Methods and apparatus for displaying multiple contexts in electronic documents

• US 7,243,299 B1
• Filed: 04/21/2000
• Issued: 07/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cluts, Jonathan C., Rubin, Darryl E., Woolf, Susan D., Beezer, John L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUDWIG, MATTHEW J
• Application Number:
  US09/556,865
• Time in Patent Office: 2,636 Days
• Field of Search: 715/526, 715/527, 715/501.1, 715/517, 715/788, 715/790, 715/796, 715/512, 715/759, 715/776, 715/901, 345/901, 345/629, 345/788, 345/790, 345/796
• US Class Current: 715/209
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for simultaneously displaying multiple-contexts in a page-oriented viewing architecture utilize the concept of page pinning in which a portion of a first document context is displayed as a fixed frame overlayed on or placed beside the display of a second document context. A user may navigate within the second document context while viewing the portion of the first document context as a pinned page on the display. Thus, a single navigational focus is maintained even though multiple contexts are displayed in the page-oriented architecture. Page pinning may be used to view two non-contiguous locations in a single electronic document or to view two pages of respective different electronic documents. The invention contemplates the use of a pinned page to hold a particular context while a command set is executed from a command document viewed as the second context. The invention also contemplates the use of a pinned index page to provide a collection of links for permitting a user to navigate to different contexts, including pages within a main document or to other documents. Finally, the invention contemplates the user of a pinned page to provide the equivalent of an “always on top window” display.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a user interface, including a display and a selection device, a method of displaying multiple contexts of electronic documents comprising the steps of:

displaying, in the user interface, a first frame, including a first document context, which is the subject of a single navigational focus, the single navigational focus being defined as including a single set of navigational controls in the user interface configured to control all contexts within a frame of the display when the contexts are the subject of the single navigational focus;

displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including a second document context, simultaneously with the first frame, including the first document context, while maintaining the single navigational focus; and

displaying a link in the first document context, the link specifying the second document context, and

in response to user selection of the link, automatically pinning the first document context and navigating to the second document context and shifting the navigational focus to the second frame, including the second document context, the single set of navigational controls in the user interface configured to control the second document context in the second frame.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second document contexts are non-contiguous parts of the same electronic document.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second document contexts are parts of different electronic documents.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, the second frame, including the second document context comprises the step of displaying an index having at least one link and a corresponding context associated with each link.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of displaying, in the user interface, a third frame, including a third document context in response to a user selecting a corresponding link.

6. In a computer system having a user interface, including a display and a selection device, a method of displaying multiple contexts of electronic documents comprising the steps of:

displaying, in the user interface, a first frame, including a first document context, which is the subject of a single navigational focus, the single navigational focus being defined as including a single set of navigational controls in the user interface configured to control all contexts within a frame of the display when the contexts are the subject of a single navigational focus;

displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including a second document context simultaneously with the first frame, including the first document context, while maintaining the single navigational focus, displaying, in the user interface, the second frame, including the second document context further including displaying a page comprising at least an index, the index being provided with at least one link; and

pinning the page comprising at least an index and displaying context corresponding to a link selected by the user from the index and shifting the navigational focus to the second frame, including the second document context, the single set of navigational controls in the user interface configured to control the second document context in the second frame.

7. In a computer system having a user interface, including a display and a selection device, a method of displaying multiple contexts of electronic documents comprising the steps of:

displaying, in the user interface, a first frame, including a first document context, which is the subject of a single navigational focus, the single navigational focus being defined as including a single set of navigational controls in the user interface configured to control all contexts within a frame of the display when the contexts are the subject of the single navigational focus; and

displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including a second document context, simultaneously with the first frame, including the first document context, while maintaining the single navigational focus, displaying, in the user interface, the second frame, including the second document context further including;

receiving a page pinning signal from a user; and

in response to the page pinning signal, displaying a viewport to the first document context as a pinned page overlaid on the second document context and shifting the navigational focus to the second frame, including the second document context, the single set of navigational controls in the user interface configured to control the second document context in the second frame.

8. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components for performing a method of displaying multiple contexts of electronic documents, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying, in a user interface, a first frame, including a first document context, which is the subject of a single navigational focus, the single navigational focus being defined as including a single set of navigational controls in the user interface configured to control all contexts within a frame of the display when the contexts are the subject of the single navigational focus; and

displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including a second document context, simultaneously with the first frame, including the first document context, while maintaining the single navigational focus, wherein displaying, in the user interface, the second frame, including the second document context further includes;

receiving a page pinning signal from a user; and

in response to the page pinning signal, displaying a viewport to the first document context as a pinned page overlaid on the second document context and shifting the navigational focus to the second frame, including the second document context, the single set of navigational controls in the user interface configured to control the second document context in the second frame.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first and second document contexts are non-contiguous parts of the same electronic document.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first and second document contexts are parts of different electronic documents.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, the second frame, including the second document context comprises the step of displaying the index having at least one link and a corresponding context associated with each link.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising the step of displaying, in the user interface, a third frame, including a third document context in response to a user selecting a corresponding link.

13. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components for performing a method of displaying multiple contexts of electronic documents, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying, in a user interface, a first frame, including a first document context, which is the subject of a single navigational focus, the single navigational focus being defined as including a single set of navigational controls in the user interface configured to control all contexts within a frame of the display when the contexts are the subject of the single navigational focus;

displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including a second document context, simultaneously with the first frame, including the first document context, while maintaining the single navigational focus;

displaying a link in the first document context, the link specifying the second document context; and

in response to user selection of the link, automatically pinning the first document context and navigating to the second document context and shifting the navigational focus to the second frame, including the second document context, the single set of navigational controls in the user interface configured to control the second document context in the second frame.

14. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components for performing a method of displaying multiple contexts of electronic documents, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying, in a user interface, a first frame, including a first document context, which is the subject of a single navigational focus, the single navigational focus being defined as including a single set of navigational controls in the user interface configured to control all contexts within a frame of the display when the contexts are the subject of a single navigational focus;

displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including a second document context, simultaneously with the first frame, including the first document context, while maintaining the single navigational focus, displaying, in the user interface, the second frame, including the second document context further including displaying a page with an index, wherein the index is provided with at least one link; and

pinning the page comprising an index and displaying context corresponding to a link selected by the user from the index and shifting the navigational focus to the second frame, including the second document context, the single set of navigational controls in the user interface configured to control the second document context in the second frame.

15. In a computer system having a user interface, including a display and a selection device, a method of displaying multiple contexts of electronic documents comprising the steps of:

displaying, in the user interface, a first frame, including a first document context which is the subject of a single navigational focus, the single navigational focus being defined as including a single set of navigational controls in the user interface configured to control all contexts within a frame of the display when the contexts are the subject of the single navigational focus;

navigating the first document to a first document context within the navigational focus;

receiving a page pinning signal;

in response to the page pinning signal, displaying at least a portion of the first context as a pinned page overlaid on the first context while maintaining the single navigational focus;

displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including a second document context and shifting the navigational focus to the second frame, including the second document context, the single set of navigational controls in the user interface configured to control the second document context in the second frame;

navigating the second document while the pinned page remains displayed, wherein displaying, in the user interface, the second frame, including the second document context, comprises displaying a page comprising at least an index for permitting a user to navigate other documents, the index being provided with at least one link; and

pinning the page with the index and displaying, in the user interface, the first frame, including the first document context, corresponding to a link selected by the user from the index and shifting the navigational focus to the first frame, including the first document context, the single set of navigational controls in the user interface configured to control the first document context in the first frame.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second document contexts are non-contiguous parts of the same electronic document.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second document contexts are parts of different electronic documents.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of receiving a page pinning signal further comprises receiving an input by a user selection device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including the second document context comprises the step of displaying, in the user interface, the second frame, including a document comprising at least one command in response to a command document display signal input by a user.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the page pinning signal is initiated automatically in response to the input of the command document display signal.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of selecting a command from the document comprising at least one command.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of selecting a region in the first document context in which a command is to be performed.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, the second frame, including the second document context comprises the step of displaying an index having at least one link and a corresponding context associated with each link.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of displaying, in the user interface, a third frame, including a third document context in response to a user selecting a corresponding link.