Systems and/or methods for paging control including selective paging element display according to a binary subdivision and/or a serial progressive display approach

• US 9,430,135 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2012
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Original Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, James Myron
• Primary Examiner(s): Ell, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/632,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20130036378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,429 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/776, 715/854
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments disclosed herein relate to paging systems and methods that help users navigate through large or small datasets. For example, in certain exemplary embodiments, paging control elements are provided according to either a binary subdivision approach or a serial progressive approach. Paging control elements are displayed according to either the binary subdivision approach or the serial progressive approach in dependence on a determination as to which approach is more advantageous based at least in part on factors such as, for example, total number of pages, current page location, distance to end points, screen size, etc.

Claims

1. A navigation control method enabling a user to navigate through a plurality of data elements displayed on a display of a computer device, a subset of the plurality of data elements being displayable in each of a plurality of memory pages, the plurality of data containers including at least a first memory page and a different, last memory page, the method comprising:

(a) designating navigation control elements for the first and last memory pages;

(b) receiving information identifying a currently selected memory page;

(c) when the currently selected memory page is either the first memory page or the last memory page;

determining whether additional navigation control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choosing between these approaches for subsequent display of navigation control elements, and

designating additional navigation control elements for display between the navigation control elements for the first and last memory pages in accordance with the chosen approach, wherein such designating for the subdivision approach comprises;

(i) calculating an intermediate point value between the start and end memory pages;

(ii) generating an intermediate point memory page;

(iii) labeling the generated intermediate point memory page with the calculated intermediate point value;

(iv) setting the end memory page to the generated intermediate point memory page; and

(v) repeating (i)-(iv) until further calculations are not possible because the data containers involved in the calculating are adjacent to one another or until a predetermined number of calculations are performed, whichever comes first;

(d) when the currently selected memory page is between the first and last memory pages;

determining, for a first sub-range corresponding to a range between the first memory page and the currently selected memory page, whether additional navigation control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choosing between these approaches for subsequent display of navigation control elements,

determining, for a second sub-range corresponding to a range between the currently selected memory page and the last memory page, whether additional navigation control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choosing between these approaches for subsequent display of navigation control elements, and

designating additional navigation control elements for display between the navigation control elements for the first and last memory pages in accordance with the approaches chosen for the first and second sub-ranges; and

(e) displaying, on the display of the computer device, all designated navigation control elements and the currently selected memory page,

wherein the subdivision approach, when chosen, at least initially involves partitioning at intervals of 1/n, where n>

1.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

when the currently selected memory page is either the first memory page or the last memory page, the determining depends on a number of memory pages between the first memory page and the last memory page; and

when the currently selected memory page is between the first and last memory pages, the determining for the first sub-range depends on a number of memory pages between the first memory page and the currently selected memory page, and the determining for the second sub-range depends on a number of memory page between the currently selected memory page and the last memory page.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the designating for the serial progressive approach comprises designating navigation control elements for each successive memory page between start and end memory pages in a range or sub-range.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein (i) further comprises rounding the intermediate point value to a whole number when the calculating of the midpoint does not result in a whole number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the subdivision approach is not chosen unless at least three subdivisions are possible.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the serial progressive approach is not chosen if greater than 13 navigation control elements would be designated for display.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising designating, when the currently selected memory page is between the first and last memory pages, at least one navigation element for at least one corresponding memory page directly adjacent the currently selected memory page.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the approach(es) in (c) and in (d), when practiced, is based at least in part on a total number of displayable memory pages, current memory page location, distance to end point(s), and/or display screen size.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the serial progressive approach is chosen when a total number of memory pages is less than a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold being selected based on a size associated with a display area on the display.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating (a)-(e) upon a user selecting a new memory page via one of the navigation control elements, the new memory page being designated as the currently selected memory page.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising, as part of (e) displaying a designated control element configured to enable the user to input a particular memory page of interest and to cause the display to be updated so that that particular memory page is displayed when the designated control element is actuated without having to display intermediate memory pages between the memory page displayed when the input is received and the particular memory page and without having to use any other navigation control elements.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the program is further configured to designate, when the currently selected memory page is between the first and last memory pages, at least one navigation element for at least one corresponding memory page directly adjacent the currently selected memory page.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a navigation control program for enabling a user to navigate through a plurality of memory pages including different data element subsets in connection with a display of an electronic device, there being at least first and last memory pages, wherein the program, under control of the electronic device, performs instructions for at least:

