Patent ID: 7818683
Filing Date: 2010-10-19
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method of representing a user's navigational path in a web environment, the method comprising: enabling a user to successively display on a first computer system a plurality of pages of a web site or a web application from a second computer system; maintaining a full breadcrumb path with a processor associated with the second computer system, the full breadcrumb path including a link to each of the plurality of pages previously displayed to the user; communicating, from the second computer system to the first computer system, information configured for displaying a shortened breadcrumb path on a currently displayed page of the plurality of pages, the shortened breadcrumb path including fewer links than are included in the full breadcrumb path; communicating, from the second computer system to the first computer system, information configured for displaying a full breadcrumb path panel on a currently displayed page of the plurality of pages, the full breadcrumb path panel displaying the full breadcrumb path, the full breadcrumb path panel being displayed to the user as a top layer of the currently displayed page and arranged such that the full breadcrumb path panel appears to graphically float as the top layer over one or more portions of a lower layer of the currently displayed page; communicating, from the second computer system to the first computer system, information configured for displaying a full breadcrumb path selector on a currently displayed page of the plurality of pages as an element of the shortened breadcrumb path that is distinct from links in the shortened breadcrumb path, the full breadcrumb path selector configured to initiate display of the full breadcrumb path panel when selected by the user; and communicating, from the second computer system to the first computer system, information configured for displaying an inline menu panel on a currently displayed page of the plurality of pages, the inline menu panel displaying a list of links to visited pages in the plurality of pages at the same level, the inline menu panel being displayed to the user as a top layer of the currently displayed page and arranged such that the inline menu panel appears to graphically float as the top layer over one or more portions of the shortened breadcrumb path on currently displayed page.