Travel Log for Manipulation of Content

• US 20120304082A1
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Patten, Michael J., Hoover, Paul Armistead, Waggoner, Nicholas R., Terrell, John Wesley
• Granted Patent: US 9,342,280 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

Various embodiments provide a travel log for manipulation of content. In at least some embodiments, the travel log can be presented as a visual element of a web browser and can enable a user to navigate through visited content (e.g., web pages) via manipulation of the content using touch-based and/or touchless gestures. Implementations can facilitate navigation through content by representing the travel log as a visual “time line” of visited content that can be scrolled via manipulation through a web browser user interface. For example, a user can navigate the travel log to older content by manipulating the travel log in one direction, and can navigate the travel log to newer content by manipulating the travel log in a different direction.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting a user manipulation of a displayed web page in a graphical user interface (GUI) using one or more gestures;

navigating in the GUI to a placeholder in a travel log of visited web pages associated with the displayed web page;

loading a current version of a web page represented by the placeholder; and

replacing the placeholder in the GUI with the current version of the web page represented by the placeholder.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said gestures comprise one or more of touch-based gestures or touchless gestures.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said placeholder comprises a cached image of a previous version of the web page represented by the placeholder.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said travel log tracks a sequence in which the visited web pages were initially visited, and wherein the web page represented by the placeholder is previous to or subsequent to the displayed web page in the sequence.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said user manipulation causes the displayed web paged to move away from focus in the GUI, and wherein said navigating to a placeholder comprises causing the placeholder to pan into the GUI from one or more edges of the GUI.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a user manipulation of the current version of the web page away from focus in GUI;

panning a portion of a different placeholder into the GUI;

detecting a user manipulation of the current version of the web page toward focus in the GUI; and

panning the portion of the different placeholder out of the GUI in response to the user manipulation of the current version of the web page toward focus in the GUI.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing a snapshot of the current version of the web page; and

caching the snapshot to be used for the placeholder in the travel log.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the current version of the web page is designated as not to be cached; and

retrieving, in response to said determining, a visual indicia to be used for the placeholder in the travel log, the visual indicia being configured to prevent security-sensitive information included in the current version of the web page from being discerned from the placeholder.

9. One or more computer readable storage media embodying computer readable instructions which, when executed, implement a method comprising:

navigating to a web page;

determining whether the web page is designated as not to be cached;

if the web page is not designated as not to be cached, capturing a snapshot of the web page to be used as a placeholder for the web page in a travel log of visited web pages;

or

if the web page is designated as not to be cached;

retrieving a visual indicia to be used as a placeholder for the web page in a travel log of visited web pages; and

causing the visual indicia to be displayed responsive to a navigation to the placeholder in the travel log.

10. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9, wherein said navigating occurs in response to a user manipulation of a visual aspect of the travel log via one or more gestures.

11. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9, wherein said determining comprises inspecting code associated with the web page for a designation that the web page is not to be cached.

12. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9, wherein said web page is designated as not to be cached based on the web page included security-sensitive information.

13. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9, wherein said web page is designated as not to be cached in response to a user input to a web browser designating the web page as not to be cached.

14. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9, wherein said visual indicia comprises at least one of:

a graphical icon that identifies the web page;

or

a cached image of the web page with security-sensitive information removed or visually obscured.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media embodying computer readable instructions which, when executed, implement a travel log interface module configured to:

maintain a travel log of visited web pages, the travel log including one or more placeholders for the visited web pages; and

enable navigation in a graphical user interface (GUI) through the travel log of visited web pages responsive to gesture-based manipulation in the GUI of at least one of a currently-viewed web page or one or more of the placeholders.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein said one or more placeholders comprise one or more cached images of one or more of the visited web pages.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein said gesture-based manipulation comprises a user manipulation of the currently-viewed web page away from focus in the GUI, and wherein the travel log interface module is further configured to:

cause one of the placeholders to move into focus from one or more edges of the GUI; and

cause a current version of one of the visited web pages associated with the one of the placeholders to be loaded and displayed via the GUI.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein said travel log interface module is configured to enable navigation in the GUI by enabling multiple of the placeholders to be panned into and out of the GUI without causing current versions of one or more of the visited web pages represented by the multiple of the placeholders to be loaded.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein said travel log interface module is configured to enable navigation in the GUI by:

causing one of the placeholders to pan into the GUI in response to the gesture-based manipulation in the GUI;

cause a current version of one of the visited web pages associated with the one of the placeholders to begin loading;

cause the one of the placeholders to pan out of the GUI in response to a gesture-based manipulation of the one of the placeholders in the GUI and before the current version of the one of the visited web pages finishes loading; and

cause the current version of the one of the visited web pages to stop loading in response to the one of the placeholders panning out of the GUI.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein said travel log interface module is further configured to:

determine that one of the visited web pages includes security-sensitive information; and

prevent the security-sensitive information from being included in one of the placeholders that represents the one of the visited web pages.