User interfaces for displaying content and methods of using the same

• US 20050246650A1
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gary R. Horne, Kenneth B. Goldstein, Simon D. Yeung
• Original Assignee: Gary R. Horne, Kenneth B. Goldstein, Simon D. Yeung
• Inventors: Goldstein, Kenneth B., Yeung, Simon D., Horne, Gary R.
• Application Number:
  US10/837,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20050246650A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data

Abstract

A method for displaying information regarding an object includes displaying a first axis associated with a first attribute of an object and a second axis associated with a second attribute of the object, the first axis and the second axis defining a plot region, the object being a file or a folder, and displaying a graphic representing a third attribute of the object, the graphic plotted in the plot region such that a first position of the graphic relative to the first axis corresponds to a value of the first attribute of the object, and a second position of the graphic relative to the second axis corresponds to a value of the second attribute of the object. A method for displaying content comprising displaying information associated with a file stored in a memory, wherein the information is so displayed such that the information appears printed on a curved surface.

Claims

1. A user interface for displaying information regarding an object, the object being a file or a folder and having a first attribute and a second attribute, comprising:

a screen having a region, the region displaying a first axis associated with the first attribute and a second axis associated with the second attribute, the first axis and the second axis defining a plot region;

wherein the region further displays a graphic representing a third attribute of the object, the graphic plotted in the plot region such that a first position of the graphic relative to the first axis corresponds to a value of the first attribute of the object, and a second position of the graphic relative to the second axis corresponds to a value of the second attribute of the object.

2. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising a filter button associated with each of the first and the second axes.

3. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising one or more sort buttons associated with each of the first and the second axes.

4. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising a filter button for filtering objects plotted in the plot region.

5. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising one or more sort buttons for sorting objects plotted in the plot region.

6. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the third attribute is a name attribute.

7. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the region further displays a third axis associated with a fourth attribute of the object, the third axis forming a three-dimensional plot region with the first and the second axes, and the graphic is so plotted in the plot region such that a third position of the graphic relative to the third axis corresponds to a value of the fourth attribute of the object

8. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a file stored in a memory.

9. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a folder stored in a memory.

10. A computer product having a set of stored instruction, an execution of which causes a process to be performed, the process comprising:

displaying a first axis associated with a first attribute of an object and a second axis associated with a second attribute of the object, the first axis and the second axis defining a plot region, the object being a file or a folder; and

displaying a graphic representing a third attribute of the object, the graphic plotted in the plot region such that a first position of the graphic relative to the first axis corresponds to a value of the first attribute of the object, and a second position of the graphic relative to the second axis corresponds to a value of the second attribute of the object.

11. The computer product of claim 10, wherein the third attribute is a name attribute.

12. The computer product of claim 10, wherein the process further comprises displaying a third axis associated with a fourth attribute of the object, the third axis forming a three-dimensional plot region with the first and the second axes, and the graphic is so plotted in the plot region such that a third position of the graphic relative to the third axis corresponds to a value of the fourth attribute of the object.

13. A method for displaying information regarding an object, comprising:

displaying a first axis associated with a first attribute of an object and a second axis associated with a second attribute of the object, the first axis and the second axis defining a plot region, the object being a file or a folder; and

displaying a graphic representing a third attribute of the object, the graphic plotted in the plot region such that a first position of the graphic relative to the first axis corresponds to a value of the first attribute of the object, and a second position of the graphic relative to the second axis corresponds to a value of the second attribute of the object.

14. The computer product of claim 13, wherein the third attribute is a name attribute.

15. The computer product of claim 13, further comprising displaying a third axis associated with a fourth attribute of the object, the third axis forming a three-dimensional plot region with the first and the second axes, and the graphic is so plotted in the plot region such that a third position of the graphic relative to the third axis corresponds to a value of the fourth attribute of the object.

16. A method for providing a user interface, comprising:

providing an object region displaying information regarding one or more files that are stored in a memory; and

displaying a format button for allowing a user to select between a grid format or a column format for displaying the information regarding the one or more files in the object region.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein when the grid format is selected, the object region displays a first axis associating with a first attribute of a file and a second axis associating with a second attribute of the file, the first axis and the second axis defining a plot region.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying a graphic associated with a third attribute of the file, the graphic being plotted in the plot region.

19. A method for displaying content, comprising:

displaying information associated with a file stored in a memory, wherein the information is so displayed such that the information appears printed on a curved surface.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the image of the curved surface comprises an image of a sphere.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the image of the curved surface comprises an image of a three-dimensional ellipse.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the image of the curved surface comprises an image of a cylinder.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the information is displayed in a navigation window.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the information is displayed in an object window.

25. A user interface for allowing a user to locate a file, comprising:

a screen displaying information associated with a file stored in a memory, wherein the information is so displayed such that the information appears printed on a curved surface.

26. The user interface of claim 25, the screen further displaying a first set of one or more buttons for allowing a user to rotate the curved surface about a first axis.

27. The user interface of claim 25, the screen further displaying a second set of one or more buttons for allowing the user to rotate the curved surface about a second axis.

28. A method of displaying stored information on a computer screen, comprising:

displaying a window having boundaries; and

displaying content within the window, wherein the content is so displayed such that portions of the content proximate the boundaries has a smaller dimension than portions of the content proximate a center of the window.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the content comprises a first letter adjacent one of the boundaries, and a second letter that is further away from the one of the boundaries, the first letter having a size that is smaller than the second letter.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the content is so displayed such that the content appears printed on a curved surface.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the curved surface comprises at least a portion of a sphere or a three-dimensional ellipse.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising rotating the curved surface to display additional content in the window.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the rotating comprises placing a pointer adjacent a boundary of the curved surface.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the rotating comprises selecting a button displayed in the window.