System and method for associating popup windows with selective regions of a document

• US 6,762,777 B2
• Filed: 12/22/1999
• Issued: 07/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Carroll, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Sy D.
• Application Number:
  US09/469,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20030160807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: 345/711, 345/808, 345/705-710, 345/712-715, 345/760, 707/501.1, 707/512, 707/513
• US Class Current: 715/808
• 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: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

A system and method processes designating regions in an electronic text to associate with those selected regions freely editable popup windows. In a preferred embodiment, embedded tag delimiters are used to mark out the boundaries of the selected region and the content of the popup window. In an alternative embodiment, keystroke combinations are utilized to associate a selected region in an electronic document with a popup window, and the popup window is then freely editable.

Claims

1. A method of associating a selected region of an electronic document with a popup window having a popup information region, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting at least one of a text and graphical region of the electronic document to establish the selected region of the electronic document;

accepting input to associate the selected region with the popup information region in the popup window;

displaying the popup information region in the popup window when a positional indicator comes within a predetermined relationship of the selected region; and

enabling a user to input and edit information in the popup information region.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a begin select tag and an end select tag to select the selected region and a begin popup tag and an end popup tag to select the popup information region.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising accepting additional input to change content of the popup information region

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising accepting additional input to modify the selected region within the electronic document.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic document comprises at least textual information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the electronic document comprises at least graphical information.

7. A system for associating a selected region of an electronic document with a popup window having a popup information region, the system comprising:

an input interface that is adapted to accept input for selecting at least one of a text and graphical region of the electronic document to establish the selected region of the electronic document and to enable a user to input and edit information in the popup information region; and

a processor unit that is adapted to associate the popup information region with the selected region and to cause the popup information region to be displayed whenever a positional indicator comes within a predetermined relationship of the selected region.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor unit generates a begin select tag and an end selected tag to select the selected region and a begin popup tag and an end popup tag to select the popup information region.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the input interface accepts input from at least one of a keyboard, a speech to text converter, a mouse, a pressure pad and a trackball device.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the input interface accepts additional input to modify content of the popup information region.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the electronic document comprises at least textual information.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the electronic document comprises at least graphical information.

13. A computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for associating a selected region of an electronic document with a popup window having a popup information region, the computer readable medium comprising:

computer readable program code for causing a computer to accept input for selecting at least one of a text and graphical region of the electronic document to establish the selected region of the electronic document and to enable a user to input and edit information in the popup information region;

computer readable program code for causing the computer to associate the selected region with the popup information region in the popup window; and

computer readable program code for activating the popup window when a positional indicator comes within a predetermined relationship of the selected region.

14. A system for associating a popup window with a selected region of an electronic document, comprising:

input means for selecting at least one of a text and graphical region of the electronic document to establish the selected region of the electronic document and for enabling a user to input and edit information in the popup information region;

processor means for associating the popup information region with the selected region; and

display means for displaying the popup window having the popup information region whenever a positional indicator comes into a predetermined relationship with the selected region.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the processor means generates a begin select tag and an end select tab for selecting the selected region and a begin popup tag and an end popup tag for selecting the popup information region.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the input means accepts further input for changing the content of the popup information region.