System and method of providing a navigational aide

• US 6,771,284 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2000
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Calvillo, Michael J., Anderson, Glen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thomas T.
• Application Number:
  US09/516,623
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• Field of Search: 345/705, 345/856, 345/711, 345/810, 345/817, 345/973, 345/862, 345/786, 345/787, 345/864, 345/776, 345/777
• US Class Current: 715/705
• 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method of providing a navigational aide. In a first aspect of the present invention, a system and method of providing a navigational aide includes monitoring data displayed on a display device and detecting a marker of a section of the displayed data. A navigational aide is displayed in response to the detected marker of the section of displayed data.

Claims

1. A method of providing a navigational aide, comprising:

monitoring displayed data on a display device, wherein the displayed data having at least one section from a plurality of sections;

detecting at least one marker of the plurality of sections of the displayed data, the marker being detected by identifying a boundary of the at least one section of the displayed data, the boundary having a threshold value located along a displayed bar of a displayed scroll box of a scroll bar software feature;

identifying the boundary of the at least one section using a scroll height, the scroll height including a number of pixels in the body element, a scrollby procedure is utilized to determine how many pixels are scrolled per individual scroll occurrence, a variable is assigned a value of scroll height and reduced by the value of each found value of the scrollby procedure after a scroll occurrence, wherein when the variable is equal or less than the threshold value of the boundary of the section of the displayed data is detected; and

displaying the navigational aide as a formatted pop-up menu proximally to at least one of a displayed cursor, the marker of the section of the displayed data, and the displayed bar, wherein the navigational aide is displayed in response to the detected marker of the section of displayed data.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the navigation aide is formatted as a navigation bar.

3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the marker includes at least one of the final line and final page of a display of data.

4. The method as described in claim 3, wherein the final line is indicated by an end-of-file marker.

5. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the marker includes a document object including a body element of the document object which specifies at least one of a beginning and end of a document.

6. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the marker includes a hypertext markup language (HTML) tag.

7. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the display of data includes a scroll bar software feature.

8. The method as described in claim 7, wherein the marker is detected when a display of a scroll box of the scroll bar software feature reaches near an end of a display of a bar.

9. The method as described in claim 7, wherein the marker is detected when a display of a scroll box of the scroll bar software feature reaches a threshold position located along an end of a display of a bar.

10. The method as described in claim 7, wherein the marker is detected when a display of a scroll box of the scroll bar software feature reaches at least one of an end of a display of a bar, near an end of a display of a bar and a threshold position located along an end of a display of a bar.

11. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising configuring the navigational aide based upon a context detected of the boundary of the section of the display of data.

12. The method as described in claim 11, wherein the context includes at least one of the data displayed, a location of a cursor and a location within the display of data.

13. The method as described in claim 11, wherein the context includes a location of a cursor.

14. The method as described in claim 11, wherein the context includes a location within the display of data.

15. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the monitored data includes at least one of a word processing document, web page and spreadsheet.

16. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the monitored data includes a web page.

17. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the monitored data includes a spreadsheet.

18. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the monitored data includes a first application, the navigational aide provides access to a second application.

19. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the navigational aide is displayed proximally to the marker of the section of the displayed data.

20. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the navigational aide is displayed proximally to a display of a scroll bar.

21. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the marker includes a final page of a display of data.

22. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the marker includes a document object including a body element of the document object which specifies an end of a document.

23. Program instructions storable on a medium readable by an information handling system for causing the information handling system method to execute steps for providing a navigational aide, comprising:

monitoring displayed data on a display device, wherein the displayed data having at least one section from a plurality of sections;

detecting at least one marker of the plurality of sections of the displayed data, the marker being detected by identifying a boundary of the at least one section of the displayed data, the boundary having a threshold value located along a displayed bar of a displayed scroll box of a scroll bar software feature;

identifying the boundary of the at least one section using a scroll height, the scroll height including a number of pixels in the body element, a scrollby procedure is utilized to determine how many pixels are scrolled per individual scroll occurrence, a variable is assigned a value of scroll height and reduced by the value of each found value of the scrollby procedure after a scroll occurrence, wherein when the variable is equal or less than the threshold value of the boundary of the section of the displayed data is detected; and

displaying the navigational aide as a formatted pop-up menu proximally to at least one of a displayed cursor, the marker of the section of the displayed data, and the displayed bar, wherein the navigational aide is displayed in response to the detected marker of the section of displayed data.

24. The program of instructions as described in claim 23, wherein the navigation aide is formatted as a navigation bar.

25. The program of instructions as described in claim 23, wherein the marker includes at least one of the final line and final page of a display of data.

26. The program of instructions as described in claim 25, wherein the final line is indicated by an end-of-file marker.

27. The program of instructions as described in claim 23, wherein the marker includes a document object including a body element of the document object which specifies at least one of a beginning and end of a document.

28. The program of instructions as described in claim 23, wherein the marker includes a hypertext markup language (HTML) tag.

29. The program of instructions as described in claim 23, wherein the navigational aide is displayed proximally to the marker of the section of the displayed data.

30. The program of instructions as described in claim 23, wherein the navigational aide is displayed proximally to a display of a scroll bar.

