SEGMENTED SCROLL BAR

• US 20140033099A1
• Filed: 05/12/2008
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaver, Robert, Treitman, Richard S., Coletta, David S.B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,329,744 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/768
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to receive a first command to display a selected portion of an electronic document, wherein the selected portion is indicated by a visible indicator in a selected segment of a segmented scroll bar having a dynamically compressible trough. Further activities may include sending a second command to display a document page having a page number corresponding to the visible indicator, wherein the trough comprises segments corresponding to the pages of the document. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

displaying electronic content as part of a graphical user interface; and

displaying a scroll bar having a dynamically compressible trough as part of the graphical user interface, the trough comprising segments corresponding to portions of the electronic content, and at least some of the segments including visible indicators of absolute locations of corresponding ones of the portions within the electronic content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic content comprises a document.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the document is organized according to a page descriptive format.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

displaying a translucent slider in the trough, the visible indicators remaining visible when the translucent slider is displayed on top of the visible indicators.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving a command to move a slider in the trough to a selected one of the segments; and

displaying a selected one of the portions corresponding to the selected one of the segments.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

changing a color of one of the segments selected by a first activity with respect to the one of the segments to indicate a next portion of the electronic content to be displayed if the segment is selected by a second activity.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving a command to move a slider in the trough to a selected one of the segments having a page number as a visible indicator of the absolute location of the selected one of the segments; and

displaying at least a portion of a document page corresponding to the page number within the electronic content as part of the graphical user interface.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

displaying a number of pages corresponding to a number of the segments covered by a slider in the trough.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving a first command to display at least part of a selected one of several portions of an electronic document, the selected one being indicated by a visible indicator in a selected segment of a dynamically compressible trough in a scroll bar comprising segments; and

sending a second command to display the at least part of the selected one as at least a part of a document page having a page number corresponding to the visible indicator, the trough comprising segments corresponding to the several portions.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising:

receiving the first command at a server device; and

sending the second command from a server device.

11. The method of claim 9, comprising:

receiving the second command at a client device; and

displaying the selected one on a display forming a part of the client device.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising:

displaying a translucent slider in the trough, wherein the visible indicator remains visible even when the translucent slider is displayed on top of the visible indicator.

13. The method of claim 9, comprising:

displaying a plurality of visible indicators, including the visible indicator, wherein the plurality comprises a monotonically increasing or monotonically decreasing sequence of integers.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the sequence of integers includes displayed integers and non-displayed integers, wherein the non-displayed integers comprise at least N integers between each of the displayed integers, and wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to one.

15. The method of claim 9, comprising:

displaying the trough in a substantially vertical position proximate to the right-hand side of the at least part of the selected one.

16. The method of claim 9, comprising:

displaying the trough in a substantially horizontal position proximate to the lower side of the at least part of the selected one.

17. The method of claim 9, comprising:

displaying a plurality of visible indicators, including the visible indicator, wherein at least one of the plurality corresponds to a last page number of the electronic content.

18. The method of claim 9, comprising:

determining a number (PPS) of the several portions represented by each of the segments as PPS=1 if an average number of pixels per segment (Papps)≧

a minimum number of pixels needed per segment (Pmpps); and

otherwise determining the number PPS as PPS=a ceiling function of (Pmpps/Papps).

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a display;

a rendering module to display electronic content on the display as part of a graphical user interface; and

a storage element to store instructions, which when executed, cause the rendering module to display a scroll bar having a dynamically compressible trough as part of the graphical user interface, the trough comprising segments corresponding to portions of the electronic content, and at least some of the segments including visible indicators of absolute locations of corresponding ones of the portions within the electronic content.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, comprising:

a user input device to send commands to manipulate a translucent slider in the trough, the visible indicators remaining visible when the translucent slider is displayed on top of the visible indicators.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the user input device comprises at least one of a mouse, a keyboard, a trackball, a trackpad, or a touch screen.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the rendering module comprises a portable document format processing program.

23. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein for causing a computer to implement a method, comprising:

receiving a first command to display at least part of a selected one of several portions of an electronic document, the selected one being indicated by a visible indicator in a selected segment of a dynamically compressible trough in a scroll bar comprising segments; and

sending a second command to display the at least part of the selected one as at least a part of a document page having a page number corresponding to the visible indicator, the trough comprising segments corresponding to the several portions.

24. The medium of claim 23, wherein the method comprises:

displaying a plurality of segment division indicators comprising line segments spanning at least part of a width of the trough and located in the trough between the segments.

25. The medium of claim 23, wherein the method comprises:

displaying a number of pages corresponding to the segments covered by a slider in the trough.

26. The medium of claim 23, wherein at least some of the segments have a variable length corresponding to a length of one of the several portions represented.