U.S. patent application number 09/907435 was filed with the patent office on 2002-06-27 for system and method for navigating in a digital information environment.
Invention is credited to Carlson, Samuel Garrett, Sharp, John Franklin.
Application Number | 20020080195 09/907435 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23426090 |
Filed Date | 2002-06-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020080195 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Carlson, Samuel Garrett ; et
al. |
June 27, 2002 |
System and method for navigating in a digital information
environment
Abstract
The present system and method is directed to an interactive
navigation system and method for exploring or browsing digital
content data that can be spatially structured such that content
pages can be located relative to one another. Once a page
arrangement layout is completed, a navigation bar in conjunction
with an underlying scrolling engine allow fast access to any
section of the information space while maintaining an intuitively
correct spatial metaphor. Thus, as the user manipulates the
navigation bar, the scrolling engine moves the user to the new
information content area in a visually intuitive manner while the
intermediate content is displayed on a screen.
Inventors: |
Carlson, Samuel Garrett;
(New York, NY) ; Sharp, John Franklin; (Brooklyn,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BROWN, RAYSMAN, MILLSTEIN, FELDER & STEINER LLP
900 THIRD AVENUE
NEW YORK
NY
10022
US
|
Family ID: |
23426090 |
Appl. No.: |
09/907435 |
Filed: |
July 17, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09907435 |
Jul 17, 2001 |
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09362429 |
Jul 28, 1999 |
|
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6292188 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/853 ;
707/E17.111; 707/E17.142 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 16/904 20190101;
G06F 3/0482 20130101; G06F 16/954 20190101 |
Class at
Publication: |
345/853 |
International
Class: |
G09G 005/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A computer-implemented method for navigating an information
space that includes a plurality of content pages for display on a
screen, said method comprising: displaying a graphical object
comprising a plurality of first-level items, each first-level item
associated with a respective first-level page and at least one
first-level item comprising a plurality of second-level items
associated with a plurality of second-level pages; selecting a
first-level item of said graphical object such that a first-level
page associated with said first-level item is displayed on said
display screen; and moving from said first-level item to another
first-level item of said graphical object such that another
first-level page associated with said another first-level item is
displayed on said display screen and such that said graphical
object remains displayed on said display screen.
Description
[0001] This application is a Continuation of U.S. Ser. No.
09/362,429, filed on Jul. 28, 1999, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR
NAVIGATING IN A DIGITAL INFORMATION
[0002] ENVIRONMENT", now pending.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0003] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright
owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of
the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the
Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise
reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention relates generally to computer
interface design and graphical user interfaces (GUIs). More
particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method
for navigating in digital information environments, such as
websites on the World Wide Web portion of the Internet or other
information collections.
[0005] Navigation tools are crucial for accessing digital
information. Menu systems and hot links are examples of navigation
tools for moving from one area to another in a digital information
environment. However, existing navigation tools do not necessarily
have a direct spatial relationship to the underlying content data.
Since the structure of the content data is not visible, the user
typically cannot ascertain how the displayed portion of the content
data (a page in the website, for example) relates to the entire
content data space (the website).
[0006] Pull-down menu systems exemplified by the APPLE
MACINTOSH.RTM. and MICROSOFT WINDOWS.RTM. graphical environments
are well known to those skilled in the art. Although many pull-down
menu systems are hierarchical, there is no spatial relationship to
the underlying information structure.
[0007] A need therefore exists for a system and method that address
the above concerns and overcome the disadvantages of conventional
information navigation systems.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a
spatially intuitive information navigation system and method for
browsing digital content data.
[0009] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
multi-level menu and navigation system that corresponds to a
spatial metaphor for accessing digital content data.
[0010] It is still another object of the present invention to
provide a scrolling system and method that displays intermediate
views of the digital content data such that the user is given an
intuitive feeling of moving through the information to reach the
point at which their selected content data is located.
[0011] It is still another object of the present invention to
provide an information navigation tool that allows faster, more
efficient access to content data.
[0012] It is still another object of the present invention to
provide an information navigation tool that helps the user to
better understand and comprehend the content data that is being
reviewed and the context in which it is situated.
[0013] It is still another object of the present invention to
provide an information navigation system that allows content
authors and providers a particular method for formatting and
packaging content data.
[0014] It is still another object of the present invention to
provide a method of background information transfer over a computer
network such that large units of content data are available for
rapid, direct access using the navigation system and method
discussed above.
