Patent Application
20140351745
On graphical user interfaces of mobile devices, and even desktop applications, dots are often used to represent the number of pages available for viewing by the user on a display. This paging technique is often used for touch screen devices where a dot corresponding to a currently viewed page is displayed in a different color than the dots representing pages not in view. An adjacent page can be displayed by the user by swiping or panning left and right on the display either with a finger or a mouse.
In many designs, this same type of paging technique is desired. However in current implementations, there is only a visual cue indicating the page currently being viewed. No other navigation or selection options are provided.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved method and system for providing content navigation, and more particularly, for providing enhanced dot navigation.
The exemplary embodiment provides methods and systems for providing content navigation having a selection function and visual indicator thereof. Aspects of exemplary embodiment include displaying on a display screen as part of a user interface a series of navigation indicators corresponding to a series of content items available for viewing; displaying a current item indicator in association with a first one of the navigation indicators of a first content item indicating that the first content item is in view on the display; in response to receiving a selection of the first content item, displaying a selection indicator in association with at least the first content item and the first navigation indicator to indicate that the first displayed content item is selected; and in response to receiving a scroll operation, displaying a second content item on the display in place of the first content item, and displaying the current item indicator in association with a second one of the navigation indicators of the second content item, while maintaining the display of the selection indicator to indicate that the first content item remains selected, but out of view.
The exemplary embodiment relates to methods and systems for providing content navigation having a selection function and visual indicator thereof. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements. Various modifications to the exemplary embodiments and the generic principles and features described herein will be readily apparent. The exemplary embodiments are mainly described in terms of particular methods and systems provided in particular implementations. However, the methods and systems will operate effectively in other implementations. Phrases such as “exemplary embodiment”, “one embodiment” and “another embodiment” may refer to the same or different embodiments. The embodiments will be described with respect to systems and/or devices having certain components. However, the systems and/or devices may include more or less components than those shown, and variations in the arrangement and type of the components may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The exemplary embodiments will also be described in the context of particular methods having certain steps. However, the method and system operate effectively for other methods having different and/or additional steps and steps in different orders that are not inconsistent with the exemplary embodiments. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.
When running, OS 12 and/or the app 14 may include a user interface (UI) configured to sequentially display content items 18 on the display screen 16 in response to swiping or paging operations performed by a user. Commonly, the content items 18 represent pages, but may also comprise pictures, contacts and the like.
On mobile devices as well as desktop applications, navigation indicators 20, shown here as dots, may represent the number of content items 18 available for viewing. Usually, one content item 18a may be shown at a time. The other content items 18 shown with dashed lines are not visible. Conventionally, the navigation indicator displayed in a different color (e.g., white) than the other navigation indicators (black) represents the content item 18a currently displayed.
One problem with conventional paging techniques using dot navigation is that such techniques do not allow the user to select a page and continue scrolling without losing the selection, rather there is just a visual cue indicating the page currently being viewed.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 4 is provided with a content navigation component 22 that enables a user to select a currently displayed content item 18, and in response, displays a selection indicator associated with the navigation indicator of the selected content item, the display of which persist even when the user navigates away from the selected page, as described below.
Although the content navigation component 22 is shown as a single component, it should be understood that the functions of the content navigation component 22 may be implemented using a different number of software components. In addition, the content navigation component 22 may be implemented as part of the OS 12, the application 14, or as a separate application.
The electronic device 4 may be implemented as any type of computing device that displays content on a display screen 16, such as a smart or mobile phone, a tablet computer, a personal computer (e.g., desktop, laptop, or notebook), a set top box, a TV, a game system, and the like. The electronic device 4 may include hardware components of typical computing devices, including input devices, such as, a keyboard, pointing device, a microphone, and buttons (not shown), and output devices, such as speakers, and the like (not shown). The memory 8 may comprise various types of computer-readable media, e.g., flash memory, hard drive, optical disk drive, magnetic disk drive, and the like, containing computer instructions that implement the functionality disclosed when executed by the processor. The electronic device 4 may further include wired or wireless network communication interfaces for communication.
The processor 6 may be part of data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing software code, which may comprise the operating system 12 and various applications. The processor 6 may be coupled directly or indirectly to elements of the memory 8 through a system bus (not shown). The memory elements can include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution.
The input/output 10 or I/O devices can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers. Network adapters (not shown) may also be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modems and Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network adapters.
The process may begin by displaying on a display screen as part of a user interface a series of navigation indicators corresponding to a series of content items available for viewing (block 200).
In addition, although the navigation indicators 20 are shown as dots, any type of visual affordance may be displayed (e.g., different shapes, icons, pictures, alphanumeric characters and the like).
In one embodiment, the content items 18 may each comprise pages of an application, document, website or OS screens; pictures, contacts, document, folders, calendar entries (e.g., days, weeks, months or tasks), database entries, maps, and the like.
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Although the selection indicator 302 is shown in this example as an arrow displayed beneath the current item indicator 300, the selection indicator 302 may comprise any type of visual affordance. Examples may include different shapes (e.g., an underline, circle, square, etc.), highlights or flashes, icons, pictures, alphanumeric characters, animations and the like). In addition, the selection indicator 302 may be displayed as at least one of adjacent to the current item indicator 300, in place of the current item indicator 300, and/or adjacent to or over the currently displayed content item 18b, where adjacent means next to any side of the object, including surrounding the object.
According to the exemplary embodiments, when the selection of the content item 18b is made, the selection indicator 302 may also include a temporary component, such as a highlight displayed around the current content item 18b, as shown in
In a further embodiment, the user may be allowed to select more than one content item by repeating the navigation and select operations. In yet another embodiment, the selection indicator may further display actions that the user may take with respect to the selected content item.
In one embodiment, receiving a selection of the first displayed content item may comprise the content navigation component 22 being configured to receive a selection input by way of detection of a tap on a touchscreen or mouse click over the displayed content item 18b, or a voice command (e.g., “select that”). The content navigation component 22, the OS 12, or the application 14 may perform detection of the selection.
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Thus, the content navigation process of the exemplary embodiment provides the user with a selection function and a selection indicator 302 that persists even if the selected content item is no longer in view. In one embodiment, display of the selection indicator 302 may persist until the user selects a new content item or cancels the selection (e.g., by selecting the content item again).
Example uses for selecting content items 18 during content navigation (e.g., dot navigation) may include the following. One example is where the content items represents pages, and each page may represent a step in a process. Assume the user selects a current step in the process, but wants to scroll left and right to view the pages for the read-only previous steps and future steps in the process flow for useful context. The original selected page remains selected and highlighted to make it easier for the user to identify and to navigate back to.
A second example is where the content items represent home pages showing installed applications, and the user may select one or more of these pages to indicate which applications are running.
A third example is where the user selects one or more the content items to take action on selected the content item. The selection indicator is provided to highlighting the selected content item, confirming the user's choice.
According to the exemplary embodiment, the content navigation having a selection function and indicator of the selection shows the user which content item is selected or in focus as a reminder for the user to return back to the selected content item and to perhaps to take some action on it.
A method and system for providing content navigation having a selection function and a selection indicator has been disclosed. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.
Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).
Aspects of the present invention have been described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The present invention has been described in accordance with the embodiments shown, and one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that there could be variations to the embodiments, and any variations would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, many modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