(a) designating navigation control elements for association with the first and last memory pages;

(b) receiving information identifying a currently selected memory page;

(c) when the currently selected memory page is either the first or the last memory page;

determining whether additional navigation control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choosing between these approaches for subsequent display of navigation control elements, and

designating additional navigation control elements for display between the navigation control elements associated with the first and last memory pages in accordance with the approach chosen in the determining, wherein such designating for the subdivision approach comprises;

(i) calculating an intermediate point value between the start and end memory pages;

(ii) generating an intermediate point memory page;

(iii) labeling the generated intermediate point memory page with the calculated intermediate point value;

(iv) setting the end memory page to the generated intermediate point memory page; and

(v) repeating (i)-(iv) until further calculations are not possible because the data containers involved in the calculating are adjacent to one another or until a predetermined number of calculations are performed, whichever comes first;

(d) when the currently selected container is between the first and last memory pages;

determining, for a first sub-range corresponding to a range between the first memory page and the currently selected memory page, whether additional navigation control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choosing between these approaches for subsequent display of navigation control elements,

determining, for a second sub-range corresponding to a range between the currently selected memory page and the last memory page, whether additional navigation control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choosing between these approaches for subsequent display of navigation control elements, and

designating additional navigation control elements for display between the navigation control elements for the first and last memory pages in accordance with the approaches chosen for the first and second sub-ranges in the determining; and

(e) displaying, on the display of the electronic device, all designated navigation control elements and the currently selected memory page,

wherein the subdivision approach, when chosen, at least initially involves partitioning at regular intervals equal to 1/n, where n>

1.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the program is further configured to at least repeat (a)-(e) upon a user selecting a new memory page via one of the navigation control elements, the new memory page being designated as the currently selected memory page.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the program is further configured to, as part of (e), at least display a designated control element configured to enable the user to input a particular memory page of interest and to cause the display to be updated so that that particular memory page is displayed when the designated control element is actuated without having to display intermediate memory pages between the memory page displayed when the input is received and the particular memory page and without having to use any other navigation control elements.

16. A data visualization system, comprising:

a computer having a display associated therewith; and

paging control program logic configured to enable a user to navigate through a plurality of data elements displayed on the display of the computer of the user, a subset of the plurality of data elements being displayable in each of a plurality of memory pages, the plurality of memory pages including at least a first memory page and a last memory page,

wherein the paging control program logic is further configured to at least;

(a)

designate paging control elements for the first and last memory pages;

(b) receive information identifying a currently selected memory page;

(c) when the currently selected memory page is either the first memory page or the last memory page;

determine whether additional paging control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choose between these approaches for subsequent display of paging control elements, and

designate additional paging control elements for display between the paging control elements for the first and last memory pages in accordance with the approach chosen in the determining;

(d) when the currently selected memory page is between the first and last memory pages;

determine, for a first sub-range corresponding to a range between the first memory page and the currently selected memory page, whether additional paging control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choose between these approaches for subsequent display of paging control elements,

determine, for a second sub-range corresponding to a range between the currently selected memory page and the last memory page, whether additional paging control elements are to be displayed according to either a serial progressive approach or a subdivision approach and choose between these approaches for subsequent display of paging control elements, and

designate additional paging control elements for display between the paging control elements for the first and last memory pages in accordance with the approaches chosen for the first and second sub-ranges in the determining; and

(e) format the currently selected memory page for display on the display of the user such that it includes all designated paging control elements,

wherein the subdivision approach, when chosen, at least initially involves partitioning at regular intervals equal to 1/n, where n>

1 and wherein the subdivision approach is selectable only when at least a threshold number of partitions are initially possible.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a data storage location comprising the plurality of elements selectively viewable by the user via the paging control elements formatted by the paging control program logic.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the paging control program logic is further configured to re-format the currently selected memory page upon a user selecting a new memory page to be the currently selected memory page.