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Presentation of large objects on small displaysRelated Patent Categories: Data Processing: Presentation Processing Of Document, Operator Interface Processing, And Screen Saver Display Processing, Presentation Processing Of Document, Layout, Area DesignationPresentation of large objects on small displays description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070124669, Presentation of large objects on small displays. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates to a method, a computer program, a computer program product, a device and a system for presenting at least a part of an object on a display. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The ongoing miniaturization of multi-media devices such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) or mobile phones in recent years appears to be only bounded by the perceptual limits of the human user. This particularly applies to the design of the displays of multimedia devices, with a remarkable trend to increase the relative area of the device that is consumed by its display. However, the display sizes of, for example, hand-held devices are necessarily significantly smaller than the display sizes, for which content is usually designed. If for instance content of the World Wide Web (WWW), i.e. web pages formatted according to the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or derivatives thereof (such as Extensible HTML (XHTML)), is to be displayed on the display of a hand-held device, it has to be considered that these web pages normally have an original presentation size designed for portrayal on a computer monitor, the dimensions of which are often remarkably larger than the display dimensions of a hand-held device such as a mobile phone. [0003] Viewing web pages on a small display requires horizontal and vertical scrolling with scroll bars, which is generally experienced as uncomfortable or even annoying for the user. [0004] Consequently, most browsers that are installed in, for example, hand-held devices and provide for the interpretation of the web page content offer the possibility to view web pages in a format that is optimized for the display dimensions of the hand-held device. This is usually achieved by rendering the web page so that it fits the width of the device's display. [0005] This method of rendering the page so that it fits the width of the device's display causes at least the following problems: [0006] Rendered pages get very tall, so a lot of vertical scrolling is required. [0007] The structure of the web page is not preserved well by the rendering process, for example form elements like input fields frequently get separated far away from each other if they are aligned using tables. [0008] An original layout mode is required as an additional viewing method, as all the pages just do not convert usably into tall and narrow format. [0009] In said original layout mode, the web page is displayed in its original presentation size, i.e. a size wherein objects of said web page have the size that is prescribed by the object format (e.g. image or text format) and/or the markup language. Even when such an original layout mode is provided by the browser, there arise further problems: [0010] As the web page area is big, a lot of panning and zooming is needed to explore the entire content of the web page. [0011] On a small display, it is difficult to figure out the structure of a large page, i.e. the viewer may lose an overview of the entire web page. [0012] Text paragraphs in the original layout usually are wider than the display width, so that paragraphs in the original layout mode on a small display are often difficult to read. [0013] Quite similar problems are encountered when instead of two-dimensional (2D) objects (such as pages), three-dimensional (3D) objects are to be presented on a display. Examples of such 3D objects are a 3D map of a town, for instance obeying the Virtual Reality Markup Language (VRML), or a 3D calendar representation, wherein days, weeks, months or years may be represented by cubes that are accordingly positioned to each other. There currently exists no technique to clearly present such usually large 3D objects on a small display. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0014] In view of the above-mentioned problems, it is, inter alia, an object of the present invention to provide a method, a computer program, a computer program product, a device and a system for an improved presentation of large objects on small displays. [0015] A method is proposed for presenting at least a part of an object, comprising at least partially dividing at least one object into a plurality of sub-objects, presenting said plurality of sub-objects in a first representation, making at least one sub-object of said plurality of sub-objects an active sub-object; and in response to a user operation on said at least one active sub-object, presenting at least one of said at least one active sub-objects in a second representation. [0016] Said at least one object comprises content that may be structured or organized, for instance, the object may contain pictures, tables, text paragraphs, forms, 3D blocks, or similar elements. The layout and size of said at least one object may be optimized for portrayal on a computer monitor or television screen. To allow for a presentation of at least a part of said at least one object, for instance for a displaying on a display the dimensions of which, such as display diagonal or height and width of the display, may be substantially smaller than those of a computer monitor or television screen, said at least one object is at least partially divided into a plurality of sub-objects. For instance, if said at least one object is structured as a table, the cells of the table may represent said sub-objects, and/or if the at least one object contains pictures, said