FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to facilitating viewing and navigating of large documents, menus and web-pages on small screens, such as those of smart-phones, for example.

BACKGROUND

Many mobile devices, including cellular phones, smart-phones, tablet computers, iPads, and the like, are characterized by having relatively small display screens.

Where such devices are used to view documents, menu screens, or web pages, which contains large amounts of information, it is impossible to read the text or to enjoy the graphics if the entire width of the document or web page is fit to the width of the screen. Instead, to view menus, websites and the like on a small screen, it is generally necessary to scroll the document or web page, generally either by scroll-bars, buttons, or by touching-dragging- dropping.

Scrolling down a page is relatively easy, since reading, at least of texts in Latin, Hebrew and Arabic characters, is generally from side to side, but if the whole width of the page cannot fit to the screen at a readable resolution, it is necessary to scroll from side to side. This is particularly troublesome for the user.

There is a need for a convenient way to handle the tradeoff between the small screen size and the high desired resolution whereby the font is legible. The present invention addresses this need. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the invention is directed to a method of navigating throughout a virtual landscape having overall virtual dimensions that are bigger than the physical dimensions of a display of a device, by sensing the spatial movement of the display and then translating the spatial movement of the display into virtual movement across the landscape, and translating the spatial movement into coordinates for calculating the necessary scrolling of the screen.

Typically, the spatial movement is sensed by at least one type of sensor.

Optionally, the sensor is a type of technology consisting of at least one of gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometer and camera video analysis sensor. Preferably, the method includes compensating for macro movement of the device due to the user traveling in a vehicle.

In one embodiment, the method is applied to reading text of a virtual document on a display of a browser configured for browsing the document, wherein the display has narrower dimensions than the document being browsed at a resolvable magnification, and whereby the browser has scrolling facility and the effect of scrolling the browser moves the display over the document, so fresh parts of the document are displayed.

Typically, the document comprises alphanumeric symbols.

Typically, the document comprises text.

Optionally, the document comprises a menu.

In some embodiments the document comprises graphics (e.g. icons)

Optionally, the browser is selected from the group consisting of an internet enabled mobile phone, a smart phone, a Palm Pilot, a portable computer, a tablet computer, an iPad and an electronic book reader.

Optionally, the document is selected from the group consisting of a PDF, a Webpage, a menu, a spreadsheet, and a document in a text editor or word processor program having an area for text between the margins thereof, larger than the width of the screen.

Typically, the resolvable magnification is a magnification resolvable on the display.

Most typically, the resolvable magnification is a magnification resolvable by the eye of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, purely by way of example, to the accompanying drawings.

With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention; the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice.

Fig. 1 shows an operational and logical flow-chart for the present invention; Fig. 2a shows a document browser having a small display, the browser exemplified as a smart phone;

Fig. 2b(l) shows the document browser of Fig. 2a with a part of a virtual document displayed thereon, and the assumed position of the non-displayed part of the virtual document, that is the remaining parts of the document, shown for illustrative purposes only, and

Fig. 2b(2) shows the document browser/display of Fig. 2b(l) showing a displayed area partially overlapping the displayed area of Fig. 2b(l), but with the display shifted to the right, such that the left part of the image of Fig. 2b(l) is not shown on the screen of the device in Fig. 2b(2), and the right side of the display screen of Fig. 2b(l) is now at the left side of the display in Fig. 2b(2), and on the right side of the display of Fig. 2b(2) is a part of the virtual document not formerly displayed, wherein in both Fig. 2b(l) and Fig. 2b(2), parts of the document not displayed at all on the screen, are shown for illustrative purposes around the outside of the screen. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention enables scanning through documents in a manner analogous to how one scans a landscape through a telescope or binoculars. A portion of a document is displayed on the screen, such that the boundaries of the screen frame the portion of the screen displayed, and the act of scrolling to the left moves the document being viewed to the right with respect to the field of view, giving the illusion that the boundaries of the frame move to the left. Similarly, scrolling to the right moves the frame to the right with respect to the underlying document, which is equivalent to moving the underlying document to the left.

