Dynamic stacking and expansion of visual items

• US 20060161868A1
• Filed: 01/19/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Debry, Fabrice A., McKee, Timothy P., Van Dok, Cornelis K., Wong, Lyon King-Fook, Crane, Andrew S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,464,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/835
• 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 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention are directed to the stacking of visual items, and their subsequent expansion, or unstacking. Upon selection of a stack, that stack expands into the individual visual items making up that stack. Further aspects of the present invention are directed to expanding a stack in different ways depending upon the circumstances. Further aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a hot area associated with, and potentially disposed around, a stack. Selection by the user of the hot area results in selection of the associated stack. The stack may itself be considered a single item that is itself selectable. After the stack is expanded, then the individual visual items making up the original stack are each individually selectable. However, when stacked, the individual items may not be selectable except as a complete stack.

Claims

1. A method for presenting visual items on a graphical user interface of a computer, the method comprising steps of:

displaying a plurality of visual items as a stack;

receiving a first user selection of a first region associated with the stack;

responsive to the first user selection, displaying the plurality of visual items side-by-side;

receiving a second user selection of a second region associated with the plurality of visual items while the plurality of visual items are displayed side-by-side; and

responsive to the second user selection, again displaying the plurality of visual items as a stack.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second regions are different and each encompasses the plurality of items.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the first and second regions extends for a same length along a first direction for different lengths along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the plurality of visual items as a stack includes displaying the stack as a single selectable icon.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of visual items is an icon representing a file or a folder.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of visual items is an event notification.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein when the plurality of visual items are displayed as a stack, a top one of the visual items is fully displayed and each of a remainder of the plurality of visual items is only partially displayed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein when the plurality of visual items are displayed side-by-side, the top one of the visual items is in a same position as it was when the plurality of visual items were displayed as a stack.

9. The method of claim 1, further including determining whether sufficient room exists for displaying all of the plurality of visual items side-by-side without moving the top one of the visual items.

10. The method of claim 9, further including, responsive to determining that sufficient room does not exist, displaying a bottom-most one of the visual items in the stack at a left-most area and at least some of the remaining ones of the plurality of visual items side-by-side and to the right of the bottom-most one of the visual items.

11. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 1.

12. A method for presenting visual items on a graphical user interface of a computer, the method comprising steps of:

displaying a plurality of visual items in an overlapping manner;

receiving a first user selection of a first region associated with the plurality of visual items displayed in the overlapping manner;

responsive to the first user selection, displaying the plurality of visual items in a non-overlapping manner;

receiving a second user selection of a second region associated with the plurality of visual items while the plurality of visual items such that the plurality of visual items do not overlap with one another; and

responsive to the second user selection, again displaying the plurality of visual items in an overlapping manner.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second regions are different and each encompasses the plurality of items, and wherein each of the first and second regions extends for a same length along a first direction for different lengths along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of displaying the plurality of visual items in a non-overlapping manner includes displaying the plurality of visual items so as to be distributed only along the second direction.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of visual items is an icon representing a file or a folder.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of visual items is an event notification.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein when the plurality of visual items are displayed in an overlapping manner, a top one of the visual items is fully displayed and each of a remainder of the plurality of visual items is only partially displayed.

18. The method of claim 12, further including determining whether sufficient room exists for displaying all of the plurality of visual items side-by-side without moving the top one of the visual items.

19. The method of claim 18, further including, responsive to determining that sufficient room does not exist, displaying a bottom-most one of the visual items at a left-most area and at least some of the remaining ones of the plurality of visual items side-by-side and to the right of the bottom-most one of the visual items.

20. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 12.