[0015] It is still another object of the present invention to
provide a pleasing interface and interaction method that is
enjoyable for a user to operate.
[0016] The above and other objects are achieved by a
computer-implemented method for navigating a website on the
Internet, where the website includes a plurality of content pages
for display on a display screen. According to the method, a
graphical object comprising a plurality of first-level items is
displayed. Each first-level item is associated with a respective
first-level page, and at least one first-level item comprises a
plurality of second-level items associated with a plurality of
second-level pages. Further according to the method, a first-level
item of the graphical object is selected such that a first-level
page associated with the first-level item is displayed on the
display screen. Further according to the method, a move is carried
out from the first-level item to another first-level item of the
graphical object such that another first-level page associated with
that another first-level item is displayed on the display screen
and such that the graphical object remains displayed on the display
screen.
[0017] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention,
other first-level items located between the first-level item and
that another first-level item of the graphical object are traversed
at a predetermined speed during the step of moving.
[0018] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
the method includes scrolling on the display screen the respective
first-level pages corresponding to the other first-level items
during the moving operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The present invention is illustrated in the figures of the
accompanying drawings which are meant to be exemplary and not
limiting, in which like reference characters are intended to refer
to like or corresponding parts, and in which:
[0020] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a general-purpose computer
for use in the information navigation system and method in
accordance with the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 2A shows a functional flowchart of the overall
operation of the information navigation system in accordance with
the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 2B shows a functional flowchart describing, in more
detail, the operation of navigation bar code and scrolling engine
code according to the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the data structure for a
representative digital information space, arranged as a matrix, for
use in the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 4A shows a block diagram of the navigation bar with the
first and second levels of menu items activated;
[0025] FIG. 4B shows a display screen displaying sample content
data and the navigation bar with menu items activated in
correspondence with FIG. 4A;
[0026] FIG. 5A shows a block diagram of the navigation bar with
another first and second levels of menu items activated;
[0027] FIG. 5B shows a display screen displaying sample content
data and the navigation bar with menu items activated in
correspondence with FIG. 5A;
[0028] FIG. 6A shows a block diagram of the navigation bar with
three levels of menu items activated;
[0029] FIG. 6B shows a display screen displaying sample content
data and the navigation bar with menu items activated in
correspondence with FIG. 6A;
[0030] FIG. 7A shows a block diagram of the navigation bar with
another three levels of menu items activated; and
[0031] FIG. 7B shows a display screen displaying sample content
data and the navigation bar with menu items activated in
correspondence with FIG. 7A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0032] On the World Wide Web portion of the Internet, an individual
unit of data, which is not limited as to size or type of data in
this disclosure, is referred to as a "content page". A collection
of content pages, oriented relative to each another in a particular
spatial structure, is referred to as an "information space". As an
example, a website typically includes a number of pages of varying
length which may contain various types of data. The entire website
or selected portion thereof is an information space, and a single
page or selected portion thereof is a content page. Thus, an
information space is a collection of content pages of digital data
that has an underlying spatial structure.
[0033] As a general overview, the present invention is directed to
an interactive navigation system and method for browsing digital
content data. The inventive system and method are for use in
navigating within a spatially structured information space in which
content pages are located relative to one another. Such spatial
structure of content pages are automatically constructed from the
downloaded data, for example, according to one aspect of the
present invention. For example, one spatial structure of content
pages may be a sequence of pages, one after another. In the
preferred embodiment, the information space is structured as a two
dimensional matrix of cells, where each cell contains a content
page. Once a spatial structure of content pages is established, a
navigation bar and a page scrolling engine provide easy access to
any content page in the information space while maintaining an
intuitively correct spatial metaphor.
[0034] The present invention will now be described in detail with
reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of
computer-related architecture for use in the information navigation
system and method of the present invention. Shown in FIG. 1 is
computing environment 100 comprising a computing device 101 which
may be a general-purpose computer or application-specific computer,
display screen 102, input device 150, and communication device 110.
The computing device 101 includes a programmable controller, such
as processor 104, and memory 106. Under the control of processor
104 executing appropriate instructions, the computing device 101
controls the input device 150, which may be a mouse, pen, keyboard,
touch screen, etc., for entering and manipulating data (text or
video) and the display screen 102 for displaying the entered text
or video data.
[0035] Further under the control of processor 104 executing
appropriate instructions, the computing device 101 retrieves
external data 160, such as the contents of website, via the
communication device 110 which may be a dial-up modem, a network
interface card, etc.
