Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR
INLINE VIEWING OF FILE CONTENT
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0001] 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 of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in
the Patent
and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all
copyright rights
whatsoever.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for
viewing file
content.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Recent advances in wireless communication technologies and increased
wireless
network bandwidth capacities have led to the development and availability of
wireless
Internet access with web browsing capabilities on mobile handheld
communication
devices. However, as compactness and portability is a key requirement for such
devices,
the size of the display provided on the handheld device may be limited to no
more than a
few inches across diagonally.
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[0004] On such a small display, it may be challenging to view web pages that
have been
formatted to be viewed on a typical full size display. In particular, it may
be especially
challenging to efficiently review a list of web pages, or other types of
files, to quickly get
a sense of their content.
[0005] What is needed is a system and method for viewing file content, such as
web
pages, that may overcome some of the above limitations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] In the figures which illustrate exemplary embodiments:
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of various components that may be found in
a
handheld mobile communication device;
FIG. 2 is an illustrative example of a handheld mobile communication device
that
may provide an operating environment;
FIG. 3 is an illustrative view of a display screen 300 of a data sorted list
that may
appear on the handheld mobile communication device of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an illustrative view of another display screen 400 showing the
contents
of a selected item in the display screen 300 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an illustrative example of an inline viewing window for viewing the
contents of a file;
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FIG. 6 is an illustrative example of an inline viewing window having content
which may extend beyond the display;
FIG. 7 is an illustrative example of the bottom portion of the inline viewing
window of FIG. 6 as viewed on the display;
FIG. 8 is an illustrative example of an inline viewing window content
including a
graphic element;
FIG. 9 is an illustrative example of an inline viewing window for viewing
email
messages in accordance with an embodiment; and
FIG. 10 is a schematic flow chart of an illustrative method in accordance with
an
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0007] As noted above, the present invention relates to a system and method
for inline
viewing of file content, such as the content of web pages and other files.
[0008] In an illustrative embodiment, the invention may be practiced with a
handheld
mobile communication device in a wireless operating environment. Shown in FIG.
1 is a
schematic block diagram of an illustrative mobile communication device 100.
The
communication device 100 may comprise a number of components, including a main
processor 102 which controls the overall operation of communication device
100.
Communication functions, including data and voice communications, may be
performed
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through a communication subsystem 104. The communication subsystem 104 may
receive messages from and sends messages to a wireless network 200.
[0009] The main processor 102 may also interact with additional subsystems
such as a
random access memory (RAM) 106, a flash memory 108, a display 110, an
auxiliary
input/output (I/O) subsystem 112, a data port 114, a keyboard 116, a trackball
117, a
speaker 118, a microphone 120, short-range communications 122 and other device
subsystems 124 (such as a GPS subsystem).
[0010] Some of the subsystems of the communication device 100 may perform
communication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide
"resident" or
on-device functions. By way of example, the display 110 and the keyboard 116
may be
used for both communication-related functions, such as entering a text message
for
transmission over the network 200, and device-resident functions such as a
calculator or
task list. The trackball 117 may be used for various navigation functions,
such as
navigating through a graphical user interface (GUI) menu displayed on display
110. The
trackball 117 may also be configured with a secondary actuation feature, such
as allowing
a user to depress the trackball, to allow selection of a highlighted item.
[0011] Operating system software used by the main processor 102 is typically
stored in a
persistent store such as flash memory 108. Those skilled in the art will
appreciate that the
operating system, specific device applications, or parts thereof, may be
temporarily
loaded into a volatile store such as the RAM 106.
[0012] The communication device 100 may send and receive communication signals
over
the wireless network 200 after required network registration or activation
procedures have
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been completed. Network access may be associated with a subscriber or user of
the
communication device 100.
[0013] The communication device 100 may be a battery-powered device and may
include
a battery interface 132 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 130.
In some
embodiments, the battery 130 may be a smart battery with an embedded
microprocessor.
The battery interface 132 is coupled to a regulator (not shown), which assists
the battery
130 in providing power V+ to the communication device 100.
[0014] The main processor 102, in addition to its operating system functions,
enables
execution of software applications 134 on the communication device 100. The
subset of
software applications 134 that control basic device operations, including data
and voice
communication applications, will normally be installed on the conununication
device 100
during its manufacture.
