CONTINUOUS READING OF ARTICLES

• US 20150355795A1
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Published: 12/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Falkenburg, Steven J., Decker, Kevin W., Adler, Darin Benjamin, Chan, Ada Y.
• Granted Patent: US 10,055,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• 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: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A content list panel displays a list of article representations. In response to a selection of an article representation from the content list panel, the content application loads an article associated with the selected article representation in addition to one or more second articles. By preloading the second articles, the user can continuously read through different articles in the main window of the content application without having to select an article representation from the content list panel.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for displaying an article, the method comprising:

displaying, on a device, a content list panel as a sidebar window of a main window of a web browser application of the device, the content list panel including a list of article representations of articles;

responsive to receiving a selection of an article representation from the content list panel from a user, loading, on the device, a first article corresponding to the selected article representation and one or more second articles corresponding to other article representations included in the content list panel;

displaying, on the device, the first article corresponding to the selected article representation in the main window of the web browser application responsive to loading the first article; and

responsive to receiving a navigation command, displaying, on the device, a second article from the one or more second articles that was loaded responsive to receiving the selection of the article representation.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein, displaying the second article comprises:

displaying a banner in the main window, the banner comprising a preview of content of the second article from the one or more second articles.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein displaying the second article comprises:

scrolling, by the device, the first article until the banner is displayed in the main window responsive to the navigation command;

displaying an animation to pause the display at the banner responsive to displaying the banner; and

resuming, by the device, scrolling past the banner to display the second article in the main window responsive to displaying the animation.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein displaying the second article comprises:

scrolling, by the device, the first article displayed in the main window until the banner is displayed responsive to the navigation command;

preventing the device from scrolling past the banner responsive to less than a threshold amount of time elapsing since the banner is displayed; and

allowing the device to scroll past the banner to display the second article in the main window responsive to the threshold amount of time elapsing.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein loading the first article corresponding to the selected article representation and the one or more second articles comprises:

automatically loading the one or more second articles responsive to the selection of the article representation corresponding to the first article.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein loading the first article corresponding to the selected article representation and the one or more second articles comprises:

automatically loading the one or more second articles responsive to a threshold amount of the first article loading.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the other article representations are adjacent to the selected article representation in the content list panel, wherein an adjacent article representation immediately precedes the selected article representation in the content list panel or immediately follows the selected article representation in the content list panel.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the article representation includes at least one of an abstract of the article, a link to the article, a title of the article, and an image representing a source of the article.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the article representation is associated with a person or entity that is socially connected to a user of the web browser application in the one or more social networking systems; and

the article representation comprises;

a username of a person or entity that posted social media content included in the social item on one of the one or more social networking systems and is socially connected to a user of the device in the one or more social networking systems;

a display name of the person or entity on the one or more social networking systems;

an image that represents the person or entity; and

an icon representing the social networking system that posted the social media content.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

loading an additional second article that is associated with an article representation that is adjacent to the article representation of the displayed second article responsive to displaying the second article.

11. A computer-implemented method for displaying an article, the method comprising:

displaying, on a device, a content list panel as a sidebar window of a main window of a web browser application of the device, the content list panel including a list of article representations of articles;

responsive to receiving a selection of an article representation from the content list panel from a user, loading, on the device, a first article corresponding to the selected article representation, a second article corresponding to an article representation that precedes the selected article representation in the content list panel, and a third article corresponding to an article representation that follows the selected article representation in the content list panel;

displaying, on the device, the first article corresponding to the selected article representation in the main window of the web browser application responsive to loading the first article, the second article, and the third article;

responsive to receiving a navigate up command, displaying the second article in the main window of the web browser application; and

responsive to receiving a navigate down command, displaying the third article in the main window of the web browser application.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein, displaying the second article comprises:

displaying a banner in the main window that previews content of the second article.

13. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing executable code for displaying an article, the code when executed performs steps comprising:

displaying, on a device, a content list panel as a sidebar window of a main window of a web browser application of the device, the content list panel including a list of article representations of articles;

responsive to receiving a selection of an article representation from the content list panel from a user, loading, on the device, a first article corresponding to the selected article representation and one or more second articles corresponding to other article representations included in the content list panel;

displaying, on the device, the first article corresponding to the selected article representation in the main window of the web browser application responsive to loading the first article; and

responsive to receiving a navigation command, displaying, on the device, a second article from the one or more second articles that was loaded responsive to receiving the selection of the article representation.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein, displaying the second article comprises:

displaying a banner in the main window, the banner comprising a preview of content of the second article from the one or more second articles.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein displaying the second article comprises:

scrolling, by the device, the first article until the banner is displayed in the main window responsive to the navigation command;

displaying an animation to pause the display at the banner responsive to displaying the banner; and

resuming, by the device, scrolling past the banner to display the second article in the main window responsive to displaying the animation.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein displaying the second article comprises:

scrolling, by the device, the first article displayed in the main window until the banner is displayed responsive to the navigation command;

preventing the device from scrolling past the banner responsive to less than a threshold amount of time elapsing since the banner is displayed; and

allowing the device to scroll past the banner to display the second article in the main window responsive to the threshold amount of time elapsing.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein loading the first article corresponding to the selected article representation and the one or more second articles comprises:

automatically loading the one or more second articles responsive to the selection of the article representation corresponding to the first article.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein loading the first article corresponding to the selected article representation and the one or more second articles comprises:

automatically loading the one or more second articles responsive to a threshold amount of the first article loading.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the code when executed performs further steps comprising:

automatically loading an additional second article that is associated with an article representation that is adjacent to the article representation of the displayed second article responsive to displaying the second article.

20. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the other article representations are adjacent to the selected article representation in the content list panel, wherein an adjacent article representation immediately precedes the selected article representation in the content list panel or immediately follows the selected article representation in the content list panel.