Abstract:
A method and apparatus for selecting an item on a display screen with a touch interface by touching the display screen with a finger or stylus-type device. The touch point on the screen is detected, and a touch radius is established with respect to the touch point. When selectable items are detected to be displayed at least partially within the touch radius of the touch point, they are partially activated by altering the manner in which they are displayed. Upon detection of another touch point selecting a partially activated item, that item is fully activated and the other partially activated items are deactivated.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE 
       [0001]    This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) on U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/095,792, filed Sep. 10, 2008, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference into the present application. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates generally to activating links using a user agent such as a web browser which is implemented in a handheld or mobile device. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Computer users typically use user agent applications such as web browsers to access documents and other resources that are available over a computer network to which their computer is connected. Such resources may be identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), usually a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), which identifies the resource uniquely and provides the information necessary for locating and accessing the resource. A web page or other document, which is displayed on a user agent such as a web browser, may provide a link to the URI of a particular resource. Thus, user agents generally provide an interface allowing a user to activate a link in order to access the corresponding resource. For example, conventional interfaces for user agents such as web browsers include clicking devices, such as a mouse, to allow a user to click on a link to activate it. 
         [0004]    The interface of a user agent may serve other functions in addition to activating links. For instance, there may be other types of elements on a web page than just links with which the user may interact. For instance, a user may input information by clicking on a radio button, or by clicking on and typing information in an edit field. Also, the user may be allowed to click on images in the web page in order to display larger versions thereof. 
         [0005]    However, the interfaces provided on user agents in mobile or handheld devices may prove to be troublesome to the user. For instance, trying to click small links in web pages on mobile devices at a normal reading zoom level has historically been very error-prone. The latest trend for mobile and handheld devices has been to implement a touch-screen input device to allow the user to use finger touch or a stylus to perform the “click” action. Conventional touch-screen devices normally detect the location of contact of the finger/stylus as a single point on the screen (similar to a mouse click), even though the user made contact with a larger surface area of the screen. This becomes problematic since, due to the size constraints of the mobile or handheld device, it can be difficult for the user to accurately aim the finger or stylus at a specific point on a screen. As a result, the user&#39;s attempt to click on a particular interactive element could result in no element or the wrong element being clicked. 
         [0006]    Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a less error-prone way of allowing a user to interact with a user agent such as a web browser using his/her finger or a stylus. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    A system and method is provided to allow a user agent with a touch screen interface to provide the user a certain margin of error when using his/her finger or stylus to click on an interactive element on the display. 
         [0008]    For example, when a user&#39;s finger is used to perform the click action, it can be assumed that the finger will cover a certain area and merely detecting a single point for the click might not be accurate. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention utilize this concept by determining a coverage area, i.e., “touch radius,” around the point on the touch-sensitive display where the click was detected. The area within the touch radius may be scanned for any interactive elements (e.g., links, images, or form controls) that are contained, or at least partially contained, therein. Any interactive elements detected as a result of such scanning may be treated as potential targets of the user. 
         [0009]    According to an exemplary embodiment, when multiple interactive elements are detected as potential targets as a result of the scanning, resulting in an ambiguity as to which interactive element the user intended to touch, such elements may be expanded on the display. The expanding of such elements may help resolve the ambiguity by making it easier for the user to touch the intended target. Yet further embodiments of the present invention may highlight or animate interactive elements to indicate that they are in the radius of potentially selected items if, for example, such elements are already equal to or larger than a predetermined size. Further embodiments still may combine expansion with animation, highlighting, or other display effects to indicate they are in the radius of potentially selected elements. Yet further embodiments may associate different types of interactive elements with different scales or degrees of expansion and/or different types of display effects; thus, when disparate types of interactive elements are within the radius, each element type may be provided with a distinct display effect and/or scale of expansion with respect to the other element types. 
         [0010]    Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a computing device that can be used for implementing exemplary embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is diagram illustrating a user agent that may be used in conjunction with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  each illustrates a detected click and the area corresponding to a “touch radius” on the screen of a mobile or handheld device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIGS. 4A-4E  provide a flow chart illustrating a method according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 5A-5C  illustrate the expansion of a link and an image that that is a link, which are within the touch radius, according to an exemplary embodiment; 
           [0017]      FIGS. 6A-6E  illustrate the expansion of a link and a simple form control, which are within the touch radius, according to an exemplary embodiment; and 
           [0018]      FIGS. 7A-7E  illustrate the expansion of a link and a complex form control, which are within the touch radius, according to an exemplary embodiment 
       
    
    
       [0019]    The drawings will be described in detail in the course of the detailed description of the invention. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings identify the same or similar elements. Also, the following detailed description does not limit the invention. Instead, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof. 
         [0021]    The present invention is directed toward a computer-implemented method and device to facilitate a user&#39;s interaction with a user agent (e.g., web browser) via a touch-screen interface. This method may be implemented as part of the user agent in order to reduce errors in the user agent&#39;s determination of which interactive element on the display the user intended to activate by touch. 
         [0022]    For purposes of this specification, the term “interactive element” refers to any element of a web page or other type of displayable document with which a user may interact to access or input data. Interactive elements may include, but are not limited to, the following types: hyperlinks or links, images which act as links, simple form controls (e.g., buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons), or complex form controls (e.g., edit fields, drop-down list, listboxes). More detail regarding these types of interactive elements will be provided below. 
