U.S. patent application number 13/524175 was filed with the patent office on 2013-12-19 for optimized document views for mobile device interfaces.
This patent application is currently assigned to Microsoft Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is Jackie Chang, April Jiang, George Shih, Esther Tsai, Buddha Wang, Eric Yeh, Sharlene Yuan. Invention is credited to Jackie Chang, April Jiang, George Shih, Esther Tsai, Buddha Wang, Eric Yeh, Sharlene Yuan.
Application Number | 20130339830 13/524175 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49757131 |
Filed Date | 2013-12-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130339830 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yuan; Sharlene ; et
al. |
December 19, 2013 |
OPTIMIZED DOCUMENT VIEWS FOR MOBILE DEVICE INTERFACES
Abstract
Portions of document contents are separated into individually
controlled sections on a user interface of a smaller size client
device display. A document viewed on a mobile device may include
different content portions such as textual content, tables, slides
and graphics. Due to a smaller user interface of the mobile device,
some portions of the content may extend outside of the user
interface and may not all be visible at the same time. The user may
use gestures to scroll through and resize the document to view all
of the contents. The system may separate each of the different
content portions into individual sections and enable the user to
control each section separately, such that the user may navigate,
resize, and reposition each individual section without affecting
the size and position of the remaining sections of the document for
optimally viewing the document on the user interface.
Inventors: |
Yuan; Sharlene; (Taipei,
TW) ; Chang; Jackie; (Taipei, TW) ; Wang;
Buddha; (Taichung, TW) ; Tsai; Esther;
(Taichung, TW) ; Jiang; April; (Taipei, TW)
; Shih; George; (Taipei, TW) ; Yeh; Eric;
(Beijing, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Yuan; Sharlene
Chang; Jackie
Wang; Buddha
Tsai; Esther
Jiang; April
Shih; George
Yeh; Eric |
Taipei
Taipei
Taichung
Taichung
Taipei
Taipei
Beijing |
|
TW
TW
TW
TW
TW
TW
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
Microsoft Corporation
Redmond
WA
|
Family ID: |
49757131 |
Appl. No.: |
13/524175 |
Filed: |
June 15, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
715/209 ;
715/243; 715/252 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/04847 20130101;
G06F 3/04845 20130101; G06F 3/04842 20130101; G06F 16/9577
20190101; G06F 3/0485 20130101; G06F 3/04886 20130101; G06F 3/04883
20130101; G06F 3/0483 20130101; G06F 40/106 20200101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/209 ;
715/243; 715/252 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/00 20060101
G06F017/00 |
Claims
1. A method executed at least in part in a computing device for
separating portions of document contents into individually
controlled sections on a user interface of a client device, the
method comprising: displaying a document on the user interface of a
client device; identifying one or more different content portions
of the document; separating the different content portions into
individually controlled sections; and enabling distinct navigation
actions on the individually controlled sections.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more different
content portions of the document further comprises: identifying one
or more of: textual content, a table, an embedded video, an image,
and a graphic.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is a gesture
enabled client device accepting one of a touch action and an
optically captured gesture action.
4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: if the document is a
presentation document, displaying a slide image in a first portion
of a split screen; and displaying textual content of the slide in a
second portion of the split screen such that the textual content is
readily legible.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: displaying textual
content accompanying the slide in the second portion in addition or
in place of the textual content of the slide.
6. The method of claim 4, further comprising: enabling the user to
perform a horizontal swipe action on the first portion of the split
screen; upon detection of the horizontal swipe action, scrolling to
a new slide in a direction of the horizontal swipe action; and
modifying the textual content in the second portion of the split
screen to match the new slide.
7. The method of claim 4, further comprising: enabling the user to
perform a vertical swipe action on the second portion of the split
screen; and upon detection of the vertical swipe action, scrolling
the textual content in a direction of the vertical swipe
action.
8. The method of claim 4, further comprising: detecting the touch
action on one of the first and second portions of the split screen;
and enabling the user to perform at least one from a set of:
scroll, resize, and reposition content on one of the first and
second portions of the split screen.
9. The method of claim 3, further comprising: if the document
includes an embedded table, displaying a portion of the table to
fit a width of a client device display such that contents of the
table are readily legible; and resizing remaining content of the
document displayed above and below the table to fit the width of
the client device display.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: upon detection of a
horizontal swipe action on the displayed table, scrolling the table
in a direction of the horizontal swipe action; and preserving the
remaining content of the document displayed above and below the
table such that a reading experience is maintained.