[0036] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention,
browser 120, such as NETSCAPE COMMUNICATOR.RTM. or INTERNET
EXPLORER.RTM., is displayed on the display screen 102 in response
to the execution of appropriate instructions by the processor 104,
as illustrated in FIG. 1. As well known to those skilled in the
art, the browser 120 provides an interface between the user and the
computing device 101 for processing website data residing on a
server, for example. The browser implementation may be carried out
by an applet program written in a programming language DHTML, for
example. The applet is downloaded to the computing device 101 and
is executed by the processor 104.
[0037] Continuing with reference to FIG. 1, the memory 106 contains
navigation bar code 130, scrolling engine code 132 and data
retrieval management code 134. The processor 104 executes the
respective code for performing various operations described in
detail below. The functions carried out by executing the above code
portions may be implemented as separate, interacting programs or as
functional modules within a single program. The processor 104
manipulates stored data 140 contained in the memory 106 and
displays the data on the display screen 102.
[0038] Further referring to FIG. 1, the processor 104 may request
data from external sources such as a server on the Internet by
appropriate calls to the communication device 110. In the preferred
embodiment, a web site is downloaded to the memory 106 in its
entirety and then processed locally by the computing device
101.
[0039] The operation of the present invention will now be described
with reference to the figures. FIG. 2A is a functional flowchart of
the overall operation of the information navigation system in
accordance with the present invention. In step 202, the user
controls the processor 104 to select and retrieve data, such as a
web site containing a number of content pages. According to the
preferred embodiment of the present invention, the information
space is retrieved from the Internet and stored locally in the
memory 106 under the control of the processor 104. The content
pages are then processed in step 204 to build a spatial structure
of the retrieved data. As mentioned above, in the preferred
embodiment of the present invention, the structure is implemented
as a two-dimensional matrix of cells, with each cell containing a
content page and the entire matrix representing the information
space. In step 206, an initial content page is displayed on the
display screen 102 in response to the instruction code executed by
the processor 104. The initial content page may be specified by a
content author or selected as a default page to be any matrix cell.
Also in step 206, a navigation bar is displayed. Initially, the
navigation bar includes one row and/or one column of menu items,
where each menu item corresponds to a cell in the matrix.
[0040] Further with reference to FIG. 2A, at step 208 the processor
104 determines whether an item of the navigation bar is selected by
the user. If there is a menu selection such as a mouse click for
example, the processor 104 executes the scrolling engine code 132
to scroll the display of the content page in step 210. Also
executed by the processor 104 is the navigation bar code 130 in
step 210 to update the display of the navigation bar. After
completing these operations, the processor 104 returns to step 208
to await another menu selection.
[0041] FIG. 2B is a functional flowchart describing, in more
detail, the operation of the navigation bar code and the scrolling
engine code in steps 208, 210 of FIG. 2A according to the present
invention. After displaying the initial content page and navigation
bar as described above, the processor 104 checks in step 218 if a
pointer, controlled via the input device 150, has moved to a new
position that corresponds to a new menu item of the navigation bar.
If, as a result of the user clicking a mouse or alternatively
simply resting the pointer on a new item of the navigation bar, the
pointer points to a new location, then the navigation bar is
updated on the display screen 102 by distinguishing the new item on
the navigation bar in step 220. In one embodiment of the present
invention, the new item is highlighted to designate the current
location.
[0042] As the pointer "clicks" or moves over different menu items
on the navigation bar, the sub-menu corresponding to that menu item
may be displayed if present. Thus, in step 222 the processor 104
determines whether another level of menu, a sub-menu, is associated
with the menu item indicated by the user. If so, the next level of
menu items, the sub-menu, is displayed in step 224. The navigation
bar, as described in greater detail below, displays alternating
vertical and horizontal sub-menus. If the navigation begins by
displaying a vertical menu, then the next sub-menu display level
will be horizontal and the following vertical, proceeding further
in an alternating pattern of horizontal and vertical.
[0043] Next, the processor 104 checks in step 226 if the menu item
is selected via a mouse click, for example. If so, the processor
104 is operative to scroll to the selected location in the
information space such that the selected content page is displayed
on the display screen 102 in step 228, and all intermediate content
between the two pages is displayed.
[0044] The speed of the scrolling operation is controlled in a
predetermined manner. Namely, the scrolling operation may be either
continuous or may be accomplished in a fixed number of steps which
may be taken either at a fixed distance or may be adaptive. In the
adaptive implementation, it appears that the scrolling "speeds up"
as it starts then "slows down" as it reaches the destination
location (cell in the matrix).
