Adaptive technique for sightless accessibility of dynamic web content

• US 8,103,956 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: accessiBe Ltd.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Trujillo, Damian
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuyetlien
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ayeni, Abimbola
• Application Number:
  US12/209,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20100070872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 715/707, 715/711, 715/729, 715/745, 715/865
• US Class Current: 715/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• 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 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/006 using audible presentation of the information

Abstract

One aspect of the present invention includes adaptive techniques used to render dynamic web content for accessibility software applications, such as screen readers. In one embodiment, an operation for improving webpage browsing with accessibility software includes detecting if an accessibility software application is in use, tracking the position of user focus on the webpage, and presenting information to the user based on the position of user focus on the webpage. In a further embodiment, additional content is rendered on the webpage to screen reader applications, and is placed at the position of the screen reader focus in response to dynamic content appearing or changing on the webpage. This additional content is read by the screen reader to inform the user of the dynamic content change, and/or enable the user to quickly perform a specific action on the webpage.

Claims

1. A method for adaptively improving accessibility of dynamic web content by tracking navigation actions performed by a user on a computer system accessing a webpage, comprising:

determining a screen reader position of focus on the webpage;

monitoring the webpage for a rendering of dynamic content within the webpage;

detecting the dynamic content rendered subsequent to a rendering of the webpage and at a content position other than the screen reader position of focus; and

inserting an object within the previously rendered webpage at the screen reader position of focus responsive to the dynamic content being rendered, wherein the object has attributes of a background of the website, the object is distinct from the dynamic content, the object is not visible on the webpage, and the object comprises text readable by the screen reader describing the dynamic content.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the screen reader interprets textual and image descriptive data and conveys the data to the user via non-visual means.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the screen reader position of focus is stored in a data store of a browser cookie.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the inserted object is an image with an alt text attribute containing instructions relevant to the displayed dynamic content, a size attribute of the image is set to 1×

1, and a background attribute of the image is set to match the background of the website.

4. A method for adaptively improving sightless accessibility of dynamic web content by delivering enhanced content to a user accessing a webpage on a computer system with a screen reader, comprising:

determining a screen reader position of focus on the webpage;

monitoring the webpage for a rendering of dynamic content within the webpage;

detecting the dynamic content rendered subsequent to a rendering of the webpage and at a content position other than the screen reader position of focus; and

inserting an object within the previously rendered webpage at the screen reader position of focus responsive to the dynamic content being rendered, wherein the object has attributes of a background of the website, the object is distinct from the dynamic content, the object is not visible on the webpage, and the object comprises text readable by a screen reader describing the dynamic content.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the text of the object enables the user to perform an action on the webpage.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the inserted object is an image with an alt text attribute containing instructions relevant to the displayed dynamic content, a size attribute of the image is set to 1×

1 pixels, and wherein a background attribute of the image is set to match the background of the website.

7. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions operable with the at least one processor for adaptively improving accessibility of dynamic web content by tracking navigation actions performed by a user on a computer system accessing a webpage, comprising;

determining a screen reader position of focus on the webpage;

monitoring the webpage for a rendering of dynamic content within the webpage;

detecting the dynamic content rendered subsequent to a rendering of the webpage and at a content position other than the screen reader position of focus; and

inserting an object within the previously rendered webpage at the screen reader position of focus responsive to the dynamic content being rendered, wherein the object has attributes of a background of the website, the object is distinct from the dynamic content, the object is not visible on the webpage, and the object comprises text readable by the screen reader describing the dynamic content.

8. The system as in claim 7, wherein the screen reader interprets textual and image descriptive data and conveys the data to the user via non-visual means.

9. The system as in claim 7, wherein the screen reader position of focus data store is stored in a data store of a browser cookie.

20. The system of claim 7, wherein the inserted object is an image with an alt text attribute containing instructions relevant to the displayed dynamic content, a size attribute of the image is set to 1×

1, and a background attribute of the image is set to match the background of the website.

10. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions operable with the at least one processor for adaptively improving sightless accessibility of dynamic web content by delivering enhanced content to a user accessing a webpage on a computer system with a screen reader, comprising;

determining a screen reader position of focus on the webpage; and

monitoring the webpage for a rendering of dynamic content within the webpage;

detecting the dynamic content rendered subsequent to a rendering of the webpage and at a content position other than the screen reader position of focus; and

inserting an object within the previously rendered webpage at the screen reader position of focus responsive to the dynamic content being rendered, wherein the object has attributes of a background of the website, the object is distinct from the dynamic content, the object is not visible on the webpage, and the object comprises text readable by a screen reader describing the dynamic content.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the text of the object enables the user to perform an action on the webpage.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the inserted object is an image with an alt text attribute containing instructions relevant to the displayed dynamic content, a size attribute of the image is set to 1×

1, and a background attribute of the image is set to match the background of the website.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer useable storage medium storing a computer readable program for adaptively improving accessibility of dynamic web content by tracking navigation actions performed by a user on a computer system accessing a webpage, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

determine a screen reader position of focus on the webpage;

monitor the webpage for a rendering of dynamic content within the webpage;

detect the dynamic content rendered subsequent to a rendering of the webpage and at a content position other than the screen reader position of focus; and

insert an object within the previously rendered webpage at the screen reader position of focus responsive to the dynamic content being displayed, wherein the object has attributes of a background of the website, the object is distinct from the dynamic content, the object is not visible on the webpage, and the object comprises text readable by the screen reader describing the dynamic content.

14. The computer program product as in claim 13, wherein the screen reader used to access the web page interprets textual and image descriptive data and conveys the data to the user via non-visual means.

15. The computer program product as in claim 13, wherein the screen reader position of focus is stored in a data store of a browser cookie.

21. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the inserted object is an image with an alt text attribute containing instructions relevant to the displayed dynamic content, a size attribute of the image is set to 1×

1, and a background attribute of the image is set to match the background of the website.

16. A computer program product comprising a computer useable storage medium storing a computer readable program for adaptively improving sightless accessibility of dynamic web content by delivering enhanced content to a user accessing a webpage on a computer system with a screen reader, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

determine a screen reader position of focus on the webpage;

monitor the webpage for a rendering of dynamic content within the webpage;

detect the dynamic content rendered subsequent to a rendering of the webpage and at a content position other than the screen reader position of focus; and

insert an object within the previously rendered webpage at the screen reader position of focus responsive to the dynamic content being rendered, wherein the object has attributes of a background of the website, the object is distinct from the dynamic content, the object is not visible on the webpage, and the object comprises text readable by a screen reader describing the dynamic content.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the text of the object enables the user to perform an action on the webpage.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the inserted object is an image with an alt text attribute containing instructions relevant to the displayed dynamic content, a size attribute of the image is set to 1×

1, and a background attribute of the image is set to match the background of the website.