11. The method of claim 9, further comprising: aligning the
displayed table and the remaining content of the document displayed
above and below the table one of left-to-right and right-to-left
based on a language of the document.
11. (canceled)
12. The method of claim 2, further comprising: automatically
selecting sizes of a first and a second portions of a client device
display for displaying the different content portions; and enabling
a user to modify the sizes of the first and second portions.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is one of: a
smart phone, a tablet, a handheld computer, and a vehicle mount
computer.
14. A client device for separating portions of document contents
into individually controlled sections on a display of the client
device, the client device comprising: a memory storing
instructions; a processor coupled to the memory, the processor
executing an application displaying content in conjunction with the
stored instructions, wherein the application is configured to:
display a document on a user interface of a client device; identify
one or more different content portions of the document comprising a
textual content, a table, an embedded video, an image, and a
graphic; separate the different content portions into individually
controlled sections; display the different content portions on
distinct portions of the display; and enable distinct navigation
actions on the distinct portions of the display.
15. The client device of claim 14, wherein the application is
further configured to: if the document is a presentation document,
display a slide image in a first portion of a split screen, and
display one or more of textual content of the slide and textual
content accompanying the slide in a second portion of the split
screen such that the textual content is readily legible; and if the
document includes an embedded table, display a portion of the table
to fit a width of a client device display such that contents of the
table are readily legible, and resize remaining content of the
document displayed above and below the table to fit the width of
the client device display.
16. The client device of claim 15, wherein the application is
further configured to: upon detection of a horizontal swipe action
on the first portion, scroll to a new slide in a direction of the
horizontal swipe action and modify the textual content in the
second portion of the split screen to match the new slide; upon
detection of a vertical swipe action on the second portion, scroll
the textual content in a direction of the vertical swipe action;
and upon detection of a horizontal swipe action on the displayed
table, scroll the table in a direction of the horizontal swipe
action and preserve the remaining content of the document displayed
above and below the table such that a reading experience is
maintained.
17. The client device of claim 15, wherein the application is
further configured to: identify when additional portions of
displayed content portion extends outside of a viewing window of
the user interface; and provide an indicator for alerting the user
that additional portions of the displayed content portion are
available in a direction of the indicator.
18. The client device of claim 17, wherein the table is maintained
as a separate entity from remaining content of the displayed
document to enable distinct navigation actions on the table while a
display the remaining content is preserved.
19. A computer-readable memory device with instructions stored
thereon for separating portions of document contents into
individually controlled sections on a user interface of a client
device, the instructions comprising: displaying a document on a
user interface of a client device; if the document is a
presentation document, displaying a slide image in a first portion
of a split screen, displaying one or more of textual content of the
slide and textual content accompanying the slide in a second
portion of the split screen such that the textual content is
readily legible upon detection of a horizontal swipe action on the
first portion, scrolling to a new slide in a direction of the
horizontal swipe action and modifying the textual content in the
second portion of the split screen to match the new slide, and upon
detection of a vertical swipe action on the second portion,
scrolling the textual content in a direction of the vertical swipe
action; and if the document includes an embedded table, displaying
a portion of the table to fit a width of a client device display
such that contents of the table are readily legible, resizing
remaining content of the document displayed above and below the
table to fit the width of the client device display, upon detection
of a horizontal swipe action on the displayed table, scroll the
table in a direction of the horizontal swipe action and preserve
the remaining content of the document displayed above and below the
table such that a reading experience is maintained.
20. The computer-readable memory device of claim 19, wherein the
instructions further comprise: enabling one or more of resizing,
panning, expanding, and shrinking of the table without modifying a
size and position of the remaining content above and below the
table.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Modern communication systems may enable a user to view a
document on a client device such as a mobile device, smart phone,
tablet, or other personal computing device. Often times a mobile
device may have a smaller user interface as compared with display
screens of larger computing devices, and when the document is
viewed on the smaller user interface of the mobile device, the
entire contents of the document may not all be visible at the same
time. Sometimes only a portion of the document may be viewed at a
time, and the remaining contents may extend outside of the viewing
area of the user interface.
[0002] The user may resize a portion of the document, such as a
table or textual content, in order to optimally view the entire
contents of a portion of the document on the user interface, and
the resizing of the portion of the document may cause the entire
document to be resized resulting in certain portions of the
document to extend outside of the viewing window of the user
interface where they are not visible and/or becoming an unreadable
size.
