Sidebar engine, object model and schema

• US 20070044039A1
• Filed: 02/17/2006
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Amadio, Louis, Teutsch, Brian, Fisher, Oliver
• Granted Patent: US 7,568,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/847
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

An engine is provided for displaying an application for hosting a second application. The hosting application can be a sidebar on a display. The engine can contain a part or program which can include a manifest file, a definition file and/or a script file. The manifest file may contain a pointer to at least one of the definition file and the script file. The engine may also contain a loader that can locate the definition file and/or script file (e.g., via pointers in the manifest file) and load the definition file and/or script files of the part for processing. The engine may also execute script associated with the part and convert an object model into a user interface which can be displayed at a predetermined location on a display or docked onto a sidebar. The user interface can further be manipulated or relocated within the sidebar or removed (i.e., undocked) from the sidebar. The sidebar may be exploded or imploded with the corresponding parts on the sidebar displayed on the desktop or another application (exploded) or returned to the sidebar (imploded).

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media storing a data structure, comprising:

a part object parameter representing a property of a user interface, said part object parameter defined in accordance with a part object model;

a part settings object parameter representing a configuration of the user interface;

a display object parameter representing at least one of an event and a property associated with the user interface;

a display screen object parameter representing at least one of a property and method of the user interface;

an element object parameter representing at least one of an event, method or property of the user interface;

wherein the data structure defines a representation of the user interface on a display.

2. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the element object is defined by a DHTML object model used by an HTML rendering and execution engine of a computer to which the computer-readable medium is operatively connected, said DHTML object model being separate from the part object model.

3. The computer-readable media of claim 2 wherein the part settings object parameter is defined by the part object model.

4. The computer-readable media of claim 2, wherein the display object parameter is defined by the part object model.

5. The computer-readable media of claim 2, wherein the part object parameter is represented using HTML syntax to be processed by an HTML rendering and execution engine.

6. The computer-readable media of claim 2, wherein the part settings object parameter is represented using HTML syntax to be processed by an HTML rendering and execution engine.

7. The computer-readable media of claim 2, wherein the display object parameter is represented using HTML syntax to be processed by an HTML rendering and execution engine.

8. The computer-readable media of claim 2, wherein the display screen object parameter is represented using HTML syntax to be processed by an HTML rendering and execution engine.

9. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the element object parameter is represented using HTML syntax to be processed by an HTML rendering and execution engine.

10. The computer-readable media of claim 1, said data structure further comprising a data field indicating a dock state comprising one of docked and undocked.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the element object comprises an HTML rendering and execution engine processing the element object based on a DHTML object model used by the HTML rendering and execution engine.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein processing the part object parameter comprises processing the part object parameter using a part object model, separate from the DHTML object model.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein processing the display object parameter comprises processing the display object parameter using a part object model, separate from the DHTML object model.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the part object parameter is represented using HTML syntax to be processed by the HTML rendering and execution engine.

16. The method of claim 2, wherein the display object parameter is represented using HTML syntax to be processed by an HTML rendering and execution engine.

11. A method of rendering a sidebar gadget on a display screen operatively connected to a computer system, said method comprising steps of:

processing a part object parameter representing a property of the sidebar gadget;

processing a part settings object parameter representing a configuration of the sidebar gadget;

processing a display object parameter representing at least one of an event and a property associated with the sidebar gadget;

processing a display screen object parameter representing at least one of a property and method of the sidebar gadget;

processing an element object parameter representing at least one of an event, method or property of the sidebar gadget; and

presenting a representation of the sidebar gadget on a display screen based on the processing steps.

17. One or more computer readable media storing computer executable instructions for performing a method of rendering a sidebar gadget on a display screen operatively connected to a computer system, said method comprising steps of:

processing an element object parameter representing at least one of an event, method or property of the sidebar gadget, said element object parameter processed by an HTML rendering and execution engine of a computer executing the instructions, and defined by a DHTML object model used by the HTML rendering and execution engine;

processing a part object parameter representing a property of the sidebar gadget, said part object parameter processed by the HTML rendering and execution engine, and defined by a part object model separate from the DHTML object model;

processing a display object parameter representing at least one of an event and a property associated with the sidebar gadget, said display object parameter processed by the HTML rendering and execution engine, and defined by the part object model; and

presenting a representation of the sidebar gadget on a display screen based on the processing steps.

18. The computer readable media of claim 17, said method further comprising the step of processing a part settings object parameter representing a configuration of the sidebar gadget, said part settings object parameter processed by the HTML rendering and execution engine, and defined by the part object model.

19. The computer readable media of claim 17, said method further comprising the step of processing a display screen object parameter representing at least one of a property and method of the sidebar gadget, said display screen object parameter processed by the HTML rendering and execution engine, and defined by the part object model.

20. The computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the element object parameter, the part object parameter, and the display object parameter are each represented using HTML syntax to be processed by the HTML rendering and execution engine.