Presenting user interface elements to a screen reader using placeholders

• US 7,620,890 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Dietl, Josef, Rossler, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): DESAI, RACHNA SINGH
• Application Number:
  US11/027,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20060150075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,783 Days
• Field of Search: 715/513, 715/526, 715/760, 715/767, 715/802, 715/234, 715/273
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for providing information to a screen reader. A method includes the actions of receiving information for representing a web page in a browser; setting focus initially on an element of the web page and presenting the web page to a user; and in response to a user command directing the focus to consecutive target elements of the web page, assigning information related to each target element to a placeholder control and providing a screen reader with access to the placeholder control as the element having focus.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing information to a screen reader comprising:

receiving information on a computer for representing a web page in a browser;

presenting the web page on the computer;

receiving a first input command on the computer requesting focus on a target element of the web page;

determining, on the computer, whether the target element is a user input field in advance of assigning focus to the target element or a placeholder control corresponding to the target element;

assigning focus to the target element when the target element is determined to be a user input field;

assigning focus to one of a pair of placeholder controls when the target element is not a user input field, the placeholder controls receiving focus in an alternating fashion in response to subsequent input commands;

providing a first screen reader, on a computer, with content specific to the identified placeholder control or the target element.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a subsequent input command, selectively transferring focus from the identified placeholder control or target element to a next target element.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user command is generated using a keyboard.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the web page is presented in a web browser.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the placeholder control is visually represented by the web browser.

6. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising:

scanning a system for a plurality of screen readers;

selecting the first screen reader from the plurality of screen readers;

activating the first screen reader before providing the content to the first screen reader.

7. A computer program product, tangibly embodied on a machine-readable storage device, operable to cause a data process apparatus to perform the operations of:

receiving information for representing a web page in a browser;

presenting the web page;

receiving a first input command requesting focus on a target element of the web page;

determining whether the target element is a user input field in advance of assigning focus to the target element or a placeholder control corresponding to the target element;

assigning focus to the target element when the target element is determined to be a user input field;

assigning focus to one of a pair of placeholder controls when the target element is not a user input field, the placeholder controls receiving focus in an alternating fashion in response to subsequent input commands;

providing a first screen reader with content specific to the identified placeholder control or the target element.

8. The product of claim 7, further operable to cause the data process apparatus to perform the operation of:

in response to a subsequent input command, selectively transferring focus from the identified placeholder control or target element to a next target element.

9. The product of claim 7, wherein the user command is generated using a keyboard.

10. The product of claim 7, wherein the web page is presented in a web browser.

11. The product of claim 10, wherein the placeholder control is visually represented by the web browser.

12. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory with a computer program stored thereon for;

receiving information for representing a web page in a browser;

presenting the web page;

receiving a first input command requesting focus on a target element of the web page;

determining whether the target element is a user input field in advance of assigning focus to the target element or a placeholder control corresponding to the target element;

assigning focus to the target element when the target element is determined to be a user input field;

assigning focus to one of a pair of placeholder controls when the target element is not a user input field, the placeholder controls receiving focus in an alternating fashion in response to subsequent input commands;

providing a first screen reader with content specific to the identified placeholder control or the target element.

13. The system of claim 12, the computer program being further configured to:

selectively transfer focus from the identified placeholder control or target element to a next target element in response to a subsequent input command.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the system comprises a keyboard and the user command is generated using the keyboard.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the web page is presented in a web browser.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the placeholder control is visually represented by the web browser.