SUMMARY
[0003] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to
exclusively identify key features or essential features of the
claimed subject matter, nor is it intended as an aid in determining
the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0004] Embodiments are directed to optimizing view of documents on
relatively smaller mobile device displays. In some embodiments, a
table inserted into a document such as a word processing document
may be displayed in a larger size than the content around it for
ease of viewability. A user may be enabled to move the table in a
horizontal direction through swipe actions while the content around
the table is preserved. In other embodiments, textual content of a
presentation slide may be displayed along with the slide (above or
below the slide) on the mobile device display. A user may be
enabled to navigate the slide through a horizontal swipe action,
while the textual content may be scrolled through a vertical swipe
action.
[0005] These and other features and advantages will be apparent
from a reading of the following detailed description and a review
of the associated drawings. It is to be understood that both the
foregoing general description and the following detailed
description are explanatory and do not restrict aspects as
claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 illustrates an example networked environment where
embodiments may be implemented;
[0007] FIG. 2 illustrates an example user interface for optimally
displaying textual and other content on a gesture enabled device,
according to embodiments;
[0008] FIG. 3 illustrates an example user interface for
individually resizing portions of content on a gesture enabled
device, according to embodiments;
[0009] FIG. 4 illustrates an example slide show presentation with
accompanying textual content viewed on a user interface, according
to embodiments;
[0010] FIG. 5 illustrates an example split screen displaying a
slide image and accompanying notes on a user interface, according
to embodiments;
[0011] FIG. 6 is a networked environment, where a system according
to embodiments may be implemented;
[0012] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an example computing operating
environment, where embodiments may be implemented; and
[0013] FIG. 8 illustrates a logic flow diagram for a process of
separating portions of document contents into individually
controlled sections on a user interface of a client device,
according to embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] As briefly described above, portions of document contents
may be separated into individually controlled sections on a user
interface of a small form client device. A table inserted into a
document such as a word processing document may be displayed in a
larger size than the content around it for ease of viewability. A
user may be enabled to move the table in a horizontal direction
through swipe actions while the content around the table is
preserved. Textual content of a presentation slide may also be
displayed along with the slide (above or below the slide) on the
mobile device display. A user may be enabled to navigate the slide
through a horizontal swipe action, while the textual content may be
scrolled through a vertical swipe action.
[0015] A document may include different content portions such as
textual content, tables, slides and graphics. The document size may
be optimized for viewing on the smaller interface of the client
device. However, the optimum viewing size of a textual content
portion may not be the optimum viewing size for other content
portions such as tables and slides.
[0016] In the following detailed description, references are made
to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which
are shown by way of illustrations specific embodiments or examples.
These aspects may be combined, other aspects may be utilized, and
structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit or
scope of the present disclosure. The following detailed description
is therefore not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of
the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their
equivalents.
[0017] While the embodiments will be described in the general
context of program modules that execute in conjunction with an
application program that runs on an operating system on a computing
device, those skilled in the art will recognize that aspects may
also be implemented in combination with other program modules.
[0018] Generally, program modules include routines, programs,
components, data structures, and other types of structures that
perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data
types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that
embodiments may be practiced with other computer system
configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor
systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,
minicomputers, mainframe computers, and comparable computing
devices. Embodiments may also be practiced in distributed computing
environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices
that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed
computing environment, program modules may be located in both local
and remote memory storage devices.
[0019] Embodiments may be implemented as a computer-implemented
process (method), a computing system, or as an article of
manufacture, such as a computer program product or computer
readable media. The computer program product may be a computer
storage medium readable by a computer system and encoding a
computer program that comprises instructions for causing a computer
or computing system to perform example process(es). The
computer-readable storage medium can for example be implemented via
one or more of a volatile computer memory, a non-volatile memory, a
hard drive, a flash drive, a floppy disk, or compact servers, an
application executed on a single computing device, and comparable
systems. The term "server" generally refers to a computing device
executing one or more software programs typically in a networked
environment. However, a server may also be implemented as a virtual
server (software programs) executed on one or more computing
devices viewed as a server on the network. More detail on these
technologies and example operations is provided below.
[0020] Throughout this specification, the term "platform" may be a
combination of software and hardware components for separating
portions of document contents into individually controlled sections
on a user interface. Examples of platforms include, but are not
limited to, a hosted service executed over a plurality of servers,
an application executed on a single computing device, and
comparable systems. The term "server" generally refers to a
computing device executing one or more software programs typically
in a networked environment. However, a server may also be
implemented as a virtual server (software programs) executed on one
or more computing devices viewed as a server on the network. More
detail on these technologies and example operations is provided
below.
