Automatically generating, and providing multiple levels of, tooltip information over time
View Patent ↗A tooltip is updated dynamically as a user continues to hover a cursor over any displayed item for which additional information is available. The initial tooltip is terse or has one type of information, while the updates add more or substitute different information. Tooltips are created dynamically from whatever information is available about displayed items at the time. A client displays a web page, while a server identifies displayed items for which additional information is available, obtains the information, and either provides the information to the client to generate tooltips therefrom or generates the tooltips and provides them to the client.
1. A method comprising:
a web client requesting a page of information;
a web server providing the page of information to the web client in response to the request;
the web client displaying the page of information;
identifying in the page those items that may have additional information associated with them;
obtaining the additional information for those items that may have additional information associated with them;
indicating the identified items in the page;
creating tooltips in the web server for those items that may have additional information associated with them;
providing in the web server the additional information and the tooltips to the web client;
pointing a pointer to one of those items that may have additional information associated with them in the displayed page;
in response to the pointing, displaying a tooltip for the pointed-to item, wherein the displaying of a page of information, the pointing, the indicating, and the displaying of a created tooltip are effected by the web client, and the creating is effected by one of the web client and the web server; wherein indicating comprises:
the web server caching the page;
the web server indicating those items that may have additional information associated with them in the cached page;
the web client requesting an undated said page;
in response to the requesting of the updated page, the web server providing the cached page indicating those items that may have additional information associated with them, and one of the obtained information and the tooltips, to the web client; and
in response to the providing of the cached page, the web client displaying the provided cached page.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the web server providing the additional information and the tooltips to the web client comprises
the web server providing to the web client a pointer to the additional information and the tooltips.
3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
the web server providing security credentials, certificates, or other login information to the web client such that the web client may securely connect to another server pointed to by the pointer to obtain the additional information and the tooltips.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein:
displaying a tooltip comprises
in response to the pointer pointing to the pointed-to item for a first predetermined amount of time, displaying for the pointed-to item a created tooltip that includes first information, and
in response to the pointer pointing to the pointed-to item for an additional second predetermined amount of time, displaying for the pointed-to item a created tooltip that includes second information of the additional information that at least in part differs from the first information.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein:
the second information is more detailed than the first information.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein:
the second information is of a different type than the first information.
7. The method of claim 4 wherein:
the second information is shaded, highlighted, underlined, bolded, or otherwise visibly different in font, font type, color, or format from the first information.
8. The method of claim 4 further comprising:
in response to the pointer pointing to the item for a third predetermined amount of time in addition to the second predetermined amount, displaying for the pointed-to item a created tooltip that includes third information of the additional information that at least in part differs from both the first and the second information.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein:
the third information is shaded, highlighted, underlined, bolded, or otherwise visibly different in font, font type, color, or format from the second information.
10. At least one computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by at least one computer, cause the at least one computer to perform the method of one of the claims 1 , 2 - 3 , and 4 - 9 .
11. An apparatus comprising:
a display for displaying a page that comprises items;
a pointer for pointing to the displayed items;
a store for storing tooltips for the items;
one or more processors adapted to cooperate for identifying in the page those items that have additional information associated with them, for obtaining the additional information for those items that have additional information associated with them from external sources, for indicating those items that have additional information associated with them in the page, for creating tooltips for those items that have additional information associated with them from the obtained information, and adapted to respond to the pointer pointing to one of those items that have additional information associated with them in the displayed page, for displaying a tooltip for the pointed-to item;
the display and the pointer are included in a web client; and
the one or more processors comprise
a first processor included in the web client, for requesting a page of information, and adapted to respond to the pointer pointing to one of those items that have additional information associated with them in the displayed page, for displaying a tooltip for the pointed-to item,
a second processor included in a web server, for providing the page of information to the web client in response to the request, for identifying in the page those items that have additional information associated with them, for obtaining the additional information for those items that have additional information associated with them from external sources, for indicating those items that have additional information associated with them in the page, and for providing the additional information and the tooltips to the web client; wherein
one of the first processor and the second processor is adapted for creating the tooltips for those items that have additional information associated with them from the obtained information
the first processor is further adapted for requesting an updated said age, and for displaying a page provided in response to the request; and
the second processor is further adapted for caching the page, for indicating those items that have additional information associated with them in the cached page, and for providing the cached page indicating those items that have additional information associated with them, and one of the obtained information and the tooltip, to the web client in response to the request for the undated said page.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein:
the one or more processors are adapted to display for an item a created tooltip that includes first information in response to the pointer pointing to the item for a first predetermined amount of time, and are further adapted to display for the pointed-to item a created tooltip that includes second information of the additional information that differs at least in part from the first information in response to the pointer pointing to the pointed-to item for an additional second predetermined amount of time.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein:
the second information is more detailed than the first information.
14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein:
the second information is of a different type than the first information.
15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein:
the one or more processors are further adapted to respond to the pointer pointing to the displayed item for a third predetermined amount of time in addition to the second predetermined amount, for displaying for the pointed-to item a created tooltip that includes third information of the additional information that differs at least in part from both the first and the second information.
16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein:
the display and the pointer are included in an application client;
the one or more processors comprise
a first processor included in the application client, for requesting information and for displaying the requested information, and adapted to respond to the pointer pointing to one of those items that have additional information associated with them in the displayed information, for displaying a tooltip for the pointed-to item, and
a second processor included in an application server, for providing the requested information to the application client in response to the request for identifying in the provided information those items that have additional information associated with them, for obtaining the additional information for those items that have additional information associated with them, and for providing the additional information and the tooltips to the application client; wherein
one of the first processor and the second processor is adapted for creating the tooltips for those items that have additional information associated with them from the obtained information.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein:
the second processor is adapted to query one or more other processors on a network.
18. A method comprising:
a web client requesting a page of information;
a web server providing the page of information to the web client in response to the request;
the web client displaying the page of information;
identifying in the page those items that may have additional information associated with them;
obtaining the additional information from the web server for those items that may have additional information associated with them;
indicating the first items those items that have additional information associated with them in the page;
creating tooltips in the web server for the first items those items that have additional information associated with them from the obtained information;
providing in the web server the additional information and the tooltips to the web client;
pointing a pointer to one of the first items those items that have additional information associated with them in the displayed page;
in response to the pointing, displaying a tooltip for the pointed-to item; wherein
the displaying of a page of information, the pointing, the indicating, and the displaying of a created tooltip are effected by the web client,
the creating is effected by one of the web client and the web server;
the web server providing the additional information and the tooltips to the web client comprises the web server providing to the web client a pointer to the additional information and the tooltips; and
the web server providing security credentials, certificates, or other login information to the web client such that the web client may securely connect to another server pointed to by the pointer to obtain the additional information and the tooltips.