1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to computer systems and in particular to defining sectional boundaries of a webpage to enable a user to navigate the webpage by sections marked by the sectional boundaries.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current methods of browsing content on a portable handheld device, such as a Blackberry™ device, require a user to scroll line by line or page by page. On these devices, a page may be rendered in such a way that an individual article or section may be five or six pages in length. Currently, viewing large articles or sections of web pages on a user device, such as a portable handheld device, is achieved by vertical scrolling. However, vertical scrolling is particularly challenging for users of a portable handheld device, since most portable handheld devices have a small screen and may lack a mechanism for vertical scrolling. While some portable handheld devices have a touch screen or a keypad with directional arrows or scroll bars/buttons for use in navigating around displayed content, some portable handheld devices require a user to navigate around displayed content via a stylus instead of a mouse. There is a large amount of content on the web that is sectioned so that a user can distinguish between content boundaries. However, a computer cannot make such a distinction between content boundaries.
Disclosed are a method, system and computer program product for defining sectional boundaries of a webpage to enable efficient navigation of the content on a user device. Logical sections in a webpage are defined by comparing structured content in the webpage, analyzing patterns in a markup of the webpage, or allowing a user to identify sectional boundaries manually using an assistive user interface. A user, via a user interface, can verify or modify the sections by comparing structured content or analyzing patterns in a markup in the webpage. Indices are created by marking sectional boundaries at a beginning of each section. The webpage can be navigated by section marked by the sectional boundaries using a button pair, a user interface marker that allows direct access to sections, or a proxy for manual input by a user, such as voice input.
The above as well as additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.
The invention itself will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The illustrative embodiments provide a method, system and computer program product for defining sectional boundaries of a webpage to enable efficient navigation of the content on a user device. Logical sections in a webpage are defined by comparing structured content in the webpage, analyzing patterns in a markup of the webpage, or allowing a user to identify sectional boundaries manually using an assistive user interface. A user, via a user interface, can verify or modify the sections by comparing structured content or analyzing patterns in a markup in the webpage. Indices are created by marking sectional boundaries at a beginning of each section. The webpage can be navigated by section marked by the sectional boundaries using a button pair, a user interface marker that allows direct access to sections, or a proxy for manual input by a user, such as voice input.
In the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, specific exemplary embodiments in which the invention may be practiced are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, architectural, programmatic, mechanical, electrical and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.
Within the descriptions of the figures, similar elements are provided similar names and reference numerals as those of the previous figure(s). Where a later figure utilizes the element in a different context or with different functionality, the element is provided a different leading numeral representative of the figure number. The specific numerals assigned to the elements are provided solely to aid in the description and not meant to imply any limitations (structural or functional) on the invention.
It is understood that the use of specific component, device and/or parameter names are for example only and not meant to imply any limitations on the invention. The invention may thus be implemented with different nomenclature/terminology utilized to describe the components/devices/parameters herein, without limitation. Each term utilized herein is to be given its broadest interpretation given the context in which that terms is utilized.
With reference now to the figures,
PHD 100 is also illustrated with network interface device (NID) 150 coupled to system bus 110. NID 150 enables PHD 100 to connect to one or more access networks 170, such as the Internet.
Notably, in addition to the above described hardware components of PHD 100, various features of the invention are completed via software (or firmware) code or logic stored within memory 106 or other storage (e.g., storage 117) and executed by CPU 105. In one embodiment, data/instructions/code from storage 117 populates the system memory 106. Thus, illustrated within memory 106 are a number of software/firmware components, including operating system (OS) 130 (e.g., Microsoft Windows®, a trademark of Microsoft Corp, or GNU®/Linux®, registered trademarks of the Free Software Foundation and The Linux Mark Institute, or Advanced Interactive eXecutive -AIX-, registered trademark of International Business Machines—IBM), web browser application 135, and Defined Sectional Boundaries (DSB) utility 140. A webpage can be viewed on a display 129 of the PHD 100.
In actual implementation, web browser application 135 and DSB utility 140 may be combined as a single application collectively providing the various functions of each individual software component when the corresponding code is executed by the CPU 105. For simplicity, DSB utility 140 is illustrated and described as a stand alone or separate software/firmware component, which is stored in system memory 106 to provide/support the specific novel functions described herein.
