Flexible, dynamic menu-based web-page architecture
First Claim
1. A method of navigating information in a web browser, comprising:
- providing information as hierarchically linked digital data comprising a set of table data cells, each table data cell being a member of a row element, and each row element, apart from a root row element, being a hierarchal descendant of one of said table data cells;
displaying a first sub-set of said table data cells on a display device as a first, multi-element menu of a web-page, contained by an HTML block element and formatted according to instructions comprising using a width instruction supplied by a non-displayed strut row, said strut row being pre-selected from said plurality of row elements as the row element producing the largest width requirement when placed in a standard HTML structure and said standard HTML structure is resized to occupy a smaller width; and
responding to a selection of one of said displayed table data cells, said response comprising;
matching a width instruction of a second row element that is the immediate, hierarchical descendent of said selected table data cell to said width instruction of said strut row; and
displaying said second sub-set of table data cells on said display device as a second, multi-element spring-loaded menu formatted according to instructions associated with said second row element including said matched width instruction, so that said second, multi-element menu has a width substantially equal to a width of said strut row while enabling all displayed sections of said web-page.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of displaying and navigating information using a hierarchical, spring loaded DHTML menu system that adjusts to fit the boundaries of a resizable, container (FIG. 1). A set of standard HTML table row elements, having a hierachical dependency (11), is consistently displayed as a web-page, under reasonable resizing. This is done using a strut row that produces the largest width requirement when the table structure is resizing to occupy a small width. Only the current row elements and the strut element are required in calculating table resizing to ensure that whichever data elements are displayed when a web-page resizing occurs, the browser auto-layout algorithm calculations will result in a resize attributes that enables all other row elements of that menu to be accommodated by the newly determined table width. As the row elements may themselves be table structures, nested menus of information may be displayed and navigated (12).
62 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method of navigating information in a web browser, comprising:
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providing information as hierarchically linked digital data comprising a set of table data cells, each table data cell being a member of a row element, and each row element, apart from a root row element, being a hierarchal descendant of one of said table data cells; displaying a first sub-set of said table data cells on a display device as a first, multi-element menu of a web-page, contained by an HTML block element and formatted according to instructions comprising using a width instruction supplied by a non-displayed strut row, said strut row being pre-selected from said plurality of row elements as the row element producing the largest width requirement when placed in a standard HTML structure and said standard HTML structure is resized to occupy a smaller width; and responding to a selection of one of said displayed table data cells, said response comprising; matching a width instruction of a second row element that is the immediate, hierarchical descendent of said selected table data cell to said width instruction of said strut row; and displaying said second sub-set of table data cells on said display device as a second, multi-element spring-loaded menu formatted according to instructions associated with said second row element including said matched width instruction, so that said second, multi-element menu has a width substantially equal to a width of said strut row while enabling all displayed sections of said web-page. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A computer readable medium comprising instructions for:
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navigating information in a web browser, comprising; providing information as hierarchically linked digital data comprising a set of table data cells, each table data cell being a member of a row element, and each row element, apart from a root row element, being a hierarchal descendant of one of said table data cells; displaying a first sub-set of said table data cells on a display device as a first, multi-element menu of a web-page, contained by an HTML block element and formatted according to instructions comprising using a width instruction supplied by a non-displayed strut row, said strut row being pre-selected from said plurality of row elements as the row element producing the largest width requirement when placed in a standard HTML structure and said standard HTML structure is resized to occupy a smaller width; and responding to a selection of one of said displayed table data cells, said response comprising; matching a width instruction of a second row element that is the immediate, hierarchical descendent of said selected table data cell to said width instruction of said strut row; and displaying said second sub-set of table data cells on said display device as a second, multi-element spring-loaded menu formatted according to instructions associated with said second row element including said matched width instruction, so that said second, multi-element menu has a width substantially equal to a width of said strut row while enabling all displayed sections of said web-page.
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Specification