SYSTEMS AND/OR METHODS FOR PAGING CONTROL INCLUDING SELECTIVE PAGING ELEMENT DISPLAY ACCORDING TO A BINARY SUBDIVISION AND/OR A SERIAL PROGRESSIVE DISPLAY APPROACH

• US 20130036378A1
• Filed: 10/01/2012
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nintendo of America, Inc. (Nintendo Company Limited)
• Inventors: Smith, James Myron
• Granted Patent: US 9,430,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/776
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments disclosed herein relate to paging systems and methods that help users navigate through large or small datasets. For example, in certain exemplary embodiments, paging control elements are provided according to either a binary subdivision approach or a serial progressive approach. Paging control elements are displayed according to either the binary subdivision approach or the serial progressive approach in dependence on a determination as to which approach is more advantageous based at least in part on factors such as, for example, total number of pages, current page location, distance to end points, screen size, etc.

Claims

1. A navigation control method enabling a user to navigate through a plurality of data elements displayed on a display of a computer device, a subset of the plurality of data elements being displayable in each of a plurality of data containers, the plurality of data containers including at least a first data container and a different, last data container, the method comprising:

(a) designating navigation control elements for the first and last data containers;

(b) receiving information identifying a currently selected data container;

(c) when the currently selected data container is either the first data container or the last data container;

determining whether additional navigation control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choosing between these approaches for subsequent display of navigation control elements, and

designating additional navigation control elements for display between the navigation control elements for the first and last data containers in accordance with the chosen approach;

(d) when the currently selected data container is between the first and last data containers;

determining, for a first sub-range corresponding to a range between the first data container and the currently selected data container, whether additional navigation control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choosing between these approaches for subsequent display of navigation control elements,

determining, for a second sub-range corresponding to a range between the currently selected data container and the last data container, whether additional navigation control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choosing between these approaches for subsequent display of navigation control elements, and

designating additional navigation control elements for display between the navigation control elements for the first and last data containers in accordance with the approaches chosen for the first and second sub-ranges; and

(e) displaying, on the display of the computer device, all designated navigation control elements and the currently selected data container,

wherein the subdivision approach, when chosen, at least initially involves partitioning at intervals of 1/n, where n>

1.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

when the currently selected data container is either the first data container or the last data container, the determining depends on a number of data containers between the first data container and the last data container; and

when the currently selected data container is between the first and last data containers, the determining for the first sub-range depends on a number of data containers between the first data container and the currently selected data container, and the determining for the second sub-range depends on a number of data containers between the currently selected data container and the last data container.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the designating for the serial progressive approach comprises designating navigation control elements for each successive data container between start and end data containers in a range or sub-range.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the designating for the subdivision approach comprises:

(i) calculating an intermediate point value between the start and end data containers;

(ii) generating an intermediate point data container;

(iii) labeling the generated intermediate point data container with the calculated intermediate point value;

(iv) setting the end data container to the generated intermediate point data container; and

(vv) repeating (i)-(iv) until further calculations are not possible because the data containers involved in the calculating are adjacent to one another or until a predetermined number of calculations are performed, whichever comes first.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein (i) further comprises rounding the intermediate point value to a whole number when the calculating of the midpoint does not result in a whole number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the subdivision approach is not chosen unless at least three subdivisions are possible.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the serial progressive approach is not chosen if greater than 13 navigation control elements would be designated for display.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising designating, when the currently selected data container is between the first and last data containers, at least one navigation element for at least one corresponding data container directly adjacent the currently selected data container.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the approach(es) in (c) and in (d), when practiced, is based at least in part on a total number of displayable data containers, current data container location, distance to end point(s), and/or display screen size.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the serial progressive approach is chosen when a total number of data containers is less than a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold being selected based on a size associated with a display area on the display.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating (a)-(e) upon a user selecting a new data container via one of the navigation control elements, the new data container being designated as the currently selected data container.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising, as part of (e) displaying a designated control element configured to enable the user to input a particular data container of interest and to cause the display to be updated so that that particular data container is displayed when the designated control element is actuated without having to display intermediate data containers between the data container displayed when the input is received and the particular data container and without having to use any other navigation control elements.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the program is further configured to designate, when the currently selected container is between the first and last containers, at least one navigation element for at least one corresponding container directly adjacent the currently selected container.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the program is further configured to provide a navigation control element for the currently selected container, the navigation control element for the currently selected container being manipulable, by a user, to cause a different container to become the currently selected container.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a navigation control program for enabling a user to navigate through a plurality of containers including different data element subsets in connection with a display of an electronic device, there being at least first and last containers, wherein the program, under control of the electronic device, performs instructions for at least:

(a) designating navigation control elements for association with the first and last containers;

(b) receiving information identifying a currently selected container;

(c) when the currently selected container is either the first or the last container;

determining whether additional navigation control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choosing between these approaches for subsequent display of navigation control elements, and

designating additional navigation control elements for display between the navigation control elements associated with the first and last containers in accordance with the approach chosen in the determining;

(d) when the currently selected container is between the first and last containers;

determining, for a first sub-range corresponding to a range between the first container and the currently selected container, whether additional navigation control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choosing between these approaches for subsequent display of navigation control elements,

determining, for a second sub-range corresponding to a range between the currently selected container and the last container, whether additional navigation control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choosing between these approaches for subsequent display of navigation control elements, and

designating additional navigation control elements for display between the navigation control elements for the first and last containers in accordance with the approaches chosen for the first and second sub-ranges in the determining; and

(e) displaying, on the display of the electronic device, all designated navigation control elements and the currently selected container,

wherein the subdivision approach, when chosen, at least initially involves partitioning at regular intervals equal to 1/n, where n>

1.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the program is further configured to at least repeat (a)-(e) upon a user selecting a new container via one of the navigation control elements, the new container being designated as the currently selected container.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the program is further configured to, as part of (e), at least display a designated control element configured to enable the user to input a particular container of interest and to cause the display to be updated so that that particular container is displayed when the designated control element is actuated without having to display intermediate containers between the container displayed when the input is received and the particular container and without having to use any other navigation control elements.

18. A data visualization system, comprising:

a computer having a display associated therewith; and

paging control program logic configured to enable a user to navigate through a plurality of data elements displayed on the display of the computer of the user, a subset of the plurality of data elements being displayable in each of a plurality of pages, the plurality of pages including at least a first page and a last page,

wherein the paging control program logic is further configured to at least;

(a) designate paging control elements for the first and last pages;

(b) receive information identifying a currently selected page;

(c) when the currently selected page is either the first page or the last page;

determine whether additional paging control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choose between these approaches for subsequent display of paging control elements, and

designate additional paging control elements for display between the paging control elements for the first and last pages in accordance with the approach chosen in the determining;

(d) when the currently selected page is between the first and last pages;

determine, for a first sub-range corresponding to a range between the first page and the currently selected page, whether additional paging control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choose between these approaches for subsequent display of paging control elements,

determine, for a second sub-range corresponding to a range between the currently selected page and the last page, whether additional paging control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choose between these approaches for subsequent display of paging control elements, and

designate additional paging control elements for display between the paging control elements for the first and last pages in accordance with the approaches chosen for the first and second sub-ranges in the determining; and

(e) format the currently selected page for display on the display of the user such that it includes all designated paging control elements,

wherein the subdivision approach, when chosen, at least initially involves partitioning at regular intervals equal to 1/n, where n>

1 and wherein the subdivision approach is selectable only when at least a threshold number of partitions are initially possible.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a data storage location comprising the plurality of elements selectively viewable by the user via the paging control elements formatted by the paging control program logic.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the paging control program logic is further configured to re-format the currently selected page upon a user selecting a new page to be the currently selected page.