Portable electronic device and method for displaying large format data files
View Patent ↗A portable electronic device includes a rendering circuit to visualize large format data files on a narrow display. The large format data files are rendered using either a desktop display mode or a mobile display mode. The desktop display mode renders the data file using data file-specified dimensions and resolutions. The data file is viewable in its entirety by automatic scrolling achieved by moving a cursor near the edge of the display. Data file elements may be edited while in desktop display mode. The mobile display mode renders the elements of the data file as a list with minimal regard for spatial orientation. Navigation in mobile display mode is field-to-field.
1. A method of displaying large format data files with elements having a file-specified spatial relationship on a display of a portable electronic device comprising:
entering a first display mode to render one or more elements from the large format data file as a scrollable vertical list of elements without maintaining the file-specified spatial relationship between elements; and
receiving a selection signal to change to a second display mode; and
switching from the first display mode to the second display mode in response to the selection signal, wherein the second display mode includes rendering a viewable portion of the large format data file on the display while keeping elements of the large format data file in the file-specified spatial relationship, and wherein the second display mode permits scrolling of the viewable portion to display non-visible portions of the large format data file.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, when in the first display mode, receiving selection of one of the elements, and, in response to the selection, indicating that the one of the elements is an editable field.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing a preferred initial display mode for the device, and wherein the preferred initial display mode is used when first displaying a new data file.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein one of the elements comprises an editable field within the viewable portion of the large format data file, and wherein the method further comprises, when in the second display mode, receiving selection of the editable field, receiving input, and entering the input to editable field.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, when in the second display mode, receiving selection of a selected region of the viewable portion based on a navigable box, and zooming-in on the selected region.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein one of the elements comprises an active link, and wherein the method further comprises linking to an additional data file in response to selection of the active link.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising initially determining that the large format data file is a large format file.
8. A portable electronic device comprising:
a display for displaying large format data files; and
a processor for controlling the display, wherein the processor is configured to cause the display to render a large format data file in a first display mode to render one or more elements from the large format data file as a scrollable vertical list of elements without maintaining the file-specified spatial relationship between elements,
and wherein the processor is configured to switch between the first display mode and a second display mode in response to a selection signal,
and wherein the processor is configured to render the large format data file in the second display mode by rendering a viewable portion of the large format data file on the display while keeping elements of the large format data file in the file-specified spatial relationship, and wherein the second display mode permits scrolling of the viewable portion to display non-visible portions of the large format data file.
9. The portable electronic device of claim 8 further comprising:
a portable housing having the display mounted thereon;
a input device for manipulating a cursor viewable on the display, the input device mounted on the portable housing; and
a memory storing the large format data file and a rendering application, wherein the rendering application is executable by the processor and includes program instruction for configuring the processor to operate in the first display mode and the second display mode.
10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the rendering application is configured to store a preferred initial display mode for the user of the device and wherein the preferred initial display mode is used when first displaying a new data file.