[0045] During the scrolling operation, the intermediate pages are
displayed on the display screen 102 depending on the pre-selected
speed. For example, if the scrolling operation is continuous, then
every intermediate page between the current page and destination
page is displayed during the scrolling operation. In another
embodiment of the present invention, the speed is set to a fixed
number of display portions, such as 4. In this case, only four
selected pages, if there are more than four intermediate pages, or
4 portions of a page, if there is only one intermediate page, are
displayed during the scrolling operation.
[0046] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of information space 302 which
is a collection of content pages as described above. In the
preferred embodiment, the content pages are arranged and stored in
cells of a matrix in the memory 106. The size of the matrix is
determined by the number of pages in the website, having the
dimensions of the longest row and column of submenu items. For
example, in FIG. 3 the second and fourth columns have 5 menu items
that correspond to content pages of the website, and the second row
contains 7 menu items corresponding to content pages of the
website. Thus, the size of the matrix is 5 rows by 7 columns.
Depending on the quantity of the website data, each cell 314 either
contains a content page 312 or is empty. For reference purposes,
cells are indexed by the row and column numbers. For example, the
top, left-most cell is identified by the index (1,1) as shown in
FIG. 3.
[0047] FIG. 4A shows a block diagram of navigation bar 402 with the
first and second levels of menu items activated. The navigation bar
402 contains menu items 410 representatively labeled with text
strings "Intro", "Company", "Digital", "Television", "Film",
"Theater", and "Press". The displayed menu items 410 are associated
with their respective content pages 312 arranged in the matrix of
FIG. 3 as described above.
[0048] The navigation bar 402, shown in FIG. 4A, is at its
predetermined initial state. As further illustrated in FIG. 4A, the
user-selected menu item 416 is "Company" which contains a sub-menu
of items associated therewith. That is, the first-level items are
located on the navigation bar 402. As soon as a first-level item
with a sub-menu, such as "Company" for example, is referenced or
selected by the user, the second-level items of the sub-menu 409
are displayed on the display screen 102. The displayed sub-menu 409
of FIG. 4A is associated with the selected menu item 416.
[0049] FIG. 4B shows the display screen 102 displaying a
representative content page and the navigation bar 402 overlaying
the displayed content page, with the first level of menu items and
the sub-menu 409 corresponding with FIG. 4A. The browser 120 is
activated to display the selected menu item 416 highlighted on the
display screen 102 to identify current location on the navigation
bar 402. It is worth noting that the displayed menu items, shown in
block diagram form of FIG. 4A and shown in actual display of FIG.
4B, correspond with the second row and second column of the
information space 302 of FIG. 3.
[0050] In FIG. 5A, the navigation bar 402 is shown with another
second-level menu items activated. In particular, menu item 418
labeled "Television" is selected in response to the user moving the
pointer to that location or "clicking" on the desired item. Based
on the activation of the selected menu item 418, sub-menu 404 is
displayed as shown in FIG. 5A. The second-level menu items are
displayed vertically, with each menu item corresponding to a
respective content page of the information space 302 described
above.
[0051] In correspondence with FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B shows the display
screen 102 displaying another representative content page different
from the one in FIG. 4B. Also shown in FIG. 5B is the navigation
bar 402 appearing to overlay the displayed content page. The
browser 120 is activated to display the sub-menu 404 and the
selected menu item 418 which is highlighted on the display screen
102 to identify current location on the navigation bar 402. It is
worth noting that the displayed menu items, shown in block diagram
form of FIG. 5A and shown in actual display of FIG. 5B, correspond
with the second row and fourth column of the information space 302
of FIG. 3.
[0052] FIG. 6A shows a block diagram of the navigation bar with
three levels of menu items activated, and in particular, shows the
selected menu item 420 labeled "Bios" in response to the user
moving the pointer to the corresponding location and/or "clicking"
on the navigation bar 402. Also shown in FIG. 6A are the sub-menu
404 and another sub-menu 419 activated on the display screen 102 in
response to the selected menu item 420. The third-level menu items
are displayed horizontally, with each menu item corresponding to a
respective content page of the information space 302 described
above.
