Dynamic web page arrangement

• US 8,627,226 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2008
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, Cary Lee, Majd, Mahdad, Santosuosso, John Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): ITURRALDE, ENRIQUE W
• Application Number:
  US12/177,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20080282176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,995 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/5, 715/738, 715/200, 715205-210, 715243-253, 715705-708, 715/760, 715/764, 715/765, 715/767, 715/781, 715784-789
• US Class Current: 715/785
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191

Abstract

A browser renders a page for display according to user habits. When a user interacts with a page associated with a network address, an entry is made in a file that associates the element on the page of the user interaction with the network address. When the page is visited again, the file is checked to see if any entry exists. If an entry exists and the stored user interaction is still relevant for that page, the page is rendered so that the location the user interacted with is provided at the top of the display, or the element is re-arranged, as in the case of a table, or both re-positioning and re-arranging occurs. Such page rendering reduces the need for the user to scroll through the page to view the desired information.

Claims

1. A client computer for use in a networked system, the computer comprising:

a display having a viewable area; and

browsing and rendering software configured to at least;

display a browser window in the display, the browser window containing a scroll bar,

receive prompts from a user to access pages having network addresses located on server computers of the networked system, the pages each having a displayable size exceeding the viewable area of the display and a default layout; and

when prompted by the user to access a given page at a specified network address;

retrieve the given page from the specified network address on the respective server computer;

access user interaction data located on the client computer and associated with the specified network address, the user interaction data describing previous user interaction with an element of the given page via the browser; and

render the given page to the browser window in the display by repositioning the given page according to the user interaction data from a default position so that the element is moved into the viewable area of the display and wherein, after the given page is rendered, the scroll bar is positioned to allow the user to scroll the given page upwards to bring a top portion of the given page from an unviewable position into the viewable area of the display, and wherein the default layout of the given page is maintained while being scrolled.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein the browsing and rendering software repositions the element to a page location at a top position of the display.

3. The computer of claim 1, wherein the element of a given page is selected from the group consisting of a table, a link, a data entry field, and a scroll bar.

4. The computer of claim 1, wherein accessing user interaction data further comprises:

getting a first user interaction with the element of the given page;

determining if the first user interaction is a first user interaction type; and

if the first user interaction is the first user interaction type;

getting at least an electronic document element datum associated with the first user interaction, and

storing the electronic document element datum; and

storing a first count associated with the electronic document element datum, wherein the count represents a number of user interactions of the first user interaction type with the element of the given page.

5. The computer of claim 4, wherein the first user interaction type is selected from the group consisting of interaction with a table, interaction with a link, interaction with a data entry field, and scrolling.

6. The computer of claim 4, further comprising steps, after storing the first count, of:

getting a second user interaction with a different element of the given page;

determining if the second user interaction is the first user interaction type;

if the second user interaction is not the first user interaction type;

evaluating if the second user interaction is a second user interaction type; and

if the second user interaction is the second user interaction type;

getting at least a second electronic document element datum associated with the second user interaction;

storing the second electronic document element datum; and

incrementing a second count associated with the second electronic document element datum, wherein the second count represents a number of user interactions of the second user interaction type with the different element of the given page.

7. The computer of claim 4, further comprising steps, after storing the first count, of:

getting a second user interaction with a different element of the given page;

determining if the second user interaction is the first user interaction type; and

if the second user interaction is the first user interaction type of user interaction;

getting at least a second electronic document element datum associated with the second user interaction;

storing the second electronic document element datum; and

incrementing a second count associated with the second electronic document element datum, wherein the second count represents a number of user interactions of the first user interaction type with the different element of the given page.

8. The computer of claim 7, wherein repositioning the given page according to the user interaction data further comprises determining a greater count value as between a value of the first count a value of the second count so that the element associated with the greater count value is moved into the viewable area of the display.