[0021] According to some embodiments, a gesture enabled input
device and display screen may be utilized for viewing documents and
receiving input from a user over a user interface. The gesture
enabled input device and display screen may utilize any technology
that allows touch input by a user to be recognized. For example,
some technologies may include, but are not limited to: heat, finger
pressure, high capture rate cameras, infrared light, optic capture,
tuned electromagnetic induction, ultrasonic receivers, transducer
microphones, laser rangefinders, shadow capture, and the like. The
user interface of a gesture enabled device may display content and
documents associated with word processing applications,
presentation applications, spreadsheet applications and web page
content, and menus of actions for interacting with the displayed
content. A user may use touch input actions to interact with the
user interface to access, view and edit the content, such as
documents, tables, spreadsheets, charts, lists, and any content
(e.g., audio, video, etc.). The gesture enabled input device may
make use of features specific to touch or gesture enabled computing
devices, but may also work with a traditional mouse and keyboard. A
touch input action, such as a tap or swipe action as used herein
may be provided by a user through a finger, a pen, a mouse, or
similar device, as well as through predefined keyboard entry
combinations, eye-tracking, and/or a voice command.
[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates an example networked environment where
embodiments may be implemented. In an example networked
environment, a user may utilize one or more devices, such as mobile
devices 108, smart phones 104, 106, tablets 102, and other personal
computing devices 114 to view documents, applications and web pages
over the network. The devices such as smart phones 106 and mobile
devices 108 may have small memory capacity and low processing or
CPU speed compared with larger computing devices, and may operate
in conjunction with a remote server over a cloud 110 for retrieving
the data associated with a document viewed on the device. For
example, a remote server 112 residing in the cloud 110 may store,
maintain, and manage application data for applications and
documents executed on the client device, and through a browser
executed on the client device, the client device may connect to the
cloud for retrieving requested application data and loading the
data onto the client device. The client device may connect to the
server 112 on the cloud 110 via a networked environment, which may
be a wireless or wired network as some examples, and likewise the
application data may be delivered from the server 112 residing on
the cloud 110 to the client device via the networked
environment.
[0023] When a user opens an application, document, and/or web
application on the client device, such as a mobile device 108,
tablet 102, and/or smartphone 104, 106, for example, the client
device may retrieve the data over the network from the server 112
residing in the cloud 110. The retrieved data may be retrieved and
formatted for display on the client device in a format especially
optimized for the size of the user interface of the client device.
Often times the client device, including a mobile device 108,
tablet 102, and/or smartphone 104, 106 may have a smaller user
interface as compared with display screens of larger computing
devices. When a document is viewed on the smaller user interface of
the client device, the entire contents of the document may not all
be visible at the same time. Sometimes only a portion of the
document may be viewed at a time, and the remaining contents may
extend outside of the viewing area of the user interface. The user
may need to scroll through the document in order to navigate
through the entire contents of the document.
[0024] In an example embodiment, on a gesture enabled device, a
user may use a touch action or an optically captured gesture such
as a tap, drag, and/or swipe to scroll through the document and
navigate to subsequent pages and portions of the document. The user
may also use pinching and expanding touch actions to zoom in and
out of the document and resize the document as it is displayed on
the user interface. Additionally, a document may include additional
elements and content portions along with textual content, such as
tables, graphics, slides, and embedded audio/visual files. In an
example scenario, the user may resize a portion of the document,
such as a table, in order to optimally view the selected portion,
and the resizing of the portion may cause the entire document to be
resized resulting in certain portions of the document may extending
outside of the viewing window of the user interface and becoming
unreadable.
[0025] Often times, the optimal size of the textual content for
viewing on the user interface of the client device may not be an
optimal size for viewing the additional elements, such as embedded
tables, graphics, slides, and audio/visual files. For example, when
the textual content is magnified to an optimal viewing size, a
table included in the document may be magnified as well, such that
the portions of the table extend outside of the user interface and
are not viewable on the user interface. If the user resizes the
table to make the entire table visible on the user interface, then
the textual content of the document may be resized to an unreadable
size. In another example, when a user views a slide show
presentation on the client device, the user may optimize the size
of slide for viewing on the user interface, causing textual content
associated with the slide such as accompanying notes, not to be
optimally visible on the user interface. The user may have to
continually resize portions of the document, and pan and scroll
through the document in order to effectively view all of the
contents of the document.