[0015] The software applications 134 may include a messaging application 136.
The
messaging application 136 can be any suitable software program that allows a
subscriber
or user of the communication device 100 to send and receive wireless text
communications. Various alternatives exist for the messaging application 136
as is well
known to those skilled in the art. Messages that have been sent or received by
the user
are typically stored in local storage such as flash memory 108 of the
communication
device 100, or in some other suitable storage element in the communication
device 100.
In an alternative embodiment, some of the sent and received messages may be
stored
remotely from the device 100 such as in a data store of an associated host
system that the
communication device 100 communicates with.
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[0016] Another program that may be executed by the communication device 100 is
a
password approval module 138 that may provide approval for user passwords. The
password approval module 138 may execute a password approval method to
determine
whether the user password specified by the user of the communication device
100 is
approved.
[0017] The communication device 100 may further include a device state module
140, an
address book 142, a Personal Information Manager (PIM) 144, and various other
modules
146. Additional software applications may also be loaded onto the
communication device
100 through at least one of the wireless network 200, the auxiliary UO
subsystem 112, the
data port 114, the short-range communications subsystem 122, or other device
subsystem
124.
[0018] The communication device 100 may also include a browser application
module
148 that may be configured to handle various file content browsing functions
on device
100 in accordance with various embodiments. A more detailed description of
browser
application module 148 will follow further below.
[0019] Now referring to FIG. 2, shown is an illustrative front view of a
handheld mobile
communication device 100 that may provide a suitable operating environment. As
shown, the communication device 100 may include a display 110, a keyboard 116,
and
other input or navigation means such as a trackball 117. The display 110 may
be
configured to display various screens allowing the user of device 100 to view
screen
outputs from the browser application module 148, and to provide an input in
response to a
prompt or query displayed on display 110.
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[0020] Now referring to FIG. 3, in an embodiment, browser application module
148 may
be configured to provide a data sorted list of files, such as files 310a -
310i shown on
screen 300. For example, as shown, the data sorted list of files 310a - 310i
may be sorted
chronologically with the most recent items at the top. It will be appreciated,
however,
that the files could also be sorted in reverse order with the most dated items
first, or could
be sorted based on any other sortable field.
[0021] In this illustrative example, the files relate to web pages rendered to
HTML or
XHTML, and pushed out to communication device 100. Presently, web feed
syndication
formats such as RSS (including Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0); Rich Site
Summary (RSS 0.91, RSS 1.0); and RDF Site Summary (RSS 0.9 and 1.0) -- see for
example RSS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(protocol)) and ATOM (see for
example
the IETF for ATOM: http://www.ietf.org/ html.charters/atompub-charter.html)
are
emerging as the most popular formats for syndicating and for subscribing to
frequently
updated web page content, such as news, business, and sports.
[0022] By way of illustration, suppose that the user of a mobile handheld
communication
device 100 subscribes to a syndicated RSS web feed, and is interested in a
particular news
item, namely file 310g with a time stamp of 12:40pm and starting with the
title
"Beckham's Departure...".
[0023] In FIG. 4, screen 400 shows a typical conventional presentation of the
contents of
file 310g, which may be a full-page view occupying a significant portion of,
or all of the
display 110 of communication device 100. This may be quite acceptable if the
user is
interested in viewing the content of file 310g at length. However, this
approach has the
drawback of hiding all of the other files 310a-310f, 310h and 310i from view,
and
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requiring a step back to a previous window to view the list of files 310a-
310i. A more
efficient way to preview the contents of the data sorted list of web page
feeds would be
desirable.
[0024] Now referring to FIG. 5, shown is an illustrative screen 500 in which
an inline
viewing window 510g opened at the position of a selected file 310g within the
data sorted
list. In this example, inline viewing window 510g is opened immediately below
and
adjacent the listing of selected file 310g, and at least a portion of the
content of file 310g
is shown in the inline viewing window 510g. For example, if file 310g is an
Internet
news web page, inline viewing window 510g may include the title, time posted,
author,
location, date, and a portion of the text. Significantly, the inline viewing
window 510g is
displayed in situ within the data sorted list of files 310a-310i, and allows
the user to
simultaneously see a preview of the content of a file, as well as the other
files (e.g. other
Internet news web pages) available in the data sorted list.
