Computer system and method of displaying hypertext documents with internal hypertext link definitions

• US 7,302,635 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2003
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Day, Paul R., Bates, Cary L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blackwell; James H.
• Application Number:
  US10/430,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20030196172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: 715/501.1, 715/786, 715/513, 715/788, 715/531, 715/854, 715/540, 709/218
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing

Abstract

A computer system and method display internal and external hypertext link definitions in different representations to simplify a user'"'"'s recognition of the external/internal status of each hypertext link definition in a document. Additional information, such as the direction from an internal hypertext link definition to the location in the document pointed to by that definition, and/or the absolute or relative position of the location pointed to by an internal hypertext link definition, may also be displayed. Moreover, a computer system and method may also display the position of the location pointed to by an internal hypertext link definition on a scroll bar such that location information about a particular document is centralized within a common user interface component.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of displaying a hypertext document on a computer display, the hypertext document including an internal hypertext link definition linked to a predetermined location therein, the method comprising:

(a) determining that the internal hypertext link definition is for an internal hypertext link that is linked to the same hypertext document rather than an external hypertext link that is linked to a different hypertext document;

(b) displaying the internal hypertext link definition on the computer display; and

(c) in response to determining that the internal hypertext link definition is for an internal hypertext link, indicating in association with the internal hypertext link definition the internal status of the internal hypertext link definition to distinguish the internal hypertext link definition from an external hypertext link definition;

wherein the hypertext document is a first hypertext document, the first hypertext document further including an external hypertext link definition linked to a second hypertext document, wherein the method further comprises displaying the external hypertext link definition on the computer display in a first representation, wherein indicating the internal status of the internal hypertext link definition includes displaying the internal hypertext link definition in a second representation that is visually distinct from the first representation to thereby simplify recognition of an external/internal status of each hypertext link definition, and wherein one of the first and second representations includes an icon.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising scanning the first hypertext document for internal hypertext link definitions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second representations have visually distinct display characteristics selected from the group consisting of colors, fonts, styles, and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second representation includes the icon, the icon further indicating a direction from the internal hypertext link definition to the predetermined location in the first hypertext document.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second representation includes the icon, the icon further indicating a position of the predetermined location in the first hypertext document.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second representations is animated.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the internal hypertext link definition includes selectively displaying the internal hypertext link definition only in response to user selection of an internal link enable mode.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting the second representation to that of surrounding text in response to user selection of an internal link disable mode.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) determining a direction from the internal hypertext link definition to the predetermined location in the hypertext document; and

(b) indicating the direction from the internal hypertext link definition to the predetermined location on the computer display.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein indicating the direction is the sole indication of the internal status of the internal hypertext link definition.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) determining a position of the predetermined location in the hypertext document; and

(b) indicating the position of the predetermined location on the computer display.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein indicating the position is the sole indication of the internal status of the internal hypertext link definition.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the position is a relative position from the internal hypertext link definition to the predetermined location in the hypertext document.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the position is an absolute position of the predetermined location in the hypertext document.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying at least a portion of the hypertext document in a window, the window including a scroll bar, wherein indicating the position includes displaying an indicator on the scroll bar.

16. A computer system configured to display a hypertext document, the hypertext document including an internal hypertext link definition linked to a predetermined location in the hypertext document, the computer system comprising:

(a) a computer display; and

(b) a processor, coupled to the computer display, the processor configured to display the internal hypertext link definition on the computer display, and, in response to determining that the internal hypertext link definition is for an internal hypertext link that is linked to the same hypertext document rather than an external hypertext link that is linked to a different hypertext document, to indicate in association with the internal hypertext link definition the internal status of the internal hypertext link definition to distinguish the internal hypertext link definition from an external hypertext link definition;

wherein the hypertext document is a first hypertext document further including an external hypertext link definition linked to a second hypertext document, wherein the processor is further configured to respectively display the external and internal hypertext link definitions in first and second visually distinct representations to thereby simplify recognition of an external/internal status of each hypertext link definition, and wherein one of the first and second representations includes an icon.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to scan the first hypertext document for internal hypertext link definitions.

18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the first and second representations have visually distinct display characteristics selected from the group consisting of colors, fonts, styles, and combinations thereof.

19. The computer system of claim 16, wherein one of the first and second representations is animated.

20. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to indicate on the computer display a direction from the internal hypertext link definition to the predetermined location in the hypertext document.

21. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to indicate on the computer display a position of the predetermined location in the hypertext document.

22. A computer-implemented method of displaying a hypertext document on a computer display, the hypertext document including an internal hypertext link definition linked to a predetermined location in the hypertext document, the method comprising:

(a) determining that the internal hypertext link definition is for an internal hypertext link that is linked to the same hypertext document rather than an external hypertext link that is linked to a different hypertext document;

(b) displaying a window on the computer display, the window displaying at least a portion of the hypertext document, and the window including a scroll bar configured to display selected portions of the hypertext document in the window in response to user input, the scroll bar including a slider; and

(c) indicating on the scroll bar, and other than with the slider, a position of the predetermined location in the hypertext document.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein indicating the position includes displaying an indicator at a position on the scroll bar that corresponds to the absolute position of the predetermined location in the hypertext document.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the indicator includes a horizontal line.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising indicating the position only in response to user input placing focus on the internal hypertext link definition.

26. A computer system configured to display a hypertext document, the hypertext document including an internal hypertext link definition linked to a predetermined location in the hypertext document, the computer system comprising:

(a) a computer display; and

(b) a processor, coupled to the computer display, the processor configured to display at least a portion of the hypertext document in a window, and to indicate on a scroll bar for the window, and other than with a slider on the scroll bar, a position of the predetermined location in the hypertext document.

27. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the processor is configured to display an indicator at a position on the scroll bar that corresponds to the absolute position of the predetermined location in the hypertext document.

28. The computer system of claim 27, wherein the indicator includes a horizontal line.

29. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the processor indicates the position only in response to user input placing focus on the internal hypertext link definition.