one of the first and second columns to align content of the first article responsive to selection of the first article.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising:

code to render the content of the first article in a higher fidelity than content on the display screen that is not associated with the first article.

21. The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising:

code to receive user input directing selecting and scrolling actions.

22. The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising:

code to render a third column in the GUI, the third column including a list of the plurality of articles, the third column further including a plurality of selectable features allowing user input to access one or more of the articles; and

code to places accessed articles in the first and second columns.