Scrolling browser with previewing area

• US 8,397,180 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2007
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Duhig, Jonathan Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuyetlien
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ayeni, Abimbola
• Application Number:
  US11/952,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20080155473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,922 Days
• Field of Search: 715/781, 715784-788, 715800-802, 715/815, 715/821, 715/830, 715/244
• US Class Current: 715/838
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A method of browsing an ordered set of items on a display device is disclosed. The method displays the ordered set of items as ordered subsets (301-308) of the items, the subsets being arranged in parallel, each subset comprising a corresponding number (310, 311, 312) of a plurality of the items. The method selects one item (310) from one subset (305) as a focus item. The method then spatially separates the items preceding and the items following the focus item in the ordered set and displays the focus item in a different relative spatial arrangement (702) compared to the remaining displayed items.

Claims

1. A display interface for scrolling items of a collection, each item having a corresponding individual position in the collection, said interface comprising at least a processor, memory and a display unit that cooperate to display:

a focus display location at which a focus item is displayable, the focus item being one item of the collection; and

first and second 2-dimensional repeating arrangements of the items spatially separated by the focus display location, the first arrangement preceding the focus display location in a direction of scroll and the second arrangement following the focus display location in the direction of scroll, each arrangement including a plurality of standard display locations at which a plural number of items of the collection are displayable adjacent the focus display location,

wherein a first scroll instruction of the collection causes a first one of the items to depart a corresponding first standard display location in the first arrangement adjacent to the focus display location and to occupy the focus display location as the focus item,

wherein an immediately following scroll instruction of the collection causes that first item to depart the focus location and to occupy, in the second arrangement adjacent to the focus display location, a standard display location corresponding to the first standard display location occupied by that first item in the first arrangement, such that as a consequence of the scroll instructions, each item progressively occupies the same relative position in the second arrangement as that occupied by the item in the first arrangement, having departed the focus display location, and

wherein the immediately following scroll instruction causes a second item, immediately following the first item in the collection, to depart its standard display location in the first arrangement and to occupy the focus location as the focus item, such that the standard display location of the second item in the first arrangement becomes empty, while any items present at others of the standard display locations in the first arrangement remain where they are.

2. A display interface according to claim 1, wherein the focus item is presented within the focus location in a different spatial relationship to those items presented within the standard display locations of the first and second arrangements.

3. A display interface according to claim 1, wherein the 2-dimensional repeating arrangements comprise parallel arranged stacks of display locations within which representations of the items are displayable.

4. A display interface according to claim 1, wherein the 2-dimensional repeating arrangements comprise a repeating non-uniform configuration of the standard display locations within which representations of the items are displayable.

5. A display interface according to claim 1, wherein the items in the collection are in an order and the display locations are populated by the items in the order.

6. A method of scrolling items of a collection, each item having a corresponding individual position in the collection, said method comprising steps of:

displaying a focus item in a focus display location, the focus item being one of the collection;

displaying first and second 2-dimensional repeating arrangements of the items spatially separated by the focus display location, the first arrangement preceding the focus display location in a direction of scroll and the second arrangement following the focus display location the direction of scroll, each arrangement including a plurality of standard display locations at which a plural number of items of the collection are displayable adjacent to the focus display location;

receiving a first scroll instruction to scroll the collection, causing a first one of the items to depart a corresponding standard display location in the first arrangement adjacent to the focus display location and to occupy the focus display location as the focus item;

receiving an immediately following scroll instruction to scroll the collection, causing that first item to depart the focus display location and to occupy, in the second arrangement adjacent to the focus display location, a standard display location corresponding to the first standard display location occupied by the first item in the first arrangement, such that as a consequence of the scroll instructions, each item progressively occupies the same relative position in the second arrangement as that occupied by the item in the first arrangement, having departed the focus display location; and

causing a second item, immediately following the first item in the collection, and in response to the immediately following scroll instruction, to depart its standard display location in the first arrangement and to occupy the focus location as the focus item, such that the standard display location of the second item in the first arrangement becomes empty, while any items present at others of the standard display locations in the first arrangement remain where they are.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising presenting the focus item within the focus location in a different spatial relationship to those items presented within the standard display locations of the first and second arrangements.

