Apparatus and method for display navigation

• US 8,689,134 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2011
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dana W. Paxson
• Original Assignee: Dana W. Paxson
• Inventors: Paxson, Dana W.
• Primary Examiner(s): SONG, DAEHO D
• Application Number:
  US13/053,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20110173562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 715/781, 715/796, 715/790, 715/802
• US Class Current: 715/790
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

A method for facilitating window navigation on an electronic display including the steps of rendering at least one elongated strip on opposing sides of a first window wherein the strips are selectable by a user through a user interface device, associating at least one strip with a second window and at least one strip with a third window wherein the strips are each configured to transition one of the second and third windows to the forefront of the electronic display upon selection of the respective strip by the user through the user interface device.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating window navigation on an electronic display, comprising the steps of:

rendering simultaneously at least three overlapping windows, including a foreground window and two background windows, wherein said foreground window overlaps at least one or more background windows;

rendering at least one elongated strip on each one of two opposing edges of the foreground window wherein the strips are selectable by a user through a user interface device;

associating one strip of the foreground window with one background window and associating the other strip of the foreground window with the other background window;

in a single operation, operating the user interface to select one of the strips on one of the edges of the foreground window to immediately transition the background window associated with the selected strip to the forefront of the electronic display; and

displaying the background window associated with the selected strip on the forefront of the electronic display and displaying the foreground window associated with the selected strip in the background of the electronic display.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

rendering at least one elongated strip on each one of two opposing edges of a first one of the background windows wherein the strips are selectable by a user through a user interface device;

associating one strip rendered on the first background window with the foreground window and associating the other strip on the first background window with the second background window wherein the strips are configured to transition the foreground window and second background window to the forefront of the electronic display upon selection of the respective strip by the user through the user interface device;

rendering at least one elongated strip on each one of two opposing edges of the second background window wherein the strips are selectable by a user through a user interface device; and

associating one strip rendered in the second background window with the foreground window and associating the other strip of the second background window with the first background window wherein the strips on the second background window are configured to transition the foreground and first background windows to the forefront of the electronic display upon selection of the respective strip by the user through the user interface device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the foreground and background windows are rendered as a result of a compilation of an electronic literary macrame and wherein the first window is a narrative window, the second window is a reference window and the third window is a glossary window.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein each of the elongated strips is a selected from the group consisting of a vertical elongated strip and a horizontal elongated strip and wherein each of the strips are rendered on opposing sides of textual content rendered in each respective window.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the foreground and background windows are rendered as overlapping wherein the background windows are disposed toward opposing sides of the foreground window.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein:

one of the opposing elongated strips of the foreground window associated with the first background window is disposed toward the location of the first background window relative to one opposing elongated strip associated with the second background window;

one of the opposing elongated strips of the first background window associated with the second background window is disposed toward the second background window relative to one opposing elongated strip associated with the foreground window; and

one of the opposing elongated strips of the second background window associated with the first background window is disposed toward the first background window relative to one opposing elongated strip associated with the foreground window.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the foreground and background windows are rendered as stacked.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the foreground window overlaps portions of the background windows.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein each background window has strips and the foreground window exposes at least one strip of one background window.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the foreground window displays all of its elongated strips and exposes at least one strip of each background window.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the foreground window fully covers all background windows.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the display renders three or more background windows and one foreground window has at least one strip associated with each background window for bringing the associated background window to the foreground.

