Legibility of selected content

• US 6,907,576 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2002
• Issued: 06/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Darnell, Michael J., Fatehpuria, Pradip K., Barbanson, Monique
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US10/091,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20030164861A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 715/788, 715/791, 715/764, 715/790
• US Class Current: 715/791
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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

Systems and methods for enlarging selectable content. Content that includes selectable items is displayed on a display device through a user interface. When an item is selected, the item is enlarged such that the selected item is more easily viewed. If the item includes text, the text is more legible because it has been enlarged. Other items included in the content that are not currently selected are not enlarged or modified. When a new item is selected, the new item is enlarged and the previously selected item returns to an unselected size and is no longer enlarged.

Claims

1. In a system that receives content either directly from a source or through a proxy server, a method for displaying the content to a user if the content has been resized such that some of the content is rendered less viewable to a user than content that has not been resized, the method comprising:

selecting a portion of the resized content that is displayed to the user in the user interface;

enlarging the selected portion of the resized content without enlarging other portions of the resized content, wherein enlarging the selected portion of the resized content comprises enlarging the selected portion of the resized content only if the selected portion of the resized content is smaller than a predetermined size; and

displaying the enlarged portion of the resized content to the user in the user interface, wherein the remaining resized content is not affected by displaying the enlarged portion of the content.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein selecting a portion of the resized content that is displayed to the user in the user interface further comprises displaying the resized content with an initial portion of the resized content already being selected and enlarged.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a new portion of resized content;

enlarging the new portion of resized content, wherein other portions of the resized content are not enlarged; and

returning the previously selected portion of resized content to a previous size.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein displaying the enlarged portion of the resized content in the user interface further comprises obscuring other portions of the resized content without affecting the other portions of the resized content, wherein the obscured portions of the resized content are no longer obscured when a new portion of the resized content is selected.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein displaying the enlarged portion of the resized content in the user interface further comprises repositioning the enlarged portion of the resized content if enlarging the selected portion of the resized content would require the user to scroll either horizontally or vertically.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the portion of the resized content includes text, enlarging the selected portion of the resized content such that the text is more legible.

7. In a system that receives content from a network, wherein the content includes one or more selectable items and wherein the content is resized before being displayed to a user, and wherein some of the one or more selectable items are rendered less legible during the resizing process, a method for enlarging an item of the resized content, the method comprising:

selecting an item that is included in the resized content, wherein a visual indicator identifies the selected item to a user;

enlarging the selected item according to a predetermined factor if an original size of the selected item is less than a predetermined size, wherein the selected item is not enlarged if the original size of the item is greater than the predetermined size; and

displaying the enlarged item on a display device with the other items, wherein the other items displayed the display device are not enlarged.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein selecting an item that is included in the resized content further comprises displaying the resized content with the item already selected.

9. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein enlarging the selected item according to a predetermined factor further comprises using a different factor according to the size of the selected item.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein smaller items are enlarged by a greater factor than larger items.

11. A method as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

selecting a new item included in the resized content;

enlarging the new item, wherein other items included in the resized content are not enlarged; and

returning the previously selected item of the resized content to the original size.

12. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein displaying the enlarged item of the resized content in the user interface further comprises repositioning the enlarged item of the resized content if enlarging the selected item would require the user to scroll the displayed content either horizontally or vertically.

13. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the selected item of the resized content includes text, enlarging the selected item of the resized content such that the text is more legible to a user.

14. In a system that receives content either directly from a source or through a proxy server, a method for displaying the content to a user if the content has been resized such that text included in the content is rendered less legible when the content is resized, the method comprising:

initially displaying the content to a user, wherein an item included in the content is already selected;

enlarging the selected item by a predetermined factor to an enlarged size from an original size without enlarging other items included in the content, wherein the enlarged item partially obscures some of the other items included in the content;

displaying the enlarged item without requiring the user to scroll horizontally in order to view both the displayed content and the enlarged item; and

when a new item is selected by the user, returning the previously selected item to the original size, wherein the newly selected item is enlarged by a predetermined factor.

15. A method as defined in claim 14, wherein enlarging the selected item by a predetermined factor to an enlarged size from an original size further comprises enlarging the selected item by a predetermined factor that is dependent on the original size of the selected item, wherein the selected item is not enlarged if the original size is greater than a predetermined size.

16. A method as defined in claim 14, wherein displaying the enlarged item without requiring the user to scroll horizontally in order to view the displayed content and the enlarged item further comprises repositioning the enlarged item in a user interface.

17. A computer program product having computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 14.

18. In a system that receives content either directly from a source or through a proxy server, a computer program product for implementing a method for displaying the content to a user if the content has been resized such that some of the content is rendered less legible when the content is resized, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the method, the method comprising selecting a portion of the resized content that is displayed to the user in the user interface;

enlarging the selected portion of the resized content without enlarging other portions of the resized content, wherein enlarging the selected portion of the resized content comprises enlarging the selected portion of the resized content only if the selected portion of the resized content is smaller than a predetermined size; and

displaying the enlarged portion of the resized content to the user in the user interface, wherein the remaining resized content is not affected by displaying the enlarged portion of the content.

19. A computer program product as defined in claim 18, wherein selecting a portion of the resized content that is displayed to the user in the user interface further comprises displaying the resized content with an initial portion of the resized content already being selected and enlarged.

20. A computer program product as defined in claim 18, further comprising:

selecting a new portion of resized content;

enlarging the new portion of resized content, wherein other portions of the resized content are not enlarged; and

returning the previously selected portion of resized content to a previous size.

21. A computer program product as defined in claim 18, wherein displaying the enlarged portion of the resized content in the user interface further comprises obscuring some portions of the resized content without affecting those portions of the resized content, wherein the obscured portions of the resized content are no longer obscured when a new portion of the resized content is selected.

22. A computer program product as defined in claim 18, wherein displaying the enlarged portion of the resized content in the user interface further comprises repositioning the enlarged portion of the resized content if enlarging the selected portion of the resized content would require the user to scroll either horizontally or vertically.

23. In a system that receives content from a network, wherein the content includes one or more selectable items and wherein the content is resized before being displayed to a user, and wherein some of the one or more selectable items are rendered less legible during the resizing process, a computer program product for implementing a method for enlarging an item of the resized content, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the method, the method comprising;

selecting an item that is included in the resized content, wherein a visual indicator identifies the selected item to a user;

enlarging the selected item according to a predetermined factor if an original size of the selected item is less than a predetermined size, wherein the selected item is not enlarged if the size of the item is greater than the predetermined size; and

displaying the enlarged item on a display device with the other items, wherein the other items displayed the display device are not enlarged.

24. A computer program product as defined in claim 23, wherein selecting an item that is included in the resized content further comprises displaying the resized content with the item already selected.

25. A computer program product as defined in claim 23, wherein enlarging the selected item according to a predetermined factor further comprises using a different factor according to the size of the selected item.

26. A computer program product as defined in claim 23, further comprising:

selecting a new item included in the resized content;

enlarging the new item, wherein other items included in the resized content are not enlarged; and

returning the previously selected item of the resized content to the original size.

27. A computer program product as defined in claim 23, wherein displaying the enlarged item of the resized content in the user interface further comprises repositioning the enlarged item of the resized content if enlarging the selected item would require the user to scroll the displayed content either horizontally or vertically.