9. A method for using user interaction data on a client computer, the method comprising:

displaying a viewable area of a display using a browser having a scroll bar;

receiving a prompt from a user to access a page having a network address located on a server computer of the networked system, the page having a displayable size exceeding the viewable area of the display and a default layout; and

after receiving the prompt by the user to access the page at a specified network address;

retrieving the page from the specified network address on the respective server computer,

accessing user interaction data located on the client computer, the user interaction data describing previous user interaction with an element of the page,

rendering the page to the display by repositioning the page according to the user interaction data so that the element is moved into the viewable area of the display and a top portion of the page is moved into an unviewable position, and

responsive to user manipulation of the scroll bar after the page is rendered, scrolling the page upwards to bring the top portion of the page from the unviewable position into the viewable area of the display, and wherein the default layout of the given page is maintained while being scrolled.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the element of a given page is selected from the group consisting of a table, a link, a data entry field, and a scroll bar.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein repositioning moves the element into a top position of the viewable area of the display.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein accessing user interaction data further comprises:

getting a first user interaction with the element of the page;

determining if the first user interaction is a first user interaction type; and

if the first user interaction is the first user interaction type;

getting at least an electronic document element datum associated with the first user interaction, and

storing the electronic document element datum; and

storing a first count associated with the electronic document element datum, wherein the count represents a number of user interactions of the first user interaction type with the element of the page.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising steps, after storing the first count, of:

getting a second user interaction with a different element of the page;

determining if the second user interaction is the first user interaction type; and

if the second user interaction is the first user interaction type of user interaction;

getting at least a second electronic document element datum associated with the second user interaction;

storing the second electronic document element datum; and

incrementing a second count associated with the second electronic document element datum, wherein the second count represents a number of user interactions of the first user interaction type with the different element of the page.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein repositioning the page according to the user interaction data further comprises determining a greater count value as between a value of the first count a value of the second count so that the element associated with the greater count value is moved into the viewable area of the display.

15. A method for using user interaction data on a client computer, the method comprising:

displaying a viewable area of a display using a browser having a scroll bar;

receiving a prompt to access pages having network addresses located on server computers of the networked system, the pages each having a displayable size exceeding the viewable area of the display and a default layout; and

after receiving the prompt to access a given page;

retrieving the page from the specified network address on the respective server computer,

accessing user interaction data located on the client computer, the user interaction data describing previous user interaction with an element of the given page,

rearranging the given page from the default layout to a rearranged layout according to the user interaction data, thereby creating a rearranged page which ensures that the element is placed in the viewable area of the display when the rearranged page is rendered, and wherein all content of the given page is contained in the rearranged page, and

rendering the rearranged page to the display, wherein the element is in the viewable area of the display.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the element of a given page is selected from the group consisting of a table, a link, a data entry field, and a scroll bar.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising responsive to user manipulation of the scroll bar after the rearranged page is rendered, scrolling the rearranged page, and wherein the rearranged layout of the rearranged page is maintained while being scrolled.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein accessing user interaction data further comprises:

getting a first user interaction with the element of the given page;

determining if the first user interaction is a first user interaction type; and

if the first user interaction is the first user interaction type;

getting at least an electronic document element datum associated with the first user interaction, and

storing the electronic document element datum; and

storing a first count associated with the electronic document element datum, wherein the count represents a number of user interactions of the first user interaction type with the element of the given page.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising steps, after storing the first count, of:

getting a second user interaction with a different element of the given page;

determining if the second user interaction is the first user interaction type; and

if the second user interaction is the first user interaction type of user interaction;

getting at least a second electronic document element datum associated with the second user interaction;

storing the second electronic document element datum; and

incrementing a second count associated with the second electronic document element datum, wherein the second count represents a number of user interactions of the first user interaction type with the different element of the given page.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein rearranging the given page from the default layout to the rearranged layout according to the user interaction data further comprises determining a greater count value as between a value of the first count a value of the second count so that the element associated with the greater count value is moved into the viewable area of the display.