         [0023]    Further, for purposes of this specification, the term “activate” refers to the act of invoking underlying functionality of an interactive element, or changing the state of the interactive element to make it functional. For example, “activate” may refer to opening a link to access a further resource, clicking on a simple form control (e.g., checkbox or radio button), or making it possible to edit/interact with a complex form control (e.g., putting an edit field in an editable state). 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  illustrates a generalized computing device  100  that can be used as an environment for implementing various aspects of the present invention. According to exemplary embodiments, it is contemplated that the computer device  100  may be implemented as a mobile or handheld device, e.g., a personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile telephone, etc. However, the principles of the present invention may be applied to other types of computer devices  100 , such as desktop computer, laptop computers, and any other type of computer device  100  as will be contemplated by those of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0025]    In  FIG. 1 , a device  100  has various functional components including a central processor unit (CPU)  101 , memory  102 , communication port(s)  103 , a video interface  104 , and a network interface  105 . These components may be in communication with each other by way of a system bus  106 . 
         [0026]    The memory  102 , which may include ROM, RAM, flash memory, hard drives, or any other combination of fixed and removable memory, stores the various software components of the system. The software components in the memory  102  may include a basic input/output system (BIOS)  141 , an operating system  142 , various computer programs  143  including applications and device drivers, various types of data  144 , and other executable files or instructions such as macros and scripts  145 . 
         [0027]    The communication ports  103  may be connected to one or more local devices  110  such as user input devices, a printer, a media player, external memory devices, and special purpose devices such as e.g. a global positioning system receiver (GPS). Communication ports  103 , which may also be referred to as input/output ports (I/O), may be any combination of such ports as USB, PS/2, RS-232, infra red (IR), Bluetooth, printer ports, or any other standardized or dedicated communication interface for local devices  110 . 
         [0028]    The video interface device  104  is connected to a display unit  120 . According to exemplary embodiments, the display unit  120  has a touch-sensitive screen allowing the display unit  120  to double as a touch-sensitive input device. The touch-sensitive input device aspects of the display unit  120  may be considered as one of the local devices  110  communicating over a communication port  103 . Further, for exemplary embodiments in which the computing device  100  is implemented as a PDA, mobile telephone, or other small portable devices, the display will generally be an integrated display such as an LCD display. However, it will be readily apparent that the principles of the present invention may be applied to situations where the display unit  120  is not integrated with the other elements of the computing device  100 , e.g., where the display unit  120  is a standalone monitor. 
         [0029]    The network interface device  105  provides the device  100  with the ability to connect to a network in order to communicate with a remote device  130 . The communication network, which in  FIG. 1  is only illustrated as the line connecting the network interface  105  with the remote device  130 , may be, e.g., a local area network or the Internet. The remote device  130  may in principle be any computing device with similar communications capabilities as the device  100 , but may typically be a server or some other unit providing a networked service. 
         [0030]    It will be understood that the device  100  illustrated in  FIG. 1  is not limited to any particular configuration or embodiment regarding its size, resources, or physical implementation of components. For example, more than one of the functional components illustrated in  FIG. 1  may be combined into a single integrated unit of the device  100 . Also, a single functional component of  FIG. 1  may be distributed over several physical units. Other units or capabilities may of course also be present. Furthermore, the device  100  may, e.g., be a general purpose computer such as a PC, or a personal digital assistant (PDA), or even a cellphone or a smartphone. 
         [0031]    In an exemplary embodiment, various aspects of the present invention may be incorporated into, or used in connection with, the components and/or functionality making up a user agent or browser installed as an application on a device  100 .  FIG. 2  shows an example of a number of modules that may be present in such a user agent or browser. The modules will typically be software modules, or otherwise implemented by a programmer in software, and may be executed by the CPU  101 . However, it is also possible for any of the modules of  FIG. 2  to be implemented as hardware, a combination of hardware and software, or “firmware,” as will be contemplated by those skilled in the art. 
         [0032]    The user agent or browser  200  presents the user with a user interface  201  that may be displayed on the display unit  120  shown in  FIG. 1 . The user interface  201  may include an address field  202  where the user may input or select the URL of a document or a service he or she wants the user agent  200  to retrieve. For example, the user may use a keyboard or other type of input device to type in the URL in the address field  202 . The address field  202  may also be a link that is displayed and may be activated by the user by touch according to principles of the present invention (alternatively, such a link may also be activated using a pointing device such as a mouse). Alternatively the URL may be specified in the code of a document or script already loaded by the user agent  200 . 
         [0033]    In any case, the URL may be received by a window and input manager  203  that represents the input part of the user interface  201  associated with, or part of, the user agent  200 . The URL may then be forwarded to a document manager  204 , which manages the data received as part of the document identified by the URL. 
         [0034]    The document manager  204  forwards the URL to a URL manager  205 , which instructs a communication module  206  to request access to the identified resource. The communication module  206  may be capable of accessing and retrieving data from a remote device  130  such as a server over a network using the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), or some other protocol such as HTTPS or FTP. The communication module  206  may also be capable of accessing data that is stored in local memory  102 . 
         [0035]    If communication outside the device  100  is required to be encrypted, e.g., as specified by the protocol used to access the URL, encryption/decryption module  207  handles communication between the URL manager  205  and the communication module  206 . 