[0053] In correspondence with FIG. 6A, FIG. 6B shows the display
screen 102 displaying another representative content page different
from the ones in FIGS. 4B and 5B. Also shown in FIG. 6B is the
navigation bar 402 overlaying the displayed content page. The
sub-menu 404 and sub-menu 419 are displayed, and the selected menu
item 420 is highlighted on the display screen 102 to identify
current location on the navigation bar 402. The displayed menu
items, shown in block diagram form of FIG. 6A and shown in actual
display of FIG. 6B, correspond with the second and fourth rows and
fourth column of the information space 302 of FIG. 3.
[0054] FIG. 7A shows a block diagram of the navigation bar with
another three levels of menu items activated. In particular, shown
in FIG. 7A is the selected menu item 422 labeled "Bios" in response
to the user moving the pointer to the corresponding location on the
navigation bar 402. Also shown in FIG. 7A are the sub-menus 409 and
419 activated on the display screen 102 in response to the selected
menu item 422. Each menu item corresponds to a respective content
page of the information space 302 described above.
[0055] In correspondence with FIG. 7A, FIG. 7B shows the display
screen 102 displaying another representative content page different
from the ones in FIGS. 4B, 5B and 6B. Also shown in FIG. 7B is the
navigation bar 402 overlaying the displayed content page. The
sub-menus 409 and 419 are displayed, and the selected menu item 422
is highlighted on the display screen 102 to identify current
location on the navigation bar 402. The displayed menu items, shown
in block diagram form of FIG. 7A and shown in actual display of
FIG. 7B, correspond with the second and fourth rows and second
column of the information space 302 of FIG. 3.
[0056] With respect to the figures, the direct correspondence
between the menu items and the information space 302 may be noted.
For example, using the addressing nomenclature of (X, Y)
coordinates, there is a one-to-one mapping between the menu items
and the information space 302. Thus, the navigation bar 402
provides an index into the information space 302. In the preferred
embodiment, an address mapping formula is used to calculate an
offset from the currently displayed content page to the destination
content page in the information space 302 based on the coordinates
obtained from the navigation bar 402. The address mapping formula
for calculating an offset is as follows:
Y.sub.offset=Y.sub.dest-Y.sub.curre (1)
X.sub.offset=X.sub.dest-X.sub.curr (2)
[0057] In the preferred embodiment, the offset in the vertical
direction is calculated first such that the scrolling operation is
performed in the Y-direction while displaying the corresponding
pages in a process. Then, the horizontal offset is calculated, and
the scrolling operation proceeds in the horizontal direction with
the corresponding pages displayed accordingly. Those skilled in the
art will recognize that the present invention is not limited to
such implementation, and other scrolling methods for reaching the
destination page are encompassed by this disclosure.
[0058] In addition, the navigation bar 402 is displayed
horizontally on the display screen 102. It is understood by those
skilled in the art that the orientation of the navigation bar 402
and various sub-menus may be changed without departing from the
scope and spirit of the invention.
[0059] Further in the preferred embodiment, the navigation bar and
scrolling engine are in functional cooperation with each other.
However, those skilled in the art will recognize from the
disclosure herein that the present invention is not limited to such
combination. Each feature may be used separately while still
providing enhanced user interaction capabilities. Namely, the user
may use the navigation bar or like interface to navigate an
information space without scrolling. Similarly, the user may wish
to use an adaptive scrolling method such as those implemented by
the scrolling engine but in an environment that does not require or
provide a navigation bar. One of many scrolling methods may be
used, and the system is intended to allow the use of new scrolling
methods.
[0060] Further according to the preferred embodiment of the present
invention, the information space 302 is retrieved from the Internet
and stored locally in the memory 106. However, those skilled in the
art will recognize that the present invention is not limited
thereto. Content data may be obtained from a variety of sources
including disk storage of any type that functions with or without a
network connection.
[0061] In another aspect of the present invention, the overall
architecture can detect the configuration of the user's computer
and browsing setup using commonly available detection techniques.
If the user's computer is not properly equipped to run the full
version of the site, then the architecture will provide the user
with an aesthetically similar, but functionally simpler version. In
this "ite" site, content pages are changed using the traditional
method of refreshing the page as this technique does not animate,
slide, or show intermediate pages. Alternatively, a user who is
capable of using the "full" site, but does not wish to wait for the
entire site to download can also choose to view the site in the
traditional format.
[0062] While the invention has been described and illustrated in
connection with preferred embodiments, many variations and
modifications as will be evident to those skilled in this art may
be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention, and the invention is thus not to be limited to the
precise details of methodology or construction set forth above as
such variations and modification are intended to be included within
the scope of the invention.
* * * * *