[0025] As will be appreciated, by viewing a short preview of each of the files
in an inline
viewing window 510, a user may be able to more quickly scan through the data
sorted list
of files 310a-310i to determine which of the files, if any, are of interest to
the user. For
example, the user could quickly preview a file with a title that initially
catches his
attention, but which might be misleading. Take for example a news item
entitled,
"Alligators found on Mars..." which might actually have the full title
"Alligators found on
Marsiand swamp lands" when previewed, and have nothing to do with what
originally
attracted the user.
[0026] In an embodiment, the browser application module 148 may be configured
such
that the inline viewing window 510 may be generated automatically upon the
user
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selecting any one of the files 310a-310i in the data sorted list. Browser
application
module 148 may be configured such that if the user selects another of the
files 310a-310i,
then the inline viewing window 510 for the previously selected file 310a-310i
may be
closed automatically. Thus, in an embodiment, one inline viewing window 510
may be
open at any one time. However, in another embodiment, browser application
module 148
may be configured such that multiple inline windows may be opened. In this
case, the
data sorted list of files 310a-310i may keep expanding, with files separated
by multiple,
open inline windows.
[0027j Once each file 310a-310i has been viewed, it may be marked as being
read. In an
embodiment, browser application module 148 may be configured such that the
"read"
indication may be automatically turn on if the user views a preview, selects
"Mark as
opened" from a menu option, or clicks "Read story" directly, without viewing
the
preview.
[0028] In the illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the size of the inline
viewing
window 510g may be fixed, such that it occupies a predetermined portion of the
display
110. However, in an alternative embodiment, the inline viewing window may be
automatically resized to accommodate preview content identified within a web
page. By
way of illustration, referring to FIG. 6, the inline viewing window 610 may be
sized such
that it may show more of the content of the selected file. In this
illustrative example,
inline viewing window 610g is larger than the inline viewing window 510g shown
in
FIG. 5, and extends beyond the bottom of screen 600. In this event, scroll bar
620 may be
used to scroll down the screen 600 to view the rest of inline viewing window
610. This is
illustrated by way of example in screen 700 of FIG. 7, and may allow access to
associated
web feeds such as shown at links 630a-630c.
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[0029] Still referring to FIG. 7, as the user continues to scroll down the
data sorted list of
files, additional files 310h-310m that were previously not viewable on display
110 may
now be displayed. Again, if the user wishes to see a preview of the contents
for any of
the data sorted list of files 310a-310m, the user may simply scroll up or down
and
manually select the relevant file to view. It will be appreciated that this
may provide the
user with a seamless viewing experience, such that the user will not have to
leave the data
sorted list of files 310a-310m.
[0030] In an embodiment, browser application module 148 may be configured such
that
the user may select a file for which to open an inline viewing window using a
user
actionable control. For example, the user actionable control may be a single-
click of
trackball 117. Similarly, browser application module 148 may be configured
such that
another single-click on the file with an open inline viewing window may
effectively
unselect the file, and close the inline viewing window. In either case, if
desired, rather
than acting immediately on a user command to open or close an inline viewing
window,
browser application module 148 may be configured such that a menu with a
confirmation
appear.
[0031] In another embodiment, browser application module 148 may be configured
to
provide an inline viewing window for a file after a cursor or other selecting
tool is placed
on a file for more than a predetermined time.
[0032] In yet another embodiment, browser application module 148 may be
configured
such that user may use a single-click of trackball 117 to select a listed file
and open an
inline viewing window to show a preview of the contents of the selected file.
If, on the
other hand, the user double-clicks on the listed item using trackball 117
within a
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predefined interval, then a full-page view of FIG. 4 may be presented.
Alternatively, a
menu may be provided to allow the user to select a "Full-page view". While an
illustrative example of a trackball 117 is provided, it will be appreciated
that virtually any
user actionable control on device 100 may be used to initiate the inline
viewing window.
