Dialog box positioning

• US 6,971,068 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2001
• Issued: 11/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, Cary Lee, Jones, Steven Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Roswell, Michael
• Application Number:
  US09/915,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20030020756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• Field of Search: 345/788, 345/809, 345/811, 345/812, 345/635, 345/644, 345/672, 345/677, 345/802, 345/808, 345/790, 715/788, 715/809, 715/811, 715/812, 715/802, 715/808, 715/790
• US Class Current: 715/788
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Methods, systems and articles of manufacture for enhanced control over the positioning of dialog boxes in relation to hyperlinks within electronic documents. The controlled positioning is implemented to mitigate any undesirable placement of dialog boxes that might limit to user access to hyperlinks contained within the electronic document. Accordingly, embodiments are provided for determining a location within a displayed electronic document at which a dialog box may be positioned without obscuring any hyperlinks. In the event that such positioning is not possible, steps are taken to position the dialog box in a location that will result in the least interference between the user and a displayed document.

Claims

1. A method of positioning a non-modal dialog box in a graphical user interface (GUI) displaying content comprising hyperlinks, the method comprising:

determining whether the GUI includes a display area at least equal to an area of the dialog box and absent of any hyperlinks;

if the GUI includes the display area at least equal to the area of the dialog box and absent of any hyperlinks, displaying the dialog box in the display area; and

if the GUI does not include the display area at least equal to the area of the dialog box and absent of any hyperlinks, displaying the dialog box in a position where a least number of hyperlinks are obscured from a view of a user.

2. A method of positioning a non-modal dialog box in a graphical user interface (GUI) displaying content comprising hyperlinks, the method comprising:

determining whether the GUI includes a display area at least equal to an area of the dialog box and absent of any hyperlinks;

if the GUI includes the display area at least equal to the area of the dialog box and absent of any hyperlinks, displaying the dialog box in the display area, and

if the GUI does not include the display area at least equal to the area of the dialog box and absent of any hyperlinks, displaying the dialog box in a position where a least number of hyperlinks likely to be selected are obscured from a view of a user.

3. A method of positioning a non-model dialog box in a graphical user interface (GUI) displaying content comprising hyperlinks, the method comprising:

determining whether the GUI includes a display area at least equal to an area of the dialog box and absent of any hyperlinks;

if the GUI includes the display area at least equal to the area of the dialog box and absent of any hyperlinks, displaying the dialog box in the display area,

if the GUI does not include the display area at least equal to the area of the dialog box and absent of any hyperlink;

determining that at least one hyperlink is more likely to be selected by a user than at least one other hyperlink; and

displaying the dialog box over the at least one other hyperlink to prevent access to the at least one other hyperlink and allow user access to the at least one hyperlink.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining that the at least one hyperlink is more likely to be selected comprises determining that the at least one hyperlink has been previously visited and the at least one other hyperlink is unvisited.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining that the at least one hyperlink is more likely to he selected comprises one of:

(a) determining that the user is traversing a path of previously visited links and determining that the at least one hyperlink has been previously visited and that the at least one other hyperlink is unvisited; and

(b) determining that the user is traversing a path of unvisited links and determining that the at least one hyperlink is unvisited and that the at least one other hyperlink has been previously visited.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein determining that the at least one hyperlink is more likely to be selected comprises:

if the user is traversing a path of previously visited links, assigning a first value to a visited threshold value and a second value to an unvisited threshold value, wherein the first value is greater than the second value;

if the user is traversing a path comprising at least one previously unvisited link, assigning the first value to the unvisited threshold value and the second value to the visited threshold value;

iteratively performing a loop for each of a plurality of possible dialog box positions within the GUI, comprising, for each hyperlink of the content obscured by a current possible position of the dialog box;

(i) adding the unvisited threshold value to a current score if the link is previously unvisited;

wherein the current score is a predetermined value when processing a first link during a first iteration of the loop and, thereafter, is a score generated when processing a previous link; and

(ii) adding the visited threshold value to the current score if the link is previously visited; and

displaying the dialog box at a position having a lowest current score.