         [0036]    The data received by the communication module  206  in response to a request is forwarded to the URL manager  205 . The URL manager  205  may then store a copy of the received content in local memory  102  using a cache manager  208  which administers a document and image cache  209 . If the same URL is requested at a later time, the URL manager  205  may request it from the cache manager  208 , which will retrieve the cached copy from the cache  209  (unless the cached copy has been deleted) and forward the cached copy to the URL manager  205 . Accordingly, it may not be necessary to retrieve the same data again from a remote device  130  when the same URL is requested a second time. 
         [0037]    The URL manager  205  forwards the data received from the communication port  206  or cache  209  to a parser  210  capable of parsing content such as HTML, XML and CSS. The parsed content may then, depending on the type and nature of the content, be processed further by an ECMAScript engine  211 , a module for handling a document object model (DOM) structure  212 , and/or a layout engine  213 . 
         [0038]    This processing of the retrieved content is administered by the document manager  204 , which may also forward additional URL requests to the URL manager  205  as a result of the processing of the received content. These additional URL&#39;s may, e.g., specify images or other additional files that should be embedded in the document specified by the original URL. 
         [0039]    When the data representing the content of the specified document has been processed it is forwarded from the document manager  204  in order to be rendered by a rendering engine  214  and displayed on the user interface  201 . 
         [0040]    The various modules thus described are executed by the CPU  101  of device  100  as the CPU  101  receives instructions and data over the system bus(es)  106 . The communications module  206  communicates with the remote device  130  using the network interface  105 . The functionality of various modules in  FIG. 2  may of course be integrated into fewer larger modules. Also, the functionality of a single module in  FIG. 2  may be distributed or replicated over several modules. 
         [0041]    It will further be understood that, while the user agent  200  described above may be implemented as an application program  143 , some of the user agent&#39;s  200  functionality may also be implemented as part of the operating system  142  or even the BIOS  141  of the device  100 . The content received in response to a URL request may be data  144 , script  145 , or a combination thereof as further described below. 
         [0042]    Reference is now made to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , each showing an exemplary screen shot  300  from a user agent  200  to illustrate principles of the present invention. Particularly, as shown in each screen shot  300 , the user interface  200  is displaying interactive elements  305  which are links to URI&#39;s in this particular example. Further, these screen shots illustrate a point  310  (indicated by “+”) corresponding to the location of a click detected by the touch-screen input device integrated into the display unit  120  as a result of a user touch (the integrated touch-screen input device and display unit  120  will sometimes be referred to hereafter as “the touch-sensitive display screen,” or simply “the display screen”). As discussed earlier, conventional touch-screen input devices normally detect the touch of a finger or stylus as a single point. 
         [0043]    However, as further shown in these figures, exemplary embodiments of the invention determine an area  320  surrounding the location  310  of the detected click defined by a radius  330 . For example, in  FIG. 3A , six of the interactive elements  305  (links) are at least partially within the touch radius  330  (i.e., area  320  at least partially encompasses six of the links  305 ). In  FIG. 3B , on the other hand, only one of the interactive elements  305  (links) partially falls within the touch radius  330 . 
         [0044]    According to an exemplary embodiment, a default size for the touch radius  330  may be determined individually for each device  100  in an exemplary embodiment based on factors such as resolution, dots per inch (dpi), quality of the screen, default zoom level, etc. As will be discussed in more detail in connection with  FIG. 4A  below, the default size may further be modified to a specific user, e.g., via a calibration technique. 
         [0045]    Although the interactive elements  305  are shown as being links in the exemplary embodiments of  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the principles of the present invention may be applied to other types of interactive elements including, but not limited to, images that are links, simple form controls, and complex form controls. A description of these additional types of interactive elements  305  are provided below: 
         [0046]    Simple form controls: Form controls whose functionality is invoked by a single click by the user. Examples are buttons, checkboxes, and radio buttons. 
         [0047]    Complex form controls: Form controls that require more complex behavior by the user than a single click. Examples are edit fields, drop-down lists, and listboxes. A complex form control is activated when it is in a state allowing the user to edit it or interact with it to invoke the underlying functionality. For example, when an edit field is activated, a cursor may be provided in the edit field allowing the user to enter text within it. As another example, when a drop-down list is activated, a list of sub-elements drops down below in order to allow the user to click on one of the sub-elements. 
       Description of Exemplary Method of Expanding Interactive Elements: 
       [0048]      FIGS. 4A-4E  provide a flow chart illustrating a method for expanding interactive elements according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0049]    In describing the method of  FIGS. 4A-4E , mention will be made of “expanding” an interactive element  305 . The term “expand” will generally mean to enlarge the size of the element  305  on the display to a predetermined size large enough to make it easy to hit by a finger (or stylus). However, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, if an element  305  to be expanded is already at a size equal to or larger than the predetermined size, the “expansion” of such element  305  may not result in any further enlargement, but instead may result in another type of animation or display effect (e.g., highlighting) showing that the element  305  is determined to be a potential target of selection by the user. Further description of such animations or display effects will be provided below. Any such size-expansion, animation, or display effect of an interactive element  305  can be considered a “partial activation” of such element  305 , although it does not result in fully activating or invoking the intended functionality of such element  305 . 
