Method and apparatus of scrolling a document displayed in a browser window

• US 8,341,543 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Shah, Roma
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, TING ZHOU
• Application Number:
  US13/245,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20120266104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 715/784, 715/274, 715/802, 715/786, 715/790, 715/838, 715/273, 715/200
• US Class Current: 715/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

Methods and systems for performing a scroll operation are disclosed. A method may include displaying a first page of a portable document format (pdf) document on a browser window, associating respective thumbnails with each of the pages in the pdf document, and displaying two or more of the respective thumbnails overlaid on the first page. The method may also include receiving an indication to scroll the pdf document in a first direction, scrolling the pages of the pdf document at a first rate in the first direction, and scrolling the respective thumbnails of each of the pages at a second rate, different than the first rate, in the first direction. The varying scroll rate of the document and its corresponding thumbnails provides the user with different viewing options to view the document when performing a scrolling operation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

displaying a first page of a document on a browser window;

associating respective thumbnails with each of a plurality of pages in the document;

displaying two or more of the respective thumbnails in combination with the first page;

receiving a single indication to scroll both the plurality of pages in the document and the respective thumbnails at difference rates in a first direction; and

in response to receiving the single scroll indication, scrolling simultaneously;

the plurality of pages of the document at a first rate in the first direction, and the respective thumbnails of each of the plurality of pages at a second rate, greater than the first rate, in the first direction,

thereby enabling content in the plurality of pages to be viewed in greater detail while more rapidly scrolling the thumbnails.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a respective page number is displayed on top of each respective thumbnail.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying two or more of the respective thumbnails in combination with the first page comprises:

displaying two or more of the respective thumbnails on a right side or a left side of the document as viewed by a user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying two or more of the respective thumbnails in combination with the first page comprises:

adjusting the transparency of two or more of the respective thumbnails such that the two or more respective thumbnails are semi-transparent; and

displaying the two or more respective thumbnails overlaid on the first page.

5. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a scroll adjustor, implemented with a computing device, configured to;

display a first page of a document on a browser window,

associate respective thumbnails with each of a plurality of pages in the document,

display two or more of the respective thumbnails in combination with the first page,

receive a single indication to scroll both the plurality of pages in the document and the respective thumbnails at difference rates in a first direction,

in response to receiving the single scroll indication, scroll simultaneously;

the plurality of pages of the document at a first rate in the first direction,

and

the respective thumbnail of each of the plurality of pages at a second rate greater than the first rate, in the first direction,

thereby enabling content in the plurality of pages to be viewed in greater detail while more rapidly scrolling the thumbnails.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein a respective page number is displayed on top of each respective thumbnail.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the scroll adjustor is further configured to:

display two or more of the respective thumbnails on a right side or a left side of the document as viewed by a user.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the scroll adjuster is further configured to:

adjust the transparency of two or more of the respective thumbnails such that the two or more respective thumbnails are semi-transparent; and

display the two or more respective thumbnails overlaid on the first page.