Comment notifications for electronic content

• US 10,657,318 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2018
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Vennix, Sophia Isabel, Wilde, Benjamin Gustav, Cachel, Kathleen Anna, Pandey, Anunaya, Landaverde, Raphael Jose
• Primary Examiner(s): Ries, Laurie A
• Application Number:
  US16/052,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20200042584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 657 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

A comment management system and process for facilitating navigation of discrete segments of electronic content in which users can remain informed as to the comment context for the electronic content as a whole. This can provide collaborative document users the ability to more clearly distinguish comments for a currently viewed content portion from indicators for comments on previous or subsequent segments of content. The indicators can transition between a low visibility mode and a high visibility mode in response to user inputs.

Claims

1. A data processing device comprising:

at least one processor; and

one or more computer readable media including instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

present, on a display, a graphical user interface including;

a first region configured to display at least a first portion of a first discrete segment of electronic content in a sequence of electronic content, the sequence of electronic content including a plurality of discrete segments, and

a second region configured to display a list comprising of one or more comment items;

identify an availability of a first comment associated with a second portion of a second discrete segment in the plurality of discrete segments, the second discrete segment being hidden from view while the first discrete segment is being displayed;

add, in response to identifying the availability of the first comment, a first actuatable comment indicator to the list of comment items;

display the first actuatable comment indicator in the second region, wherein the first actuatable comment indicator is initially in a low visibility mode; and

transition, in response to a first user input event associated with the first actuatable comment indicator, an appearance of the first actuatable comment indicator from low visibility mode to a high visibility mode during the first user input event.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to switch, in response to actuation of the first actuatable comment indicator, from a display of the first portion of the first discrete segment in the first region to a display of at least the second portion of the second discrete segment in the first region.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

identify an availability of a second comment associated with the first portion of the first discrete segment in the sequence of electronic content;

add, in response to identifying the availability of second comment, a second actuatable comment indicator to the list of comment items, the second actuatable comment indicator being configured to enable a user to return to the first portion;

display the second actuatable comment indicator in the second region, wherein the second actuatable comment indicator is initially in low visibility mode;

transition, in response to a second user input event associated with the second actuatable comment indicator, an appearance of the second actuatable comment indicator from low visibility mode to a high visibility mode during the second user input event; and

switch, in response to actuation of the second actuatable comment indicator, from a display of the second discrete segment in the first region to a display of at least the first portion of the first discrete segment in the first region.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to remove the first actuatable comment indicator from the second region display after actuation of the first actuatable comment indicator.

5. A data processing device comprising:

at least one processor; and

one or more computer readable media including instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

present, on a display, a graphical user interface including;

a first region configured to display at least a first portion of a first discrete segment of electronic content in a sequence of electronic content, the sequence of electronic content including a plurality of discrete segments, and

a second region configured to display a list comprising of one or more edit items;

identify an availability of a first edit associated with a second portion of a second discrete segment in the plurality of discrete segments, the second discrete segment being hidden from view while the first discrete segment is being displayed;

add, in response to identifying the availability of the first edit, a first edit indicator to the list of edit items; and

display the first edit indicator in the second region, wherein the first edit indicator is initially configured to conceal any text from appearing in an interior region of the first edit indicator.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the interior region of the first edit indicator includes at least one elongated strip symbolizing placeholder text.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the electronic content comprises a database and the first discrete segment and the second discrete segment each correspond to an individual worksheet in the database.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein the electronic content comprises a slideshow and the first discrete segment and the second discrete segment each correspond to an individual slide in the slideshow.

9. A method comprising:

presenting, on a display of a user device, a graphical user interface including;

a first region configured to display at least a first portion of a first discrete segment in a sequence of electronic content, the sequence of electronic content including a plurality of discrete segments, and

a second region configured to display a list comprising of one or more comment items;

identifying an availability of a first comment associated with a second portion of a second discrete segment in the sequence of electronic content, the second discrete segment being hidden from view while the first discrete segment is being displayed;

adding, in response to identifying the availability of the first comment, a first actuatable comment indicator to the list of comment items, the first actuatable comment indicator being configured to enable a user to navigate to the second portion;

displaying the first actuatable comment indicator in the second region, wherein the first actuatable comment indicator is initially in a low visibility mode; and

transitioning, in response to a first user input event associated with the first actuatable comment indicator, an appearance of the first actuatable comment indicator from low visibility mode to a high visibility mode during the first user input event.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising switching, in response to actuation of the first actuatable comment indicator, from a display of the first portion of the first discrete segment in the first region to a display of at least the second portion of the second discrete segment in the first region.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying the first comment in the second region.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying an availability of a second comment associated with a third portion of a third discrete segment in the sequence of electronic content, the third discrete segment being hidden from view while the second discrete segment is being displayed;

adding, in response to identifying the availability of second comment, a second actuatable comment indicator to the list of comment items, the second actuatable comment indicator being configured to enable a user to navigate to the third portion;

displaying the second actuatable comment indicator in the second region, wherein the second actuatable comment indicator is initially in low visibility mode;

transitioning, in response to a second user input event associated with the second actuatable comment indicator, an appearance of the second actuatable comment indicator from low visibility mode to high visibility mode during the second user input event; and

switching, in response to actuation of the second actuatable comment indicator, from a display of the second discrete segment in the first region to a display of at least the third portion of the third discrete segment in the first region.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying an availability of a second comment associated with the first portion of the first discrete segment in the sequence of electronic content;

adding, in response to identifying the availability of second comment, a second actuatable comment indicator to the list of comment items, the second actuatable comment indicator being configured to enable a user to return to the first portion;

displaying the second actuatable comment indicator in the second region, wherein the second actuatable comment indicator is initially in low visibility mode;

transitioning, in response to second user input event associated with the second actuatable comment indicator, an appearance of the second actuatable comment indicator from low visibility mode to high visibility mode during the second user input event; and

switching, in response to actuation of the second actuatable comment indicator, from a display of the second discrete segment in the first region to a display of at least the first portion of the first discrete segment in the first region.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the electronic content comprises a database and the first discrete segment and the second discrete segment each correspond to an individual worksheet in the database.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the electronic content comprises a slideshow and the first discrete segment and the second discrete segment each correspond to an individual slide in the slideshow.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the second region includes a first end and a second end, and the method further comprises:

presenting the first actuatable comment indicator in the second region proximate to;

the second end of the second region when the second discrete segment is subsequent to the first discrete segment in the sequence, and

the first end of the second region when the second discrete segment is prior to the first discrete segment in the sequence.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the list of comment items includes a plurality of comments that are associated with the first discrete segment, and the method further comprises:

concealing the first actuatable comment indicator when the plurality of comments being displayed in the second region extends between the first end and the second end.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the first actuatable comment indicator includes an outline that is initially translucent while in low visibility mode, and the method further comprises:

solidifying, in response to the first user input event associated with the first actuatable comment indicator, the outline of the first actuatable comment indicator when the first actuatable comment indicator is in high visibility mode.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein an interior of the first actuatable comment indicator is blank.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein an interior of the first actuatable comment indicator includes at least one elongated strip symbolizing placeholder text.