[0033] In another embodiment, browser application module 148 may be configured
to
provide an automatic viewing mode, such that a scrolling action downward or
upward
automatically shows a preview of each file in the data sorted list without the
need to
individually select those files. The opening of an inline viewing window for
the next
adjacent file (depending on the direction of scrolling) may be triggered, for
example, by
the user reaching past the limit of a set size restriction for the inline
viewing window of
the current file being viewed. In this automatic inline viewing mode, the user
may avoid
the tedious task of selecting each file individually, just to get an idea of
its contents. In
this automatic inline viewing mode, upon seeing a preview of the contents of a
file that
the user wishes to read in full, the user may select a full-page view by
selecting "More"
from a menu item, for example. In an alternative configuration, the browser
application
module 148 may be configured to allow the inline viewing window to expand
without
limit, thus allowing the user to view the entire content of a file within the
inline viewing
window.
[0034] Now referring to FIG. 8, as illustrated in screen 800, an open inline
viewing
window 710f may show at least some of the content for corresponding file 310f.
As
illustrated, inline viewing window 710f may be capable of showing embedded
graphic
images, such as image 712 shown. It will also be appreciated that inline
viewing window
810f may be configured to show other types of content that may be included and
displayed on a web page.
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[0035] While the above illustrative embodiments relate to previewing the
contents of web
pages, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments various other types of
files may be
previewed in a similar manner. For example, as illustrated in screen 900 of
FIG. 9, a
plurality of email messages may be provided in reverse chronological order.
Instead of
having to open each email to view its contents, an inline viewing window 910c
may be
used to preview the contents of a selected email message. As illustrated,
inline viewing
window 910c may show the first few lines of email message 810c. Again, instead
of a
full-page view, the inline viewing window 910c allows the user to preview
email message
810c but keep the list of other emails in view. This may, for example, allow
the user to
quickly scan the list of emails to identify other messages from the same
sender and
quickly jump to those messages to preview or view in full.
[0036] Again, the size of the inline viewing window 910c may be fixed, or it
may be
automatically resizable to a predetermined maximum size. Alternatively, the
inline
viewing window 910c may be extendable without limit to show the full contents
of the
email message.
[0037] Now referring to FIG. 10, shown is a schematic flowchart of an
illustrative
method 1000 as may be embodied in and practiced using an appropriately
configured
browser application module 148, for example.
[0038] Method 1000 begins at block 1002, where method 1000 receives a user
instruction
to preview the contents of one or more files in a data sorted list. Upon
receiving the user
instruction, method 1000 may proceed to decision block 1004 where method 1000
determines if the size of the size of the inline viewing window is to be fixed
or adjustable.
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If it is to be fixed, method 1000 proceeds to block 1006, where method 1000
sets a fixed
size for the inline viewing window (such as illustrated in FIG. 5, for
example).
[0039] If it is to be adjustable, method 1000 proceeds to decision block 1008,
where
method 1000 determines if there is a maximum size defmed for the inline
viewing
window. If yes, method 1000 proceeds to block 1010, where method 1000 sets a
maximum defined size for the inline viewing window. If no, method 1000
proceeds to
block 1012, where method 1000 sets the inline viewing window to expand without
restriction.
[0040] Method 1000 then proceeds to block 1014, where method 1000 opens the
inline
viewing window within the data sorted list, with any one of the restrictions
determined at
block 1006, 1010 or block 1012. Method 1000 then proceeds to block 1016, where
method 1000 allows the contents of a selected file (e.g. a webpage or an email
message)
to be viewed within the opened inline viewing window, with any inline viewing
window
size restrictions that have been set.
[0041] Method 1000 may then proceed to decision block 1018, where method 1000
may
determine if the user has selected an "automatic" inline viewing mode. If yes,
method
1000 may proceed to decision block 1020, where method 1000 may determine if
the limit
of the inline viewing window has been reached by scrolling. If yes, method
1000 may
proceed to block 1022 where method 1000 may go to the next file in the data
sorted list
(depending on the direction the user is scrolling), and return to block 1014
to open
another inline viewing window for the newly selected file within the data
sorted list. If
no, method 1000 may return to block 1016 to continue to display the content of
the
currently selected file within the inline viewing window.
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[0042] If at decision block 1018 the answer is no, method 1000 may proceed to
decision
block 1024, where method 1000 may wait for manual selection of another file by
the user.
If yes, method 1000 may proceed to block 1022, where method 1000 goes to the
next file
selected by the user. Method 1000 then returns to block 1014 to open another
inline
viewing window. If no, method 1000 ends.
