Discoverability and navigation of hyperlinks via tabs

• US 7,673,230 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2003
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Christopher R., Cote, Joseph Paul-Emile Pierre, Cordell, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paula; Cesar B
• Application Number:
  US10/439,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20030196174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,482 Days
• Field of Search: 715/205, 715/207, 715/234, 715/501.1, 715/513, 715/760
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking

Abstract

A user may discover and navigate among hyperlinks through the use of a keyboard. For example, a user may press a tab key to discover and navigate to a first hyperlink that is part of a hypertext document. The first hyperlink is, in response, given focus and a focus shape is drawn around the text or graphics for the hot region of the hyperlink. If the user again presses the tab key, the next hyperlink is given focus and a focus shape (i.e., an outline that surrounds the next hyperlink) is drawn around the next hyperlink. A user may also tab to a placeholder for an image in order to make a decision whether the image should be downloaded or not.

Claims

1. In a computer system having an output device and a document having a plurality of hyperlinks, a method of navigating to a hyperlink in the document, comprising:

(a) displaying the document on the output device; and

(b) in response to receiving a tab request, visually identifying the hyperlink in the document without visually identifying any other hyperlinks in the document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein visually identifying the single hyperlink in the document comprises drawing a focus shape around the visual representation of the hyperlink.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the focus shape is a rectangle.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the focus shape is a circle.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the focus shape is a polygon.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) receiving another tab request; and

(b) in response to receiving the other another tab request, sequentially visually identifying giving focus to another hyperlink in the document without visually identifying any other hyperlinks in the document, wherein the other hyperlink is the next hyperlink in the document.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system includes a keyboard with a tab key and wherein the tab request is generated by actuating the tab key on the keyboard.

8. In a computer system having a video display and a hypertext document having a plurality of hyperlinks, a method comprising:

(a) displaying a visual identification of a hyperlink in the hypertext document on the video display without providing any visual identification of other hyperlinks in the document;

(b) in response to a tab command, sequentially determining a next hyperlink in the document;

(c) displaying a visual identification of the next hyperlink without providing any visual identification of other hyperlinks in the document; and

(d) drawing a non-rectangular focus shape around the next hyperlink to indicate when the next hyperlink is given focus without drawing a non-rectangular focus shape around other hyperlinks in the document.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the non-rectangular focus shape is circular.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the non-rectangular focus shape is polygonal.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the hyperlink is part of an image map.

12. In a distributed system having a server and a client, wherein the client includes a display device and a keyboard device having at least one key, a method comprising:

(a) providing an image map at the client from the server wherein the image map includes a plurality of hyperlinks, each hyperlink being associated with a particular portion of the image map;

(b) displaying the image map on the display device;

(c) in response to actuating a selected key of the keyboard device, sequentially determining a next hyperlink associated with a particular portion of the image map, wherein the determination of the next hyperlink is executed on the client; and

(d) displaying a visual indication of the presence of the next hyperlink in the image map without providing any visual indication of the presence of other hyperlinks in the image map.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises sequentially providing a visual indication of the presence of another of the plurality of hyperlinks without providing a visual indication of the presence of other hyperlinks in the image map in response to another actuation of the selected key of the keyboard device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the visual indication is a focus shape.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the focus shape is rectangular.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the focus shape is circular.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the focus shape is non-rectangular and polygonal.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein a given hyperlink has an associated hot region and wherein the focus shape is drawn around the hot region.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the selected key is a tab key.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises providing a visual indication of the next hyperlink in response to actuating the selected key of the keyboard device without providing any visual indication of other hyperlinks in the image map.

21. In a computer system having an output device and a document having at least one hyperlink, a computer-readable medium holding computer executable instructions for performing a method of navigating to a hyperlink, comprising:

(a) displaying the document on the output device; and

(b) in response to receiving a tab request, sequentially providing a visual indication of the hyperlink in the document without providing any visual indication of other hyperlinks in the document.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the hyperlink has a visual representation in the document and wherein providing the visual indication comprises drawing a focus shape around the visual representation of the hyperlink.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the focus shape is a rectangle.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the focus shape is a circle.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the focus shape is a polygon.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises:

(a) receiving another tab request; and

(b) in response to receiving the other another tab request, sequentially providing a visual indication of giving focus to another hyperlink in the document without providing any visual indication of other hyperlinks in the document.

27. In a computer system having a display and a hypertext document having a plurality of hyperlinks, a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

(a) displaying a visual indication of a hyperlink in the hypertext document on the display without providing any visual indication of other hyperlinks in the document;

(b) in response to a tab command, sequentially determining a next hyperlink in the document, wherein the determination of the next hyperlink is based on an element list comprising information describing a type of the next hyperlink and the relative location of the next hyperlink;

(c) displaying a visual indication of the next hyperlink without providing any visual indication of other hyperlinks in the document; and

(d) drawing a non-rectangular focus shape around the next hyperlink to indicate that the next hyperlink is given focus without drawing a non-rectangular focus shape around other hyperlinks in the document.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the hyperlink is part of an image map.

29. In a distributed system having a server and a client, wherein the client includes a display device and a keyboard device having at least one key, a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

(a) providing an image map at the client from the server wherein the image map includes a plurality of hyperlinks, each hyperlink is associated with a particular portion of the image map;

(b) displaying the image map on the display device;

(c) in response to actuating a selected key of the keyboard device, sequentially determining a next hyperlink associated with a particular portion of the image map, wherein the determination of the next hyperlink is executed on the client; and

(d) displaying a visual indication of the presence of the next hyperlink in the image map without providing any visual indication of the presence of other hyperlinks in the image map.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the method further comprises sequentially providing a visual indication of the presence of another of the hyperlinks without providing a visual indication of the presence of other hyperlinks in the image map in response to another actuation of the selected key of the keyboard device.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the visual indication is a focus shape.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein a given hyperlink has an associated hot region and wherein the focus shape is drawn around the hot region.