Web browser user interface for low-resolution displays

• US 20020158908A1
• Filed: 04/30/2001
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kuuluvainen, Ilkka, Carlsen, Sten, Vaajala, Kristian, Takaluoma, Antti, Suutari, Jari, Inkinen, Jukka-Pekka
• Application Number:
  US09/845,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20020158908A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/045 Zooming at least part of an image, i.e. enlarging it or shrinking it
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

Graphical information having a full extent not displayable at once on a low-resolution display of a hand-held electronic device is displayed over a limited extent thereof at a variable resolution less than or equal to the highest resolution inherently available within the graphical information. The varying portion of the full image to be displayed is selected by a user windowing signal actuated by a user input device such as a button, roller, joystick or by simply moving the hand-held electronic device in space and having that movement sensed by a sensor such as an accelerometer.

Claims

1. Method for displaying graphical information on a display of an electronic device sized for hand-held use, said display providing an image in a window having an extent limited by the size of the electronic device, comprising the steps of:

receiving an input windowing signal actuated by a user of said electronic device, said windowing signal having a magnitude indicative of a selected whole or portion of an extent of said graphical information greater than displayable at once as said image over said limited extent of said window, and

displaying said selected whole or portion of said extent of said graphical information on said limited extent window, in response to said user actuated input windowing signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said graphical information has a given resolution available over said extent of said graphical information and wherein said step of displaying said whole or portion of said extent of said graphical information is at a resolution less than or equal to said given resolution.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an input zoom signal actuated by said user of said electronic device, said input zoom signal having a magnitude indicative of a selected level of resolution, wherein said graphical information has a given resolution available over said extent of said graphical information greater than displayable at once in said window, and

displaying said selected level of resolution over a portion of said extent of said graphical information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said input windowing signal is provided in response to said user actuating a finger- or hand-actuated control device associated with said electronic device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said control device includes one or more finger-actuatable buttons or keys.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said control device includes one or more finger-actuatable rollers.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said control devices includes one or more joysticks.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said input windowing signal is provided in response to said user moving said electronic device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said moving includes moving said device with changing velocity.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said moving includes moving said device with respect to a magnetic field.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said moving includes moving with respect to sensible objects.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein said input windowing signal is provided in response to said user moving said electronic device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said moving includes moving said device with changing velocity.

14. The method of claim 3, wherein said input zoom signal is provided in response to said user moving said electronic device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said moving includes moving said device with changing velocity.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying a stationary pointer on said limited extent window for use in selecting a link in its vicinity.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of receiving a user entered link selection signal for said selecting a link.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said step of displaying comprises the step of changing a color or shape of said stationary pointer when in said vicinity of said link.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said step of displaying is carried out only when link is positioned in said vicinity of said stationary pointer.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said stationary pointer is positioned in a central position within said limited extent window.

21. Method for displaying graphical information on a limited extent display of a hand-holdable electronic device, comprising the steps of:

receiving inputs actuated by a user to indicate various selected levels of detail, wherein said graphical information has a level of detail over an extent greater than displayable at said level of detail over said limited extent display with a greatest level of detail available in said display, and

displaying said graphical information, in response to said inputs actuated by said user, in said various selected levels of detail over an increasingly lesser extent of said extent of said graphical information with increasingly greater levels of detail of said graphical information.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said inputs actuated by said user comprise actuation of a finger-actuatable control device associated with said hand-holdable electronic device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said control device includes one or more buttons or keys.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said control device includes one or more rollers.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein said control device includes one or more joysticks.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein said inputs actuated by said user include moving said hand-holdable electronic device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said moving includes the step of moving said hand-holdable device with changing velocity.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of displaying a stationary pointer on said limited extent display for use in selecting a link in its vicinity.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of receiving a user entered link selection signal for selecting a link.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein said step of displaying comprises the step of changing a color or shape of said stationary pointer when in said vicinity of said link.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein said step of displaying is carried out only when link is positioned in said vicinity of said stationary pointer.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein said stationary pointer is positioned in a central position within said limited extent window.