31. The program of instructions as described in claim 23, wherein the marker includes a final page of a display of data.

32. The program of instructions as described in claim 23, wherein the marker includes a document object including a body element of the document object which specifies an end of a document.

33. The program of instructions as described in claim 23, wherein the monitored data includes a web page.

34. The program of instructions as described in claim 23, wherein the monitored data includes a spreadsheet.

35. The program of instructions as described in claim 23, wherein the display of data includes a scroll bar software feature.

36. The program of instructions as described in claim 35, wherein the marker is detected when a display of a scroll box of the scroll bar software feature reaches at least one of an end of a display of a bar, near an end of a display of a bar and a threshold position located along an end of a display of a bar.

37. The program of instructions as described in claim 35, wherein the marker is detected when a display of a scroll box of the scroll bar software feature reaches near an end of a display of a bar.

38. The program of instructions as described in claim 35, wherein the marker is detected when a display of a scroll box of the scroll bar software feature reaches a threshold position located along an end of a display of a bar.

39. The program of instructions as described in claim 23, further comprising configuring the navigational aide based upon a context detected of the boundary of the section of the display of data.

40. The program of instructions as described in claim 39, wherein the context includes at least one of the data displayed, a location of a cursor and a location within the display of data.

41. The program of instructions as described in claim 39, wherein the context includes a location of a cursor.

42. The program of instructions as described in claim 39, wherein the context includes a location within the display of data.

43. The program of instructions as described in claim 23, wherein the monitored data includes at least one of a word processing document, web page and spreadsheet.

44. The program of instructions as described in claim 23, wherein the monitored data includes a first application, the navigational aide provides access to a second application.

45. An information handling, comprising:

a processor for executing a program of instructions on the information handling system;

a display device coupled to the processor for displaying data;

a memory coupled to the processor for storing the program of instructions executable by said processor for providing a navigational aide;

monitoring means for monitoring displayed data on a display device, wherein the displayed data having at least one section from a plurality of sections;

detecting means for detecting at least one marker of the plurality of sections of the displayed data, the marker being detected by identifying a boundary of the at least one section of the displayed data, the boundary having a threshold value located along a displayed bar of a displayed scroll box of a scroll bar software feature;

identifying means for identifying the boundary of the at least one section using a scroll height, the scroll height including a number of pixels in the body element, a scrollby procedure is utilized to determine how many pixels are scrolled per individual scroll occurrence, a variable is assigned a value of scroll height and reduced by the value of each found value of the scrollby procedure after a scroll occurrence, wherein when the variable is equal or less than the threshold value of the boundary of the section of the displayed data is detected; and

displaying means for displaying a navigational aide as a formatted pop-up menu proximally to at least one of a displayed cursor, the marker of the section of the displayed data, and the displayed bar, wherein the navigational aide is displayed in response to the detected marker of the section of displayed data.

46. The information handling system as described in claim 45, wherein the navigation aide is formatted as a navigation bar.

47. The information handling system as described in claim 45, wherein the marker includes at least one of the final line and final page of a display of data.

48. The information handling system as described in claim 47, wherein the final line is indicated by an end-of-file marker.

49. The information handling system as described in claim 45, wherein the marker includes a document object including a body element of the document object which specifies at least one of a beginning and end of a document.

50. The information handling system as described in claim 45, wherein the marker includes a hypertext markup language (HTML) tag.

51. The information handling system as described in claim 45, wherein the navigational aide is displayed proximally to the marker of the section of the displayed data.

52. The information handling system as described in claim 45, wherein the navigational aide is displayed proximally to a display of a scroll bar.

53. The information handling system as described in claim 45, wherein the marker includes a final page of a display of data.

54. The information handling system as described in claim 45, wherein the marker includes a document object including a body element of the document object which specifies an end of a document.

55. The information handling system as described in claim 45, wherein the monitored data includes a web page.

56. The information handling system as described in claim 45, wherein the monitored data includes a spreadsheet.

57. The information handling system as described in claim 45, wherein the monitored data includes at least one of a word processing document, web page and spreadsheet.

58. The information handling system as described in claim 45, wherein the monitored data includes a first application, the navigational aide provides access to a second application.

59. The information handling system as described in claim 45, wherein the display of data includes a scroll bar software feature.

60. The information handling system as described in claim 59, wherein the marker is detected when a display of a scroll box of the scroll bar software feature reaches at least one of an end of a display of a bar, near an end of a display of a bar and a threshold position located along an end of a display of a bar.

61. The information handling system as described in claim 59, wherein the marker is detected when a display of a scroll box of the scroll bar software feature reaches near an end of a display of a bar.

62. The information handling system as described in claim 59, wherein the marker is detected when a display of a scroll box of the scroll bar software feature reaches a threshold position located along an end of a display of a bar.

63. The information handling system as described in claim 45, further comprising configuring the navigational aide based upon a context detected of the boundary of the section of the display of data.

64. The information handling system as described in claim 63, wherein the context includes at least one of the data displayed, a location of a cursor and a location within the display of data.

65. The information handling system as described in claim 63, wherein the context includes a location of a cursor.

66. The information handling system as described in claim 63, wherein the context includes a location within the display of data.