Abstract:
A computer program product having a computer readable medium tangibly recording computer program logic, the computer program product including code to provide a web access program different from a general-purpose web browser, with the web access program including code to render upon a display screen a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that has a first side for viewing content, code to render a second side in the GUI, the second side including a list of articles, the second side further including a plurality of selectable features allowing user input to access one or more of the articles, and code to place accessed articles in the first side.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. ZMBP.P0015US), filed concurrently herewith and entitled, “SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS PROVIDING AN INTEGRATED USER INTERFACE FOR READING CONTENT,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates, in general, to user interfaces and, more specifically, for user interfaces for selecting articles. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of a conventional web browser  100 . The web browser  100  has pull-down menus  102 , forward and back navigation buttons  104 , an entry field  106  for a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), bookmarklets  108 , and tabs  110  as are well known in the art. The functional features for navigation, such as items  102 - 110  are placed in the control portion, which is separate from the viewing portion  120 . Viewing portion  120  is where content is rendered for the user. For example, text, pictures, videos, games, and the like are rendered in viewing portion  120 . 
         [0004]    Web-based content such as blogs or magazines are typically accessed using a web browser the same as or similar to that shown in  FIG. 1 . One use scenario is that when a user goes to a blog or feed, the user is presented with a list of articles. If the user only comes to visit that site infrequently there may be many new articles that have been published since the user last visited. Roughly speaking, there are a few ways that the user may access the long list. One modality includes the user being presented with a list of titles and abstracts. The user gets a long list of the titles and abstracts and clicks on the ones of interest. The user serially clicks, reads, and goes back to the list to find and click the next article of interest. 
         [0005]    In another modality the user goes through the list of titles and abstracts and selects which ones the user wants to read and then later goes back to read the selected articles. The second modality is usually performed using tabs  110  in web browser  100 , where the user right clicks on a link and selects an “open in tab” option that opens the selected article in a new tab. So as the user goes through the list and selects, e.g., four articles, the user creates four tabs on web browser  100 , and the user can select the articles using the different tabs. 
         [0006]    In one specific example of the second use modality, a user clicks on one of the bookmarklets  108  to get a list  112  of articles through an Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed. List  112  is shown in  FIG. 2 , which is another illustration of web browser  100 . The user can select articles in list  112 , and each selected article is opened up in its own tab. Google Reader™ is a more advanced RSS and Atom reader and works in a similar manner to that shown in  FIG. 2 . However, whether a user opens and reads articles one at a time or opens up many articles at once, these two use modalities tend to create an inconvenient navigation burden on a user and may create a screen that is too cluttered for easy use. 
         [0007]    In an third and related use modality, a user employs a service that saves selected web pages for reading later. Examples of such services include Instapaper™, Read It Later™, Laterloop™, and Later This™. Generally speaking, such services may provide a bookmarklet that a user can click on when a user has a tab opened to a web page that the user would like to visit later (perhaps offline). The service then creates a list of the web pages to be visited later. The user may access the list either on the same computer or on a different computer, and even on an application on a handheld device. However, in such services, the user must select a page to be viewed later and then open the page—at least a two step process. Viewer selection of articles in any of the three use modalities above is not well-supported by tabbed browsing, alone, or the services that allow a user to select and read an article later. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0008]    Various embodiments are directed to systems, methods, and computer program products that provide an interface wherein one side provides a list of articles and selection mechanisms and another side includes the articles that are selected. The interface may be in the content-viewing portion of a general-purpose web browser or part of an application that is not a general-purpose web browser. 
         [0009]    The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0011]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show a conventional web browser; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of an exemplary Graphical User Interface (GUI) adapted according to one embodiment of the invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is an illustration of a GUI, adapted according to one embodiment of the invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a conceptual illustration of an example GUI adapted according to one embodiment of the invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is an illustration of an exemplary method adapted according to one embodiment of the invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is an illustration of an exemplary system adapted according to one embodiment of the invention; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  illustrates an example computer system adapted according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of exemplary Graphical User Interface (GUI)  300  adapted according to one embodiment of the invention. GUI  300  is shown upon a tablet computer  350  (e.g., an iPad™, available from Apple) that has a touchscreen surface where a user interacts with GUI  300  through hand gestures upon the screen. Of note in  FIG. 3  is that GUI  300  exists in an application for the tablet computer  350  and is separate from any general-purpose web browser that may be supported by tablet computer  350 . Various embodiments of the invention may be implemented as web page functionality displayed in a browser, a browser plug-in, a stand-alone application, or any other way now known or later developed. Furthermore, while the example of  FIG. 3  is shown in a tablet computer, various embodiments may be used in other types of processor-based device, such as laptop computers, desktop computers, and portable devices such as phones. 
