Loading status in a hypermedia browser having a limited available display area

• US 6,339,780 B1
• Filed: 05/06/1997
• Issued: 01/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kitowitz, Anthony, Shields, Kevin Timothy, Shell, Scott R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): JUNG, DAVID YIUK
• Application Number:
  US08/851,877
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-576, 345/24-440
• US Class Current: 715/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Described herein is a portable computer having a limited display area. An Internet or other hypermedia browser executes on the portable computer to load and display content in a content viewing area. During times when the browser is loading content, the browser displays a temporary, animated graphic element over the content viewing area. The graphic element is removed after the content is loaded, allowing unobstructed viewing of the loaded content.

Claims

1. A hypermedia browser embodied on a computer-readable medium for execution on an information processing device having a limited display area, wherein the hypermedia browser has a content viewing area for viewing content and is configured to display a temporary graphic element over the content viewing area during times when the browser is loading content, wherein the temporary graphic element is positioned over the content viewing area to obstruct only part of the content in the content viewing area, wherein the temporary graphic element is not content and wherein content comprises data for presentation which is from a source external to the browser.

2. A hypermedia browser as recited in claim 1, wherein the browser is configured to display the temporary graphic element over the content viewing area only during times when the browser is loading visible content.

3. A hypermedia browser as recited in claim 1, wherein the temporary graphic clement indicates to a user that the browser is loading content.

4. A hypermedia browser as recited in claim 1, wherein the temporary graphic element disappears when the browser'"'"'s loading of content is complete to indicate to a user that such loading of content is complete.

5. A hypermedia browser as recited in claim 1, wherein the temporary graphic element is animated.

6. A hypermedia browser as recited in claim 1, wherein the hypermedia browser displays the temporary graphic element in a corner of the content viewing area.

7. A hypermedia browser as recited in claim 1, wherein the hypermedia browser presents the temporary graphic element within a temporary window in a windowing operating environment.

8. A hypermedia browser as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the temporary graphic element is animated; and

the hypermedia browser presents the temporary graphic element within a temporary window in a windowing operating environment.

9. A hypermedia browser as recited in claim 1, wherein the temporary graphic element conveys status information of the browser.

10. A hypermedia browser of claim 1, wherein content is data formatted for presentation which is selected from a group consisting of visible effects of a markup language, visible text of such a markup language, and visible results of a scripting language.

11. A hypermedia browser of claim 1, wherein content is data formatted for presentation which is selected from a group consisting of HTML, text, SGML, XML, java, XHTML, JavaScript, streaming video, VRML, Active X, Flash. scripting language for the world wide web.

12. An information processing device comprising:

a processor;

a display;

a hypermedia browser executing on the processor to load and display content in a content viewing area on the display;

wherein the hypermedia browser displays a temporary graphic element over the content viewing area during times when the browser is loading visible content;

wherein the temporary graphic element is positioned only over a portion of the content viewing area and obstructs only part of the visible content in the content viewing area; and

wherein the temporary graphic element indicates to a user that the browser is loading content and content comprises data for presentation which is from a source external to the browser.

13. An information processing device as recited in claim 12, wherein the temporary graphic element is animated.

14. An information processing device as recited in claim 12, wherein the hypermedia browser displays the temporary graphic element in a corner of the content viewing area.

15. An information processing device as recited in claim 12, wherein the hypermedia browser displays the temporary graphic element within a temporary window in a windowing operating environment.

16. An information processing device as recited in claim 12, wherein:

the temporary graphic element is animated; and

the hypermedia browser displays the temporary graphic element within a temporary window in a windowing operating environment.

17. A hypermedia browser of claim 12, wherein content is data formatted for presentation which is selected from a group consisting of visible effects of a markup language, visible text of such a markup language, and visible results of a scripting language.

18. A hypermedia browser of claim 12, wherein content is data formatted for presentation which is selected from a group consisting of HTML, text, SGML, XML, java, XHTML, JavaScript, streaming video, VRML, Active X, Flash. scripting language for the world wide web.

20. An information processing device as recited in claim 12, wherein the temporary graphic element is not content.

21. An information processing device as recited in claim 12, wherein the temporary graphic element disappears when the browser'"'"'s loading of content is complete to indicate to a user that such loading of content is complete.

19. A method of browsing a hyperlink resource, comprising the following steps:

loading content from the hyperlink resource in response to user selection of hyperlinks contained in said content;

displaying the content in a content viewing area;

displaying a temporary graphic element over the content viewing area during the loading step, wherein the temporary graphic element obstructs only part of the content in the content viewing area;

wherein the loading, the content displaying, and the temporary graphic element displaying steps occur at least partially concurrently; and

wherein content comprises data for presentation which is from a source external to the browser.

22. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the temporary graphic element is not content.

23. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the temporary graphic element indicates to a user that the loading step is being performed.

24. A method as recited in claim 19, further comprising removing the temporary graphic element once the loading step is complete to indicate to a user that the loading step is complete.

25. A method as recited in claim 19, further comprising an additional step of animating the temporary graphic element.

26. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the displaying step includes displaying the temporary graphic element in a corner of the content viewing area.

27. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the displaying step includes displaying the temporary graphic element within a temporary window in a windowing operating environment.

28. A method as recited in claim 19, further comprising an additional step of animating the temporary graphic element, wherein the displaying step includes displaying the temporary graphic element within a temporary window in a windowing operating environment.

29. A computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that are executable for performing the steps recited in claim 19.

30. A hypermedia browser of claim 19, wherein content is data formatted for presentation which is selected from a group consisting of visible effects of a markup language, visible text of such a markup language, and visible results of a scripting language.

31. A hypermedia browser of claim 19, wherein content is data formatted for presentation which is selected from a group consisting of HTML, text, SGML, XML, java, XHTML, JavaScript, streaming video, VRML, Active X, Flash. scripting language for the world wide web.

32. A method of indicating a content “

load status”

of a hypermedia browser having a content viewing area for viewing content, the method comprising;

displaying loaded content within the content viewing area of a screen of a hypermedia browser, the screen being without a “

load status”

graphic element, wherein a “

load status”

graphic element indicates a current content load status of the hypermedia browser;

receiving an instruction to load new content into the content viewing area;

loading such new content into the content viewing area; and

while loading, displaying a “

load status”

graphic element over the content viewing area so that the graphic element obstructs only part of the content in such content viewing area; and

wherein content comprises data for presentation which is from a source external to the browser.

33. A method as recited in claim 32 further comprising, upon completion of the loading, removing the “

load status”

graphic element to reveal the part of the content in the content viewing area that the graphic element obstructed when the element was displayed.

34. A hypermedia browser of claim 32, wherein content is data formatted for presentation which is selected from a group consisting of visible effects of a markup language, visible text of such a markup language, and visible results of a scripting language.

35. A hypermedia browser of claim 32, wherein content is data formatted for presentation which is selected from a group consisting of HTML, text, SGML, XML, java, XHTML, JavaScript, streaming video, VRML, Active X, Flash. scripting language for the world wide web.

36. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, perform a method of indicating a content “

load status”

of a hypermedia browser having a content viewing area for viewing content, the method comprising;

displaying loaded content within the content viewing area of a screen of a hypermedia browser, the screen is without a “

load status”

graphic element, wherein a “

load status”

graphic element indicates a current content load status of the hypermedia browser;

receiving an instruction to load new content into the content viewing area;

loading such new content into the content viewing area; and

while loading, displaying a “

load status”

graphic element over the content viewing area so that the graphic element obstructs only part of the content in such content viewing area; and

wherein content comprises data for presentation which is from a source external to the browser.

37. A hypermedia browser of claim 36, wherein content is data formatted for presentation which is selected from a group consisting of visible effects of a markup language, visible text of such a markup language, and visible results of a scripting language.

38. A hypermedia browser of claim 36, wherein content is data formatted for presentation which is selected from a group consisting of HTML, text, SGML, XML, java, XHTML, JavaScript, streaming video, VRML, Active X, Flash. scripting language for the world wide web.

39. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 36 further having additional computer-executable instructions that perform a method comprising, upon completion of the loading, removing the “

load status”

graphic element to reveal the part of the content in the content viewing area that the graphic element obstructed when the element was displayed.

40. An information processing device comprising:

a processor;

a display;

a hypermedia browser executing on the processor to load and display content in a content viewing area on the display;

wherein the hypermedia browser is configured to operate in a content-loading mode and a content-loaded mode;

in the content-loaded mode, the hypermedia browser displays loaded content in the content viewing area and no “

load status”

graphic element is displayed, wherein absence of such “

load status”

graphic element indicates that the browser is in the content-loaded mode;

in the content-loading mode, the hypermedia browser loads content, displays such content in the content viewing area as it loads, and displays a “

load status”

graphic element over the content view area obstructing part of the content displayed in the content viewing area, wherein presence of such “

load status”

graphic element indicates that the browser is in the content-loading mode; and

wherein content comprises data for presentation which is from a source external to the browser.

41. A hypermedia browser of claim 40, wherein content is data formatted for presentation which is selected from a group consisting of visible effects of a markup language, visible text of such a markup language, and visible results of a scripting language.

42. A hypermedia browser of claim 40, wherein content is data formatted for presentation which is selected from a group consisting of HTML, text, SGML, XML, java, XHTML, JavaScript, streaming video, VRML, Active X, Flash. scripting language for the world wide web.