         [0050]    The method starts with the user agent  200  displaying a web page or other type of document including one or more interactive elements  305  as illustrated in step S 10 . Thereafter, the user may to select one of the displayed interactive elements  305  for interaction by touching (e.g., with a finger or stylus) the element  305  on the touch-sensitive display screen  120  as shown in step S 20 . As described above, the touch-sensitive display screen  120  may detect this touch as a click action at a single point  310  on the screen  120 . Thus, the location of this click point is determined in step S 30 . 
         [0051]    According to an exemplary embodiment, the user agent  200  may allow the user to specify whether the expansion of interactive elements  305  within a touch radius  330  is enabled or not. For instance, the user may be able to navigate to a section of the user interface  201 , e.g., using a menu, which allows the user to turn on or off a setting which enables interactive elements  305  according to touch. Within this specification, such a setting is referred to as the Finger Touch setting. As illustrated in step S 40  of  FIG. 4A , a determination may be made as to whether the Finger Touch setting is turned on or off. 
         [0052]    If Finger Touch is turned off, and thus expansion of interactive elements  305  according to principles of the present invention is not enabled, a conventional processing of the user touch is performed as shown in  FIG. 4B . I.e., a determination is made as to whether one of the displayed interactive elements  305  was directly hit by the click location (step S 110 ), and if so, such interactive element  305  is activated (step S 120 ). 
         [0053]    However, referring again to  FIG. 4A , if Finger Touch is turned on in step S 40 , processing may proceed to step S 50  where the radius  330  surrounding the detected touch location on the touch-sensitive display screen  120  is determined. As discussed above, the default size of the touch radius  330  may be specific to the particular device  100  in which the user agent  200  is implemented, e.g., taking into account the resolution, dpi, default zoom level, and/or other parameters. 
         [0054]    However, the size of the radius  330  may also be modified to conform to the specific usage of an individual user. For instance, an application comprising a configuration wizard may be provided on the device  100  for a first-time-user to determine an optimal size for the radius  330  taking into account the user&#39;s aim. Such a wizard may ask the user to hit a few points with his/her finger (or stylus), and use the results may be used to determine an optimal size. Another example of modifying the size of radius  330  would be to manage it as an application or device setting adjustable by the user (e.g., using a slider), thereby allowing the user to increase or decrease how aggressive the radius  330  is in expanding interactive elements  305 . 
         [0055]    According to an exemplary embodiment, whether set by default or modified to conform to a user, it is contemplated that an optimally determined size for the touch radius  330  will on average detect no more than two interactive elements  305  on the display screen  120 . 
         [0056]    Referring again to  FIG. 4A , after determining the radius  330  surrounding the point  310  of the detected touch on the touch-sensitive display screen  120  (step S 50 ), the area  320  within the touch radius  330  is scanned in step S 60  to find any interactive elements  305  (e.g., links, images, or form controls) which are at least partially within the area  320 . However, according to one exemplary embodiment, the interactive elements  305  found as a result of this scanning may exclude any elements  305  which are outside the screen boundaries such that they are not visible to the user, since there is little likelihood that the user is attempting to select an interactive element  305  not currently displayed. 
         [0057]    An exemplary embodiment of the present invention contemplates that different scenarios of interactive element expansion may be implemented dependent on a user&#39;s preference. For instance, the user may be allowed to turn on/off an Always Expand Nearby Elements setting (referred to in shorthand in  FIG. 4A  as the “Always Expand Setting”). According to this embodiment, when Always Expand Nearby Elements is turned on, all the displayed interactive elements  305  found within the scanned area  320  of radius  330  are expanded (except for those elements  305  excluded as being outside the display boundaries). However, Always Expand Nearby Elements may be turned off in order to limit the expansion of interactive elements  305  to situations where an ambiguity arises. 
         [0058]    Specifically, if step S 70  determines that Always Expand Nearby Elements is on, the method proceeds according to  FIG. 4C . 
         [0059]    As shown in step S 310  of  FIG. 4C , a determination is made as to whether multiple interactive elements  305  are found to be a least partially within the scanned area  320  of the touch radius  330 . If so, all such interactive elements  305  are expanded (step S 210  of  FIG. 4E ), the user can re-attempt to touch the desired (expanded) interactive element  305  (steps S 220  and S 230  of  FIG. 4E ), and the desired element  305  is activated if the touch successfully hits it (steps S 110  and S 120  of  FIG. 4A ). 
         [0060]    However, if step S 310  of  FIG. 4C  determines that multiple interactive elements  305  were not found at least partially within the touch radius  330 , then a determination is made in step S 320  whether even a single interactive element  305  was found at least partially within the radius  330 . If not, it is assumed that the user did not intend to activate any of the interactive elements  305  with his/her touch (or there is not enough information to determine the user&#39;s intent), and the method is terminated. However, if there was a single interactive element  305  found to be at least partially within the touch radius  330 , it is expanded according to step S 330 . In a further exemplary embodiment, if this singular interactive element  305  is determined to be a complex form control, it may also be activated in addition to being expanded as shown in steps S 340  and S 350 . Other types of interactive elements  305  (links, images with links, simple form controls) may simply be expanded as shown in steps S 340  and S 360 , allowing the user another attempt to select it by touch in accordance with step S 370  in combination with steps S 110  and S 120  of  FIG. 4B . 
         [0061]    Concrete examples of how different types of interactive elements  305  are expanded (and further activated, if appropriate) will be provided below in connection with  FIGS. 5-7 . 
