Mobile computer with minimized function display and maximized content display

• US 6,073,136 A
• Filed: 10/30/1997
• Issued: 06/06/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bertram, Randal Lee, Champion, David Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Application Number:
  US08/960,914
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 707/501, 707/513, 707/104, 345/341, 345/346, 345/352-357, 709/217, 709/218
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A display generating or computer system, and particularly a mobile client system, in which a markup language browser application program is provided which minimizes the display area occupied by the navigational tools of the browser, in order to maximize the informational display area related to a user'"'"'s task at hand. The browser application is simplified in order to accommodate ease in learning to use the browser.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

a display device displaying visual images to a human observer, the display device defining a display area;

a microcontroller coupled to the display device;

memory devices coupled to the microcontroller and receiving and storing and delivering digitally encoded data used by the microcontroller in executing control programs; and

digitally encoded application program data stored in the memory devices and effective upon execution by the microcontroller to drive the display on the display device of a markup language document and associated status and command functions;

the application program data and the microcontroller and the display cooperating when the microcontroller is executing the application program data to display at least a portion of the content of a markup language document in the majority of the display area and to display, along one side edge of the display area, browser jump status, document title information, document display status, and a plurality of selected browser command functions.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the application program data and the microcontroller and the display cooperate when the microcontroller is executing the application program data to display, along an upper side edge of the display area, browser jump status, document title information, document display status, and a plurality of selected browser command functions.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the application program data and the microcontroller and the display cooperate when the microcontroller is executing the application program data to display an animated icon in one corner of the display area as indicative of browser jump status.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the application program data and the microcontroller and the display cooperate when the microcontroller is executing the application program data to display a portion of the content of a markup language document in the majority of the display area and to display, in one corner of the display area, an iconic indication of the location in the document of the content portion then being displayed.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the application program data and the microcontroller and the display cooperate when the microcontroller is executing the application program data to display a portion of the content of a markup language document in the majority of the display area and to display, in one corner of the display area, an animated icon indicative of browser jump status and, in an opposite corner of the display area, a location icon indicative of the location in the document of the content portion then being displayed.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the application program data and the microcontroller and the display cooperate when the microcontroller is executing the application program data to display the document title information and the plurality of selected browser command functions in an area defined between the animated icon and the location icon.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the one corner is the upper left corner of the display area as oriented to the document content displayed.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the application program data and the microcontroller and the display cooperate when the microcontroller is executing the application program data to display the document title information and the plurality of selected browser command functions in an area defined between the animated icon and the location icon.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the opposite corner is the upper right corner of the display area as oriented to the document content displayed.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the application program data and the microcontroller and the display cooperate when the microcontroller is executing the application program data to display the document title information and the plurality of selected browser command functions in an area defined between the animated icon and the location icon.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the microcontroller is a microprocessor.

12. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the application program data and the microcontroller and the display cooperate when the microcontroller is executing the application program data to enable access to browser jump command functions by selection of an animated icon in one corner of the display area for initiating action.

13. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the application program data and the microcontroller and the display cooperate when the microcontroller is executing the application program data to enable access to browser document command functions by selection of a location icon in one corner of the display area for initiating action.

14. Apparatus comprising:

a display device displaying visual images to a human observer, the display device defining a display area;

a microprocessor coupled to the display device;

memory devices coupled to the microprocessor and receiving and storing and delivering digitally encoded data used by the microprocessor in executing control programs; and

digitally encoded application program data stored in the memory devices and effective upon execution by the microprocessor to drive the display on the display device of a markup language document and associated status and command functions;

the application program data and the microprocessor and the display cooperating when the microprocessor is executing the application program data to display a portion of the content of a markup language document in the majority of the display area and to display;

in one corner of the display area, an animated icon indicative of browser jump status;

in an opposite corner of the display area, a location icon indicative of the location in the document of the content portion then being displayed; and

along one side edge of the display area and in an area defined between the animated icon and the location icon, document title information and a plurality of selected browser command functions.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the one corner is the upper left corner and the opposite corner is the upper right corner, both as oriented to the document content displayed.

16. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the application program data and the microprocessor and the display cooperate when the microprocessor is executing the application program data to enable access to browser jump command functions by selection of an animated icon in one corner of the display area for initiating action.

17. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the application program data and the microprocessor and the display cooperate when the microprocessor is executing the application program data to enable access to browser document command functions by selection of a location icon in one corner of the display area for initiating action.