Another way to think of this, is that the display is analogous to a window exposing a momentary partial view of a webpage or document. Scrolling moves the window exposing a different part of the webpage or document. In this manner, a new way of scrolling, or navigating, throughout a document/menu/screen whose dimensions are bigger than the display is provided.

Fig. 1 is an operational and logical flowchart for the method of the invention. The display of a document browser is physically moved 21 and the movement is sensed 22 by an appropriate sensing device as discussed elsewhere herein. The sensed movements are translated 22 into spatial coordinates. Based on the translated coordinates the screen is scrolled relative to the boundaries of the display.

With reference to Fig. 2a, a screen 10 of a smart phone 12 is shown. In Fig. 2b(l), smart phone 12 is superimposed over text 14 and a drawing 16 on a document 18 such as a webpage or other electronic document such as a PDF, standard Word document page equivalent to A4 or American Foolscap. The part of document 18 that is displayed on screen 10, is typical of the part of the webpage or document 18 that fits onto screen 10.

In Fig. 2b(2), the effect of scrolling slightly to the right is shown, wherein the part of the document 18 displayed on screen 10 of the mobile phone includes the right part of that displayed in screen 10 of Fig. 2b(l), now at the left of screen 10 of Fig. 2b(2) where on the right side of screen 10 in Fig. 2b(2), part of document 18 that was previously not displayed and which was off screen to the right of the portion viewed in Fig. 2b(l) is now shown.

It should be noted that screen 10 may at times also be denoted herein as display 10. No distinction between screen and display is intended.

It will be understood, that Figs. 2b(l) and 2b(2) are conceptual illustrations wherein that portion of document 18 not shown within screen 10 of smart phone 12, is not displayed and doesn't actually have a visible, physical existence. This is rather the illusion provided to the viewer, who perceives the effect of scrolling to the right like moving a magnifying glass or frame to the right over a document.

Using a device such as a smart-phone having movement sensors, the physical movement of the device to the left or right (or up and down) is equivalent to moving a frame of a page or a window over a landscape or other view.

In various embodiments, the physical movement of the device may be sensed by internal sensors within the device, such as, gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, or camera picture analysis sensors, and the like. These motion signals are converted to virtual navigation across the document/menu/screen.

It will be appreciated that the type of navigation described might be combined with additional interface technology, including buttons, touch, gestures, and the like.

In one embodiment, the sliding window navigation is only effected while pressing a button on the device thereby minimizing the risk of unintentionally changing the part of the document displayed by giving an unintended movement of the device over the virtual document. In some embodiments, shaking the device has the effect of "resetting" the window coordinates over the entire landscape (document/menu/screen etc.), to show the wider picture, albeit in low resolution, such that detail is lost.

In preferred embodiments of the invention as described herein, the performance of device 12 may be enhanced by using low pass and/or high pass filters over movements sensed by internal gyro/accelerometers etc., to filter vibrations and give a smoother sliding window feeling. In some configurations, forward or inside movements of the device 12 might be translated as "zooming in", resulting in a smaller region of the document 18 being displayed on screen 10 of device 12 in higher resolution. In other embodiments, device 12 may be configured such that such movements may be interpreted as selecting an option such as centering the displayed part of the document on or indicating a region of interest by an arrow or crosshair. In some embodiments, a 3 ^rd axis is used to sense z-axis movement, and navigate "inward" (choosing, clicking, or double clicking) or navigate "outward" (return or go back to previous display or menu in the hierarchy).

Where the user is traveling in a vehicle, the sensors are preferably desensitized so that the device doesn't scroll as a result of the velocity or acceleration of the vehicle.

It will be appreciated that the method described hereinabove may be varied somewhat. Thus the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and includes both combinations and sub combinations of the various features described hereinabove as well as variations and modifications thereof, which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description.

In the claims, the word "comprise", and variations thereof such as "comprises", "comprising" and the like indicate that the components listed are included, but not generally to the exclusion of other components.