13. An apparatus for facilitating window navigation on an electronic device, comprising:

a user interface device;

an electronic display device including a screen;

a control device including at least one processor wherein the control device is configured to communicate with the electronic display device and the user input interface device;

data storage means for storing program instructions that, when implemented by the control device, operate said control device to;

render simultaneously on the screen a plurality of overlapping windows including at least a narrative window, a reference window, and a glossary window, wherein one of said windows is in the foreground of the electronic display and the other windows are in the background of the electronic display;

render on the screen a pair of elongated strips on opposing sides of the narrative window wherein the strips are selectable by a user through the user interface device;

associate one strip of the pair of strips of the narrative window with the reference window and the other strip of the pair of strips of the narrative window with the glossary window and in a single operation of the user interface device to select one of the strips, immediately transition to the foreground the reference or glossary window associated with the strip operated on by the user interface device and display the window associated with the selected strip on the foreground of the electronic display and move the narrative window to the background of the electronic display;

render on the screen a pair of elongated strips on opposing sides of the reference window wherein the strips are selectable by a user through a user interface device;

associate one strip of the pair of strips of the reference window with the narrative window and the other strip of the pair of strips of the reference window with the glossary window and in a single operation of the user interface device to select one of the strips, immediately transition to the foreground the reference or glossary window associated with the strip operated on by the user interface device and display the window associated with the selected strip on the foreground of the electronic display and move the reference window to the background of the electronic display;

render on the screen a pair of elongated strips on opposing sides of the glossary window wherein the strips are selectable by a user through a user interface device; and

associate one strip of the pair of strips of the glossary window with the narrative window and the other strip of the pair of strips of the glossary window with the reference window and in a single operation of the user interface device to select one of the strips, immediately transition to the foreground the narrative or reference window associated with the strip operated on by the user interface device and display the narrative or reference window associated with the selected strip in the foreground of the electronic display and move the glossary window to the background of the electronic display.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the user interface device is selected from the group consisting of a button, a keypad, a keyboard, a dial, a click wheel, a mouse, a trackball, a touch screen, a capacitive sensing mechanism, and a multi-touch capacitive sensing mechanism.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the elongated strips are vertical elongated strips disposed toward opposing left and right side portions of each respective window.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the elongated strips are horizontal elongated strips disposed toward opposing top and bottom portions of each respective window.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the program instructions, when implemented by the control device, are further configured to render a plurality of additional windows wherein each window includes at least one pair of opposing elongated strips and wherein each strip is associated with a window and wherein selection by a user, through a user interface device, of a series of strips causes a looped progression of window transitions.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the strips are disposed at lateral or vertical edges of the windows.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the foreground window overlaps portions of the background windows.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein each background window has strips and the foreground exposes at least one strip of one background window.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the foreground window displays all of elongated strips and exposes at least one strip of each background window.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the foreground window fully overlaps all background windows.

23. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the display renders three or more background windows and one foreground window has at least one strip associated with each background window for bringing the associated background window to the foreground.

24. A method for facilitating window navigation on an electronic display, comprising the steps of:

rendering simultaneously and displaying simultaneously on an electronic display two or more overlapping windows including a presentation page in the foreground of the electronic display and one or more flanking pages in the background of the electronic display, each flanking page at least partially overlapped by another page;

rendering one or more strips on the edges of each page including the presentation page and the one or more flanking pages;

associating each strip of each edge of the presentation page with one of said one or more flanking pages;

in response to a single operation, operating a user interface device to select a strip on the presentation page to immediately transition the selected background window to the foreground of the electronic display; and

in response to the selection of the strip on the presentation page, displaying on the electronic display the selected background window associated with the selected strip of the presentation page on the foreground of the electronic display and the presentation page with the selected strip on the background of the electronic display.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising rendering in the displayed portions of said flanking pages said strips of said flanking pages associated with the presentation page.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein said overlapping pages are stacked on top of each other to obscure the strips of one more flanking pages but expose all the strips of the presentation page.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the presentation page overlaps portions of each flanking page.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein each flanking page has strips and the presentation page exposes at least one strip of one flanking page.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the presentation page displays all of its elongated strips and exposes at least one strip of each flanking page.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein the display renders three or more flanking pages and one presentation page has at least one strip associated with each flanking page for bringing the associated flanking page to the foreground.

31. The method of claim 24 wherein the strips are disposed at lateral or vertical edges of the pages.

32. The method of claim 24 wherein the foreground window fully overlaps all background windows.