Website display emulating a display of an application program

• US 6,973,627 B1
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Issued: 12/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Automated Logic Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Automated Logic Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Appling, Stephen Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BONSHOCK, DENNIS G
• Application Number:
  US09/747,299
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 345/781, 715/501.1, 715/513, 715/517, 715/509, 715/781
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

A website display configured to emulate the look and feel of an application program is created using a border webpage and a content webpage. The border webpage comprises a table having a plurality of border cells surrounding a center cell. The center cell includes an inline frame configured for displaying the content webpage. The border cells each display a corresponding border image. The border images combine to form a border around the inline frame. The border surrounding the inline frame is preferably a four-sided border. The table and its cells are invisible when the border webpage is displayed. When a navigation command is received for accessing and displaying a second content webpage, the second content webpage is displayed in the inline frame in place of the first content webpage, while the border webpage remains static. A resize command for resizing the display area of the web browser, causes the display area and the border webpage and the content webpage to be proportionately resized. Preferably, scroll bars are suppressed by not allowing the display area to be resized below a minimum point at which scroll bars would normally be displayed. Each border image displayed in the border cells of the table may comprise repeated images that are tiled. Tiling the border images in this manner avoid distortion when the border images are resized. In response to resizing the border cells, the repeated images are retiled accordingly.

Claims

1. A method for configuring the display of a website to emulate the look and feel of an application program, comprising:

in response to a navigation command to access and display a content webpage, accessing and displaying a border webpage comprising a table comprising a plurality of border cells surrounding a center cell, the center cell including an inline frame and the border cells each displaying a corresponding border image, the border images combining to form a border around the inline frame;

in response to accessing and displaying the border webpage, causing the inline frame to access and display the content webpage in the inline frame, wherein the content webpage is displayed entirely within the inline frame, and wherein the number of said plurality of border cells surrounding said center cell remains fixed, and

in response to a second navigation command to access and display a second content webpage, replacing the previously displayed content webpage with the second content webpage in the inline frame and accessing the second content webpage,

wherein the border webpage and the content webpage are displayed in a display area of a web browser; and

wherein the method further comprises, in response to a resize command for resizing the display area of the web browser, displaying the border webpage and the content webpage, resizing the plurality of border cells, and retiling the repeated images accordingly.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the border comprises a four-sided border.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the table and its cells are invisible when the border webpage is displayed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the border cells comprise a top left corner border cell, a top right corner border cell, a bottom right corner border cell, a bottom left corner border cell, a left center border cell, a right center border cell, a top center border cell, and a bottom center border cell;

wherein a top left corner border image is displayed in the top left corner border cell;

wherein a top right corner border image is displayed in the top right corner border cell;

wherein a bottom right corner border image is displayed in the bottom right corner border cell;

wherein a bottom left corner border image is displayed in the bottom left corner border cell;

wherein a vertical border image is displayed in each of the left center border cell and the right center border cell; and

wherein a horizontal border image is displayed in each of the top center border cell and the bottom center border cell.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the resize command is for resizing both the height and width of the display area of the web browser;

and

wherein resizing the border webpage comprises;

resizing both the height and width of the center cell and the inline frame,

resizing the width of the top center cell without resizing the height of the top center cell,

resizing the width of the bottom center cell without resizing the height of the bottom center cell,

resizing the height of the left center cell without resizing the width of the left center cell, and

resizing the height of the right center cell without resizing the width of the right center cell.

6. A method for configuring the display of a website to emulate the look and feel of an application program, comprising:

accessing and displaying a border webpage comprising a table comprising a plurality of border cells surrounding a center cell, the center cell including an inline frame and the border cells each displaying a corresponding border image, the border images combining to form a border around the inline frame; and

in response to accessing and displaying the border webpage, causing the inline frame to access and display the content webpage in the inline frame,

wherein the content webpage is displayed entirely within the inline frame, wherein the number of said plurality of border cells surrounding said center cell remains fixed, and wherein each vertical border image displayed in the left center border cell and the right center border cell and each horizontal border image displayed in the top center border cell and the bottom center border cell comprises repeated images that are tiled; and

wherein in response to a resize command for resizing the display area of a web browser displaying the border webpage and the content webpage, resizing the left center border cell, the right center border cell, the top center border cell, and the bottom center border cell, and retiling the repeated images accordingly.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining a minimum resize point for the display area, below which the web browser will display a scroll bar;

in response to the resize command, determining whether execution of the resize command would cause the display area to be smaller than the minimum resize point; and

in the event that execution of the resize command would cause the display area to be smaller than the minimum resize point, resizing the web browser display area to the minimum resize point.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein in response to the resize command:

resizing both the height and width of the center cell and the inline frame,

resizing the width of the top center cell without resizing the height of the top center cell,

resizing the width of the bottom center cell without resizing the height of the bottom center cell,

resizing the height of the left center cell without resizing the width of the left center cell, and

resizing the height of the right center cell without resizing the width of the right center cell.

