Gallery user interface controls

• US 20050097465A1
• Filed: 11/05/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Keller, Marc, Cooperstein, Howard, Weiss, Aaron, Koch, Zeke, Coleman, Kenneth, Giesen, Ronald Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 7,853,877 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

A computing system for providing a user interface control to modify properties of items within a main application window. The computing system has a main application window, a gallery control window, a control object selection processing module, and a control object focus processing module. The main application window contains one or more application items, each application item having one or more control properties affecting a behavior of the application item. The gallery control window contains a list of one or more control objects for modifying control properties of the application items located within the main application window. Each of the control objects in the list of control objects includes a graphical icon having a selection portion and a properties portion and one or more control properties that affect one or more items within the main application window.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user interface control, comprising:

providing a control object comprising a selection portion and a properties portion;

selectively receiving a selection input upon the selection portion of the control object;

applying control properties of the control object to an item within an application window in response to the selection input upon the selection portion of the control object;

selectively receiving a properties input upon the properties portion of the control object; and

modifying the control properties of the control object in response to the properties input upon the properties portion of the control object.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein selectively receiving the properties input further comprises:

identifying when a cursor is hovering over the properties portion of the control object; and

rendering a menu having one or more menu items.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein selectively receiving the properties input further comprises:

receiving a mouse click on the properties portion of the control object; and

rendering a menu having one or more menu items.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein selectively receiving the properties input further comprises:

rendering a menu having one or more menu items;

receiving a mouse click upon one of the one or more menu items; and

determining an identity of a selected menu item from a location of the mouse click.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the menu is a contextual menu having menu items determined by a current state of the control object.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein selectively receiving the selection input further comprises receiving a mouse click on the selection portion of the control object.

7. A computer program data product readable by a computing system and encoding instructions for providing a user interface control, the method comprising:

providing a control object comprising a selection portion and a properties portion;

selectively receiving a selection input upon the selection portion of the control object;

applying control properties of the control object to an item within an application window in response to the selection input upon the selection portion of the control object;

selectively receiving a properties input upon the properties portion of the control object; and

modifying the control properties of the control object in response to the properties input upon the properties portion of the control object.

8. The computer data product according to claim 7, wherein selectively receiving the properties input further comprises:

identifying when a cursor is hovering over the properties portion of the control object; and

rendering a menu having one or more menu items.

9. The computer data product according to claim 7, wherein selectively receiving the properties input further comprises:

receiving a mouse click on the properties portion of the control object; and

rendering a menu having one or more menu items.

10. The computer data product according to claim 7, wherein selectively receiving the properties input further comprises:

rendering a menu having one or more menu items;

receiving a mouse click upon one of the one or more menu items; and

determining an identity of a selected menu item from a location of the mouse click.

11. The computer data product according to claim 10, wherein the menu is a contextual menu having menu items determined by a current state of the control object.

12. The computer data product according to claim 7, wherein selectively receiving the selection input further comprises receiving a mouse click on the selection portion of the control object.

13. A gallery control window including a plurality of control objects, each control object comprising:

at least one control property;

a selection portion programmed to modify an item in an application based on the control property when the selection portion is selected; and

a properties portion programmed to modify the control property of the control object when the properties portion is selected.

14. The gallery control window according to claim 13, wherein one control object of the plurality of control objects is marked when the item in the application having the control property of the one control object is selected.

15. The gallery control window according to claim 13, wherein each control object further comprises a focus portion that is programmed to activate when a cursor hovers over the control object.

16. The gallery control window according to claim 13, wherein each control object further comprises a listing of a plurality of control properties for the control object that is programmed to activate when a cursor hovers over the properties portion of the control object.

17. The gallery control window according to claim 13, wherein the selection portion is programmed to modify the item when a mouse click is received on the selection portion.

18. A computing system, comprising:

an application window including an application item;

a gallery control window including a control object including a graphical icon having a selection portion and a properties portion and a control property;

a control object selection processing module for modifying the application item based on the control property of the control object; and

a control object processing module for modifying the control property of the control object.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the control object processing module modifies the control property of the control object upon receiving a mouse click located upon the properties portion of the control object.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the control object selection processing module modifies the application item upon receiving a mouse click located upon the selection portion of the control object.