Virtual Address Bar User Interface Control

• US 20070168886A1
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ligameri, Mark, Sheldon, Michael, Odins-Lucas, Zeke, Koch, Kenneth, Hally, J., Banks, Richard, De Vorchik, David, Moore, Jason, Kaasten, Shaun, Miner, Patrice
• Granted Patent: US 8,209,624 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/854
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

A virtual address bar user interface control is presented. The virtual address bar includes a plurality of interactive segments, each segment corresponding to a predetermined filter for selecting content in a computer file system. Collectively, the interactive segments represent a virtual address for selecting content. Selecting an interactive segment in the virtual address bar causes those segments subsequent to the selected segment to be removed from the virtual address bar. A user may select a peer filter for a segment to replace that segment'"'"'s current filter and removes those segments subsequent to the updated segment. The virtual address bar can be selectively configured to operate as a conventional address bar, and reconfigured to operate as a virtual address bar. Additional filter segments are added to the end of the existing filter segments. Those existing filter segments that conflict with the added segment are removed from the virtual address bar.

Claims

1. A system for selecting content for display on a display device according to a virtual address bar, the system comprising:

a computing device having a processor and a memory;

at least one storage device communicatively coupled to the computing device for storing content; and

a display device communicatively coupled to the computing device for displaying a virtual address bar;

wherein the virtual address bar comprises a plurality of address segments, each address segment corresponding to selection criteria for selecting content from the content stored on the storage device; and

wherein the plurality of address segments'"'"' corresponding selection criteria comprise a virtual address for selecting content for display on the display device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of address segments is an interactive address segment operable to respond to user interaction and modify the plurality of address segments.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein an interactive address segment is operable to respond to user interaction and modify the plurality of address segments such that, upon manipulating an interactive address segment, any of the plurality of address segments subsequent to the manipulated interactive address segment are removed from the virtual address bar.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein an interactive address segment is operable to respond to user interaction and modify the plurality of address segments such that, upon manipulating an interactive address segment, a list of selectable peer filters is presented to the user.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein, upon selecting a peer filter from the list of selectable peer filters, the selection criteria of the manipulated interactive address segment is replaced with the selected peer filter.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein, upon selecting a peer filter from the list of selectable peer filters, any of the plurality of address segments subsequent to the manipulated interactive address segment are removed from the virtual address bar.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein manipulating an interactive segment in the virtual address bar comprises placing a cursor element over an interactive address segment and leaving the cursor element stationary over the interactive address segment for a predetermined amount of time.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein an additional address segment is added to the virtual address bar according to user interactions external to the virtual address bar.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein an additional address segment is added to the virtual address bar at the end of the plurality of address segments in the virtual address bar.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein, upon adding an additional address segment to the virtual address bar, any of the plurality of address segments that conflict with the additional address segment are removed from the virtual address bar.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein any of the plurality of address segments conflicts with the additional address segment when the corresponding selection criteria of one of the plurality of address segments and the corresponding selection criteria of the additional address segment are mutually exclusive.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein any of the plurality of address segments conflicts with the additional address segment when the corresponding selection criteria of one of the plurality of address segments is broader in scope than the corresponding selection criteria of the additional address segment.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein any of the plurality of address segments conflicts with the additional address segment when the corresponding selection criteria of one of the plurality of address segments is narrower in scope than the corresponding selection criteria of the additional address segment.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual address bar is configurable to operate as a conventional address bar in response to a user interaction.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the virtual address bar, configurable to operate as a conventional address bar, is configurable to operate as a virtual address bar in response to a user interaction.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual address bar is embedded in a file viewer and displayed on the display device.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual address bar is embedded in an open file dialog view and displayed on the display device.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein an address segment'"'"'s corresponding selection criteria comprises selection criteria for selecting content stored in a particular file system location.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein an address segment'"'"'s corresponding selection criteria comprises selection criteria for selecting content irrespective of the content'"'"'s particular file system location.

20. A virtual address bar user interface control for selecting content accessible to a computer system for display, the virtual address bar comprising:

a plurality of interactive segments, wherein each interactive segment corresponds to selection criteria for selecting content for display.

21. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 20, wherein the corresponding selection criteria of an interactive segment further restricts the content selected by the corresponding selection criteria of any preceding interactive segments.

22. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 20, wherein selecting an interactive segment in the virtual address bar causes any interactive segments subsequent to the selected interactive segment to be removed from the virtual address bar.

23. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 20, wherein alternatively selecting an interactive segment in the virtual address bar causes a list of selectable peer filters to be presented to the user.

24. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 23, where the selectable peer filters are peer filters to the alternatively selected interactive segment'"'"'s corresponding selection criteria.

25. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 23, wherein selecting a peer filter from the list of selectable peer filters causes the alternatively selected interactive segment'"'"'s corresponding selection criteria to be replaced with the selected peer filter.

26. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 25, wherein selecting a peer filter from the list of selectable peer filters further causes those interactive segments subsequent to the alternatively selected interactive segment to be removed from the virtual address bar.

27. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 23, wherein alternatively selecting an interactive segment in the virtual address bar comprises placing a cursor element over an interactive segment and leaving the cursor element stationary over the interactive segment for a predetermined amount of time.

28. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 20, wherein an additional interactive segment is added to the virtual address bar according to user interactions external to the virtual address bar.

29. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 28, wherein the additional interactive segment is added to the end of the plurality of interactive segments.

30. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 29, wherein upon adding an additional interactive segment to the virtual address bar, any of the plurality of interactive segments that conflict with the additional interactive segment are removed from the virtual address bar.

31. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 30, wherein any of the plurality of interactive segments conflicts with the additional interactive segment when the selection criteria corresponding to one of the plurality of interactive segments and the selection criteria corresponding to the additional interactive segment are mutually exclusive.

32. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 30, wherein any of the plurality of interactive segments conflicts with the additional interactive segment when the selection criteria corresponding to one of the plurality of interactive segments is broader in scope than the selection criteria corresponding to the additional interactive segment.

33. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 30, wherein any of the plurality of interactive segments conflicts with the additional interactive segment when the selection criteria corresponding to one of the plurality of interactive segments is narrower in scope than the selection criteria corresponding to the additional interactive segment.

34. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 20, wherein the virtual address bar is configurable to operate as a conventional address bar according to a user interaction.

35. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 20, wherein the virtual address bar, configurable to operate as a conventional address bar, reconfigurable to operate as a virtual address bar according to a user interaction.

36. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 20, wherein the virtual address bar is embedded and displayed in a file viewer.

37. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 20, wherein the virtual address bar is embedded and displayed in an open file dialog view.

38. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 20, wherein the corresponding selection criteria of an interactive segment comprises selection criteria for selecting content stored in a particular file system location.

39. The virtual address bar user interface control of claim 20, wherein the corresponding selection criteria of an interactive segment comprises selection criteria for selecting content irrespective of the content'"'"'s file system location.