Browsing or Searching User Interfaces and Other Aspects

• US 20110035699A1
• Filed: 10/21/2010
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cedric Bray, Julien Robert, Thomas Goossens
• Original Assignee: Cedric Bray, Julien Robert, Thomas Goossens
• Inventors: Robert, Julien, Goossens, Thomas, Bray, Cedric
• Granted Patent: US 8,707,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/783
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/116 Details of conversion of file system types or formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

User interfaces for browsing and/or searching are described. In one embodiment, a method includes displaying a first display area for display representations of documents matching a search query, the first display area configured to display content of the documents which can have a plurality of different types of content including at least one of text-based content and a folder, and displaying a second display area for selecting a selected document to be displayed in the first display area. Other embodiments are also described, and computer readable media and apparatuses are also described.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium storing executable program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause the data processing system to perform a method comprising:

displaying a set of items of a list of items using a first display area having a center section for displaying a selected item containing a plurality of documents, a first side section for displaying a first item adjacent to the selected item, and a second side section for displaying a second item adjacent to the selected item;

selecting either the first item or second item to designate the selected item;

displaying the plurality of documents in the center section in response to the selecting; and

displaying a different first top item in the first side section or a different second top item in the second side section in response to the selecting.

2. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the set of items comprises all the items in the list of items.

3. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the set of items comprises a portion of the items in the list of items.

4. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the list of items comprises the result of a search query.

5. The medium as in claim 1 further comprising accessing the list of items with a web browser.

6. The medium as in claim 1 further comprising accessing the list of items with a web browser configured to enable the display of the first display area.

7. The medium as in claim 1 further comprising presenting the list of items with a file management system program that allows browsing of items in a file system.

8. The medium as in claim 1 further comprising zooming the selected item, first item or second item to an enlarged view.

9. The medium as in claim 1, the method further comprising displaying a user interface object which comprises a button that toggles between a multiple documents view and a single document view;

wherein a selection of the multiple documents view causes multiple documents of the selected item to be displayed; and

wherein a selection of the single document view causes one document of the selected item to be displayed.

10. The medium as in claim 9 further comprising:

displaying a vertical scroll control in the center section of the display area wherein the multiple documents of the selected item are scrollable.

11. The medium as in claim 9 further comprising:

displaying a horizontal scroll control in the center section of the display area wherein the multiple documents of the selected item are scrollable.

12. The medium as in claim 1 further comprising:

displaying the first side section in a first stack fashion such that a first top most stack section displays the first item that precedes the selected item; and

displaying the second side section in a second stack fashion such that a second top most stack section displays the second item that follows the selected item.

14. The medium as in claim 12 further comprising:

displaying the first item which is most adjacent to the selected item the closest to the center section; and

displaying the first item which is next adjacent to the selected item the next closest to the center section.

15. The medium as in claim 12 further comprising:

displaying the second item which is most adjacent to the selected item the closest to the center section; and

displaying the second item which is next adjacent to the selected item the next closest to the center section.

16. The medium as in claim 1 further comprising:

displaying a series of first side sections in a first stack fashion such that the first side section is displayed as a first top most stack section; and

displaying a series of second side sections in a second stack fashion such that the second side section is displayed as a second top most stack section.

13. The medium as in claim herein the first side section or the second side section displays only one item.

17. A machine implemented method comprising:

displaying a set of items of a list of items using a first display area having a center section for displaying a selected item containing multiple documents, a first side section for displaying a first item adjacent to the selected item, and a second side section for displaying a second item adjacent to the selected item;

selecting either the first item or second item to designate the selected item;

displaying the multiple documents in the center section in response to the selecting; and

displaying a different first top item in the first side section or a different second top item in the second side section in response to the selecting.

18. The method as in claim 17 wherein the list of items comprises the result of a search query.

19. The method as in claim 17 further comprising accessing the list of items with a web browser.

20. The method as in claim 17 further comprising accessing the list of items with a web browser configured to enable the display of the first display area.

21. The method as in claim 17 further comprising presenting the list of items with a file management system program that allows browsing of items in a file system.

22. The method as in claim 17 further comprising zooming the selected item, first item or second item to an enlarged view.

23. The method as in claim 17 further comprising:

displaying a user interface object which comprises a button that toggles between a multiple documents view and a single document view;

wherein a selection of the multiple documents view causes multiple documents of the selected item to be displayed; and

wherein a selection of the single document view causes one document of the selected item to be displayed.

24. The method as in claim 17 further comprising:

displaying a vertical scroll control in the center section of the display area wherein the multiple documents of the selected item are scrollable.

25. The method as in claim 17 further comprising:

displaying a horizontal scroll control in the center section of the display area wherein the multiple documents of the selected item are scrollable.

26. The method as in claim 17 further comprising:

displaying the first side section in a first stack fashion such that a first top most stack section displays the first item that precedes the selected item; and

displaying the second side section in a second stack fashion such that a second top most stack section displays the second item that follows the selected item.

27. The method as in claim 26 wherein the first side section or the second side section displays only one item.

28. The method as in claim 26 further comprising:

displaying the first item which is most adjacent to the selected item the closest to the center section; and

displaying the first item which is next adjacent to the selected item the next closest to the center section.

29. The method as in claim 17 further comprising:

displaying the second item which is most adjacent to the selected item the closest to the center section; and

displaying the second item which is next adjacent to the selected item the next closest to the center section.

30. The method as in claim 26 further comprising:

displaying a series of first side sections in a first stack fashion such that the first side section is displayed as a first top most stack section; and

displaying a series of second side sections in a second stack fashion such that the second side section is displayed as a second top most stack section.

31. A data processing system comprising:

means for displaying a set of items of a list of items using a first display area having a center section for displaying a selected item containing a plurality of documents, a first side section for displaying a first item adjacent to the selected item, and a second side section for displaying a second item adjacent to the selected item;

means for selecting either the first item or second item to designate the selected item;

means for displaying the plurality of documents in the center section in response to the selecting; and

means for displaying a different first top item in the first side section or a different second top item in the second side section in response to the selecting.