pictures may represent said sub-objects. [0017] Said at least one object is at least partially divided into said plurality of sub-objects. Thus either the complete object, or only a part thereof may be divided into sub-objects. In case of several objects, said objects may be completely divided into sub-objects or only parts of each object may be divided into sub-objects. Said parts may be the same for said objects, for instance only a center region or the content of a specific frame on each object, or said parts of said objects may be different. [0018] Said at least one object may be divided into different types of sub-objects, wherein each type may for instance be characterized by a different degree of detail, a different size or a different appearance, and wherein sub-objects of different types may-be associated with each other. Said object may for instance be a map of a town, and then a first type of sub-objects may be buildings of said town, and a second type of sub-objects may be rooms of the buildings, wherein the rooms then may be associated with the buildings. The plurality of sub-objects then may have a hierarchical structure. [0019] According to the present invention, it is also possible that several objects are at least partially divided into sub-objects. These several objects may for instance be pages of a text document, slides of a presentation, several web pages, several 3D objects or any other accumulation of information-carrying objects. When dividing said several objects into sub-objects, not necessarily each sub-object corresponds to one object. For instance, several objects may correspond to a sub-object, or only parts of an object may correspond to a sub-object. At least partially dividing several objects into sub-objects that are presented in a first representation and then, upon user operation, at least partially in a second representation allows the user to comfortably gain an overview on information that is spread across several objects and thus naturally difficult to perceive. [0020] Said plurality of sub-objects is then presented in a first representation. This may for instance be a small representation , i.e. the size of said sub-objects may be reduced as compared to their original presentation size, wherein said original presentation size of said sub-object depends on the original presentation size of said at least one object said sub-object is a part of. Said original presentation size of said at least one object may for instance be the size of said at least one object as prescribed by a format of said object, for instance a 2D or 3D image or text format or a markup language, and may for instance be defined in units of pixels or inches. In said first representation, said sub-objects of said plurality of sub-objects may, for instance, be scaled to a smaller size by reducing the height and/or width and/or depth of the original presentation size of said sub-object, or may be cropped by cutting off parts of said sub-object and displaying the remaining part, for instance, the content in the upper left corner of a 2D sub-object, or may be indicated by an icon, for instance, an icon symbolizing an image or an input field. For different sub-objects of said plurality of sub-objects, different size reduction techniques such as scaling, cropping, using icons or any combination of them may be used. Said first representation may also comprise total skipping of sub-objects of a object, if said sub-objects are decided to contain no relevant information, or if it is desired to remove advertisements or other unwanted content. In said first representation, the actual content of said sub-objects in first representation may no longer be clearly distinguishable. However, active elements such as hyperlinks, animated images, forms or similar elements within said sub-objects may still properly work in said first representation (or at least be recognizable). [0021] With said plurality of sub-objects being presented in first representation, it may be possible to reduce the original presentation size of the at least one object down to a size that lends itself for portrayal on a small display. However, even in this first representation, 1D, 2D or 3D scrolling may be required (in one, two or three dimensions of a Cartesian or spherical coordinate system, respectively) to explore sub-objects of said plurality of sub-objects in said first representation. Even when the content of one or more sub-objects in said first representation may no longer be clearly visible, a viewer gets an overview on the structure and contents of the at least one object, wherein the required amount of 1D, 2D or 3D scrolling may be eliminated or at least reduced. The same holds for the presentation of more than one object by dividing the objects into sub-objects and displaying said sub-objects in a first and a second representation, which allows the user to gain a structured overview on information that is spread across several objects. [0022] When presenting said plurality of sub-objects in said first representation, at least one of said sub-objects is made an active sub-object, i.e. it may, for instance, be made selectable, for instance by a viewer or by a browser. Said user operation on said at least one active sub-object then would be a selection, and said at least one active sub-object being selected then becomes a selected sub-object. [0023] Prior to said selection, said at least one active sub-object may be focused. Focusing may be implemented in a way that an accentuation can be navigated among said active sub-objects, for instance, via a cursor, and by pressing a key or a button, the active sub-object that is currently accentuated/focused, is selected. As an alternative for selection, each active sub-object may be assigned a number, letter or symbol, and the active sub-object then can be selected by pressing a key with the corresponding number, letter or symbol or entering