Hierarchical in-place menus

• US 20050076309A1
• Filed: 10/03/2003
• Published: 04/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Goldsmith, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 7,418,670 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/811
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A hierarchical menu system displays submenus in place of parent menus, and vice versa, when appropriate menu items are selected from within parent menus and submenus. Parent menu items selected from within parent menus are displayed within submenus as links back to previous parent menus. Benefits of the disclosed hierarchical menu system include the ability to implement a hierarchical menu on devices having varying screen sizes, including small-screen devices, while maintaining a history of previously selected menu items that enable a user to navigate within the hierarchical menu to any previously displayed menu.

Claims

1. A processor-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions configured for:

displaying a top level menu;

receiving a first selection of a top level menu item; and

in response to the first selection, displaying a second level menu in place of the top level menu, the second level menu including the top level menu item and second level menu items.

2. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a second selection of the top level menu item from the second level menu; and

in response to the second selection, displaying the top level menu in place of the second level menu.

3. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a second selection of a second level menu item; and

in response to the second selection, displaying a third level menu in place of the second level menu, the third level menu including the top level menu item, the second level menu item, and third level menu items.

4. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 3, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a third selection of the top level menu item from the third level menu; and

in response to the third selection, displaying the top level menu in place of the third level menu.

5. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 3, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a third selection of the second level menu item from the third 11 level menu; and

in response to the third selection, displaying the second level menu in place of the third level menu.

6. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 3, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a third selection of a third level menu item from the third level menu; and

in response to the third selection, displaying a fourth level menu in place of the third level menu, the fourth level menu including the top level menu item, the second level menu item, the third level menu item, and fourth level menu items.

7. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the top level menu item is oriented within the second level menu above the second level menu items.

8. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the top level menu item is associated within the second level menu with a backward pointer indicating that a selection of the top level menu item from the second level menu will replace the second level menu with the top level menu.

9. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein a second level menu item is associated within the second level menu with a forward pointer indicating that a selection of the second level menu item will replace the second level menu with a third level menu.

10. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the top level menu and the second level menu are both modal menus.

11. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 3, wherein the top level menu item and the second level menu item are each associated within the third level menu with a backward pointer indicating that a selection of the top level menu item or the second level menu item from the third level menu will replace the third level menu with the top level menu or the second level menu, respectively.

12. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein a third level menu item is associated within the third level menu with a forward pointer indicating that a selection of the third level menu item will replace the third level menu with a fourth level menu.

13. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 6, wherein the top level menu item, the second level menu item, and the third level menu item are each associated within the fourth level menu with a backward pointer indicating that a selection of the top level menu item, the second level menu item, or the third level menu item from the fourth level menu will replace the fourth level menu with the top level menu, the second level menu, or the third level menu, respectively.

14. A computer including the processor-readable medium of claim 1.

15. A processor-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions configured for:

displaying a parent menu;

displaying a submenu in place of the parent menu in response to a selection of a parent menu item within the parent menu; and

maintaining a stack of previously selected parent menu items in the submenu, each of the previously selected parent menu items configured to display a corresponding parent menu in place of the submenu.

16. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 15, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for displaying the parent menu in response to a selection of a previously selected parent menu item from the submenu.

17. A method comprising:

displaying a parent menu from a hierarchical menu;

receiving a first selection of a menu item from the parent menu;

displaying a submenu from the hierarchical menu in place of the parent menu in response to the first selection; and

displaying the menu item within the submenu as a previously selected menu item selectable to jump back to the parent menu.

18. A method as recited in claim 17, further comprising displaying the parent menu in place of the submenu in response to receiving a selection of the previously selected menu item.

19. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising displaying a second submenu from the hierarchical menu in place of the submenu in response to receiving a selection of a submenu item, wherein the second submenu includes the previously selected menu item selectable to jump back to the parent menu and the submenu item selectable to jump back to the submenu.

20. A GUI (graphical user interface) configured to implement a hierarchical menu, the hierarchical menu comprising:

a parent menu that includes parent menu options, at least one parent menu option being selectable to replace the parent menu with a submenu; and

the submenu that includes the at least one parent menu option and submenu options.

21. A GUI as recited in claim 20, wherein the at least one parent menu option is selectable from the submenu to replace the submenu with the parent menu.

22. A GUI (graphical user interface) configured to implement a hierarchical menu, the hierarchical menu comprising a current menu that includes current menu options and a previously selected menu option from a parent menu, the previously selected menu option selectable to replace the current menu with the parent menu.

23. A GUI as recited in claim 22, wherein the current menu includes a plurality of previously selected menu items, each previously selected menu item corresponding to a respective parent menu and selectable to replace the current menu with the respective parent menu.

24. A computer comprising the GUI of claim 22.

25. A GUI (graphical user interface) configured to implement a hierarchical menu, the hierarchical menu comprising a parent menu and a submenu that are alternately and individually displayed in place of one another.

26. A GUI as recited in claim 25, wherein the submenu includes a parent menu option previously selected from the parent menu, the parent menu option selectable from the submenu to replace the submenu with the parent menu.

27. A hierarchical menu comprising a parent menu and a submenu each having a parent menu option, the parent menu option selectable from the parent menu to replace the parent menu with the submenu and the parent menu option selectable from the submenu to replace the submenu with the parent menu.

28. A hierarchical menu as recited in claim 27, wherein the parent menu comprises a forward pointer associated with the parent menu option to indicate that selection of the parent menu option from the parent menu will replace the parent menu with the submenu.

29. A hierarchical menu as recited in claim 27, wherein the submenu comprises a backward pointer associated with the parent menu option to indicate that selection of the parent menu option from the submenu will replace the submenu with the parent menu.

30. A hierarchical menu as recited in claim 27 configured to display a single menu at a time, the single menu selected from the group comprising:

the parent menu; and

the submenu.

31. A GUI that implements the hierarchical menu recited in claim 27.

32. A computer comprising the GUI of claim 31.

33. A computer comprising:

a hierarchical in-place menu module configured to implement a hierarchical in-place menu, the hierarchical in-place menu including a parent menu and a submenu each displayable separately from one another and each having a parent menu option, the parent menu option selectable from the parent menu to replace the parent menu with the submenu and the parent menu option selectable from the submenu to replace the submenu with the parent menu.

34. A computer as recited in claim 33, further comprising:

an operating system including the hierarchical in-place menu module; and

an application program configured to request that the operating system implement a hierarchical menu as a hierarchical in-place menu.

35. A computer comprising:

means for displaying a top level menu;

means for receiving a first selection of a top level menu item; and

means for displaying a second level menu in place of the top level menu in response to the first selection, the second level menu including the top level menu item and second level menu items.

36. A computer as recited in claim 35, further comprising:

means for receiving a second selection of the top level menu item from the second level menu; and

means for displaying the top level menu in place of the second level menu in response to the second selection.

37. A computer as recited in claim 35, further comprising:

means for receiving a second selection of a second level menu item; and

means for displaying a third level menu in place of the second level menu in response to the second selection, the third level menu including the top level menu item, the second level menu item, and third level menu items.