Displaying nodes visually offset from associated components

• US 10,268,346 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2016
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kamiyama, Yoshiroh, Shima, Kotaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Pringle-Parker, Jason A
• Application Number:
  US15/370,923
• Publication Number:
  US 20170083193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

[Object] To facilitate user'"'"'s operations.

[Solution] An editing apparatus is provided including: a component output unit for outputting a display screen on which a plurality of components are displayed; a node output unit for outputting a plurality of nodes respectively corresponding to the plurality of components on the display screen so that the nodes are displayed along with the plurality of components so as to overlap the display of the plurality of components; and a setting unit for setting, in response to a user'"'"'s instruction of association between two or more of the nodes, an association between two or more of the components corresponding to the two or more of the nodes.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

outputting, to a display screen, a plurality of concurrently-displayed software components;

outputting, to the display screen, two nodes respectively associated with two of the plurality of software components; and

outputting, to the display screen and responsive to a selection of the two nodes, a link connecting the two nodes, wherein

a first of the two nodes is graphically linked to the software component to which the first node is associated, and

the first node displays a selected property of the software component to which the first node is associated, wherein

the two nodes, respectively, visually appear to be at different heights,

the one node is an upper face of the three-dimensional shape, and

the associated software component is a lower face of the three-dimensional shape.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the first node is graphically linked to the software component with a three-dimensional shape, and

the three-dimensional shape includes

the one node as one portion and

the associated software component as a second portion.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional shape is a truncated pyramid.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

the link is based upon the selected property.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein

a second of the two nodes is associated with a tab of one of a plurality of windows.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein

each of the plurality of concurrently-displayed software components are a window with which an application program executed by the computer is associated.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein

each of the plurality of concurrently-displayed software components respectively create a display on the display screen.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein

each of the plurality of concurrently-displayed software components are a window with which an application program executed by the computer is associated.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein

each of the plurality of concurrently-displayed software components respectively create a display on the display screen.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein

the link directly connects the two nodes together.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein

the first and second nodes are each user-selectable graphical elements.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein

each of the first and second nodes are distinct from and not part of the software components to which these nodes are respectively associated.