Access of online information featuring automatic hide/show function

• US 6,421,065 B1
• Filed: 02/09/1998
• Issued: 07/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Harper, Kathleen K., Walden, Ralph E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dela Torre, Crescelle N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, Sy D.
• Application Number:
  US09/020,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20020054123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• Field of Search: 345/357, 345/336, 345/338, 345/340, 345/346, 345/347, 345/854, 345/855, 345/850, 345/851, 345/705-715, 345/781, 345/783, 345/792, 345/853, 707/501, 707/513
• US Class Current: 715/712
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

A system and method for providing improved access to online help information is provided in a computer system. A component of Internet browser software is used to implement improved help which can take advantage of HTML links to information via the Internet. A navigational window pane and a HTML window pane are provided in a single window. A Hide/Show button allows the user to delete the navigational window pane or to simultaneously display it along with the HTML window pane. Once a user selects a topic in the navigational window pane, the corresponding content information is displayed in the HTML window pane. A help tab is embedded in a program to facilitate easy switching between help and the program. In addition, a help button is used to provide a context-sensitive embedded help window which tracks the user'"'"'s activities. Calculations are performed for automatically sizing window panes in response to the Hide/Show button. In addition, the navigational window pane can automatically hide when a user selects any item outside of the help window. Similarly, the navigational window pane is can be automatically restored when the user reselects the help window.

Claims

1. A method of accessing help information by a computer user, said method comprising:

activating a help function in a computer;

accessing a help window containing help information, the help window being displayed in response to activating said help function;

accessing any location outside of said help window to delete the display of only a portion of said help window.

2. A method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 1 wherein said help window contains a navigational pane.

3. A method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 2 wherein said portion of help window that is deleted is said navigational pane.

4. A method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a location within said help window, thereby causing said portion of said help window to be redisplayed.

5. A method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 4 wherein said help window contains a navigational pane.

6. A method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 5 wherein said portion of the help window that is redisplayed is said navigational pane.

7. The method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 4, wherein the step of accessing a location within the help window includes causing the help window to gain activation.

8. The method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of accessing any location outside of the help window includes causing the help window to lose activation.

9. A method of accessing help information by a computer user, the method comprising:

activating a help function in a computer;

accessing a help window containing help information, the help window being displayed in response to activating the help function and comprising a navigational pane and a markup language pane for displaying information written in a markup language; and

accessing any location outside of the help window to delete the display of only a portion of the help window.

10. A method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 9, wherein the portion of the help window that is deleted is the navigational pane.

11. The method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 9, wherein the step of accessing any location outside of the help window includes causing the help window to lose activation.

12. A method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

accessing a location within the help window, thereby causing the portion of the help widow to be redisplayed.

13. A method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 12, wherein the portion of help window that is redisplayed is the navigational pane.

14. The method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 13, wherein the step of accessing a location within the help window includes causing the help window to gain activation.

15. The method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 9, wherein the help window further includes a toolbar pane.

16. The method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 9, wherein the markup language is the hypertext markup language.

17. The method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 9, wherein the markup language pane includes one or more markup language links to markup language files.

18. The method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 9, wherein the markup language pane displays multimedia or active content data.

19. The method of accessing help information as claimed in claim 9, wherein the markup language pane displays streaming multimedia.