Method and apparatus for identifying user-selectable elements having a commonality thereof

• US 10,282,072 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2017
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 9224-5489 Quebec Inc., Maya-Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: 9224-5489 Quebec Inc.
• Inventors: Audet, Mathieu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ries, Laurie A
• Application Number:
  US15/604,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20170255368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

Operations for identifying user-selectable elements are detailed in the present application, the operations comprising providing a first group of user-selectable elements having a first attribute in common, displaying the first group of user-selectable elements in a first array thereof, providing a second group of user-selectable elements having a second attribute in common, displaying the second group of user-selectable elements in a second array thereof, and displaying a visual distinctive feature in connection with a set of user-selectable elements having a third attribute in common, the set of user-selectable elements comprising at least one user-selectable element from the first group of user-selectable elements and at least one user-selectable elements from the second group of user-selectable elements, wherein the third attribute is associated with each user-selectable elements in the set of user-selectable elements irrespective of the position of each user-selectable element in relation to one another in the first array and the second array, the visual distinctive feature identifying the user-selectable elements associated with the third attribute from the user-selectable elements not associated with the third attribute. Variations thereof, non-transitory instructions and, inter alia, a graphical user interface thereof are also contemplated therein.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations on user-selectable elements, the operations comprising:

providing a first group of user-selectable elements having a first attribute in common;

displaying the first group of user-selectable elements in a single row of consecutive user-selectable elements along a substantially rectilinear axis of user-selectable elements, in a first array thereof, in accordance with a first timeline thereof;

providing a second group of user-selectable elements having a second attribute in common;

displaying the second group of user-selectable elements in a single row of consecutive user-selectable elements along a substantially rectilinear axis of user-selectable elements, in a second array thereof, in accordance with a second timeline thereof independent from the first timeline, the first array of user-selectable elements and the first timeline thereof being concurrently displayed in a parallel configuration with the second array of user-selectable elements and the second timeline thereof;

axially aligning the first timeline of the first group of user-selectable elements with the second timeline of the second group of user-selectable elements to transversally align a first specific time of the first timeline and a second specific time of the second timeline; and

displaying a graphical identification simultaneously interacting with both the first array of user-selectable elements and the second array of user-selectable elements to identify the specific times along the first timeline and the second timeline.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations on user-selectable elements of claim 1, wherein the user-selectable elements are documents.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations on user-selectable elements of claim 1, wherein the graphical identification is a line.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations on user-selectable elements of claim 1, wherein the user selectable elements are distinct from one another and discretely located about respective individual time stamps along the timelines.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations on user-selectable elements of claim 1, wherein the graphical identification identifies a present moment time along the timelines separating a past portion of the timelines and a future portion of the timeline.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations on user-selectable elements of claim 1, wherein the graphical identification is movable along the timelines.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations on user-selectable elements of claim 1, wherein a group of user-selectable elements is provided on a basis of a query.

8. A method of displaying a graphical identification in an axes-based graphical user interface, the method comprising:

providing a first group of user-selectable elements having a first attribute in common;

displaying the first group of user-selectable elements in a single row of consecutive user-selectable elements along a substantially rectilinear axis of user-selectable elements, in a first array thereof, in accordance with a first timeline thereof;

providing a second group of user-selectable elements having a second attribute in common;

displaying the second group of user-selectable elements in a single row of consecutive user-selectable elements along a substantially rectilinear axis of user-selectable elements, in a second array thereof, in accordance with a second timeline thereof independent from the first timeline, the first array of user-selectable elements and the first timeline thereof being concurrently displayed in a parallel configuration with the second array of user-selectable elements and the second timeline thereof;

axially aligning the first timeline of the first group of user-selectable elements with the second timeline of the second group of user-selectable elements to transversally align a first specific time of the first timeline and a second specific time of the second timeline; and

displaying a graphical identification simultaneously interacting with both the first array of user-selectable elements and the second array of user-selectable elements to identify the specific times along the first timeline and the second timeline.

9. The method of displaying a graphical identification in an axis-based interface of claim 8, wherein the user-selectable elements are documents.

10. The method of displaying a graphical identification in an axis-based interface of claim 8, wherein the graphical identification is a line.

11. The method of displaying a graphical identification in an axis-based interface of claim 8, wherein the user selectable elements are discretely located about respective individual time stamps along the timelines.

12. The method of displaying a graphical identification in an axis-based interface of claim 8, wherein the graphical identification identifies a present moment time along the timelines separating a past portion of the timelines and a future portion of the timeline.

13. The method of displaying a graphical identification in an axis-based interface of claim 8, wherein the graphical identification is movable along the timelines.

14. The method of displaying a graphical identification in an axis-based interface of claim 8, wherein a group of user-selectable elements is provided on a basis of a query.

15. A non-transitory computer readable program code for execution by a computing apparatus for implementing a graphical user interface on a display device, the graphical user interface comprising:

a first group of user-selectable elements having a first attribute in common, the first group of user-selectable elements being displayed in a first display area in a single row consecutive user-selectable elements along a substantially rectilinear axis of user-selectable elements, in a first array thereof, in accordance with a first timeline thereof;

a second group of user-selectable elements having a second attribute in common, the second group of user-selectable elements being displayed in a second display area in a single row of consecutive user-selectable elements along a substantially rectilinear axis of user-selectable elements, in a second array thereof, parallel to the second array, in accordance with a second timeline thereof independent from the first timeline,

the first array of user-selectable elements and the first timeline thereof being concurrently displayed in a parallel configuration with the second array of user-selectable elements and the second timeline thereof, the first timeline of the first group of user-selectable elements and the second timeline of the second group of user-selectable elements being longitudinally aligned to transversally align a first specific time of the first timeline and a second specific time of the second timeline; and

a graphical identification simultaneously interacting with both the first array of user-selectable elements and the second array of user-selectable elements to identify the specific times along the first timeline and the second timeline.

16. The non-transitory computer readable program code for implementing the graphical user interface of claim 15, wherein the user-selectable elements are documents.

17. The non-transitory computer readable program code for implementing the graphical user interface of claim 15, wherein the graphical identification is a line.

18. The non-transitory computer readable program code for implementing the graphical user interface of claim 15, wherein the user selectable elements are independent from one another and discretely located about respective individual time stamps along the timelines.

19. The non-transitory computer readable program code for implementing the graphical user interface of claim 15, wherein the graphical identification identifies a present moment time along the timelines separating a past portion of the timelines and a future portion of the timeline.

20. The non-transitory computer readable program code for implementing the graphical user interface of claim 15, wherein the graphical identification is movable along the timelines.