Floating element system and methods for dynamically adding features to an application without changing the design and layout of a graphical user interface of the application

• US 10,394,535 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Igor Barinov
• Original Assignee: Igor Barinov
• Inventors: Barinov, Igor
• Primary Examiner(s): Tank, Andrew L
• Application Number:
  US14/673,239
• Time in Patent Office: 1,611 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A floating element system and methods for dynamically adding features to an application without changing the design and layout of a GUI of the application are disclosed. At least one method is implemented as a visual software development tool of a software program. In some embodiments, the method adds a floating element to the GUI of the application.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program which when executed by at least one processing unit of a computing device dynamically adds features to an application without changing the application design or the application layout, said program comprising sets of instructions for:

providing, to a user computing device associated with a user of the application, a first set of functions of the application;

providing, to the user computing device, a graphical user interface (GUI) of the application, said GUI comprising a first layer GUI;

providing, to the user computing device, a first set of GUI tools in the first layer GUI, wherein the first set of functions of the application are accessible to the user of the application by way of the first set of GUI tools, wherein the first set of GUI tools includes a particular GUI tool;

rendering the first layer GUI and the first set of GUI tools in the first layer GUI for a target display screen associated with the user computing device, wherein the first layer GUI is rendered with a tool space area and a free space area;

visually outputting the rendered first layer GUI and the first set of GUI tools in the tool space area of the first layer GUI on the target display screen associated with the user computing device, wherein the particular GUI tool is located at a particular position in the tool space area of the first layer GUI;

providing, to the user computing device, a transparent second layer of the application after rendering the first layer GUI and the first set of GUI tools in the tool space area of the first layer GUI;

providing, to the user computing device, a visible floating element configured for display within a first geometric area of the transparent second layer when the application is running on the user computing device, wherein the first geometric area is configured for display at least in part over the free space area of the first layer GUI;

initializing the visible floating element based on a set of local settings;

retrieving a set of cloud-based parameters to use in rendering the visible floating element for the target display screen associated with the user computing device;

rendering the transparent second layer of the application to span the top of the first layer GUI;

rendering the initialized visible floating element based on the retrieved set of cloud-based parameters, wherein the initialized visible floating element is rendered for display within the first geometric area that is configured for display at least in part over the free space area of the first layer GUI rendered for the target display screen associated with the user computing device;

visually outputting the visible floating element on the target display screen associated with the user computing device, wherein the visible floating element is visually output as a selectable floating element icon within the first geometric area of the transparent second layer and at least in part over the free space area of the first layer GUI without obstructing access to the first set of GUI tools in the tool space area of the first layer GUI on the target display screen of the user computing device, wherein the visible floating element provides access to a second set of functions of the application;

visually outputting a second set of GUI tools in a window of the GUI of the application contemporaneously with receiving a selection of the selectable floating element icon by rendering the window of the GUI for display within a second geometric area that is outside of and adjacent to the first geometric area of the transparent second layer that spans the top of the first layer GUI, wherein the second set of GUI tools provides access to the second set of functions of the application from within the window of the GUI;

receiving a user selection at a location within a third geometric area of the transparent second layer, wherein the third geometric area is an empty area of the transparent second layer that is outside of the second geometric area of the transparent second layer and is at least in part over the tool space area of the first layer GUI and which provide visibility and functional access to the first set of GUI tools of the first layer GUI of the application, wherein the location of the user selection within the third geometric area is visibly equivalent to the particular position of the particular GUI tool in the tool space area of the first layer GUI;

removing the window of the GUI and the second set of GUI tools from display within the second geometric area of the transparent second layer in response to the user selection within the third geometric area of the transparent second layer; and

activating the particular GUI tool in response to the user selection within the third geometric area of the transparent second layer, wherein the visible floating element remains visually output as the selectable floating element icon within the first geometric area of the transparent second layer on the target display screen of the user computing device after activating the particular GUI tool in response to the user selection.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for retrieving the set of cloud-based parameters comprises sets of instructions for:

reading the set of cloud-based parameters;

evaluating the set of cloud-based parameters; and

determining whether to visually output the selectable floating element icon.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

returning the set of cloud-based parameters when the selectable floating element icon is associated with a feature to dynamically add to the application; and

returning no parameters from the set of cloud-based parameters when the selectable floating element icon is not associated with a feature to dynamically add to the application.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for storing a set of usage statistics.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for providing a visible floating element configured for display within a geometric area of the transparent second layer comprises sets of instructions for:

loading the local settings and the cloud-based parameters into the application when the application is running on the user computing device; and

visually outputting the selectable floating element icon in connection with the local settings and the cloud-based parameters.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the transparent second layer and the visible floating element are GUI elements rendered for display of the application without requiring any change to the first layer GUI and the first set of GUI tools, wherein the transparent second layer and the visible floating element do not prevent interaction with the first layer GUI and the first set of GUI tools.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for activating the particular GUI tool comprises sets of instructions for:

providing a third set of GUI tools that provides access to a third set of functions in a different first layer GUI;

rendering the different first layer GUI and the third set of GUI tools in the different first layer GUI for the target display screen associated with the user computing device, wherein the different first layer GUI is rendered for visual output to span beneath the transparent second layer of the application; and

removing the first layer GUI from display and visually outputting the rendered different first layer GUI and the third set of GUI tools in the different first layer GUI beneath the transparent second layer of the application on the target display screen associated with the user computing device.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the different first layer GUI and the third set of GUI tools in the different first layer GUI are rendered for display of the application without any change to the display of the visible floating element in the transparent second layer.