Adaptive font sizes for network browsing

• US 6,665,842 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2001
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Jakob
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bieneman, Charles A.
• Application Number:
  US09/791,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20020010723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 707/542, 707/529, 345/471, 345/860, 345/789
• US Class Current: 715/269
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation

Abstract

When retrieving documents over a network, such as the Internet, the font size imposed by default or by a style sheet is sometimes not the right size for comfortable viewing by a user. A database of font size changes made by a user to particular documents is maintained and used to infer a font size preference for a document. A document is displayed using a recorded preference. If no preference is found for a document, a check is made to determine if a preference has been specified for a different document related to that document by having a common portion of a network address. That is, if a preference had been specified for one chapter of a document having a particular network address, a preference would be inferred for other chapters of the document based on a common portion of a hierarchical address.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying documents retrieved over a network, comprising:

a network interface; and

a computer connected to said network interface, said computer storing information associated with font size preferences for a user of said computer and using the information to display documents retrieved via the network interface in a font size specified for a document or for a class of documents of which said document is a member, said class of documents determined by network address.

2. A method for determining font size preferences for display of documents retrieved over a network comprising the steps of:

a. storing, in a database coupled to the network, information reflecting at least one font size change associated with a first document;

b. determining a font size preference for at least a second document via the stored information in response to a user accessing said second document; and

c. displaying said second document using the font size preference.

3. A method for determining font size preferences comprising the steps of:

storing information about at least one font size change performed by a user and a document to which said change relates; and

determining font size preference for related documents based on said information,

wherein said font size preference is set by presenting the user with an option to store a font size preference when the user performs the at least one font size change.

4. A method for determining font size preferences for display of documents, retrieved over a network, comprising the steps of:

a. storing, in a database coupled to the network, information about at least one font size change and a first document to which said change relates; and

b. determining font size preference for a second document retrieved over the network using the information relating to the first document, wherein the first document is associated with the retrieved document via an identifier.

5. A method of displaying a document, comprising the steps of:

a. checking a database of font size preferences to determine if a size preference is stored for said document;

b. if a font size preference is not found for said document, checking a database for a font size preference for a different document sharing a common portion of a network address with said document; and

c. displaying said document with a font size preference found in one of the preceding steps.

6. A computer program product comprising:

a. a memory medium; and

b. a computer program stored on said memory medium, said computer program comprising instructions for storing information about at least one font size change and a document to which said change relates and determining font size preference for a retrieved document based on information stored for a class of documents of which the retrieved document is a member, said class being determined by a network address.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 in which said program is transmitted from said memory medium over a network interface.

8. A computer program product comprising:

a. a memory medium; and

b. a computer program stored on said memory medium;

said computer program comprising instructions for;

searching a first database to determine whether a font size preference is stored for a first document, and

when the font size preference is not stored for the first document, searching a second database for a font size preference for a second document associated with the first document and displaying the first document with the font size preference for the second document.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 in which said program is transmitted from said memory medium over a network interface.