18. A mobile client computer comprising:

a housing sized to be held and manipulated by the hand of a user;

a processor mounted within the housing and processing digital data;

memory mounted within the housing and storing digital data and coupled to the processor;

a display mounted in the housing and coupled to the processor and the memory to define a display area in which information derived from digital data processed by the processor is displayed;

an input digitizer mounted in the housing and overlaying the display, the digitizer being coupled to the processor for input of digital data by a user; and

a browser program stored in the memory and accessible by the processor for directing the processing of digital data by the processor,

the browser program and the processor and the display cooperating when the processor is executing the browser program to display at least a portion of the content of a markup language document in the majority of the display area and to display, along one side edge of the display area, browser jump status, document title information, document display status, and a plurality of selected browser command functions.

19. A computer according to claim 18 wherein the browser and the processor and the display cooperate when the processor is executing the browser program to display, along an upper side edge of the display area, browser jump status, document title information, document display status, and a plurality of selected browser command functions.

20. A computer according to claim 18 wherein the browser program and the processor and the display cooperate when the processor is executing the browser program to display an animated icon in one corner of the display area as indicative of browser jump status.

21. A computer according to claim 18 wherein the browser program and the processor and the display cooperate when the processor is executing the browser program to display a portion of the content of a markup language document in the majority of the display area and to display, in one corner of the display area, an iconic indication of the location in the document of the content portion then being displayed.

22. A computer according to claim 18 wherein the browser program and the processor and the display cooperate when the processor is executing the browser program to display a portion of the content of a markup language document in the majority of the display area and to display, in one corner of the display area, an animated icon indicative of browser jump status and, in an opposite corner of the display area, a location icon indicative of the location in the document of the content portion then being displayed.

23. A computer according to claim 22 wherein the browser program and the processor and the display cooperate when the processor is executing the browser program to display the document title information and the plurality of selected browser command functions in an area defined between the animated icon and the location icon.

24. A computer according to claim 22 wherein the one corner is the upper left corner of the display area as oriented to the document content displayed.

25. A computer according to claim 24 wherein the browser program and the processor and the display cooperate when the processor is executing the browser program to display the document title information and the plurality of selected browser command functions in an area defined between the animated icon and the location icon.

26. A computer according to claim 24 wherein the opposite corner is the upper right corner of the display area as oriented to the document content displayed.

27. A computer according to claim 26 wherein the browser program and the processor and the display cooperate when the processor is executing the browser program to display the document title information and the plurality of selected browser command functions in an area defined between the animated icon and the location icon.

28. A computer according to claim 18 wherein the browser program and the processor and the display cooperate when the processor is executing the browser program to enable access to browser jump command functions by selection of an animated icon in one corner of the display area for initiating action.

29. A computer according to claim 18 wherein the browser program and the processor and the display cooperate when the processor is executing the browser program to enable access to browser document command functions by selection of a location icon in one corner of the display area for initiating action.

30. A mobile client computer comprising:

a housing sized to be held and manipulated by the hand of a user;

a processor mounted within the housing and processing digital data;

memory mounted within the housing and storing digital data and coupled to the processor;

a display mounted in the housing and coupled to the processor and the memory to define a display area in which information derived from digital data processed by the processor is displayed;

an input digitizer mounted in the housing and overlaying the display, the digitizer being coupled to the processor for input of digital data by a user; and

a browser program stored in the memory and accessible by the processor for directing the processing of digital data by the processor,

the browser program and the processor and the display cooperating when the processor is executing the browser program

the browser program and the processor and the display cooperating when the processor is executing the browser program to display a portion of the content of a markup language document in the majority of the display area and to display;

in one corner of the display area, an animated icon indicative of browser jump status;

in an opposite corner of the display area, a location icon indicative of the location in the document of the content portion then being displayed; and

along one side edge of the display area and in an area defined between the animated icon and the location icon, document title information and a plurality of selected browser command functions.

31. A computer according to claim 30 wherein the one corner is the upper left corner and the opposite corner is the upper right corner, both as oriented to the document content displayed.

32. A computer according to claim 30 wherein the browser program and the processor and the display cooperate when the processor is executing the application program data to enable access to browser jump command functions by selection of an animated icon in one corner of the display area for initiating action.

33. A computer according to claim 30 wherein the browser program and the processor and the display cooperate when the processor is executing the browser program to enable access to browser document command functions by selection of a location icon in one corner of the display area for initiating action.