Method and system for providing a separate browser window with information from the main window in a simpler format

• US 7,127,676 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Issued: 10/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hill, Charles Robert, Linsey, Terry June
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu D.
• Application Number:
  US09/752,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20020154172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,125 Days
• Field of Search: 345/804, 345751-760, 345/764, 345/781, 345/705, 715/513, 715751-760, 715/764, 715/781, 715/705, 715/738, 715/968
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/968 interface for database querying and retrieval

Abstract

Browsing in collaboration space is done by presenting to a user an interface to collaboration space. Responsive to the user opening a main window, presenting a selector and results of a search in the main window. Responsive to selection of the selector, a separate quick browse window is opened and objects searched to generate a set of hits which are linked to the main window without losing context. Context is displayed in the quick browse window in a hypertext markup language format, with an entry for each item in the set of hits. Responsive to user selection of an item in the quick browse window, paging controls redirect the main window to a linked page for displaying the quick browse window while the user browses target pages and accesses local settings of the target page to display context of the target page.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for browsing in collaboration space, comprising the steps of:

presenting to a user a browser interface to said collaboration space;

responsive to said user opening in said browser interface a main window selectively including context resulting from entry of a search of a selectable object in said collaboration space or in a what'"'"'s new subset of said collaboration space, presenting a quick browse selector and results of said search in said main window;

responsive to user selection of said quick browse selector, opening a separate quick browse window;

searching said selectable object to generate a set of hits, creating a set of links to said set of hits to control said main window without losing context,

displaying said context in said separate quick browse window within said main window in a hypertext markup language format, with an entry in said separate quick browse window for each item in said set of hits;

responsive to user selection of an item in said separate quick browse window, executing paging controls for redirecting said main window to a linked page for displaying in said main window a page in collaboration space linked to said item;

implementing said object as a room in said collaboration space;

implementing said quick browse selector as a remote control selector in a search results window;

responsive to user selection of a link to a target page in said separate quick browse window, reloading said main window with said target page;

displaying said separate quick browse window in minimal screen space while said user browses target pages and allowing said user to see and access local settings of said target page so as to display context of said target page, wherein said context of said target page selectively includes a table of contents location, folder, parent, and ancestors of said target page; and

organizing said collaboration space according to an object model selectively including place, room, folder, page, member, form, field, placetype, roomtype, skin, and placebot objects.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of implementing said quick browse selector as a remote control selector in a what'"'"'s new window.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step responsive to user selection of said quick browse selector of enabling random access browsing of links in said separate quick browse window.

4. The method of claim 3, said links being to objects in a plurality of rooms.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of implementing said quick browse selector as “

go there”

links from a tutorial window and as “

go there”

links from a help window.

6. A system for browsing within collaboration space, comprising:

a browser interface to said collaboration space for displaying a main window and a separate, floating quick browse window;

a remote control mechanism displayed in said browser interface supporting a quick browse feature;

said remote control mechanism for opening and displaying in said separate, floating quick browse window, responsive to a user initiated search of an object in said collaboration space or of a what'"'"'s new subset of said object, links to linked pages resulting from hits from said search;

said object implemented as a room in said collaboration space, and said remote control mechanism implemented as a remote control selector in a search results window;

said separate, floating quick browse window displaying said links in a hypertext markup language format;

said quick browse feature redirecting said main window to a linked page in collaboration space upon user selection of a link from said separate, floating quick browse window, said linked page reloaded to said main window for display in said main window of a page in collaboration space;

said separate, floating quick browse window displayed in minimal screen space while user browses target pages to allow said user to see and access local settings of said target page so as to display context of said target page, wherein said context selectively includes a table of contents location, folder, parent, and ancestors of said target page; and

said collaboration space organized according to an object model selectively including place, room, folder, page, member, form, field, placetype, roomtype, skin, and placebot objects.

7. The system of claim 6, said context including search results and what'"'"'s new contexts.

8. The system of claim 7, said context including help and tutorial windows.

9. A program storage solid medium readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for browsing in collaboration space, said method steps comprising:

presenting to a user a browser interface to said collaboration space;

responsive to said user opening in said browser interface a main window selectively including context resulting from entry of a search of a selectable object in said collaboration space or in a what'"'"'s new subset of said collaboration space, presenting a quick browse selector and results of said search in said main window;

responsive to user selection of said quick browse selector, opening a separate quick browse window;

searching said selectable object to generate a set of hits, creating a set of links to said set of hits to control said main window without losing context,

displaying said context in said separate quick browse window within said main window in a hypertext markup language format,

with an entry in said separate quick browse window for each item in said set of hits;

responsive to user selection of an item in said separate quick browse window, executing paging controls for redirecting said main window to a linked page for displaying in said main window a page in collaboration space linked to said item;

implementing said object as a room in said collaboration space;

implementing said quick browse selector as a remote control selector in a search results window;

responsive to user selection of a link to a target page in said separate quick browse window, reloading said main window with said target page;

displaying said separate quick browse window in minimal screen space while said user browses target pages and allowing said user to see and access local settings of said target page so as to display context of said target page, wherein said context of said target page selectively includes a table of contents location, folder, parent, and ancestors of said target page; and

organizing said collaboration space according to an object model selectively including place, room, folder, page, member, form, field, placetype, roomtype, skin, and placebot objects.

10. A computer implemented method for presenting to a browser user items selected from collaboration space, comprising:

presenting to said user an interface to said collaboration space, said interface including a search selector and a what'"'"'s new selector;

responsive to user selection of said search selector and entry of a search argument, searching said collaboration space to generate a first set of hits;

responsive to user selection of said what'"'"'s new selector searching said collaborations space for new objects in said collaboration space to generate a second set of hits;

selectively presenting said first set of hits or said second set of hits and a quick browse selector to said user in a main window of said interface;

responsive to user selection of said quick browse selector, opening and selectively presenting to said user in a separate, floating quick browse window of said interface said first set of hits or said second set of hits as selector items wherein said first set of hits or said second set of hits are displayed in a hypertext markup language format;

responsive to user selection of a selector item in said separate, floating quick browse window, executing paging controls for redirecting said main window to a linked to page in

collaboration space f or presenting to said user in said main window an object linked to said selector item while maintaining said selector items in said separate, floating quick browse window;

implementing said object as a room in said collaboration space;

implementing said quick browse selector as a remote control selector in a search results window;

responsive to user selection of a link to a target page in said separate, floating quick browse window, reloading said main window with said target page;

displaying said separate floating, quick browse widow in minimal screen space while said user browses target pages and allowing said user to see and access local settings of said target page so as to display context of said target page, wherein said context selectively includes a table of contents location, folder, parent, and ancestors of said target page; and

organizing said collaboration space according to an object model selectively including place room, folder, page, member, form, field, placetype, roomtype, skin, and placebot objects.