Presenting information pertaining to a plurality of tabs in an instant messaging application

• US 8,972,884 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2010
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Li, Jing, Tang, Hongbing
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): VARGA, WILSON V
• Application Number:
  US12/800,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20100299625A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,757 Days
• Field of Search: 715/777, 715/790
• US Class Current: 715/777
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/449 Object-oriented method invocation or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services

Abstract

Presenting information in an instant messaging (IM) application includes loading a tab configuration file comprising attribute information pertaining to a plurality of tabs in a main interface in the IM application, the attribute information comprising presented content information associated with the plurality of tabs; receiving a selection of one of a plurality of tabs in the main interface; retrieving attribute information that corresponds to the selected one of the plurality of tabs based at least on the tab configuration file information; and dynamically creating an extended window for the tab; and displaying the presented content information of the selected tab in the extended window.

Claims

1. A method for presenting information in an instant messaging (IM) application, comprising:

storing a tab configuration file on a computer system having a single display screen, the computer system comprising one of a personal computer (PC), a smart phone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA),

wherein the tab configuration file includes attribute information corresponding to respective ones of a plurality of tabs in a main interface in the IM application,

wherein the attribute information includes presented content information corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of tabs,

wherein the attribute information includes a plurality of tab identifiers and a plurality of tab tags corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of tabs;

loading the tab configuration file and presenting in the main interface of the IM application the plurality of tab identifiers included in the attribute information,

wherein the tab configuration file is loaded in response to an initiation of the IM application,

receiving a selection of one of the plurality of tabs presented in the main interface of the IM application;

in response to the selection of the one of the plurality of tabs;

retrieving from the stored tab configuration file attribute information that corresponds to the selected one of the plurality of tabs based at least on the tab configuration file tab tag,

wherein the retrieved attribute information that corresponds to the selected one of the plurality of tabs is configured to be used to create an extended window associated with the selected one of the plurality of tabs,

wherein the retrieved attribute information that corresponds to the selected one of the plurality of tabs comprises default size information associated with the extended window;

dynamically creating the extended window for the selected one of the plurality of tabs based at least in part on the retrieved attribute information,

determining position information of the extended window by;

retrieving boundary information on the single display screen where the main interface is located;

calculating a boundary distance from a boundary of the main interface to a boundary of the single display screen;

comparing the boundary distance with a display width to determine whether the extended window can be displayed in an area between the boundary of the main interface and the boundary of the single display screen; and

either

in the event that the extended window can be displayed in the area between the boundary of the main interface and the boundary of the single display screen then displaying the extended window in an area adjacent to the main interface wherein the extended window is operable to be moved independently of the main interface of the IM application, or

in the event that the extended window cannot be displayed in the area between the boundary of the main interface and the boundary of the single display screen, then displaying the extended window to overlay the main interface of the IM application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the tab configuration file includes a system tab configuration file and a user tab configuration file.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing a corresponding user setting in the user tab configuration file upon receiving a user modified tab attribute.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the extended window with a handle of the main interface and configuring the main interface with a handle of the extended window.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising establishing communication between a main interface control unit and an extended window control unit through message transfer between the handles.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising notifying the main interface through the handle of the main interface about an activity that took place on the extended window.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the presented content information comprises a URL.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the tab configuration file includes at least one of a system tab configuration file and a user tab configuration file and wherein loading the tab configuration file includes:

determining whether the user tab configuration file is present,

wherein in the event that the user tab configuration file is not present, loading the system tab configuration file, and

wherein in the event that the user tab configuration file is present, loading the user tab configuration file.

9. A system for presenting information in an instant messaging (IM) application, comprising:

one or more processors adapted to;

store a tab configuration file on a computer system having a single display screen, the computer system comprising one of a personal computer (PC), a smart phone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA),

wherein the tab configuration file includes attribute information corresponding to respective ones of a plurality of tabs in a main interface in the IM application,

wherein the attribute information includes presented content information corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of tabs,

wherein the attribute information includes a plurality of tab identifiers and a plurality of tab tags corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of tabs;

load the tab configuration file and present in the main interface of the IM application the plurality of tab identifiers included in the attribute information,

wherein the tab configuration file is loaded in response to an initiation of the IM application,

receive a selection of one of the plurality of tabs presented in the main interface of the IM application;

in response to the selection of the one of the plurality of tabs;

retrieve from the stored tab configuration file attribute information that corresponds to the selected one of the plurality of tabs based at least on the tab configuration file tab tag,

wherein the retrieved attribute information that corresponds to the selected one of the plurality of tabs is configured to be used to create an extended window associated with the selected one of the plurality of tabs,

wherein the retrieved attribute information that corresponds to the selected one of the plurality of tabs comprises default size information associated with the extended window; and

dynamically create the extended window for the selected one of the plurality of tabs based at least in part on the retrieved attribute information,

determining position information of the extended window by;

retrieving boundary information on the single display screen where the main interface is located;

calculating a boundary distance from a boundary of the main interface to a boundary of the single display screen;

comparing the boundary distance with a display width to determine whether the extended window can be displayed in an area between the boundary of the main interface and the boundary of the single display screen; and

either

 

in the event that the extended window can be displayed in the area between the boundary of the main interface and the boundary of the single display screen then displaying the extended window in an area adjacent to the main interface wherein the extended window is operable to be moved independently of the main interface of the IM application, or

 

in the event that the extended window cannot be displayed in the area between the boundary of the main interface and the boundary of the single display screen, then displaying the extended window to overlay the main interface of the IM application; and

one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, adapted to provide the processors with instructions.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the tab configuration file includes a system tab configuration file and a user tab configuration file.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further adapted to store a corresponding user setting in the user tab configuration file upon receiving a user modified tab attribute.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further adapted to configure the extended window with a handle of the main interface and configure the main interface with a handle of the extended window.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further adapted to establish communication between a main interface control unit and and an extended window control unit through message transfer between the handles.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further adapted to notify the main interface through the handle of the main interface about an activity that took place on the extended window.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the presented content information comprises a URL.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the tab configuration file includes at least one of a system tab configuration file and a user tab configuration file and wherein loading the tab configuration file includes:

determining whether the user tab configuration file is present,

wherein in the event that the user tab configuration file is not present, loading the system tab configuration file, and

wherein in the event that the user tab configuration file is present, loading the user tab configuration file.