[0026] FIG. 2 illustrates an example user interface for optimally
displaying textual and other content on a gesture enabled device,
according to embodiments. A document may be viewed on the user
interface 202 of a client device such as a mobile device, smart
phone and/or tablet. The document may contain textual content 208
as well as other embedded content such as tables, graphics, slides,
and audio/visual files. Often times when the document is viewed on
the device, the document size and format may be optimized for
viewing within the size constraints of the user interface 202 of
the device. As demonstrated in diagram 200, when the size of the
document is resized to optimize the display of the textual content
208 on the user interface 202, a table 204 included within the
document may be larger than the size of the user interface 202 and
may extend outside of the visible size constraints of the user
interface 202.
[0027] A system according to embodiments may enable the textual
content 208 to be separated from other content portions included
within the document, such as the table 204, such that each portion
of the document as viewed on the user interface 202 may be
separately controlled by a user. For example, the user may be able
to navigate through the textual content 208 without affecting the
table 204, and may additionally be able to navigate and scroll
through the table 204 without affecting the textual content 208.
When the document is viewed on the user interface with a portion of
the table 204 extending outside of the size constraints of the user
interface 202, an indicator 212 may be provided for indicating to
the user that additional portions of content may be available in
the direction of the indicator 212 and prompting the user to scroll
through the table 204 to view the additional content.
[0028] In an example embodiment, the user interface 202 may be
gesture enabled, such that the user may use a touch action 206 to
navigate through portions of the document viewed on the user
interface 202 of the client device. When the document is viewed on
the user interface 202 with a portion of the table 204 overflowing
or extending outside of the size constraints of the user interface
202, the user may use a touch action 206 such as a swipe or drag in
the direction of the indicator 212 to navigate to the portions of
the table 204 not currently visible. For example, the user may
swipe from left to right to display the overflowing table content.
Additionally, the user may use a touch action 206, such as a tap on
the indicator 212 to navigate to additional portions of the
document not currently visible.
[0029] As demonstrated in diagram 200, the user may realize that as
the document is currently viewed on the user interface 202, a
portion of the table 204 may extend outside of the size constraints
of the user interface 202. The user may execute a touch action 206,
such as a horizontal swipe in the direction of the indicator 212,
to scroll through the table 204 in order to display the remaining
portions of the table 204 on the user interface. When the user
executes the swipe action on the table 204, the user interface 210
may scroll through the table 204 and may display portions 214 of
the table that were not displayed in the original user interface
202. While the user scrolls through the table 204, the textual
content 208 that is not a part of the table 204 may remain fixed
within the user interface 202, such that the size and position of
the textual content 208 may remain unchanged. Likewise, the user
may independently navigate and control textual content 208 using
touch actions on the user interface, and while the textual content
208 may be scrolled and resized, the table 204 portion of the
document may remain fixed within the user interface 202, such that
the size and position of the table 204 may remain unchanged.
[0030] In some examples, a single indicator may be used, left or
right depending on a language of the system, without prompting the
user to navigate in a particular direction. In additional
embodiments, when the user scrolls through the table 204 to display
portions 214 of the table that were not originally visible, an
additional indicator 216 may be provided in order to indicate that
there may be additional portions of the table in another direction
which may not be visible on the user interface 212. For example the
additional indicator 216 may indicate that there are portions of
the table 204 available to the left of the table as currently
viewed, while the indicator 212 on the right may indicate
additional portions available to the right. In another embodiment,
if portions of the table are available above and/or below the
currently viewed table, then indicators may be provided above and
below the currently viewed table prompting the user to scroll up
and down with vertical touch actions, as well as horizontally to
the left and to the right.
[0031] In a further embodiment, the user may be able to add
formatting to each content portion individually without affecting
the formatting of the other content portions of the document. For
example, the user may format the table to be right aligned while
the other content is left aligned. The user may also be enabled to
swipe from right to left (or left to right) in order to read the
portions of the table that extend outside of the user interface
without affecting the format of the textual content above and below
the table.
[0032] FIG. 3 illustrates an example user interface for
individually resizing portions of content on a gesture enabled
device, according to embodiments. As previously discussed in
conjunction with FIG. 2, a system according to embodiments may
enable different content portions of a document viewed on a user
interface 302 of a client device to be separately controlled on the
user interface 302. For example, on a gesture enabled device, a
user may use touch actions to navigate through textual content
portions 308 of the document without affecting the size and
position of other portions of the document. Additionally, the user
may scroll, pan, resize, and reformat a table 310 embedded within
the document without affecting the size, position, and formatting
of the textual content 308 of the document.