         [0062]    However, a different scenario of element expansion may be put into effect if Always Expand Nearby Elements is off Referring again to  FIG. 4A , if step S 70  determines that Always Expand Nearby Elements is turned off, the method proceeds according to  FIG. 4D . 
         [0063]    In effect,  FIG. 4D  illustrates a scenario which allows for an interactive element  305  to be activated, regardless of element type, without first requiring expansion and further user interaction (i.e., re-touch). Specifically, such activation may occur according to the scenario of  FIG. 4D  when it is determined that there is no ambiguity as to the user&#39;s intent to select that element  305 , as will be described below. 
         [0064]    Similar to the case where Always Expand Nearby Elements is turned on, if there are more than one interactive element  305  at least partially within the touch radius  330  when Always Expand Nearby Elements is turned off, all such elements  305  are expanded without being activated, as shown in step S 410  of  FIG. 4D  in combination with step S 210  of  FIG. 4E . Namely, there is an ambiguity as to which of the multiple elements  305  the user intended to activate and, accordingly, the user is provided with expanded potential targets from which he/she may select by touch (see steps S 220  and S 230  of  FIG. 4E ). 
         [0065]    Referring again to  FIG. 4D , if multiple interactive elements  305  are not found to be at least partially within the area  320  of touch radius  330 , step S 420  determines whether a single interactive element  305  was found to be at least partially within the radius  330 . If not, it is assumed that the user did not intend for his/her touch to activate any of the interactive elements  305  (or there is not enough information to determine the user&#39;s intent), and the method is terminated. However, if a single interactive element  305  was found to be at least partially within the touch radius  330 , then the method proceeds to step S 430 . 
         [0066]    According to an exemplary embodiment, it may be advantageous to expand an interactive element  305 , such as complex form controls, even if it can be determined that the user intended to select such element  305  without ambiguity. This is because it is easier for a user to edit or otherwise interact with a complex form control if it is in an expanded state. Thus, according to steps S 430  and S 440  of  FIG. 4D , when a complex form control is found to be the only interactive element  305  at least partially within the touch radius  330 , it is expanded regardless of whether or not it was directly hit by user&#39;s touch. According to a further exemplary embodiment, as shown in step S 450 , the complex form control may also be activated after expansion if it is determined to be the only interactive element  305  at least partially within the touch radius  330 . 
         [0067]    Next, if step S 460  of  FIG. 4D  determines that the interactive element  305  at least partially within touch radius  330  was directly hit at the click point  310 , it can be determined that no ambiguity exists because the user presumably intended to activate the interactive element  305  which he/she actually touched. As such, the interactive element  305  may be activated according to step S 470 . It is also contemplated that there might be advantages to activating the element  305  in an expanded state. Thus, step S 470  could be implemented to expand a previously non-expanded element  305  immediately before activating the element  305 . For example, if a link is to be activated in step S 460 , the link may first be expanded and then immediately activated without user intervention therebetween. Further, step S 470  may additionally perform an optional animation showing the user that the element  305  has been activated (as will be described in further detail below). 
         [0068]    However, if step S 460  of  FIG. 4D  determines that the interactive element  305  within touch radius  330  was not directly hit by the click point  310 , the method proceeds to step S 480 . In this situation, it is determined that an ambiguity as to the user&#39;s intent exists and the element  305  should be expanded. Thus, the method proceeds to expand the element  305  (step S 480 ), and allow the user to touch the expanded element  305  in order to activate it (steps S 490  and S 500  in  FIG. 4D , in combination with steps S 110  and S 120  of  FIG. 4B ). 
         [0069]    Comments will now be provided as to how the above-described method of  FIGS. 4A-4E  would specific situation illustrated in  FIGS. 3A and 3B . The situation shown in  FIG. 3A  is one where six links (“Nord-Trøndelag,” “Oppland,” “Oslo,” “Sogn og Fjordane,” “Telemark,” and “Vestfold”) are at least partially within the scanned area  320  of touch radius  330 . In accordance with the above-described method of  FIGS. 4A-4D , all six of these links would be expanded regardless of whether Always Expand Nearby Elements is on or off. The situation of  FIG. 3B  is one where only one link (“Østfold”) is found partially within the area  320  of radius  330 . In this situation, since this link was not directly hit by the click point  310 , this link will be expanded regardless of whether Always Expand Nearby Elements is on or off, according to the above-described method. 
         [0070]    It should be noted that  FIGS. 4A-4D  are provided merely for the purpose of describing an exemplary embodiment for implementing the principles of the present invention. As such, various modifications may be made, e.g., switching the order of various steps, omitting certain steps, etc., without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. 
         [0071]    With the exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 4A-4D  having been described, examples will now be provided as to how specific types of interactive elements may be expanded and activated for certain situations. Thereafter, a description will be provided of additional features which may be implemented in combination with the exemplary embodiments of the invention already described. 
       Layout of Expanded Elements 
       [0072]    According to an exemplary embodiment, one or more of the following rules may be applied when positioning the expanded elements  305  on the screen of the display unit  120 . 
         [0073]    When one or more interactive elements  305  are to be expanded according to the above-described method of  FIGS. 4A-4E , the resultant expanded elements  305  are to be positioned as close to their original display position as possible. Multiple expanded elements  305  on the same vertical display line may be moved just enough out from their center points, respectively, so they don&#39;t overlap. 
