Object-oriented framework for hyperlink navigation

• US 6,460,058 B2
• Filed: 12/06/1996
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stone, Victor, Glasse, Clarence, Nakajima, Satoshi, Ebbo, David S., Wolf, Richard J., Slivka, Benjamin W., Koppolu, Srinivasa R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, CONG LAC T
• Application Number:
  US08/761,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20010020243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,125 Days
• Field of Search: 707/501, 707/513, 707/102, 707/103, 707/104, 395/156, 345/738
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858

Abstract

An object-oriented framework comprises system services, objects, and integration interfaces which unify retrieval and browsing of data among multiple different application programs, document formats, and local and remote data storage sites. The framework provides a hyperlink object which encapsulates general hyperlink navigation functions. The hyperlink object has a moniker which references a hyperlink'"'"'s target, and a location string which designates a location in the target. The hyperlink object uses the moniker to retrieve the target as an object in the framework, and causes the object to display a view of the target at the location. The framework also provides a browse context object which maintains a navigation stack of navigated hyperlink targets, and allows passing of window and navigation tool bar position information to a frame in which the target is displayed to effect the appearance of window reuse when navigating between frames. The framework also includes a cache and table of running objects to speed return navigation to recently navigated targets.

Claims

1. A method of computer software execution supporting browsing documents of a plurality of different application programs in a computer system, each application program implementing a document object server which provides document objects to encapsulate data of documents of a type associated with the application program together with operational code to display views of the documents, the document objects individually supporting a document object interface for use by a frame object to cause the operational code of the document objects to display their respective document'"'"'s display view within a designated display area framed within an application window frame managed by the respective frame object, wherein an object used in the method is a programming entity that encapsulates data members to provide storage of data with function members implemented by operational code to provide processing of the data and that has an interface exposing the function members to programmatic access by a client program, the method comprising:

providing a frame object having operational code for managing a frame displayed within a window and having a document display area, and for interacting with any document object hosted by the frame object through the document object interface to cause such hosted document object to display a display view of a document encapsulated by the hosted document object within the document display area;

creating a first document object to encapsulate data of a first document using an object server of a first application program associated with a type of the first document, the first document containing a hyperlink to a second document of a type associated with a second different application program;

causing the frame object to host the first document object with the first document object displaying a view of the first document in the document display area;

creating a second document object to encapsulate data of the second document using an object server of the second application; and

on activation of the hyperlink by a user, causing the frame object to host the second document object with the second document object displaying a view of the second document in place of the view of the first document in the document display area;

wherein a user can activate the hyperlink within the display area containing the view of the first document, said view controlled by the first document object created using the object server of the first application, said activation thereby causing the frame object to host within the display area the view of the second document, said view controlled by the second document object created using the object server of the second application.

2. A hyperlink navigation system for unified browsing of documents from multiple applications a plurality of different application programs in a computer, wherein an object of the hyperlink navigation system is a programming entity that encapsulates data members to provide storage of data with function members implemented by operational code to provide processing of the data and that has an interface exposing the function members to programmatic access by a client program, the hyperlink navigation system comprising:

a first object server application program for providing an instance of a hyperlink container object, the hyperlink container object encapsulating data of a container document containing a hyperlink together with operational code to display a view of the container document;

a second different object server application program for providing an instance of a hyperlink target object, the hyperlink target object encapsulating data of a target document indicated by the hyperlink together with operational code to display a view of the target document;

a frame object for hosting one of the hyperlink container object and the hyperlink target object and for managing a frame having a display area in which the hosted object displays its respective view; and

a hyperlink navigation system object server for providing an instance of a hyperlink object to be used with the hyperlink container object and operative to navigate the hyperlink by causing the frame object to change from hosting the hyperlink container object to hosting the hyperlink target object;

wherein a user can activate the hyperlink within the display area containing the view of the container document, said view controlled by the instance of the hyperlink container object provided by the first object server application program, said activation thereby causing the frame object to host within the display area the view of the target document, said view controlled by the instance of the hyperlink target object provided by the second different object server application program.

3. The hyperlink navigation system of claim 2 wherein the hyperlink object comprises:

a moniker object containing a reference to the target document and operating to bind the target document into the hyperlink target object.

4. The hyperlink navigation system of claim 3 wherein the hyperlink object further comprises:

a text string designating a location in the target document; and

the hyperlink object operating to cause the hyperlink target object to display the location in the view of the target document.

5. The hyperlink navigation system of claim 2 comprising:

a browse context object for maintaining a navigation history of previously navigated hyperlink target documents and operating to add the target document to the navigation history when navigated by the hyperlink object.

6. Software stored on a computer readable medium for hyperlink navigation of a plurality of different application programs, wherein an object of the software is a programming entity that encapsulates data members to provide storage of data with function members implemented by operational code to provide processing of the data and that has an interface exposing the function members to programmatic access by a client program, the software comprising:

hyperlink navigation system code for creating a hyperlink object for navigating to a location in a hyperlink target, the hyperlink object having a moniker for referencing the hyperlink target, a location string for designating the location, and a navigate function for causing the moniker to bind the hyperlink target into a hyperlink target object and for causing the hyperlink target object to display a view of the hyperlink target at the location;

hyperlink navigation system code for creating a browse context object for maintaining a navigation stack to track which hyperlink targets have been navigated, said navigation stack comprising hyperlink targets of plural different application programs.

7. The software of claim 6 comprising:

an application programming interface of a function for creating the hyperlink object, calling the navigation function, and registering the hyperlink target in the navigation stack of the browse context object when navigated, the application programming interface being accessible to invocation by a client application program.

8. The software of claim 6 wherein the browse context object also passes a window position of a frame for a hyperlink container document to a frame for the hyperlink target.