33. Apparatus for displaying graphical information on a display of an electronic device sized for hand-held use, said display providing an image in a window having an extent limited by the size of the electronic device, comprising:

a user input device actuated by a user of said electronic device for providing a windowing signal having a magnitude indicative of a selected whole or portion of an extent of said graphical information greater than displayable at once as said image over said limited extent of said window, and

a signal processor, responsive to said windowing signal, for providing a display signal for displaying said selected whole or portion of said extent of said graphical information on said limited extent window.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said graphical information has a given resolution available over said extent of said graphical information and wherein said signal for displaying said selected whole or portion of said extent of said graphical information is at a resolution less than or equal to said given resolution.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said user input device actuated by said user of said electronic device is also for providing an input zoom signal having a magnitude indicative of a selected level of resolution, wherein said graphical information has a given resolution available over said extent of said graphical information greater than displayable at once in said window, and wherein said signal for displaying is also for displaying said selected level of resolution over said selected whole or portion of said extent of said graphical information.

36. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said input windowing signal is provided in response to said user actuating a finger- or hand-actuated user input device.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein said user input device includes one or more finger-actuatable buttons or keys.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein said user input device includes one or more finger-actuatable rollers.

39. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein said user input devices includes one or more joysticks.

40. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said input windowing signal is provided in response to said user moving said electronic device.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein said moving includes moving said electronic device with changing velocity.

42. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein said input windowing signal is provided in response to said user moving said electronic device.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein said moving includes moving said electronic device with changing velocity.

44. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein said input zoom signal is provided in response to said user moving said electronic device.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein said moving includes moving said electronic device with changing velocity.

46. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said signal processor is responsive to positioning of a hyperlink within said limited extent window for displaying a user actuatable pointer at a selected position within said limited extent window when said hyperlink is positioned at said selected position within said limited extent window.

47. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising the step of receiving a user entered link selection signal for selecting a link.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein said step of displaying comprises the step of changing a color or shape of said stationary pointer when in said vicinity of said link.

49. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein said step of displaying is carried out only when link is positioned in said vicinity of said stationary pointer.

50. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein said stationary pointer is positioned in a central position within said limited extent window.

51. Apparatus for displaying graphical information on a limited extent display of a hand-holdable electronic device, comprising:

means for receiving inputs actuated by a user for providing a user input signal having a magnitude indicative of various selected levels of detail, wherein said graphical information has a level of detail over an extent greater than displayable at said level of detail over said limited extent display with a greatest level of detail available in said display, and

means responsive to said user input signal, for providing a display signal for displaying said graphical information in said various selected levels of detail over an increasingly lesser extent of said extent of said graphical information with increasingly greater levels of detail of said graphical information.

52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein said inputs actuated by said user comprise actuation of a finger-actuatable means for receiving user inputs.

53. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein said means for receiving user inputs includes one or more buttons or keys.

54. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein said means for receiving user inputs includes one or more rollers.

55. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein said means for receiving user inputs includes one or more joysticks.

56. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein said inputs actuated by said user include moving said hand-holdable electronic device.

57. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein said moving includes the step of moving said hand-holdable device with changing velocity.

58. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein said means responsive to said user input signal is also responsive to positioning of a hyperlink within said limited extent display for displaying a user actuatable pointer at a selected position within said limited extent display when said hyperlink is positioned at said selected position within said limited extent display.

59. The apparatus of claim 51, further comprising the step of receiving a user entered link selection signal for selecting a link.

60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein said step of displaying comprises the step of changing a color or shape of said stationary pointer when in said vicinity of said link.

61. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein said step of displaying is carried out only when link is positioned in said vicinity of said stationary pointer.

62. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein said stationary pointer is positioned in a central position within said limited extent window.