7. A method of positioning a non-modal dialog box in a graphical user interface (GUI) displaying content comprising hyperlinks, the method comprising:

processing a request to retrieve the content from a network address;

parsing a response to the request;

rendering the content in a viewable manner;

determining a position for the dialog box, wherein the determining comprises at least one of;

(i) determining whether the dialog box can be positioned in a display area of the GUI where none of the hyperlinks are obscured from a view of a user; and

(ii) determining whether the dialog box can be positioned in a display area of the GUI where a least number of hyperlinks are obscured from the view of the user; and

displaying the dialog box in the position;

wherein if the dialog box cannot be positioned in the display area where none of the hyperlinks are obscured from the view of the user, the dialog box is displayed in a position allowing the user to view at least one hyperlink more likely to be selected than at least one other hyperlink.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein displaying the dialog box in the position allowing the user to view the at least one hyperlink comprises at least one of:

determining that the at least one hyperlink is related to a subject matter of a current search performed by the user and that the at least one other hyperlink is not related to the current search; and

determining that the at least one hyperlink is related to a subject matter of a navigation path defined by content of at least two immediately preceding network addresses.

9. A computer readable medium containing a program which, when executed by a processor, causes operations to position a dialog box in a graphical user interface (GUI) displaying content comprising hyperlinks, the operations comprising:

determining whether the GUI includes a display area at least equal to an area of the dialog box and absent of any hyperlink;

if the GUI includes the display area at least equal to the area of the dialog box and absent of any hyperlinks, displaying the dialog box in the display area;

if the GUI does not include the display area at least equal to the area of the dialog box and absent of any hyperlink;

determining that at least one hyperlink is more likely to be selected by a user then at least one other hyperlink; and

displaying the dialog box over the at least one other hyperlink to prevent access to the at least one other hyperlink and allow user access to the at least one hyperlink.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein determining that the at least one hyperlink is more likely to be selected comprises determining that the at least one hyperlink has been previously visited and the at least one other hyperlink is unvisited.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein determining that the at least one hyperlink is more likely to be selected comprises at least one of:

(a) determining that the user is traversing a path of previously visited links and determining that the at least one hyperlink has been previously visited and that the at least one other hyperlink is unvisited; and

(b) determining that the user is traversing a path of unvisited links and determining that the at least one hyperlink is unvisited and that the at least one other hyperlink has been previously visited.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein determining that the at least one hyperlink is more likely to be selected comprises:

if the user is traversing a path of previously visited links, assigning a first value to a visited threshold value and a second value to an unvisited threshold value, wherein the first value is greater than the second value;

if the user is traversing a path comprising at least one previously unvisited link, assigning the first value to the unvisited threshold value and the second value to the visited threshold value;

iteratively performing a loop for each of a plurality of possible dialog box positions within the GUI, comprising, for each hyperlink of the content obscured by a current possible position of the dialog box;

(i) adding the unvisited threshold value to a current score if the link is previously unvisited;

wherein the current score is a predetermined value when processing a first link during a first iteration of the loop and, thereafter, is a score generated when processing a previous link; and

(ii) adding the visited threshold value to the current score if the link is previously visited; and

displaying the dialog box at a position having a lowest current score.

13. A computer readable medium containing a program which, when executed by a processor, causes operations to position a non-modal dialog box in a graphical user interface (GUI) displaying content comprising hyperlinks, the operations comprising:

processing a request to retrieve the content from a network address;

parsing a response to the request;

rendering the content in a viewable manner;

determining a position for the dialog box, wherein the determining comprises at least one of;

(i) determining whether the dialog box can be positioned in a display area of the GUI where none of the hyperlinks are obscured by a user; and

(ii) determining whether the dialog box can be positioned in a display area of the GUI where a least number of hyperlinks are obscured from the view of the user; and

displaying the dialog box in the position, wherein if the dialog box cannot be positioned in the display area where none of the hyperlinks are obscured from the view of the hyperlinks by the user, the dialog box is displayed in a position allowing the user to view at least one hyperlink more likely to be selected than at least one other hyperlink.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein displaying the dialog box in the position allowing the user to view the at least one hyperlink comprises at least one of:

determining that the at least one hyperlink is related to a subject matter of a current search performed by the user and that the at least one other hyperlink is not related to the current search; and

determining that the at least one hyperlink is related to a subject matter of a navigation path defined by content of at least two immediately preceding network addresses.