OBJECT-ORIENTED FRAMEWORK FOR HYPERLINK NAVIGATION

• US 20010020243A1
• Filed: 12/06/1996
• Published: 09/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: NAKAJIMA, SATOSHI, SLIVKA, BENJAMIN W., WOLF, RICHARD J., EBBO, DAVID S., STONE, VICTOR, KOPPOLU, SRINIVASA R., GLASSE, CLARENCE
• Granted Patent: US 6,460,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/513
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858

Abstract

An object-oriented framework comprises system services, objects, and integration interfaces which unify retrieval and browsing of data among multiple different application programs, document formats, and local and remote data storage sites. The framework provides a hyperlink object which encapsulates general hyperlink navigation functions. The hyperlink object has a moniker which references a hyperlink'"'"'s target, and a location string which designates a location in the target. The hyperlink object uses the moniker to retrieve the target as an object in the framework, and causes the object to display a view of the target at the location. The framework also provides a browse context object which maintains a navigation stack of navigated hyperlink targets, and allows passing of window and navigation tool bar position information to a frame in which the target is displayed to effect the appearance of window reuse when navigating between frames. The framework also includes a cache and table of running objects to speed return navigation to recently navigated targets.

Claims

1. An object-oriented architecture for navigating a hyperlink, comprising a hyperlink object containing a hyperlink target indicator and a hyperlink target location indicator, and having a navigating function for navigating to a location in a target of the hyperlink identified by the indicators.

2. The object-oriented architecture of

claim 1

wherein the hyperlink target indicator is a naming object having a reference to data of the hyperlink target stored at a storage site and a binding function for initiating retrieval of the data from the storage site.

3. The object-oriented architecture of

claim 2

wherein the hyperlink target location indicator is a textual string for referencing the location within the hyperlink taget.

4. The object-oriented architecture of

claim 2

wherein the binding function provides asynchronous retrieval of the data from the storage site.

5. The object-oriented architecture of

claim 2

wherein the reference is a resource identifier of data residing on a remote computer network, the naming object operating to asynchronously retrieve the data from the remote computer network.

6. The object-oriented architecture of

claim 2

wherein the hyperlink object contains a display name for representing the hyperlink in a user interface.

7. The object-oriented architecture of

claim 1

comprising:

a container of the hyperlink object;

a hyperlink site object provided by the container and having an interface exposing functions callable from the hyperlink object for evaluating the hyperlink target indicator relative to the container.

8. The object-oriented architecture of

claim 1

comprising:

a navigation stack for recording an order of previously navigated hyperlink targets; and

a browse context object for maintaining the navigation stack and having a function for recording the hyperlink target into the navigation stack when navigated.

9. The object-oriented architecture of

claim 1

comprising:

a container of the hyperlink object, the container providing a first display having a representation of the hyperlink;

a first frame object for providing a first display frame in a first window, the first display frame having a first area in which the container presents the first display;

the hyperlink target providing a second display;

a second frame object for providing a second display frame in a second window, the second display frame having a second area in which the hyperlink target presents the second display;

a browse context object having functions for registering a position of the first window and for retrieving the position; and

the second frame object operating to retrieve the position of the first window from the browse context object when the target is navigated, and to position the second window in place of the first window to thereby create an appearance of window reuse by the hyperlink target.

10. The object-oriented architecture of

claim 9

comprising:

the first and second frame objects providing a hyperlink navigation toolbar in their respective display frames;

the browse context object registering a position of the hyperlink navigation toolbar within the first display frame;

the second frame object operating to retrieve the position of the hyperlink navigation toolbar from the browse context object, and to position the hyperlink navigation toolbar within the second display frame to thereby create an appearance of window reuse by the hyperlink target.

11. The object-oriented architecture of

claim 1

comprising:

a table for listing running objects;

the hyperlink object operating to check whether the target is one of the running objects listed in the table upon navigating the hyperlink, and to navigate to said one of the running objects if listed in the table.

12. The object-oriented architecture of

claim 11

comprising:

a browse context object for updating the table with the target according to a least recently used scheme upon the hyperlink object navigating the hyperlink.

13. The object-oriented architecture of

claim 1

comprising:

an application programming interface function for causing the hyperlink object to navigate the hyperlink.

14. A method of browsing documents of multiple applications in a computer system, each application implementing a server which provides document objects to encapsulate data of documents associated with the application and to display views of the documents, the method comprising:

providing a frame object for managing a frame having a document display area;

creating a first document object to encapsulate data of a first document using a server of a first application associated with the first document, the first document containing a hyperlink to a second document associated with a second application;

causing the frame object to host the first document object with the first document object displaying a view of the first document in the document display area;

creating a second document object to encapsulate data of the second document using a server of the second application; and

on activation of the hyperlink by a user, causing the frame object to host the second document object with the second document object displaying a view of the second document in place of the view of the first document in the document display area.