9. A system for configuring a display of a website to emulate the look and feel of an application program, comprising:

a processor for executing a web browser for accessing and displaying website webpages stored on a remote server via a network;

a display device coupled to the processor for displaying the website webpages; and

an input device coupled to the processor for receiving commands for operation of the web browser;

wherein, in response to a navigation command for accessing and displaying a content webpage, the web browser is caused to access and display a border webpage comprising a table comprising a plurality of border cells surrounding a center cell, the center cell including an inline frame and the border cells each displaying a corresponding border image, the border images combining to form a border around the inline frame;

wherein, in response to the web browser accessing and displaying the border webpage, the inline frame is caused to access and display the content webpage in the inline frame, wherein the content webpage is displayed entirely within the inline frame, and wherein the number of said plurality of border cells surrounding said center cell remains fixed, and

wherein in response to a resize command for resizing the display area of a web browser displaying the border webpage and the content webpage, causing the plurality of border cells to be resized, and causing the repeated images to be retiled accordingly.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the border comprises a four-sided border;

and wherein the table and its cells are invisible when the border webpage is displayed.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein in response to a second navigation command to access and display a second content webpage, the web browser accesses the second content webpage and displays, separately from the previously displayed content webpage, the second content webpage in the inline frame.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the border cells comprise a top left corner border cell, a top right corner border cell, a bottom right corner border cell, a bottom left corner border cell, a left center border cell, a right center border cell, a top center border cell, and a bottom center border cell;

wherein a top left corner border image is displayed in the top left corner border cell;

wherein a top right corner border image is displayed in the top right corner border cell;

wherein a bottom right corner border image is displayed in the bottom right corner border cell;

wherein a bottom left corner border image is displayed in the bottom left corner border cell;

wherein a vertical border image is displayed in each of the left center border cell and the right center border cell; and

wherein a horizontal border image is displayed in each of the top center border cell and the bottom center border cell.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the border webpage and the content webpage are displayed in a display area of a web browser;

and

wherein, in response to a resize command for resizing the display area of the web browser, the web browser proportionately resizes display area and the border webpage and the content webpage.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the resize command is for resizing both the height and width of the display area of the web browser;

and

wherein resizing the border webpage comprises;

resizing both the height and width of the center cell and the inline frame,

resizing the width of the top center cell without resizing the height of the top center cell,

resizing the width of the bottom center cell without resizing the height of the bottom center cell,

resizing the height of the left center cell without resizing the width of the left center cell, and

resizing the height of the right center cell without resizing the width of the right center cell.

15. A system for configuring a display of a website to emulate the look and feel of an application program, comprising:

a processor for executing a web browser for accessing and displaying website webpages stored on a remote server via a network;

a display device coupled to the processor for displaying the website webpages; and

an input device coupled to the processor for receiving commands for operation of the web browser,

wherein, in response to a navigation command for accessing and displaying a content webpage, the web browser is caused to access and display a border webpage comprising a table comprising a plurality of border cells surrounding a center cell, the center cell including an inline frame and the border cells each displaying a corresponding border image, the border images combining to form a border around the inline frame,

wherein, in response to the web browser accessing and displaying the border webpage, the inline frame is caused to access and display the content webpage in the inline frame, wherein the content webpage is displayed entirely within the inline frame, and wherein the number of said plurality of border cells surrounding said center cell remains fixed,

wherein each vertical border image displayed in the left center border cell and the right center border cell and each horizontal border image displayed in the top center border cell and the bottom center border cell comprises repeated images that are tiled, and

wherein in response to a resize command for resizing the display area of a web browser displaying the border webpage and the content webpage, causing the repeated images to be retiled accordingly.

16. A website display generated in accordance with a method comprising:

at a network-connected server, receiving a request for accessing a content webpage, the content webpage defined by a content webpage data file stored in a memory accessible to the server;

in response to receiving the request, retrieving a border webpage data file and the content webpage data file from the memory, the border webpage data file defining a border webpage comprising a table comprising a plurality of border cells surrounding a center cell, the border cells each displaying a corresponding border image, the border images combining to form a border around the center cell, the center cell including an inline frame configured for display of the content webpage; and

transmitting the border webpage data file and the content webpage data file to the web browser for display of the border webpage and the content webpage,

wherein the content webpage is displayed entirely within the inline frame, wherein the number of said plurality of border cells surrounding said center cell remains fixed, and wherein in response to a resize command for resizing the display area of a web browser displaying the border webpage and the content webpage, resizing the plurality of border cells, and retiling the repeated images accordingly.

17. The website display of claim 16, the method for generation thereof further comprising:

at the network server, receiving a second request for accessing a second content webpage, the second content webpage defined by a second content webpage data file stored in the memory;

in response to receiving the second request, retrieving the second content webpage data file from the memory; and

transmitting the second content webpage data file to the web browser for display in the inline frame.