User interface for a system and process for providing dynamic communication access and information awareness in an interactive peripheral display

• US 20060179415A1
• Filed: 04/03/2006
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gupta, Anoop, Cadiz, Jonathan J., Jancke, Gavin, Venolia, Gina
• Granted Patent: US 7,725,832 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/838
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

The system and method of the present invention provides peripheral awareness of information to a user. The information to be provided is either determined automatically, or specified by the user. Once the information to be provided is determined or specified, it is automatically tracked or watched via at least one conventional communications interface for accessing one or more conventional communications sources. Current information is then automatically dynamically provided in an interactive peripheral display which minimizes any potential distraction to the user. Determining or specifying, tracking or watching, and providing the information is accomplished using at least one customizable dynamic encapsulated object, a “ticket,” that when paired with a “viewer,” provides peripheral awareness of information to the user. Further, in one embodiment, the tickets are sharable among users, and may be copied, cut, pasted, saved, transmitted, dragged and dropped from web pages, etc., like any other electronic file using conventional techniques.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A computer-readable medium containing executable code for performing on a computing device the following steps:

displaying dynamic information in a thumbnail in a peripheral awareness display area on a display;

displaying summary information associated with a selected portion of the dynamic information in the thumbnail ; and

displaying more detailed information associated with a selected portion of the summary information.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the peripheral awareness display area is a sidebar window displayed along a peripheral portion of the display.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the display contains at least one other displayed element, the peripheral awareness display area always being displayed on top of the at least one other displayed element.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 containing further executable code for configuring the peripheral awareness display area in one of a first state and a second state based on a command input, wherein the peripheral awareness display area is non-visible on the display in the first state and visible on the display in the second state.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the thumbnail is resizable, and the steps further comprise displaying a different amount of the dynamic information in the thumbnail based on the size of the thumbnail.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25 wherein content of the dynamic information displayed in the thumbnail is based on a priority of the dynamic information.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25 wherein the peripheral awareness area is resizable, resizing of the thumbnail based on resizing of the peripheral awareness area.

28. A computer-readable medium storing executable code for performing a method on a computing device, said method comprising steps of:

receiving dynamic information at the computing device from a remote source via a connection;

displaying the dynamic information in a thumbnail within a container on a display in response to changes of the dynamic information, the container providing peripheral awareness of the thumbnail;

the computing device monitoring the dynamically changing dynamic information in the thumbnail for identifying a predetermined criteria of the dynamic information;

outputting an alert when the dynamic information matches the predetermined criteria.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the alert comprises an audible alarm.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the alert comprises a visible alert.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the alert comprises an automatically generated e-mail message.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 containing further executable code for monitoring a length of time the dynamic information is displayed in the thumbnail, wherein the displaying step further comprises changing the appearance of the thumbnail based on the length of time the dynamic information is displayed in the thumbnail.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 containing further executable code for monitoring a status of the connection, wherein the displaying step further comprises changing the appearance of the thumbnail based on the connection status.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33 wherein the connection status is one of connected, degraded and disconnected.

35. A computer-readable medium containing executable code for performing on a computing device the following steps:

displaying a container;

displaying a plurality of thumbnails within the container, the container providing peripheral awareness of the plurality of thumbnails, at least one of the thumbnails containing corresponding dynamic information, the thumbnails changing dynamically as the dynamic information changes.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35 wherein the container is a sidebar window and is displayed at a peripheral portion of a display.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 35 containing further executable code for configuring the container in one of a first state and a second state based on a command input, wherein the container is non-visible on the display in the first state and visible on the display in the second state.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 35 wherein displaying the container includes displaying the dynamic information in the container in a non-obtrusive manner.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 38 wherein displaying the container further includes displaying the dynamic information in the container across multiple platforms.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 35 wherein the container provides peripheral awareness of the plurality of thumbnails based on an ability of a user to receive the dynamic information without interrupting user tasks.