[0043] As will be appreciated, by opening an inline viewing window, and
allowing a user
to control the size of the inline viewing window as described above, the user
may have
considerable flexibility in viewing, or quickly previewing files within a data
sorted list.
Also, while the above illustrative embodiments relate to viewing or previewing
the
content of web pages and email messages, it will be appreciated that virtually
any type of
file with content viewable as text or graphics may be viewed or previewed
inline, as
described above. Finally, while the inline viewing window is particularly
useful on small
displays, such as may be found on mobile handheld communication device 100 as
described above, it will be appreciated that the same concept may be used to
view or
preview files in any data sorted list on a display of any size.
[0044] Thus, in an aspect, there is provided a method of viewing the contents
of a file,
comprising: receiving a selection of a file in a list of files; opening an
inline viewing
window adjacent the position of the selected file; and displaying in the
inline viewing
window at least a portion of the contents of the selected file.
[0045] In an embodiment, the method further comprises setting a size
restriction for the
inline viewing window, and restricting the display of contents of the selected
file within
the inline viewing window in dependence upon the set size restriction.
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[0046] In another embodiment, the method further comprises setting a maximum
expandable size for the inline viewing window.
[0047] In another embodiment, the method further comprises configuring a user
actionable control to select a file.
[0048] In another embodiment, the method further comprises configuring
automatic
selection of the next adjacent file in the list of files.
[0049] In another embodiment, the method further comprises triggering
selection of the
next adjacent file based on scrolling past the limit of a set size restriction
for the inline
viewing window for the currently selected file.
[0050] In another embodiment, the method further comprises configuring a user
actionable control to unselect a file, such that the inline viewing window for
the
unselected file is closed.
[0051] In another aspect, there is provided a system for viewing the contents
of a file,
comprising: means for receiving a selection of a file in a list of files;
means for opening
an inline viewing window adjacent the position of the selected file; and means
for
displaying in the inline viewing window at least a portion of the contents of
the selected
file.
[0052] In an embodiment, the system further comprises means for setting a size
restriction for the inline viewing window, and restricting the display of
contents of the
selected file within the inline viewing window in dependence upon the set size
restriction.
[0053] In another embodiment, the system further comprises means for setting a
maximum expandable size for the inline viewing window.
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[0054] In another embodiment, the system further comprises means for
configuring a user
actionable control to select a file.
[0055] In another embodiment, the system further comprises means for
configuring
automatic selection of the next adjacent file in the list of files.
[0056] In another embodiment, the system further comprises means for
triggering
selection of the next adjacent file based on scrolling past the limit of a set
size restriction
for the inline viewing window for the currently selected file.
[0057] In another embodiment, the system further comprises means for
configuring a user
actionable control to unselect a file, such that the inline viewing window for
the
unselected file is closed.
[0058] In another aspect, there is provided a data processor readable medium
containing
data processor code that when loaded into a device adapts the device to
display the
contents of a file, the data processor medium comprising: code for receiving a
selection
of a file in a list of files; code for opening an inline viewing window
adjacent the position
of the selected file; and code for displaying in the inline viewing window at
least a
portion of the contents of the selected file.
[0059] In an embodiment, the data processor medium further comprises code for
setting a
size restriction for the inline viewing window, and restricting the display of
contents of
the selected file within the inline viewing window in dependence upon the set
size
restriction.
[0060] In another embodiment, the data processor medium further comprises code
for
setting a maximum expandable size for the inline viewing window.
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[0061] In another embodiment, the data processor medium further comprises code
for
configuring a user actionable control to select a file.
[0062] In another embodiment, the data processor medium further comprises code
for
configuring automatic selection of the next adjacent file in the list of
files.
[0063] In another embodiment, the data processor medium further comprises code
for
triggering selection of the next adjacent file based on scrolling past the
limit of a set size
restriction of the inline viewing window for the currently selected file.
[0064] In another embodiment, the data processor medium further comprises code
for
configuring a user actionable control to unselect a file, such that the inline
viewing
window for the unselected file is closed.
[0065] While illustrative embodiments have been described above, it will be
appreciated
that various changes and modifications may be made. More generally, the scope
of the
invention is defined by the following claims.
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