Method and apparatus for displaying multiple contexts in electronic documents

• US 7,496,829 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2004
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• 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 S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ludwig; Matthew J
• Application Number:
  US10/940,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20050034056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: 715/501.1, 715/517, 715/788, 715/790, 715/796, 715/203, 715/243, 715/209, 715/731, 715/803
• US Class Current: 715/203
• 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. A pinned page can be used to hold a particular context while a command set is executed from a command document viewed as the second context. A pinned index page can used 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 a pinned page can be used 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 to unify navigational control displaying multiple contexts of electronic documents comprising the steps of:

displaying, in the user interface, a first frame, including a first document context navigational association which is the subject of a single navigational focus, the single navigational focus being controllable by a user that is viewing multiple contexts of electronic documents and defined as including a single set of navigational controls in a displayable pinned page object configured to control all contexts within a frame of the display;

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

shifting the navigational focus by user selection to the second frame from the navigational association with the first document context to a navigational association with 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 while maintaining control of the second document context within the displayable pinned page object configured to control all contexts,

wherein at least one other document context navigational association is accessible by navigation from the first document context navigational association and at least one other document context is accessible by navigation from the second document context navigational association.

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, further comprising the step of receiving a page pinning signal input by a user, and wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including the second document context occurs in response to the page pinning signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including the second document context comprises displaying a document comprising at least one command in response to a command document display signal input by a user, the method further comprising the step of permitting the user to select a command from the at least one command in the document.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the command document display signal automatically initiates a page pinning signal that results in the display of the first document context as a pinned page overlayed on the document comprising at least one command.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the command document display signal automatically initiates a page pinning signal that results in the display of the document comprising at least one command as a pinned page overlayed on the first document context.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including the second document context comprises displaying a page comprising at least an index and wherein the index is provided with at least one link, the method further comprising the step of pinning the page comprising at least an index and displaying a context corresponding to a link selected by the user from the index.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including the second document context further comprises the steps of:

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 overlayed on the second document context.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, a 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.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of displaying a third document context in response to a user selecting a corresponding link.

12. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components for performing a method to unify navigational control displaying multiple contexts of electronic documents that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform steps of:

displaying, in a user interface, a first frame, including a first document context navigational association which is the subject of a single navigational focus, the single navigational focus being controllable by a user that is viewing multiple contexts of electronic documents and defined as including a single set of navigational controls in a displayable pinned page object configured to control all contexts within a frame of a display;

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

shifting the navigational focus by user selection to the second frame from the navigational association with the first document context to a navigational association with 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 while maintaining control of the second document context within the displayable pinned page object configured to control all contexts,

wherein at least one other document context navigational association is accessible by navigation from the first document context navigational association and at least one other document context is accessible by navigation from the second document context navigational association.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first and second document contexts are non-contiguous parts of the same electronic document.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first and second document contexts are parts of different electronic documents.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising the step of receiving a page pinning signal input by a user, and wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including the second document context occurs in response to the page pinning signal.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including the second document context comprises displaying a document comprising at least one command in response to a command document display signal input by a user, the method further comprising the step of permitting the user to select a command from the at least one command in the document.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the command document display signal automatically initiates a page pinning signal that results in the display of the first document context as a pinned page overlayed on the document comprising at least one command.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the command document display signal automatically initiates a page pinning signal that results in the display of the document with at least one command as a pinned page overlayed on the first document context.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including the second document context comprises displaying a page with an index, wherein the index is provided with at least one link, the method further comprising the step of pinning the page comprising an index and displaying a context corresponding to a link selected by the user from the index page.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, a 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.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, further comprising the step of displaying a third document context in response to a user selecting a corresponding link.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including the second document context further comprises the steps of:

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 overlayed on the second document context.

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

displaying, in the user interface, a first frame, including a first document context navigational association which is the subject of a single navigational focus, the single navigational focus being controllable by a user that is viewing multiple contexts of electronic documents and defined as including a single set of navigational controls in a displayable pinned page object configured to control all contexts within a frame of the display;

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

receiving a page pinning signal relating to the displayable pinned page object;

in response to the page pinning signal, the displayable pinned page object displays at least a portion of the first context as a pinned page overlayed on the first context while maintaining the single navigational focus associated with the first document context;

displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including a second document context within the single navigational focus associated with the first document context;

navigating a second document while the pinned page remains displayed; and

shifting the navigational focus by user selection to the second frame from the navigational association with the first document context to a navigational association with 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 while maintaining control of the second document context within the displayable pinned page object configured to control all contexts.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first and second document contexts arc non-contiguous parts of the same electronic document.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the first and second document contexts are parts of different electronic documents.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of receiving a page pinning signal further comprises receiving an input by a user selection device.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including the second document context comprises the step of displaying the second document comprising at least one command in response to a command document display signal input by a user.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the page pinning signal is initiated automatically in response to the input of the command document display signal.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of selecting a command from the second document comprising at least one command.

30. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of selecting a region in the first document context in which a command is to be performed.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, a second frame, including the second document context comprises the step of displaying a page comprising at least an index for permitting a user to navigate other documents.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the index is provided with at least one link, the method further comprising the step of pinning the page with the index and displaying the first document context corresponding to a link selected by the user from the index.

33. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of displaying, in the user interface, a 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.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of displaying a third document context in response to a user selecting a corresponding link.