         [0074]    The one or more expanded elements  305  on the same display line may then be moved as a single unit with, e.g., edges corresponding to an imaginary rectangle just large enough to contain all the expanded elements. Then, the following rules may be applied to this unit/rectangle:
       1) If the one or more expanded elements  305  in the unit are positioned completely within the viewport of the touch-sensitive display screen  120 , no further repositioning is necessary;   2) If any part of the unit is positioned outside the viewport, but the unit is small enough for each of the expanded elements to fit inside the viewport, the unit is moved so that each of the expanded elements  305  are positioned inside the viewport; and   3) If the unit is moved, it is moved only as much as possible to make the expanded elements  305  visible, without causing the content of the web page or document move outside the viewport.       
 
         [0078]    However, according to an alternative exemplary embodiment, the unit/rectangle corresponding to the one or more expanded elements may be split into sub-units (or sub-rectangles). For example, according to this alternative embodiment, the following situational rules may then be applied for one or more links which are to be expanded, in an attempt to maintain as much of the initial layout and alignment intact:
       1) Situation—One link displayed on one line is to be expanded, and the width of the expanded link would be smaller or equal to the width of the viewport (screen):
           If the link is visible within the viewport before it is expanded, the expanded link may be displayed as close to the pre-expanded link&#39;s original position as possible;   If the link is only partially within the viewport before it is expanded, the entire expanded link may be displayed within the viewport. If the beginning of the pre-expanded link is outside the viewport, the beginning of the expanded link may be positioned at the left edge of the viewport. If the end of the pre-expanded link is outside the viewport, the end of the expanded link may be positioned at the right edge of the viewport.   
           2) Situation—One link displayed on one line is to be expanded, and the width of the expanded link would be larger than the viewport width: The expanded link may be positioned at the left edge of the viewport.   3) Situation—Multiple links displayed on the same line are to be expanded, and the sum of the widths of the expanded links would be smaller than or equal to the viewport width: All expanded links may be displayed on the same line.   4) Situation—Two links displayed on the same line are to be expanded, and the sum of the widths of the expanded links would be larger than the viewport width: The expanded links may be displayed on two separate lines, which are vertically centered about the original line of the pre-expanded links, and the aforementioned situational rules 1) and 2) may then be applied for displaying each expanded link.   5) Situation—Multiple links displayed on the same line are to be expanded, and the sum of the widths of the expanded would be larger than the viewport width: The rectangle corresponding to the expanded links may be broken into two sub-rectangles, which may be displayed as two stacked rectangles vertically centered about the original rectangle. If a sub-rectangle does not fit within the viewport, it may be broken into two further sub-rectangles, one of which is moved to a new line above or below. This may be repeated until the resultant sub-rectangle fits within the viewport and situational rule 1) may be applied, or until the resultant sub-rectangle comprises only one link, which does not fit the viewport and situational rule 2) may be applied.   6) Situation—One link displayed over two lines is to be expanded, and the rectangle surrounding the link does not overlap any other links: The entire rectangle may be expanded and positioned according to the aforementioned situational rule 1).   7) Situation—One link displayed over two lines (link #1) is to be expanded, and its rectangle overlaps other links (links #2 . . . #n) which are also to be expanded: The rectangle may be split into at least three sub-rectangles, two sub-rectangles for the portions of link #1 on the first and second line, respectively, and at least one sub-rectangle for links #2 . . . #n. The sub-rectangle(s) for expanded links #2 . . . #n may be moved underneath the sub-rectangles for expanded link #1. Further, if the click point  310  is closer to the second line than the first, the sub-rectangles for the expanded links may be shifted so that the sub-rectangle for the first line of expanded link #1 is closer to the click point  310 .       
 
       Expanding and Activating Specific Types of Interactive Elements Links: 
       [0088]    According to an exemplary embodiment, links may be expanded by enlarging them such that both the width and height of the expanded link is at least a predetermined size, e.g., 7.6 mm. According to this embodiment, the smaller of the height and width is enlarged to the expanded size parameter (e.g., 7.6 mm), while the other of the height and width may be expanded in proportion to keep the same height to width ratio. Of course, the 7.6 mm size parameter is only exemplary, and may be increased or decreased according to the size, type, or quality of the display unit  120 , or may be set by the user according to his/her preference. 
         [0089]    Further, if both the height and width of the link are larger than the expanded size parameter (e.g., 7.6 mm), the link might not be enlarged further. In this case, the link may be “expanded” simply by applying an animation and/or display effect showing that it has been determined to be a potential target for selection by the user, as will be described in further detail below. 
         [0090]    According to an exemplary embodiment, when a link (in either expanded or non-expanded state) is activated, an optional animation may accompany such activation to show the user that the link is being opened, as will be described in more detail below. 
         [0091]    In a further exemplary embodiment, when an expanded link is activated, this may result in any other expanded interactive element  305  being set back to its normal display state (i.e., result in the expansion being canceled). 
         [0092]    Also, when activating a currently non-expanded link when the Always Expand Nearby Elements setting is off (e.g., according to step S 460  in  FIG. 4D ), the link may first be expanded, and immediately thereafter activated. 
         [0093]    Further, it is contemplated that any links to be expanded according to the present invention may retain their original style. I.e., the style of the link defined in the html code or style sheet of the displayed web page or document may be kept intact. However, in a further exemplary embodiment, certain visual modifications may occur to a link when it is expanded. For example, the underlining associated with the link may be removed. Also, the expanded link is given a border which is “skinnable” (i.e., can be given a customized graphical appearance). Furthermore, when a link containing both a text and image(s) is expanded, the image(s) within the link may be expanded together with the text. 