15. A method of browsing documents of mutliple applications in a computer system having a video display, comprising:

displaying a view in a first window associated with a first application on the video display, the view including a hyperlink which designates a target associated with a second application, the first window having a window position on the video display;

on user activation of the hyperlink, performing the steps of;

causing the second application to be loaded on the computer system;

passing the window position from the first application to the second application;

positioning a second window associated with the second application at the window position on the video display; and

displaying a view of the target in the second window on the video display.

16. The method of

claim 15

wherein the step of passing the window position comprises:

registering the window position by the first application in a browse context object which supports an interface having functions for registering and for retrieving the window position from the browse context object; and

retrieving the window position by the second application from the browse context object.

17. The method of

claim 15

comprising:

displaying a tool bar in the first window on the video display, the tool bar including user interface controls for controlling navigation and having a tool bar position in the first window;

passing the tool bar position from the first application to the second application; and

displaying the tool bar at the tool bar position in the second window on the video display.

18. The method of

claim 17

wherein the step of passing the tool bar position comprises:

registering the tool bar position by the first application in a browse context object which supports an interface having functions for registering and for retrieving the tool bar position from the browse context object; and

retrieving the tool bar position by the second application from the browse context object.

19. A method of browsing documents of multiple applications in a computer system having a video display, comprising:

maintaining a navigation stack of previously navigated hyperlink targets;

displaying a container document with a first application on the video display, the container document containing a hyperlink to a target document associated with a second application;

on user activation of the hyperlink, navigating to the target document, wherein the step of navigating comprises;

displaying the target document with the second application on the video display; and

registering the target document in the navigation stack.

20. The method of

claim 19

comprising:

providing a browse context object for maintaining the navigation stack, the browse context object supporting an interface for registering the navigated target document.

21. A method of browsing documents in a computer system having a video display, comprising:

maintaining a cache of objects in a running state;

maintaining a table of the cached objects;

navigating a hyperlink contained in a container document object to a target document object;

on navigating the hyperlink, checking the table of running objects to determine whether the target document object is one of the cached objects, and binding to the cached target document object if the target document object is cached; and

on navigating the hyperlink, caching the container document object in a running state in the cache.

22. The method of

claim 21

further comprising:

updating the cache according to a least recently used scheme.

23. A hyperlink navigation system for unified browsing of documents from multiple applications in a computer, comprising:

a first server application for instantiating a hyperlink container object, the hyperlink container object encapsulating data of a container document containing a hyperlink and operating to display a view of the container document;

a second server application for instantiating a hyperlink target object, the hyperlink target object encapsulating data of a target document indicated by the hyperlink and operating to display a view of the target document;

a frame object for hosting one of the hyperlink container object and the hyperlink target object and for managing a frame having a display area in which the hosted object displays its respective view; and

a system defined hyperlink object operative to navigate the hyperlink by causing the frame object to change from hosting the hyperlink container object to hosting the hyperlink target object.

24. The hyperlink navigation system of

claim 23

wherein the hyperlink object comprises:

a moniker object containing a reference to the target document and operating to bind to the hyperlink target object.

25. The hyperlink navigation system of

claim 24

wherein the hyperlink object further comprises:

a text string designating a location in the target document; and

the hyperlink object operating to cause the hyperlink target object to display the location in the view of the target document.

26. The hyperlink navigation system of

claim 23

comprising:

a browse context object for maintaining a navigation history and operating to add the target document to the navigation history when navigated by the hyperlink object.

27. A storage medium having instructions therein for causing a computer to perform a hyperlink navigation method comprising the steps of:

creating a hyperlink object having a moniker and a navigate function, the moniker having a reference to a hyperlink target associated with an application, the navigate function operating to cause the moniker to retrieve the hyperlink target into its associated application and to cause a display transition to the hyperlink target; and

calling the navigate function of the hyperlink object to thereby effect the display transition to the hyperlink target.

28. The storage medium of

claim 27

wherein the hyperlink object also has a location string designating a location in the hyperlink target, and the navigate function further causing a display transition ot the location in the hyperlink target.

29. Software stored on a computer readable medium for hyperlink navigation of multiple applications, comprising:

hyperlink navigation system code for creating a hyperlink object for navigating to a location in a hyperlink target, the hyperlink object having a moniker for referencing the hyperlink target, a location string for designating the location, and a navigate function for causing the moniker to bind the hyperlink target into a hyperlink target object and for causing the hyperlink target object to display a view of the hyperlink target at the location;

hyperlink navigation system code for creating a browse context object for maintaining a navigation stack to track which hyperlink targets have been navigated.

30. The software of

claim 29

comprising:

an application programming interface of a function for creating the hyperlink object, calling the navigation function, and registering the hyperlink target in the navigation stack of the browse context object when navigated.

31. The software of

claim 29

wherein the browse context object also passes a window position of a frame for a hyperlink container document to a frame for the hyperlink target.