         [0019]    GUI  300  includes column  330 , integrated in GUI  300  with columns  310 ,  320 . The items in column  330  correspond to available articles. A user can select one, some, all, or none of the available articles to be viewed. Upon selection, an article is divided into text and graphics and distributed in columns  310 ,  320 . Column  330  includes indicators showing which of the articles have been selected and are available for viewing in columns  310 ,  320 . Specifically, column  330  includes circles that when filled in, colored, or otherwise visually marked, indicate that a corresponding article has been selected. In  FIG. 3 , circles  301 - 304  are visually marked to indicate having been selected. 
         [0020]    Column  330  also includes tabs  331 - 334 , which each correspond to a topic and act as a filter, thus reducing the list of article summaries displayed in column  330 . At any given time, there may be more articles selected than display space available, so columns  310 ,  320  are scrollable. When a tab is selected, the corresponding article is brought into view in columns  310 ,  320 . Column  330  may also be scrollable if the list of articles is long. READ SELECTED button  335  can be used to switch between all available articles and the selected articles. CLEAR SELECTED button  336  allows for the various selections to be cleared. 
         [0021]    Additionally, the selected articles may be loaded for offline use. For example, the selected articles can be placed in memory that is available online or offline. 
         [0022]    As a user selects an article using column  330 , the article appears in columns  310 ,  320 , thereby making selection of articles a one-step process. In this example, the user does not open or close separate tabs or open the article again in another application. In this example, the selection functionality is intuitively integrated with the content display, and articles are easily selected and read in a one-step technique. 
         [0023]    GUI  300  operates with other intuitive and helpful features. For instance, GUI  300  includes column  310  for text portions of articles and column  320  for graphical elements of articles. Columns  310 ,  320  can be independently scrolled and are coordinated so as to automatically align the content of a particular article. The operation of a feature, such as that shown in columns  310 ,  320 , is described in more detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. ZMBP.P0015US), filed concurrently herewith and entitled, “SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS PROVIDING AN INTEGRATED USER INTERFACE FOR READING CONTENT,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
         [0024]    In  FIG. 3 , GUI  300  is shown as part of a stand-alone application, such as may be downloaded and installed in a handheld device or tablet computer. In contrast to a general-purpose web browser, the application of  FIG. 3  is specially adapted for reading articles with text and graphical images and may be less convenient for use in, e.g., playing games or watching videos that are not accompanied by text. 
         [0025]    The selection feature shown in  FIG. 3  is not limited to a stand-alone application, as in  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 4  is an illustration of GUI  400 , adapted according to one embodiment. In this example, GUI  400  is shown completely within the bounds of the content-viewing portion of general-purpose web browser  490  and thus, can be shown as a web page to a viewer. In this example, the entirety of GUI  400  is viewed content within the content-viewing portion of the browser. Nevertheless, the functionality of GUI  400  is the same as that of GUI  300  of  FIG. 3 . In some embodiments, the functionality and content of GUI  400  may be provided through use of known webpage creation resources, such as Hypertext markup Language (HTML), Java™, Flash™, and/or the like. 
         [0026]    Furthermore, the scope of embodiments is not limited to pairing the article-selection technique with the double-column reading interface shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 .  FIG. 5  is a conceptual illustration of GUI  500  adapted according to an example embodiment. GUI  500  integrates selection portion  510  and reading portion  520  into a single view. Selection portion  510  includes list  515  of articles for selection, and when an article is selected, the article (or a representation of the article) appears in reading portion  520 . In one example, when an article is selected, a thumbnail of the article appears in reading portion  520 . In another example, when an article is selected, the article itself appears in reading portion  520 . The article may be specially processed and displayed (such as with the columns  310 ,  320  of  FIG. 3 ) or may simply be placed in reading portion  520  without more sophisticated processing. 
         [0027]      FIG. 6  is an illustration of exemplary method  600  adapted according to one embodiment of the invention. Method  600  may be performed, for example, by a processor-based device executing a program that instantiates the functional modules shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0028]    In block  601 , a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that has a first side for viewing articles is rendered upon a display screen. In block  602 , a second side of the GUI is rendered. The second side includes a list of articles and selectable features allowing user input to access one or more of the articles in the list. In block  603 , articles accessed using the selectable features are placed in the first side. In block  604 , the accessed articles are loaded for offline use. 
