Method and system for providing an intelligent visual scrollbar position indicator

• US 8,713,471 B1
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Rowley, Daniel S., Chapman, Leigh
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Assistant Examiner(s): DRAGOESCU, CLAUDIA B
• Application Number:
  US13/006,767
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 715784-787, 715/859, 715/861
• US Class Current: 715/786
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

A system and method for providing an intelligent visual data scrollbar position indicator whereby data is organized into a data table of two or more data entries with each data entry having one or more data fields. The data table is displayed to a user in a data table user interface display and a scrolling capability is provided whereby a user can scroll through the data entries in the data table via the data table user interface display and one or more user interface devices. At least one data field of the one or more data fields associated with the two or more data entries is selected as a “data display field” and a portion of the data in the selected data display field is selected as “display data” based, at least in part, on the data display field selected and the rate of change of the data in the selected data display field. Then as the data entries are being scrolled through, the selected display data for each data entry is displayed to the user as each data entry is scrolled through.

Claims

1. A computing system implemented method for providing an intelligent visual data scrollbar position indicator comprising the following, which when executed individually or collectively by any set of one or more processors perform a process comprising:

organizing data into two or more data entries with each data entry including one or more data fields containing information and then listing the two or more data entries in a data table;

displaying the data table in a data table user interface display displayed on a display device associated with a computing system;

providing a scrolling capability whereby a user can scroll through the data table displayed in the data table user interface display;

displaying a scrolling symbol for activation of the scrolling capability, the scrolling symbol being displayed in the data table user interface display;

selecting at least one of the one or more data fields containing information of the two or more data entries as a data display field;

activating via user input the scrolling capability via the scrolling symbol;

determining, while the scrolling capability is activated and information is changing in the display field, how many characters of the information in the data display field will be used as display data based, at least in part, on the data display field selected and the rate of change of information in the selected data display field; and

while the scrolling capability is activated, displaying in the data table user interface display, the display data associated with each data entry in the data table as each data entry in the data table is scrolled through and the scroll is positioned on the data entry.

2. The computing system implemented method for providing an intelligent visual data scrollbar position indicator of claim 1, wherein;

the data display field is selected based on historical data display field selections by the user for the type of data table.

3. The computing system implemented method for providing an intelligent visual data scrollbar position indicator of claim 1 wherein;

the rate of change of the information in the data display field is determined, at least in part, by pre-estimating the rate of change of information in the type of data display selected using data indicating the average rate of change of information in the type of data display field selected.

4. A computing system implemented method for providing an intelligent visual data scrollbar position indicator comprising the following, which when executed individually or collectively by any set of one or more processors perform a process comprising:

organizing data into two or more data entries with each data entry including one or more data fields containing information and then listing the two or more data entries in a data table;

displaying the data table in a data table user interface display displayed on a display device associated with a computing system;

providing a scrolling capability whereby a user can scroll through the data table displayed in the data table user interface display;

displaying a scrolling symbol for activation of the scrolling capability, the scrolling symbol being displayed in the data table user interface display;

selecting at least one of the one or more data fields containing information of the two or more data entries as a data display field;

analyzing the actual user'"'"'s information in the data display field selected to determine a rate of change of the actual user'"'"'s information in the data display field selected;

activating via user input the scrolling capability via the scrolling symbol;

determining, while the scrolling capability is activated and information is changing in the display field, how many characters of the information in the data display field will be used as display data based, at least in part, on the data display field selected and the rate of change of information in the selected data display field; and

while the scrolling capability is activated, displaying in the data table user interface display, the display data associated with each data entry in the data table as each data entry in the data table is scrolled through and the scroll is positioned on the data entry.

5. The computing system implemented method for providing an intelligent visual data scrollbar position indicator of claim 4, wherein;

the data display field is selected based on historical data display field selections by the user for the type of data table.

6. A computing system implemented method for providing an intelligent visual data scrollbar position indicator comprising the following, which when executed individually or collectively by any set of one or more processors perform a process comprising:

organizing data into two or more data entries with each data entry including one or more data fields containing information and then listing the two or more data entries in a data table;

displaying the data table in a data table user interface display displayed on a display device associated with a computing system;

providing a scrolling capability whereby a user can scroll through the data table displayed in the data table user interface display;

displaying a scrolling symbol for activation of the scrolling capability, the scrolling symbol being displayed in the data table user interface display;

selecting at least one of the one or more data fields containing information of the two or more data entries as a data display field;

activating via user input the scrolling capability via the scrolling symbol;

determining, while the scrolling capability is activated and information is changing in the display field, how many characters of the information in the data display field will be used as display data based, at least in part, on the data display field selected and the rate of change of information in the selected data display field; and

while the scrolling capability is activated, displaying in the data table user interface display, the display data associated with each data entry in the data table as each data entry in the data table is scrolled through and the scroll is positioned on the data entry.

7. The computing system implemented method for providing an intelligent visual data scrollbar position indicator of claim 6, wherein;

the data display field is selected based on historical data display field selections by the user for the type of data table.