[0033] In an example embodiment, on a gesture enabled device, if
the table 310 is originally displayed such that portions of the
table may overflow or extend outside the viewing area of the user
interface 302 of the document, the user may resize the table 310 in
order to view the entire table 310 within the user interface 302.
The user may use expanding and pinching 314 touch actions to zoom
in and out of the document table to magnify and reduce the size of
the table 314 as it is displayed on the user interface. As the user
magnifies resized the table 310 to optimally view the table 310
within the user interface 302 of the client device, the textual
content portions 308 may remain separate such that the resizing
action on the table 310 does not operate to resize the textual
content portions 308. The textual content portions 308 that are not
a part of the table 310 may remain fixed within the user interface
302, such that the size and position of the textual content
portions 308 may remain unchanged.
[0034] FIG. 4 illustrates an example slide show presentation with
accompanying textual content viewed on a user interface, according
to embodiments. As previously described, a user interface 402 on a
client device may enable a user to view a document, such as a slide
show presentation, on the client device. Due to the smaller size of
some client device user interfaces, all of the contents of the
document may not be displayed simultaneously, and the user may need
to navigate through and resize portions of the document in order to
optimally read and view the document.
[0035] In a system according to embodiments, when a slide show
presentation is viewed on the client device, a slide image 404 may
be displayed on the user interface 402, and the device may also
request the data for the textual content 408 of the slide for
displaying along with the slide image 404 on the user interface
402. The slide image 404 and the textual content 408 may be
separated such that they may each be independently controlled and
navigated by the user on the user interface. In an example
embodiment, the slide image 404 and the textual content 408 may be
displayed as a split screen on the user interface 402 such that the
slide image split screen 412 and the textual content split screen
414 may be independent from each other and separately controlled by
a user. The split screen may be positioned side by side and/or top
and bottom depending on an orientation and size of the user
interface 402 of the client device.
[0036] In an example embodiment, the user may use touch actions
such as a swipe, tap or drag on each split screen to control the
content contained within the split screen. For example, the user
may zoom in/out, resize, and pan the slide image 402 within slide
image split screen 412 without affecting the size and position of
the textual content 408 within the textual content split screen
414. Additionally, the user interface may be configured to enable
the user to swipe in a horizontal direction on the slide image
split screen 412 for navigating to a new slide of the slide show
presentation. When the user navigates to a new slide of the slide
show presentation, the new slide image may be displayed on the
slide show split screen 412, and the client device may retrieve the
accompanying textual content for the new slide and may update and
display the new slide accompanying textual content in the textual
content split screen 414.
[0037] In an additional embodiment, when the slide image 404 is
viewed in the slide image split screen 412, and the textual content
408 may be displayed in the textual content split screen 414, all
of the textual content 408 may not be viewable within the textual
content split screen 414. The user may perform a touch action 406
to scroll through the textual content 408 and to navigate to the
portions of the textual content 408 which extend outside of the
viewable area of the textual content touch screen 414. In an
example scenario, the textual content 408 may overflow over the
edge of the textual content touch screen 414 indicating to the user
that there is additional textual content 418 and prompting the user
to swipe further down to read through the textual content. The user
may perform a swipe action on the textual content touch screen 414
in a vertical direction to display the overflowing additional
textual content 418 within the textual content touch screen 414.
The user may also use a drag action to pan the textual content 408
in any direction in which the text may overflow. The slide image
404 may remain fixed in the slide image split screen 412 while the
user scrolls through the accompanying text within the textual
content touch screen 414. Additionally the user interface 402 may
provide an indicator for prompting the user to navigate to the
additional textual content 418.
[0038] FIG. 5 illustrates an example split screen displaying a
slide image and accompanying notes on a user interface, according
to embodiments. In an example embodiment, a slide show presentation
may be displayed on a user interface of a client device, and a
slide image 504 may be displayed on the user interface 502 as well
as textual content and additional notes 508 which may accompany the
slide image 504. The slideshow presentation may be displayed as a
split screen on the user interface 502 such that the slide image
split screen 512 and the textual content split screen 514 may be
independent from each other and separately controlled by a
user.
[0039] In an example embodiment, the user may perform a touch
action 506, such as a swipe, in a horizontal direction on the slide
image split screen 512 for navigating to a new slide within the
slide show presentation. Additionally the user may perform
pinching, expanding and panning actions to resize and reposition
the slide image 504 within the slide image split screen 512. While
the user may resize and reposition the slide image 504 within the
slide image split screen 512, the size and position of the textual
content and the notes 508 included within the textual content split
screen 514 may remain unchanged.
