Providing contextual on-object control launchers and controls

• US 10,061,473 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2011
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Doan, Christopher, Gueniot, Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): Keaton, Sherrod
• Application Number:
  US13/293,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20130124989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,483 Days
• Field of Search: 715711
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

Object editing controls may be provided. First, a selection of an object within an electronic document may be received. Then, in response to the received selection of the object, at least one selectable control may be displayed. The at least one selectable control may be configured to provide a set of most commonly used editing controls for editing the selected object. Upon selection of the at least one selectable control, a user interface comprising the set of most commonly used editing controls may be deployed next to the selected object.

Claims

1. A computer-readable hardware device having a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for providing object editing controls, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

receiving a first selection of an object within an electronic document;

displaying, in response to receiving the first selection of the object, at least one selectable control attached to a fixed position relative to the object, the at least one selectable control being configured to provide, upon selection, a set of editing controls for the object;

receiving a second selection of the at least one selectable control; and

deploying, in response to receiving the second selection, the set of object editing controls for editing the property of the object in a user interface displayed adjacently to the selectable control attached to a fixed position relative to the object, wherein the set of object editing controls include a plurality of checkboxes representing editing controls that have their control parameters optimized for a type of the object;

receiving an input to move the object from a first position within the electronic document to a second position within the electronic document;

continuing to display the at least one selectable control attached to the fixed position relative to the object while the object is moving to the second position within the electronic document;

receiving a third selection of at least one checkbox of the plurality of checkboxes, wherein receiving the third selection comprises receiving an indication of user-focus on the at least one checkbox, and wherein applying functionality of the corresponding editing control comprises generating a dynamic preview of the functionality onto the object; and

applying a functionality of the editing control corresponding to the selected at least one checkbox.

2. The computer-readable hardware device of claim 1, wherein deploying, in response to receiving the second selection, the set of editing controls comprises:

determining the most commonly used editing controls; and

displaying a checkbox for the most commonly used editing controls.

3. The computer-readable hardware device of claim 1, wherein overlaying, in response to receiving the first selection, at least one selectable control on top of the object comprises displaying at least one of the following:

a first selectable control configured to provide, upon selection, layout controls;

a second selectable control configured to provide, upon selection, element controls; and

a third selectable control configured to provide, upon selection, style controls.

4. The computer-readable hardware device of claim 1, further comprising displaying, upon receiving an indication of user-focus on the at least one selectable control, a tool-tip for the at least one selectable control.

5. The computer-readable hardware device of claim 1, wherein deploying, in response to receiving the second selection, the plurality of checkboxes representing the set of editing controls comprising deploying the plurality of checkboxes having certain checkboxes preselected when the object reflects properties corresponding to those certain checkboxes.

6. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of user-focus on at least one checkbox; and

providing, in response to the indication of the user-focus, an additional selectable control configured to, upon selection, deploy additional controls operative to edit parameters of an editing control corresponding to the at least one checkbox.

7. A system for providing object editing controls, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory storage, the at least one processor configured to;

receive a preselection of a set of controls to be displayed pertaining to an object;

receive a first selection of a chart in an electronic document;

display within borders of the chart, in response to the first selection of the chart, at least one selectable control attached to a position relative to the chart, wherein the at least one selectable control is used for editing the property of the chart and the at least one option is from the preselected set of controls;

receive an input to move the chart from a first position within the electronic document to a second position within the electronic document;

continue to display the at least one selectable control within the borders of the chart within the electronic document, wherein the at least one selectable control remains attached to the position relative to the chart;

receive a second selection of the at least one selectable control;

determine a plurality of commonly used controls for editing objects of a same type as the chart;

display adjacent to the at least one selectable control, in response to the second selection, a plurality of commonly used editing controls for editing the chart;

receive an indication of user-focus on one of the plurality of commonly used controls; and

provide, in response to receiving the indication of the user-focus on a control in the plurality of commonly used controls, a preview comprising a temporarily modified object reflecting an underlying functionality of the user-focused control.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein displaying the commonly used controls includes displaying a checkbox corresponding to each of the set of most commonly used controls, the checkbox having a corresponding label indicating an editing function that may be applied upon the selection of the checkbox.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to display one or more additional selectable controls as an overlay over a portion of the object.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to display, upon receiving an indication of user-focus on the at least one selectable control, a tool-tip for the at least one selectable control.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to display, in response to receiving the second selection, the set of controls pertaining to the object comprises deploying editing controls having their control parameters optimized to correspond to a chart type.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one selectable control include one or more of a control for editing the layout of the chart, a control for editing elements displayed within the chart, or a control for editing a style of the chart.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of commonly used editing controls include one or more of a title editing control, an axis title editing control, a legend editing control, a gridlines editing control, a data labels editing control, a data table editing control, a trendline editing control, or an error bars editing control.

14. A method for providing object editing controls, the method comprising:

receiving a preselection of a set of controls to be displayed pertaining to an object;

receiving a first selection of a chart in an electronic document;

displaying outside of the borders of the chart, in response to the first selection of the chart, at least one selectable control attached to a position relative to the chart, wherein the at least one selectable control is used for editing the property of the chart and the at least one option is from the preselected set of controls

receiving an input to move the chart from a first position within the electronic document to a second position within the electronic document;

continuing to display the at least one selectable control, wherein the at least one selectable control remains attached to the position relative to the chart;

receiving a second selection of the at least one selectable control;

determining a plurality of commonly used controls for editing objects of a same type as the chart;

displaying adjacent to the at least one selectable control, in response to the second selection, a plurality of commonly used editing controls for editing the chart;

receiving an indication of user-focus on one of the plurality of commonly used controls; and

providing, in response to receiving the indication of the user-focus on the one of the plurality of commonly used controls, a preview comprising a temporarily modified object reflecting an underlying functionality of the user-focused control.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises displaying, in response to receiving the indication of user-focus on the one of the plurality of commonly used controls, an options trigger adjacent the one of the plurality of commonly used controls.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a selection of the options trigger; and

in response to receiving the selection of the options trigger, displaying a fly-out menu containing additional options for editing the chart.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one selectable control include one or more of a control for editing the layout of the chart, a control for editing elements displayed within the chart, or a control for editing a style of the chart.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of commonly used editing controls include one or more of a title editing control, an axis title editing control, a legend editing control, a gridlines editing control, a data labels editing control, a data table editing control, a trendline editing control, or an error bars editing control.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a third selection of at least one of the plurality of commonly used controls; and

applying a functionality of the selected at least one editing control to the chart.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein displaying the commonly used controls includes displaying a checkbox corresponding to each of the set of most commonly used controls, the checkbox having a corresponding label indicating an editing function that may be applied upon the selection of the checkbox.