         [0094]    Images that are Links: 
         [0095]    According to an exemplary embodiment, for an interactive element  305  which functions as both an image and a link (referred to within this specification as an “image that is a link”), such element  305  may generally be expanded and/or activated the same way as a link. For instance, when the size of an image that is a link is in both the height and width dimensions equal to or larger than a predetermined size of expansion, the expanding of such image may be performed by simply displaying the image with an animation and/or other display effects intended to show it is a potential target of selection by the user. On the other hand, if the size of either the height or width of an image that is a link is smaller than the predetermined size, when expanded it may be enlarged so that the smaller of the height and width is the predetermined size, while maintaining the same height/width ratio. 
         [0096]    According to an exemplary embodiment, the predetermined size for expansion of an image that is a link may either be the same or different than other types of links. 
         [0097]      FIGS. 5A-5C  illustrate an example of the expansion of interactive elements  305 , including links and an image that is a link, which are within the touch radius.  FIG. 5A  shows three interactive elements  305  being displayed by the user agent  200  before the user touches the display unit  120 . These elements  305  in  FIG. 5A  include a link with an image  305 A, a link only with text  305 B, and an image that is a link  305 C. 
         [0098]    According to  FIG. 5B , after the user attempts his/her selection by touch, all three elements  305 A,  305 B, and  305 C are at least partially found within the touch radius  330 , thus causing all three elements  305 A,  305 B, and  305 C to be expanded according to above-described principles of the invention (regardless of whether Always Expand Nearby Elements is on or off). 
         [0099]      FIG. 5C  illustrates the results of expanding these three elements  305 A,  305 B, and  305 C. Particularly,  FIG. 5C  shows that all three are enlarged, and are provided the display effect of skinnable borders. As can be seen from  FIG. 5C , this shows a particular embodiment where the image that is a link  305 C is given a higher degree or scale of expansion than the other types of links  305 A and  305 B. 
         [0100]    Form Controls: 
         [0101]    According to an exemplary embodiment, the expansion of form controls may be performed in substantially the same way as links, although the activation of complex form controls may differ. 
         [0102]    As discussed above, the types of interactive elements  305  which may be expanded and/or activated according to the present invention may include form controls, specifically, both simple and complex form controls. The behavior of simple form controls during expansion and activation may differ from that of complex form controls, as will be discussed in more detail below. 
         [0103]    Simple Form Controls: 
         [0104]    Examples of simple form controls that may be displayed in a web page or document include buttons, check boxes, and radio buttons. 
         [0105]    According to an exemplary embodiment, a button generally behaves the same way as described above for links for both expansion and activation. However, there might be some differences between the behavior of buttons and links, e.g., differences in the degrees of expansion, and accompanying animations and/or display effects. 
         [0106]    Similarly, checkboxes and radio buttons may exhibit similar behavior as links when they are expanded according to principles of the present invention, with possible differences in the degree of expansion and accompanying animations and/or display effects. 
         [0107]    However,  FIGS. 6A-6E  is provided to illustrate the behavior of a checkbox when it is activated, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
         [0108]    Particularly,  FIG. 6A  illustrates a link  305 D and a checkbox (with text)  305 E being displayed by the user agent  200 . As shown in  FIG. 6B , when both elements  305 D and  305 E are at least partially within the radius  330 , they are both expanded in the same way as shown in  FIG. 6C . According to  FIG. 6D , the user selects by touch to activate the expanded checkbox  305 E, and  FIG. 6E  illustrates the resultant activation of the checkbox  305 E. 
         [0109]    As shown in  FIG. 6E , the activation of the checkbox  305 E results in the checkbox  305 E being toggled to a different state, i.e., having a checkmark displayed therein. (Note: since the behavior of the checkbox  305 E is to toggle between states upon activation, if the checkbox  305 E had originally contained a checkmark in  FIG. 6A , it would have been toggled to a state without a checkmark in  FIG. 6E ). Further, as shown in  FIG. 6E , the activation of the checkbox  305 E causes it to revert back to its original non-expanded state. 
         [0110]    In a further exemplary embodiment, the behavior of radio buttons (not shown) upon activation may be similar to that of checkboxes described above in connection  FIGS. 6A-6E . 
         [0111]    Complex Form Controls: 
         [0112]    Examples of complex form controls include edit fields, listboxes, and drop-down lists. In an exemplary embodiment, complex form controls may have two expanded states: inactivated and activated. In the inactivated state, the user can only select them without editing or interacting with them. Alternatively, the user may edit or further interact with a complex form control in the activated state. 
         [0113]    Edit Fields: 
         [0114]    An edit field is a complex form control. Edit fields are expanded, making them bigger and easier to interact with (e.g., allowing a user to place a cursor at a specific position in the edit field with a finger or stylus). When an edit field is expanded, the user can cancel the expansion using the same methods as used for canceling expanded links. 
         [0115]      FIGS. 7A-7E  illustrate the behavior of an edit field when there is an ambiguity as to whether it or another interactive element  305  is being selected by the user&#39;s touch. 