[0040] When the slide image 504 is viewed in the slide image split
screen 512, the textual content that is contained within the slide
image 504 may be initially displayed in the textual content split
screen 514. As previously discussed, the user may swipe the textual
content split screen 514 in a vertical direction to display
overflowing textual content.
[0041] In a further embodiment, if notes 508 accompany the slide
image 504, the user may perform a touch action, such as a swipe, in
a horizontal direction on the textual content split screen 514 to
cause the notes 508 to be displayed. All of the content of the
notes 508 may not be viewable within the textual content split
screen 514, and the user may also perform a touch action 506 within
the textual content split screen 514 to navigate to the portions of
the notes 508 which extend outside of the viewable area of the
textual content touch screen 514. In an example scenario, the text
of the notes 508 may overflow over the edge of the textual content
touch screen 514 indicating to the user that there is additional
textual content 518 and prompting the user to swipe further down to
read through the textual content. The user may perform a swipe
action in a vertical direction to display the overflowing notes 508
within the textual content touch screen 514, and may additionally
perform a drag action to pan the notes 508 in any direction.
Additionally the user may perform pinching and expanding actions to
resize the textual content and notes included within the textual
content split screen 514 to optimize the display of the textual
content and notes. While the user navigates through the textual
content and the notes 508 included within the textual content split
screen 514, the slide number, and size and position of the slide
image may remain unchanged.
[0042] The example user interface elements and interactions
discussed in FIG. 1 through FIG. 5 are for illustration purposes
only and do not constitute a limitation on embodiments. A system
for separating portions of document contents into individually
controlled sections on a user interface may be implemented with
other user interfaces, interface elements, presentations, and
configurations using the principles described herein.
[0043] FIG. 6 is an example networked environment, where
embodiments may be implemented. A system for separating portions of
document contents into individually controlled sections on a user
interface of a client device may be implemented via software
executed over one or more servers 614 such as a hosted service. The
platform may communicate with client applications on individual
computing devices such as a smart phone 613, a laptop computer 612,
or desktop computer 611 (`client devices`) through network(s)
610.
[0044] Client applications executed on any of the client devices
611-613 may facilitate communications via application(s) executed
by servers 614, or on individual server 614. An application
executed on one of the servers may facilitate separating portions
of document contents into individually controlled sections on a
user interface of a client device. The application may retrieve
relevant data from data store(s) 615 directly or through database
server 618, and provide requested services (e.g. document editing)
to the user(s) through client devices 611-613.
[0045] Network(s) 610 may comprise any topology of servers,
clients, Internet service providers, and communication media. A
system according to embodiments may have a static or dynamic
topology. Network(s) 610 may include secure networks such as an
enterprise network, an unsecure network such as a wireless open
network, or the Internet. Network(s) 610 may also coordinate
communication over other networks such as Public Switched Telephone
Network (PSTN) or cellular networks. Furthermore, network(s) 610
may include short range wireless networks such as Bluetooth or
similar ones. Network(s) 610 provide communication between the
nodes described herein. By way of example, and not limitation,
network(s) 610 may include wireless media such as acoustic, RF,
infrared and other wireless media.
[0046] Many other configurations of computing devices,
applications, data sources, and data distribution systems may be
employed to implement a platform for separating portions of
document contents into individually controlled sections on a user
interface of a client device. Furthermore, the networked
environments discussed in FIG. 6 are for illustration purposes
only. Embodiments are not limited to the example applications,
modules, or processes.
[0047] FIG. 7 and the associated discussion are intended to provide
a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment in
which embodiments may be implemented. With reference to FIG. 7, a
block diagram of an example computing operating environment for an
application according to embodiments is illustrated, such as
computing device 700. In a basic configuration, computing device
700 may be any computing device executing an application for of
separating portions of document contents into individually
controlled sections on a user interface of a client device
according to embodiments and include at least one processing unit
702 and system memory 704. Computing device 700 may also include a
plurality of processing units that cooperate in executing programs.
Depending on the exact configuration and type of computing device,
the system memory 704 may be volatile (such as RAM), non-volatile
(such as ROM, flash memory, etc.) or some combination of the two.
System memory 704 typically includes an operating system 705
suitable for controlling the operation of the platform, such as the
WINDOWS.RTM. operating systems from MICROSOFT CORPORATION of
Redmond, Wash. The system memory 704 may also include one or more
software applications such as an application 724 and gesture
detection module 726.
