Scrolling web pages using direct interaction

• US 20060048072A1
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jarrett, Robert J., Duncan, Richard J., Ribas-Ribikauskas, Emily K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,519,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention provide a system and method for scrolling or dragging information on a display. A panning tool is provided that may scroll information, such as a web page, on a display in tandem with movement of a cursor. If interactive elements are present on the page or document, an interactive element may be activated as desired. Scrolling may be accomplished with the panning tool either on non-interactive elements or interactive elements that are not required to be activated. Furthermore, inertia of movement of the information on a display is optimized and autoscrolling is provided in which a page or document may be scrolled without dragging.

Claims

1. A method of providing a display control mechanism for information in a data processing system, comprising:

displaying information in a display area on a display in said data processing system;

displaying a cursor on said display, said cursor capable of being activated by an input device;

scrolling the displayed information in tandem with moving said cursor in the display area, wherein the display information is scrolled if the cursor is subsequently moved out of the display area.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the displayed information in the display area is scrolled at a speed in proportion to the distance between the cursor and the nearest edge of the display area.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the scrolling speed of the displayed information in the display area increases if the cursor is moved farther away from the nearest edge of the display area.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the scrolling direction of the displayed information in the display area after said cursor is moved out of the display area is determined by the relative location of the cursor to the display area.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the displayed information in the display area scrolls in the direction of the cursor.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the displayed information in the display area scrolls away from the cursor.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the displayed information in the display area scrolls in tandem with the movement of the cursor if the cursor moves back into the display area.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the information is a web page.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the direction of the scrolling of the displayed information is within a tolerance range of the direction of the moving of the cursor.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the tolerance range is 20 pixels.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the direction of scrolling of the displayed information is horizontal or vertical.

12. A system of providing a display control mechanism for information in a data processing system, comprising:

a display for displaying information in a display area and for displaying a cursor, said cursor capable of being activated by an input device;

a processor for scrolling the displayed information in tandem with moving said cursor in the display area, wherein the display information is scrolled if the cursor is subsequently moved out of the display area.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the displayed information in the display area is scrolled at a speed in proportion to the distance between the cursor and the nearest edge of the display area.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the scrolling speed of the displayed information in the display area increases if the cursor is moved farther away from the nearest edge of the display area.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the scrolling direction of the displayed information in the display area after said cursor is moved out of the display area is determined by the relative location of the cursor to the display area.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the displayed information in the display area scrolls in the direction of the cursor.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the displayed information in the display area scrolls away from the cursor.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the displayed information in the display area scrolls in tandem with the movement of the cursor if the cursor moves back into the display area.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the information is a web page.

20. The system of claim 12 wherein the direction of the scrolling of the displayed information is within a tolerance range of the direction of the moving of the cursor.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the tolerance range is 20 pixels.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the direction of scrolling of the displayed information is horizontal or vertical.

23. A computer-readable medium comprising executable code for performing the steps of:

displaying information in a display area on a display;

displaying a cursor on said display, said cursor capable of being activated by an input device;

scrolling the displayed information in tandem with moving said cursor in the display area, wherein the display information is scrolled if the cursor is subsequently moved out of the display area.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the displayed information in the display area is scrolled at a speed in proportion to the distance between the cursor and the nearest edge of the display area.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the scrolling speed of the displayed information in the display area increases if the cursor is moved farther away from the nearest edge of the display area.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the scrolling direction of the displayed information in the display area after said cursor is moved out of the display area is determined by the relative location of the cursor to the display area.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the displayed information in the display area scrolls in the direction of the cursor.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the displayed information in the display area scrolls away from the cursor.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the displayed information in the display area scrolls in tandem with the movement of the cursor if the cursor moves back into the display area.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the information is a web page.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 23 wherein the direction of the scrolling of the displayed information is within a tolerance range of the direction of the moving of the cursor.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 31 wherein the tolerance range is 20 pixels.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 31 wherein the direction of scrolling of the displayed information is horizontal or vertical.