a command into a user interface. Further alternatively, said selection may be accomplished via tipping on the active sub-object with a stylus or a finger on a touch-screen display, or with a mouse pointer, if mouse functionality is provided in a device, or via eye tracking, voice control or similar non-contact techniques that allow for an identification of selected sub-objects. In this case, said user interaction then may only be an eye movement or a spoken word. [0024] Said selection may also be automatically accomplished by a device or application, based on pre-defined selection information, for instance a sub-object that contains new content or a sub-object that contains a form may be automatically selected or alternatively, said active sub-object may be automatically highlighted, for example, by placing a focus or cursor onto it, but not automatically selected. [0025] At least one of said at least one active sub-objects is then presented in a second representation. If said user operation is a selection of said at least one active sub-object, said at least one active sub-object presented in said second representation then corresponds to said selected sub-object. In said second representation, which may, for instance, be a large representation, said selected sub-object may be scaled to a larger format than in said first representation, or may be less cropped, or both, so that its content may be more properly inspected and used. If said selected sub-object is indicated by an icon in said first representation, in said second representation its actual content may be presented. In said second representation, said selected sub-object may be scaled to fit at least one dimension of a display, for instance the width of the display (scaling may also be done so that e.g. text is shown in its full presentation size but forced to wrap to display width), or it may be scaled to its original presentation size (possibly so that all text inside a sub-object is forced to wrap to the display width and is, for example, left aligned). However, scrolling may still be required to entirely view the selected sub-object in said second representation. In said second representation, said selected sub-object may be presented alone, or together with neighboring sub-objects, wherein active neighboring sub-objects or both active and non-active neighboring sub-objects may be presented. Scrolling from said selected sub-object to said neighboring sub-objects may be possible by interaction of the viewer or browser. Said at least one selected sub-object and possibly said neighboring sub-objects in said second representation, and sub-objects in said first representation may well be presented at the same time. For instance, when said plurality of sub-objects in said first representation is presented, the selection of an active sub-object may cause an enlargement of the selected sub-object, wherein said selected sub-object then is displayed in said second representation, together with the plurality of sub-objects in said first representation, but possibly without the first representation of the selected sub-object, which now is presented in said second representation. To preserve the layout of the at least one object when mixing first and second representations, it may be advantageous that sub-objects that are at least partially at the same height or width or depth as the selected sub-object, for instance, in the same row or column in a 2D table layout, are also displayed in second representation, wherein their up-scaling then depends on the size or scaling of the selected sub-object in said second representation. For these sub-objects on the same height/width/depth, enlarging may also be done in one dimension, for example increasing only the width of sub-objects above/below the selected sub-object. By de-selecting said selected sub-object, said plurality of sub-objects is then presented in said first representation again, and a different active sub-object may be selected for closer inspection. When one active sub-object is selected, the user may scroll a display on which said active sub-object is presented, so that one or more of the neighboring sub-objects become visible, wherein these neighboring sub-objects may be in first or second representation. The user may then directly select any of the neighboring sub-objects, and after selection, the new selected sub-object is shown in second representation and other sub-objects (including the sub-object that was previously shown in second representation) are shown in first representation. [0026] Alternatively, it is possible that when selecting a neighboring sub-object, both the neighboring sub-object and a previously selected sub-object are shown in second representation. In this way the user can choose more than one sub-object to be shown in second representation at a time. The user can also de-select sub-objects one by one to return them to be shown in first representation. [0027] The present invention obviously allows for an improved presentation of large objects on small displays by breaking down at least one object into a plurality of sub-objects, which are presented in a clear first representation that may grant the viewer an overview on the structure of the at least one object, and, via the possibility to select active sub-objects in said first representation via user operation and then to view said selected sub-objects in a second representation, also may allow to present relevant sub-objects of the at least one object in adequate size. In contrast to state-of-the-art techniques, it may be possible to skip the necessity of a complex original layout mode. The amount of scrolling, panning and zooming required to get an overview on the at least one object and to explore its content can be significantly reduced, so that less user interaction is needed and one-hand usage is facilitated. 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