System and method for secondary selection highlighting

• US 20050144571A1
• Filed: 12/29/2003
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Conmy, Douglas M., Wilcox, Eric M., Loverin, Darrell J., Moody, Paul B., Coppinger, Jodi L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,171,426 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/822
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A system and method is provided to assist a user in selecting, identifying, and handling email messages. A selection color module may provide for the display of color coding and selection highlighting. The selection color module may provide a secondary highlighting color to indicate messages related to a selected message. A category navigation module may provide one or more of the following: an indicator that provides the user with a number of items that are off the screen for a particular category, a command that causes the first entry for a category to be scrolled into view, a label to indicate the number of items in a particular category matching a particular criteria, and/or a control for scrolling between next or previous categories.

Claims

1. A method for highlighting items in a list, each item having a plurality of displayed fields in a graphical user interface, the method comprising:

in response to a user selecting an item, displaying at least one field of the plurality of displayed fields of the selected item in a first color;

determining one or more related items that are related to the selected item; and

displaying at least one field of the plurality of displayed fields of the related items in a second color,

wherein the first color and the second color are different from one another.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second color is based on the first color.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second color is a lighter shade of the first color.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the second color is a darker shade of the first color.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the first color and the second color are complimentary colors.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

categorizing the related items according to pre-selected criteria; and

displaying at least one field of the plurality of displayed fields of one or more categories of related items in a third color,

wherein the first color, second color, and third colors are different from one another.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second color and the third color are based on the first color.

8. A method for highlighting items in a list, each item having a plurality of displayed fields in a graphical user interface, the method comprising:

in response to a user selecting a first item, displaying at least one field of the plurality of displayed fields of the first selected item in a first color;

determining one or more related items that are related to the first selected item; and

displaying at least one field of the plurality of displayed fields of the related items in a second color;

in response to a user selecting a second item from one of the related items, displaying at least one field of the plurality of displayed fields if the second selected item in the first color; and

displaying at least one field of the plurality of displayed fields of the first selected item in the second color;

wherein the first color and the second color are different from one another.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second color is based on the first color.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second color is a lighter shade of the first color.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the second color is a darker shade of the first color.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first color and the second color are complimentary colors.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

categorizing the related items according to pre-selected criteria; and

displaying at least one field of the plurality of displayed fields of one or more categories of related items in a third color,

wherein the first color, the second color, and the third color are different from one another.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second color and the third color are based on the first color.

15. A graphical user interface for displaying a plurality of items, each item having a plurality of displayed fields, the graphical user interface comprising:

a selected item having at least one field in a first color, said at least one field belonging to the plurality of displayed fields; and

at least one related item having at least one field in a second color, said at least one related item related to the selected item, said at least one field of said at least one related item and said at least one field of said selected item corresponding to one another; and

at least one unrelated item having at least one field in a background color, said at least one unrelated item unrelated to the selected item, said at least one field of said at least one unrelated item and said at least one field of said selected item corresponding to one another,

wherein said first color, said second color, and said background color are different from one another.

16. The graphical user interface of claim 15, wherein the second color is based on the first color.

17. The graphical user interface of claim 16, wherein the second color is a lighter shade of the first color.

18. The graphical user interface of claim 16, wherein the second color is a darker shade of the first color.

19. The graphical user interface of claim 16, wherein the first color and the second color are complimentary colors.

20. The graphical user interface of claim 15, further comprising:

categorizing the related items according to pre-selected criteria; and

displaying at least one field of the plurality of displayed fields of one or more categories of related items in a third color,

wherein the first color, the second color, the third color, and background color are different from one another.