Unified navigation shell user interface

• US 20050210412A1
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: McKelvie, Samuel J., Welland, Robert V., Cordell, John P., Matthews, Joseph H., Smith, Walter R., Stoakley, Richard W., Schick, Bradley M., Capps, Stephen P., Belfiore, Joseph D.
• Application Number:
  US11/124,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20050210412A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A user interface for navigating among screens on a personal computer. The screens, which include layers of a shell user interface and various locations within applications, are presented as pages. In addition, commands and help information of an application are presented as a web of command pages. To this end, a unit of measure, called a “place” is defined. In general, an application is a place, and separate documents within an application may also define a place. Separate command windows and dialog boxes within an application or a document typically do not define a place. Backwards navigation takes the user to the previous place, and forward navigation (if possible) takes the user to the next place. Because the underlying data for a page may change between an initial visit to a page and navigation back to the page, data objects and page code are maintained separately, and are combined only when a request for a page is made.

Claims

1-44. -44. (canceled)

45. In a computer system having a graphical user interface and a user interface selection device, a method of providing the user interface for selection therefrom, comprising:

maintaining command information about commands that are available for an application, the command information including textual information about each of the commands;

providing an option for requesting some of the commands in accordance with the command information;

in response to a signal indicative of a selection of the option, rendering a command page that displays at least some of the commands; and

for each of the commands displayed on the command page, displaying the textual description along with the command.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising:

maintaining user prior history information about the commands; and

displaying the commands on the command page in accordance with the prior history information.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein displaying the commands on the command page in accordance with the prior history information comprises bubbling selected commands to selected locations on the command page.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein displaying at least some of the commands comprises displaying a link to a subset of the commands.

49. The method of claim 45, further comprising:

maintaining information about scopes available within the particular context;

providing a scope selector with a plurality of scope selections; and

in response to a signal indicating selection of one of the selections, providing the commands on the command page in accordance with the information about scopes.

50. The method of claim 45, wherein the at least some commands are displayed in accordance with a context in which the option is selected.

51. The method of claim 45, wherein the commands that are displayed are restricted by a filter.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein the filter comprises a textual search.

53. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 45.

54. In a computer system having a graphical user interface and a user interface selection device, a method of providing the user interface for selection therefrom, comprising:

maintaining command information about commands that are available for an application, the command information including grouping information about the commands;

providing an option for requesting some of the commands in accordance with the command information;

in response to a signal indicative of a selection of the option, rendering a command page that displays at least some of the commands and a link to a group of the commands.

55. The method of claim 54, further comprising:

maintaining user prior history information about the commands; and

displaying the commands on the command page in accordance with the prior history information.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein displaying the commands on the command page in accordance with the prior history information comprises bubbling selected commands to selected locations on the command page.

57. The method of claim 54, wherein displaying at least some of the commands further comprises displaying textual information about the at least some commands.

58. The method of claim 54, further comprising:

maintaining information about scopes available within the particular context;

providing a scope selector with a plurality of scope selections; and

in response to a signal indicating selection of one of the selections, providing the commands on the command page in accordance with the information about scopes.

59. The method of claim 54, wherein the at least some commands are displayed in accordance with a context in which the option is selected.

60. The method of claim 54, wherein the commands that are displayed are restricted by a filter.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein the filter comprises a textual search.

62. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 54.

63. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure, the data structure comprising:

a first data field comprising command information about a command; and

a second data field associated with the command information comprising information corresponding to a description of the command, the description capable of being sensed by a user.

64. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the command information comprises a short name for the command.

65. The computer-readable medium of claim 64, further comprising a third data field associated with the command information comprising information corresponding to terms that are descriptive of the command and are capable of being found by a search.

66. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the description of the command comprises a textual description of the functions of the command.

67. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a data structure, the data structure comprising:

a first data field comprising command information about a command; and

a second data field associated with the command information comprising information corresponding to terms that are descriptive of the command and are capable of being found by a search.

68. The computer-readable medium of claim 67, wherein the command information comprises a short name for the command.

69. The computer-readable medium of claim 67, further comprising a third data field associated with the command information comprising information corresponding to a description of the command, the description capable of being sensed by a user.

70-71. -71. (canceled)