CPU 105 executes DSB utility 140 as well as OS 130, which supports the user interface features of DSB utility 140. In the illustrative embodiment, DSB utility 140 generates/provides several graphical user interfaces (GUI) to enable user interaction with, or manipulation of, the functional features of the utility (140). Among the software code/instructions provided by DSB utility 140, and which are specific to the invention, are: (a) code for detecting content patterns in a webpage; (b) code for creating indices marking sectional boundaries at a beginning of each section; and (c) code for navigating the webpage by sections marked by the sectional boundaries. For simplicity of the description, the collective body of code that enables these various features is referred to herein as DSB utility 140. According to the illustrative embodiment, when CPU 105 executes DSB utility 140, PHD 100 initiates a series of functional processes that enable the above functional features as well as additional features/functionality, which are described below within the description of
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware and basic configuration depicted in
With reference now to
In
Sectional boundaries of the webpage 200 are defined by identifying logical sections in the webpage 200. Logical sections in the webpage 200 can be identified by comparing structured content in the webpage 200, analyzing patterns in a markup in the webpage 200, or allowing a user to identify sectional boundaries manually using an assistive user interface. A user can verify or modify, via a user interface, logical sections that are identified by (a) comparing structured content in the webpage 200, or (b) analyzing patterns in a markup of the webpage 200. Indices can be created by marking sectional boundaries at a beginning of each section or post 201, 208, 215 such as the title 202, 205, 212. A user viewing this webpage 200 on a portable handheld device can navigate the webpage 200 by scrolling from the first post 201, to the second post 208, and to the third post 215, using a button pair, such as a page up or page down button, a user interface marker that allows direct access to sections, or a proxy for manual input by a user, such as voice input, to move from one section to the other.
A user can navigate the webpage on the portable handheld device using, for example, a “3” key as a PgUp key, and a “9” key as a PgDn key to scroll page by page. To enable a user to scroll a webpage 303 by section, sectional boundaries in the webpage must be defined. Logical sections in a webpage are identified. The logical sections can be identified by the utility comparing structured content of the webpage or analyzing patterns in a markup in the webpage. The logical sections can also be identified by allowing the user to identify sectional boundaries manually using an assistive user interface. Indices are created marking the sectional boundaries at a beginning of each section or detected content pattern. The webpage can be navigated by section marked by the sectional boundaries. In one embodiment, the webpage is navigated via a button pair, such as using a “2” key to scroll up by section, and an “8” key to scroll down by section. Also, in an alternative embodiment, the webpage is navigated with a user interface marker that allows direct access to sections, or a proxy for manual input by a user, such as voice input.
The process of
If the presence of associated content in structured form is detected, indices are created by marking sectional boundaries at a beginning of each defined section, block 406. A user can then navigate the webpage using a button pair that acts similar to PgUp/PgDn buttons, but jumps one section at a time, regardless of section length. The user can also navigate sections on a webpage using a user interface marker that allows direct access to sections, such as a scrollbar, tabbed index list, or scroll wheel. A user can also navigate sections on a webpage using a proxy for manual input by a user (e.g., voice input). User navigation input is received by the system, block 407. The system responds to the user navigation input, block 408, by navigating by section marked by the sectional boundaries. Once the user has completed navigating the webpage by section, the process ends, block 409.
In the flow chart above, one method is embodied in a computer readable medium containing computer readable code such that a series of steps are performed when the computer readable code is executed on a computing device. In some implementations, certain steps of the methods are combined, performed simultaneously or in a different order, or perhaps omitted, without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, while the method steps are described and illustrated in a particular sequence, use of a specific sequence of steps is not meant to imply any limitations on the invention. Changes may be made with regards to the sequence of steps without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Use of a particular sequence is therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.
As will be further appreciated, the processes in embodiments of the present invention may be implemented using any combination of software, firmware or hardware. As a preparatory step to practicing the invention in software, the programming code (whether software or firmware) will typically be stored in one or more machine readable storage mediums such as fixed (hard) drives, diskettes, optical disks, magnetic tape, semiconductor memories such as ROMs, PROMs, etc., thereby making an article of manufacture in accordance with the invention. The article of manufacture containing the programming code is used by either executing the code directly from the storage device, by copying the code from the storage device into another storage device such as a hard disk, RAM, etc., or by transmitting the code for remote execution using transmission type media such as digital and analog communication links. The method of the invention may be practiced by combining one or more machine-readable storage devices containing the code according to the present invention with appropriate processing hardware to execute the code contained therein. An apparatus for practicing the invention could be one or more processing devices and storage systems containing or having network access to program(s) coded in accordance with the invention.
Thus, it is important that while an illustrative embodiment of the present invention is described in the context of a fully functional computer (server) system with installed (or executed) software, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the software aspects of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative embodiment of the present invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of media used to actually carry out the distribution. By way of example, a non exclusive list of types of media includes recordable type (tangible) media such as floppy disks, thumb drives, hard disk drives, CD ROMs, DVDs, and transmission type media such as digital and analogue communication links.
While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular system, device or component thereof to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another.