Graphical user interface having contextual menus

• US 20020175955A1
• Filed: 07/12/2002
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Cooley, Daniel, Gourdol, Arno
• Granted Patent: US 7,600,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/821
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A contextual pop-up menu of frequently used commands is displayed by an application whenever a user carries out a particular action. The contextual menu appears at the location of a cursor, so that the displayed commands are spatially very close to an item on which an action is to be performed. The commands which are displayed in the contextual menu are not limited to those provided by an application associated with the selected item. Other commands, such as system level commands, for help items or other types of user assistance features, can be added to the menu before it is displayed to the user. In addition, plug-in modules can be employed to provide other commands associated with the selected item.

Claims

1. A user interface via which a computer operator causes actions to be performed on objects appearing on a computer display, comprising:

means for detecting a designated action by a user with respect to an object under the control of an application program running on a computer;

means responsive to said designated action for retrieving a list of commands provided by the application program and associated with the object;

means for adding commands, other than the commands provided by said application program, to said list; and

means for displaying said list with the added commands on the computer display in the vicinity of the object.

2. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the designated action includes the positioning of a cursor on the object, and wherein said list is displayed at the location of the cursor.

3. The user interface of claim 1 wherein said other commands are provided by an operating system running on the computer.

4. The user interface of claim 1 wherein said other commands are provided by plug-in software modules associated with an operating system running on the computer.

5. A method for enabling a computer operator to invoke actions that are to be performed on objects appearing on a computer display, comprising the steps of:

detecting a designated action by a user with respect to an object under the retrieving a list of commands provided by the application program and associated with the object, in response to said designated action;

adding commands other than the commands provided by said application program to said list; and

displaying said list of commands on the computer display in the vicinity of the object.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the designated action includes the positioning of a cursor on the object, and wherein said list is displayed at the location of the cursor.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said other commands are provided by an operating system running on the computer.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein said other commands are provided by plug-in software modules associated with an operating system running on the computer.

9. The method of claim 8 further including the step of detecting the selection of one of said other commands by the user, and performing an operation on the object via one of said software modules.

10. A computer readable medium containing a program which performs the functions of:

detecting a designated action by a user with respect to an object under the control of an application program running on a computer;

retrieving a list of commands provided by the application program and associated with the object, in response to said designated action;

adding commands other than the commands provided by said application program to said list; and

displaying said list of commands on the computer display in the vicinity of the object.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the designated action includes the positioning of a cursor on the object, and wherein said list is displayed at the location of the cursor.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein said other commands are provided by plug-in software modules associated with an operating system running on the computer.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, further including the step of detecting the selection of one of said other commands by the user, and performing an operation on the object via one of said software modules.

15. The computer system of claim 14 wherein said software control system includes an application program that can manipulate the selected object, and wherein at least one of the commands on said list is provided by said application program.

16. The computer system of claim 14 wherein said software control system includes a first program that can directly manipulate the selected object, and a second program that is not associated with the selected object, and wherein at least one of the commands on said list is-provided by said second program.

17. The computer system of claim 16 wherein the commands on said list are provided by both of said first and second programs.

18. The computer system of claim 16 wherein said second program is an operating system for a computer.

19. The computer system of claim 16 wherein said second program is a software module that is registered with an operating system for a computer.

14. A computer system, comprising:

a display device for displaying data objects;

a user interface for controlling the display of data objects which appear on said display device, said user interface including a pointing mechanism via which a user can designate selected objects appearing on said display device and perform actions with respect thereto;

a user input device which a user can indicate a request to perform a particular operation; and

a software control system responsive to actuation of said user input device to request said particular operation for retrieving a list of commands relating to a selected object and causing the retrieved list of commands to be displayed on said display device at a location in the vicinity of the selected object.

20. A user interface via which a computer operator causes actions to be performed on objects appearing on a computer display, comprising:

means for detecting a designated action by a user with respect to an object under the control of an application program running on a computer;

means responsive to said designated action for retrieving a list of commands provided by the application program and associated with the object;

means for adding commands, other than the commands provided by said application program, to said list; and

means for displaying said list with the added commands on the computer display.

21. The user interface of claim 20 wherein said other commands are provided by an operating system running on the computer.

22. The user interface of claim 30 wherein said other commands are provided by plug-in software modules associated with an operating system running on the computer.

24. The user interface of claim 23 wherein the designated action includes the positioning of a cursor on the object, and wherein said list is displayed at the location of the cursor.

23. A user interface via which a computer operator causes actions to be performed on objects appearing on a computer display, comprising:

means for detecting a designated action by a user with respect to an object under the control of an application program running on a computer;

means responsive to said designated action for retrieving a list of commands provided by the application program and associated with the object; and

means for displaying said list of commands on the computer display in the vicinity of the object.