Method, system and graphical user interface for displaying hyperlink information

• US 20080165133A1
• Filed: 01/05/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Williamson, Richard, Tolmasky, Francisco Ryan, Blumenberg, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 7,889,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

Methods, systems, and graphical user interfaces for displaying hyperlink information are disclosed. In one embodiment, a portable electronic device with a touch screen display: displays content on the touch screen display, wherein the content includes a plurality of links to additional content; detects a contact by a finger with the touch screen display, wherein the contact includes an area of contact; determines a point within the area of contact; choosing a first link in the plurality of links based on proximity of the first link to the determined point; and displays information associated with the first link over the displayed content, wherein the information associated with the first link includes information other than anchor text of the first link.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

at a portable electronic device with a touch screen,

displaying a web page on the touch screen display, wherein the web page includes a plurality of links to additional content;

detecting a contact by a finger with the touch screen display, wherein the contact includes an area of contact;

determining the centroid of the area of contact;

choosing a first link in the plurality of links based on proximity of the first link to the centroid, wherein choosing is limited to links located within a predetermined distance from the centroid; and

displaying information associated with the first link over the displayed web page, wherein;

the information associated with the first link includes information other than anchor text of the first link;

text in the web page is displayed with an effective font size less than 10 points and the information associated with the first link is displayed with a font size that is at least 14 points; and

the information associated with the first link is displayed outside the area of contact.

2. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

at a portable electronic device with a touch screen display;

displaying content on the touch screen display, wherein the content includes a plurality of links to additional content;

detecting a contact by a finger with the touch screen display, wherein the contact includes an area of contact;

determining a point within the area of contact;

choosing a first link in the plurality of links based on proximity of the first link to the determined point; and

displaying information associated with the first link over the displayed content, wherein the information associated with the first link includes information other than anchor text of the first link.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein text in the content is displayed with an effective font size less than 10 points and the information associated with the first link is displayed with a font size that is at least 14 points and that is independent of the font size of the content text.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the content is a web page.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the content is a document or email message.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the first link is the link in the plurality of links that is closest to the centroid of the area of contact.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the first link is the link in the plurality of links that is closest to the determined point.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determined point is the centroid of the area of contact.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first link is the link in the plurality of links that first intersects a predefined spiral path starting at the determined point.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the content on the touch screen display has an associated scale factor, and the choosing is limited to links located within a distance from the determined point that is determined in accordance with the scale factor.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein choosing is limited to links located within the area of contact.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein choosing is limited to links that at least partially overlap with the area of contact.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein choosing is limited to links located within a predetermined distance from the determined point.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein the displayed information associated with the first link includes the URL of the first link and a title associated the URL.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein the information associated with the first link is displayed after the contact is maintained for at least a predetermined time.

16. The method of claim 2, wherein the information associated with the first link is displayed outside the area of contact.

17. The method of claim 2, further comprising activating the first link if the contact with the touch screen is broken.

18. The method of claim 2, further comprising activating the first link if the contact with the touch screen is broken prior to expiration of a predetermined time.

19. The method of claim 2, further comprising removing the displayed information associated with the first link and not activating the first link if the contact with the touch screen is maintained for greater than a predetermined time.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the location of the information associated with the first link is displayed over the top half of the displayed content if the location of the contact is in the bottom half of the displayed content and the location of the information associated with the first link is displayed over the bottom half of the displayed content if the location of the contact is in the top half of the displayed content.

21. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting movement of the contact on the touch screen display;

choosing a second link in the plurality of links based on proximity of the second link to the contact;

ending the display of information associated with the first link over the displayed content; and

displaying information associated with the second link over the displayed content.

22. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting movement of the contact on the touch screen display;

choosing a series of links in the plurality of links based on the proximity of the links to the contact; and

successively displaying information associated with each link in the series of links over the displayed content.

23. The method of claim 2, wherein the location of the information associated with the first link over the displayed content depends on the location of the contact.

24. A graphical user interface on a portable electronic device with a touch screen display, comprising:

content that includes a plurality of links to additional content; and

information associated with a first link in the plurality of links;

wherein, in response to the detection of an area of contact of a finger with the touch screen display;

a point is determined within the area of contact;

the first link is chosen based on proximity of the first link to the determined point; and

the information associated with the first link is displayed over the content.

25. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a touch screen display;

one or more processors;

memory; and

a program, wherein the program is stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the program including;

instructions for displaying content on the touch screen display, wherein the content includes a plurality of links to additional content;

instructions for detecting a contact by a finger with the touch screen display, wherein the contact includes an area of contact;

instructions for determining a point within the area of contact;

instructions for choosing a first link in the plurality of links based on proximity of the first link to the determined point; and

instructions for displaying information associated with the first link over the displayed content, wherein the information associated with the first link includes information other than anchor text of the first link.

26. A computer-program product, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism comprising instructions, which when executed by a portable electronic device with a touch screen display, cause the device to;

display content on the touch screen display, wherein the content includes a plurality of links to additional content;

detect a contact by a finger with the touch screen display, wherein the contact includes an area of contact;

determine a point within the area of contact;

choose a first link in the plurality of links based on proximity of the first link to the determined point; and

display information associated with the first link over the displayed content, wherein the information associated with the first link includes information other than anchor text of the first link.

27. A portable electronic device with a touch screen display, comprising:

means for displaying content on the touch screen display, wherein the content includes a plurality of links to additional content;

means for detecting a contact by a finger with the touch screen display, wherein the contact includes an area of contact;

means for determining a point within the area of contact;

means for choosing a first link in the plurality of links based on proximity of the first link to the determined point; and

means for displaying information associated with the first link over the displayed content, wherein the information associated with the first link includes information other than anchor text of the first link.