         [0116]    Specifically,  FIG. 7A  shows a situation where a web page or document includes two interactive elements  305 : an edit field  305 F and a link  305 G. According to  FIG. 7B , after the user first attempts to select one of these elements  305 F and  305 G by touch, there is ambiguity as to whether the user intended to click the edit field  305 F or a link  305 G since both are within the touch radius  330 . Accordingly,  FIG. 7C  illustrates both the edit field  305 F and link  305 G being expanded, the expanded edit field  305 F being kept in an inactivated state with no cursor displayed therein (this happens as a result of step S 210  of  FIG. 4E  being performed). However,  FIG. 7D  shows that the user clicks the edit field  305 F while it is in the expanded but inactivated state. According to an exemplary embodiment, and as shown in  FIG. 7E , the user&#39;s clicking of the expanded but inactivated edit field  305 F will cause the expansion of other interactive elements  305  (link  305 G in this specific example) to be canceled, and cause the edit field  305 F to be brought out of the inactivated state into an activated state in which the cursor is displayed and the edit field  305 F can be edited. Also, according to an exemplary embodiment as shown in  FIG. 7E , activation of the edit field  305 F may further cause it to expand to the full width of the viewport to make it for easier to the user to interact with it. 
         [0117]    Drop-Down Lists: 
         [0118]    A drop-down list is another type of complex form control. The expansion of drop-down lists in accordance with the principles of the present invention makes them bigger and easier to interact with. When a drop down is expanded the user can cancel the expansion using the same methods as used for canceling expanded links. 
         [0119]    According to an exemplary embodiment, if there is an ambiguity whether the user intended to click a drop-down list or another interactive element  305  because both are at least partially within the touch radius  330 , both elements are expanded. In this case, the drop-down list is expanded in an inactivated state, i.e., closed. If the drop-down is clicked again in its expanded but inactivated state, it will open or “drop down,” and may further be expanded to a size with which the user is more comfortable to interact. 
       Additional Exemplary Features of Present Invention 
       [0120]    Further description will be provided below of additional features which may be implemented in combination with the exemplary embodiments of the invention already described 
         [0121]    Animations: 
         [0122]    According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, an animation or display effect may optionally accompany each expansion and/or activation of an interactive element  305 . 
         [0123]    For example, the actual expansion of an interactive element  305  may be animated by gradually increasing the size of the element  305  to its final expanded size, rather than abruptly switching its size from the original non-expanded size to the expanded size. The cancellation of the expanded state of an interactive element  305  may also be animated, i.e., the element  305  may be shown gradually shrinking to its original non-expanded size. 
         [0124]    Another example of animation may occur when the expansion of an interactive element  305  necessitates the expanded element  305  being moved to fit within the viewport. For instance, the expanded element  305  may be shown gradually moving to a position that fits within the viewport. 
         [0125]    In a further exemplary embodiment, the activation or opening of an expanded link may optionally be accompanied by an animation. The default behavior may be an “explosion,” where the link is enlarged even further, getting bigger and bigger until it fades out quickly (like it has exploded). However, this default behavior could differ in order to be consistent with a standard behavior on the platform for activating/opening links or other applications. 
         [0126]    In yet a further exemplary embodiment, when one or more interactive elements  305  are expanded, a display effect may optionally be provided to gray out or dim out the remainder of the web page or document (including interactive elements not within the touch radius  330 , as well as other content). Similarly, when an interactive element  305  is activated, this may further cause other interactive elements  305  in an expanded state to not only revert to their non-expanded state, but also to be grayed out with the rest of the dimmed background (optional). 
         [0127]    Scrolling to Cancel Expansion: 
         [0128]    As described above in connection with step S 60  of  FIG. 4A , an exemplary embodiment of the invention only scans the area  320  of touch radius  330  for those interactive elements  305  that are visible to the user, i.e., which are not outside the screen boundaries. Thus, the user interface  201  of the user agent  200  may provide scroll bars and/or a drag-and-scroll feature to allow the user to move interactive element  305  from outside to within the screen&#39;s  120  viewing area so that they may be selected. 
         [0129]    However, if an interactive element  305  is expanded in the viewing area in accordance with the present invention, the user may be able to cancel its expanded state and reset the element  305  to its original size and/or state through scrolling. Specifically, if the user performs a scrolling operation which causes the expanded element  305  to no longer be within the viewport, this may be sufficient to cancel the expanded state of the interactive element  305 . 
         [0130]    Other Ways to Cancel Expansion: 
         [0131]    According to further exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the expansion of interactive elements  305  may also be cancelled by:
       Clicking an expanded link, thereby opening or activating the link;   Clicking a simple form control, which causes the simple form control to activate, i.e., performs the appropriate action;   Clicking any place outside the expanded elements in the grayed out area of the web page or document;   Waiting for a timeout to occur, i.e., a predetermined time period of inactivity, while a link or simple form control is expanded (however, a timeout might not be applicable to complex form controls which are in an expanded and activated state, since they generally require user interaction to confirm completion of task);   Clicking a “Cancel” softkey/button which cancels the expansion (such a “Cancel” softkey/button may be displayed when multiple interactive elements  305  are expanded, or when a single elements  305  is expanded which is not a complex form control; or   Clicking a “Done” softkey/button for complex form controls which require user interaction to confirm completion of a task (such a “Done” softkey/button may be displayed when there is a single complex form control in an expanded and activated state).       
 
         [0138]    The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.