[0048] The application 724 may facilitate recognizing separate
content portions of a document that is viewed on a gesture enabled
client device such as a smart phone, mobile device, and/or tablet
and separating the content portions into individually controlled
portions on the client device. The application 724 may enable a
computing device 700 to detect a document that is viewed on the
user interface of a client device such as a smart phone, and to
identify different content portions of the document, such as
textual content, tables, graphics, slide images, and audio/visual
files. The application 724 may facilitate separating each content
portion so that each content portion can be separately and
individually controlled by a user without affecting the other
content portions. Through the gesture detection module 726,
application 724 may detect a touch action on a select content
portion of the document on the user interface of the client device.
The gesture detection module 726 may enable the user to resize,
reposition, reformat and scroll through the selected content
portion without affecting the size and position of the rest of the
document. The application 724 and gesture detection module 726 may
be separate applications or integrated modules of a hosted service.
This basic configuration is illustrated in FIG. 7 by those
components within dashed line 708.
[0049] Computing device 700 may have additional features or
functionality. For example, the computing device 700 may also
include additional data storage devices (removable and/or
non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks,
or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 7 by
removable storage 709 and non-removable storage 710. Computer
readable storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile,
removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or
technology for storage of information, such as computer readable
instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.
System memory 704, removable storage 709 and non-removable storage
710 are all examples of computer readable storage media. Computer
readable storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM,
EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital
versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic tape,
magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any
other medium which can be used to store the desired information and
which can be accessed by computing device 700. Any such computer
readable storage media may be part of computing device 700.
Computing device 700 may also have input device(s) 712 such as
keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device, and
comparable input devices. Output device(s) 714 such as a display,
speakers, printer, and other types of output devices may also be
included. These devices are well known in the art and need not be
discussed at length here.
[0050] Computing device 700 may also contain communication
connections 716 that allow the device to communicate with other
devices 718, such as over a wired or wireless network in a
distributed computing environment, a satellite link, a cellular
link, a short range network, and comparable mechanisms. Other
devices 718 may include computer device(s) that execute
communication applications, web servers, and comparable devices.
Communication connection(s) 716 is one example of communication
media. Communication media can include therein computer readable
instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. By
way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes
wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and
wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless
media.
[0051] Example embodiments also include methods. These methods can
be implemented in any number of ways, including the structures
described in this document. One such way is by machine operations,
of devices of the type described in this document.
[0052] Another optional way is for one or more of the individual
operations of the methods to be performed in conjunction with one
or more human operators performing some. These human operators need
not be collocated with each other, but each can be only with a
machine that performs a portion of the program.
[0053] FIG. 8 illustrates a logic flow diagram for a process of
separating portions of document contents into individually
controlled sections on a user interface of a client device,
according to embodiments. Process 800 may be implemented on a
computing device or similar electronic device capable of executing
instructions through a processor.
[0054] Process 800 begins with operation 810, where the system may
detect a document viewed on the user interface of the client
device. In an example embodiment, the client device may be a mobile
device, smart phone, and/or tablet having a restricted size user
interface. At operation 820, the system may identify different
individual content portions of the document viewed on the client
device. The individual content portions may include textual
content, tables, graphics, slides, and embedded audio/visual files.
At operation 830, the system may separate each of the individual
content portions into individually controlled sections. The system
may separate the sections via coding behind the document, and
additionally the system may separate the sections visually by
providing a split screen, which may be side by side and/or top and
bottom. Each section of content may be independent from the other
content portions such that they may be navigated and controlled by
a user without affecting other content portions.
[0055] At operation 840, the system may detect a touch action (or
comparable input such as optically captured gesture, pen input,
voice input, eye-tracking, etc.) on a selected content portion. A
touch action may include a tap, swipe, pinch, expand, and/or drag
on the content included within the selected content portion in
order to scroll, resize, and reposition the selected content
portion. At operation 850, the system may enable the user to
control the selected content portion without affecting the
remaining content portions of the document. While the user uses
touch actions to scroll, resize, and reposition the selected
content portion, the remaining content portions may remain fixed
within the user interface of the client device, such that the size
and position of the remaining content portions do not change and
are not affected by the user's actions on the selected content
portion.
[0056] The operations included in process 800 are for illustration
purposes. Separating portions of document contents into
individually controlled sections on a user interface of a client
device may be implemented by similar processes with fewer or
additional steps, as well as in different order of operations using
the principles described herein.
[0057] The above specification, examples and data provide a
complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition
of the embodiments. Although the subject matter has been described
in language specific to structural features and/or methodological
acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the
appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features
or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts
described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the
claims and embodiments.
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