Extensible icons with multiple drop zones

• US 20070150834A1
• Filed: 12/27/2005
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Muller, Michael, Schirmer, Andrew, Gruen, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 7,552,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to icon management in a GUI and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for extensible icons with multiple drop zones. In one embodiment of the invention, an icon data processing system configured for use in a GUI can include a contracted form of an extensible icon; an expanded form of the extensible icon including multiple drop zones; and, a drag-and-drop event handler coupled to the contracted form of the extensible icon and the expanded form of the extensible icon.

Claims

1. An icon data processing system configured for use in a graphical user interface, the data processing system comprising:

a contracted form of an extensible icon;

an expanded form of the extensible icon comprising multiple drop zones; and

,

a drag-and-drop event handler coupled to the contracted form of the extensible icon and the expanded form of the extensible icon.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple drop zones comprises separate iconic elements disposed about the expanded form of the extensible icon, each of the drop zones comprising an association with a different operation.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple drop zones comprises separate subdivided portions of the expanded form of the extensible icon, each of the drop zones comprising an association with a different operation.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple drop zones comprises separate menu items in a pop-up menu disposed adjacent to the expanded form of the extensible icon, each of the drop zones comprising an association with a different operation.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the drop zones comprises an association with a different drag-and-drop operation.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the drop zones comprises an association with a different selection operation.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the drag-and-drop event handler comprises program code enabled to replace the contracted form of the extensible icon with the expanded form of the extensible icon responsive to a proximity event for the contracted form of the extensible icon.

8. A method for managing an extensible icon in a graphical user interface (GUI), the method comprising:

detecting a proximity event for the extensible icon;

configuring an expanded form of the extensible icon with multiple drop zones and associating each of the multiple drop zones with a different operation; and

,

replacing a contracted form of the extensible icon in the GUI with the expanded form of the extensible icon.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising processing a drag-and-drop event for one of the multiple drop zones by performing an associated operation on a subject icon dropped onto the one of the multiple drop zones.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising processing a selection event for a selected one of the multiple drop zones by performing an operation associated with the selected one of the multiple drop zones.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein configuring an expanded form of the extensible icon with multiple drop zones, comprises configuring the expanded form of the extensible icon with separate iconic elements disposed about the expanded form of the extensible icon, each of the drop zones comprising an association with a different operation.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein configuring an expanded form of the extensible icon with multiple drop zones, comprises configuring the expanded form of the extensible icon with separate subdivided portions of the expanded form of the extensible icon, each of the drop zones comprising an association with a different operation.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein configuring an expanded form of the extensible icon with multiple drop zones, comprises configuring the expanded form of the extensible icon with separate menu items in a pop-up menu disposed adjacent to the expanded form of the extensible icon, each of the drop zones comprising an association with a different operation.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code for managing an extensible icon in a graphical user interface (GUI), said computer program product including:

computer usable program code for detecting a proximity event for the extensible icon;

computer usable program code for configuring an expanded form of the extensible icon with multiple drop zones and associating each of the multiple drop zones with a different operation; and

,

computer usable program code for replacing a contracted form of the extensible icon in the GUI with the expanded form of the extensible icon.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising computer usable program code for processing a drag-and-drop event for one of the multiple drop zones by performing an associated operation on a subject icon dropped onto the one of the multiple drop zones.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising computer usable program code for processing a selection event for a selected one of the multiple drop zones by performing an operation associated with the selected one of the multiple drop zones.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer usable program code for configuring an expanded form of the extensible icon with multiple drop zones, comprises computer usable program code for configuring the expanded form of the extensible icon with separate iconic elements disposed about the expanded form of the extensible icon, each of the drop zones comprising an association with a different operation.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer usable program code for configuring an expanded form of the extensible icon with multiple drop zones, comprises computer usable program code for configuring the expanded form of the extensible icon with separate subdivided portions of the expanded form of the extensible icon, each of the drop zones comprising an association with a different operation.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer usable program code for configuring an expanded form of the extensible icon with multiple drop zones, comprises computer usable program code for configuring the expanded form of the extensible icon with separate menu items in a pop-up menu disposed adjacent to the expanded form of the extensible icon, each of the drop zones comprising an association with a different operation.