User interface designing apparatus

• US 20020109721A1
• Filed: 02/13/2002
• Published: 08/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsudaka, Shin?apos;ichiro, Sugimoto, Akira, Kobune, Ryuichi, Konaka, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 7,385,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A user interface designing apparatus capable of easily designing a user interface which can change over display parts in accompanying state transitions for events by adding/deleting states and editing the display part and event handling in each state. The apparatus includes a state set editing means for adding/deleting states of a composite display part having a plurality of states, an event handling editing means for describing an event handling for state transition in each state of the composite display part, an elementary display part storing means for storing elementary display parts designed previously, and a state display editing means for adding/deleting elementary display parts to be displayed in each state of the composite display part.

Claims

1. A user interface designing apparatus, comprising:

state set editing means for adding/deleting states of a composite display part having a plurality of states;

event handling editing means for describing an event handling for state transition in each of the states of said composite display part;

elementary display part storing means for storing elementary display parts designed previously; and

state display editing means for adding/deleting elementary display parts to be displayed in each of the states of said composite display part.

2. A user interface designing apparatus according to claim 1,

further comprising:

composite display part storing means for storing said composite display parts as designed,

wherein said state display editing means is so arranged as to add/delete other designed composite display part.

3. A user interface designing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said state set editing means is so arranged as to group several states of said composite display part, and

wherein said state display editing means is so arranged as to edit en bloc the display parts which are displayed, in common in said grouped state.

4. A user interface designing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said state set editing means is so arranged as to group several states of said composite display part, and

wherein said event handling editing means is so arranged as to edit en bloc the event handlings which are in common in said grouped state.

5. A user interface designing apparatus according to claim 1,

said elementary display part stored in said elementary display part storing means having properties corresponding to size, position, external appearance and behavior,

further comprising:

property editing means for editing said properties of the elementary display part added to each state or said state group of said composite display part.

6. A user interface designing apparatus according to claim 5,

further comprising:

composite display part property setting means adding/deleting the properties representative of behaviors of said composite display part,

wherein said property editing means is so arranged as to edit the properties of the composite display part added to each state or said state group of said composite display part.

7. A user interface designing apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein said property editing means is so arranged as to be capable of describing the properties of said elementary display part or alternatively said composite display part by referencing values of the properties of other elementary display part or alternatively those of other composite display part.

8. A user interface designing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said state display editing means is so arranged as to display graphically disposition of said elementary display part or alternatively said composite display part in each state or state group of said composite display part while editing graphically properties and information concerning layout such as size or dimension or inter-part relation through direct manipulation with an input device.

9. A user interface designing apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein said state display editing means so is arranged as to display graphically disposition of said elementary display part or alternatively said composite display part in each state or state group of said composite display part while editing graphically properties and information concerning layout inclusive of size or inter-part relation through direct manipulation with an input device or alternatively by activating directly a corresponding one of said property editing means.

10. A user interface designing apparatus according to claim 2,

further comprising:

simulation means for simulating behavior of said composite display part stored in said composite display part storing means in conformance with manipulation input activated through an input device.

11. A user interface designing apparatus according to claim 10,

further comprising:

virtual display part storing means for storing virtual display parts having functions easy to realize virtually by said simulation means.

12. A user interface designing apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein said event handling editing means is so arranged as to set virtually an event difficult to realize practically and edit an event handling for said event, and

wherein said simulation means is so arranged as to make said virtual event be issued through the medium of an input/output device to thereby simulate the processing for said issued virtual event with a relevant composite display part.