8. A method according to claim 6, further comprising displaying the 2-dimensional repeating arrangements as parallel arranged stacks of display locations within which representations of the items are displayable.

9. A method according to claim 6, further comprising displaying the 2-dimensional repeating arrangements as repeating non-uniform configurations of the standard display locations within which representations of the items are displayable.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a program recorded thereon, the program being executable by a computer apparatus to scroll items of a collection in a graphical user interface reproducible upon a display, each item having a corresponding individual position in the collection, the program comprising:

code for displaying a focus item in a focus display location, the focus item being one of the collection;

code for displaying first and second 2-dimensional repeating arrangements of the items spatially separated by the focus display location, the first arrangement preceding the focus display location in a direction of scroll and the second arrangement following the focus display location the direction of scroll, each arrangement including a plurality of standard display locations at which a plural number of items of the collection are displayable adjacent to the focus display location;

code for receiving a first scroll instruction to scroll the collection, causing a first one of the items to depart a corresponding standard display location in the first arrangement adjacent to the focus display location and to occupy the focus display location as the focus item;

code for receiving an immediately following scroll instruction to scroll the collection, causing that first item to depart the focus display location and to occupy, in the second arrangement adjacent to the focus display location, a standard display location corresponding to the first standard display location occupied by the first item in the first arrangement, such that as a consequence of the scroll instructions, each item progressively occupies the same relative position in the second arrangement as that occupied by the item in the first arrangement, having departed the focus display location, and

code for causing a second item, immediately following the first item in the collection, and in response to the immediately following scroll instruction, to depart its standard display location in the first arrangement and to occupy the focus location as the focus item, such that the standard display location of the second item in the first arrangement becomes empty, while any items present at others of the standard display locations in the first arrangement remain where they are.

11. A computer readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the program further comprises code for presenting the focus item within the focus location in a different spatial relationship to those items presented within the standard display locations of the first and second arrangements.

12. A computer readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the program further comprises code for displaying the 2-dimensional repeating arrangements as parallel arranged stacks of display locations within which representations of the items are displayable.

13. A computer readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the program further comprises code for displaying the 2-dimensional repeating arrangements as repeating non-uniform configurations of the standard display locations within which representations of the items are displayable.

14. A computer apparatus for browsing an ordered collection of items, said apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a display device coupled to said processor;

a scroll input coupled to said processor from which said processor forms a scroll instruction;

a storage medium coupled to said processor and having a program recorded therein, the program being executable by said processor to browse by scrolling items of the collection in a graphical user interface reproducible upon said display device, each item having a corresponding individual position in the collection, said program comprising;

code for displaying a focus item in a focus display location of the graphical user interface, the focus item being one of the collection;

code for displaying in the graphical user interface first and second 2-dimensional repeating arrangements of the items spatially separated by the focus display location, the first arrangement preceding the focus display location in a direction of scroll and the second arrangement following the focus display location the direction of scroll, each arrangement including a plurality of standard display locations at which a plural number of items of the collection are displayable adjacent to the focus display location;

code, operative on receipt of a first scroll instruction to scroll the collection, to cause a first one of the items to depart a corresponding standard display location in the first arrangement adjacent to the focus display location and to occupy the focus display location as the focus item;

code, operative on receipt of an immediately following scroll instruction to scroll the collection, to cause that first item to depart the focus display location and to occupy, in the second arrangement adjacent to the focus display location, a standard display location corresponding to the first standard display location occupied by the first item in the first arrangement, such that as a consequence of the scroll instructions, each item progressively occupies the same relative position in the second arrangement as that occupied by the item in the first arrangement, having departed the focus display location, and

code for causing a second item, immediately following the first item in the collection, and in response to the immediately following scroll instruction, to depart its standard display location in the first arrangement and to occupy the focus location as the focus item, such that the standard display location of the second item in the first arrangement becomes empty, while any items present at others of the standard display locations in the first arrangement remain where they are.