         [0029]    Various embodiments are not limited to the exact method shown in  FIG. 6 . Various embodiments may add, omit, rearrange, or modify actions. For instance, many embodiments will render first and second sides perceptibly simultaneously, so that actions of block  602  are performed with actions of block  601 . Furthermore, the method  600  may be performed in the context of a general purpose web browser, where the GUI is entirely within the content-viewing portion of the browser, in the context of a stand-alone application different from a web browser, or in the context of a plug-in for another program, and/or the like. 
         [0030]    Additionally, the term “article” is used herein in the examples above to refer to magazine or newspaper articles, though the term is not limited thereto. Articles may include other divisions of content, such as book chapters and/or the like. 
         [0031]      FIG. 7  is an illustration of an exemplary system  700  adapted according to one embodiment of the invention. System  700  includes functional modules  701  and  702 . The divisions of the functional modules is conceptual and exemplary, as the functions may be performed by a single functional unit or divided between two or more functional units different than those shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0032]    Some embodiments include one or more advantages over other techniques. For instance, various embodiments provide a GUI that is more intuitive than previous attempts at allowing users to access multiple articles. Whereas previous techniques required at least two steps to save and retrieve some articles, various embodiments of the present invention provide a one-step technique from the user&#39;s point of view. Additionally, various embodiments may also provide a less cluttered alternative to opening up multiple tabs on a general-purpose web browser. Also, various embodiments may be more elegant and less navigation intensive than repeated, serial open-and-read actions. 
         [0033]      FIG. 8  illustrates an example computer system  800  adapted according to one embodiment of the present invention. That is, computer system  800  comprises an example system on which embodiments of the present invention may be implemented (such as processor-based device  350  of  FIG. 3 ). Central processing unit (CPU)  801  is coupled to system bus  802 . CPU  801  may be any general purpose or specialized purpose CPU. However, the present invention is not restricted by the architecture of CPU  801  as long as CPU  801  supports the inventive operations as described herein. CPU  801  may execute the various logical instructions according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, one or more CPUs, such as CPU  801 , may execute machine-level instructions according to the exemplary operational flow described above in conjunction with  FIG. 6 . 
         [0034]    Computer system  800  also preferably includes random access memory (RAM)  803 , which may be SRAM, DRAM, SDRAM, or the like. In this example, computer system  800  uses RAM  803  to buffer  302  of  FIG. 3 . Computer system  800  preferably includes read-only memory (ROM)  804  which may be PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, or the like. RAM  803  and ROM  804  hold user and system data and programs, as is well known in the art. 
         [0035]    Computer system  800  also preferably includes input/output (I/O) adapter  805 , communications adapter  811 , user interface adapter  808 , and display adapter  809 . I/O adapter  805 , user interface adapter  808 , and/or communications adapter  811  may, in certain embodiments, enable a user to interact with computer system  800  in order to input information, such as hand gestures (via a touchscreen or a pointing device) that indicate that one or more articles are selected. 
         [0036]    I/O adapter  805  preferably connects to storage device(s)  806 , such as one or more of hard drive, compact disc (CD) drive, floppy disk drive, tape drive, etc. to computer system  800 . The storage devices may be utilized when RAM  803  is insufficient for the memory requirements associated with storing media data. Communications adapter  811  is preferably adapted to couple computer system  800  to network  812  (e.g., the Internet, a LAN, a cellular network, etc.). User interface adapter  808  couples user input devices, such as keyboard  813 , pointing device  807 , and microphone  814  and/or output devices, such as speaker(s)  815  to computer system  800 . Display adapter  809  is driven by CPU  801  to control the display on display device  810  to, for example, display the articles. 
         [0037]    While the above examples are provided in the context of tablet computers with touchscreens, the scope of embodiments is not so limited. For instance, some embodiments may be adapted for use with handheld devices, laptop computers, desktop computers, workstations, and/or other process-based devices with a GUI. Additionally, some embodiments can be used with devices that do not have a touchscreen but, instead, rely on another manner of screen navigation, such as pointing, hotkeys, and the like. Moreover, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to general purpose computers and may be implemented on other types of processors, such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits. In fact, persons of ordinary skill in the art may utilize any number of suitable structures capable of executing logical operations according to the embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0038]    Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.