Color and Symbol Coded Visual Cues for Relating Screen Items to Each Other

• US 20080059883A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, David, Gonzalez, Ricardo, Medl, Robert, Christensen, Catherine, Wickham, Daina
• Granted Patent: US 8,219,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

Described is a system and method for visually delineating a relationship between diverse, but related graphical objects in a graphical user interface. An icon that has specified color scheme is associated with the diverse, but related but graphical objects. When one of the related graphical objects is displayed, the icon is displayed within the displayed graphical object. The persistence of the icon with the specified color scheme in the displayed graphical objects allows them to be recognized as related.

Claims

1. A computer-based method of visually delineating a relationship between related graphical objects in a graphical user interface, the method comprising:

associating an icon with each of at least two diverse, but related graphical objects/sub-objects, said icon having an associated color scheme, said icon and said color scheme unique to said related graphical objects/sub-objects;

displaying said related graphical objects/sub-objects, wherein said related objects/sub-objects are displayed with said associated icon with associated color scheme, said icon with associated color scheme being displayed within leach of said related graphical objects/sub-objects;

wherein said displayed related graphical objects/sub-objects are recognizable as related by the persistence of said associated icon with said associated color scheme across each of said graphical objects/sub-objects.

2. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein said icon is displayed within a visible portion of said displayed graphical objects/sub-objects.

3. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein said objects/sub-objects are a series of graphical templates, and said persistence of said associated icon with said associated color scheme provides user assistance when traversing through said series of graphical templates.

4. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein said related graphical objects comprise any of:

graphical windows, toolbars, rulers, wizards, titlebars, tables and icons.

5. A computer-based method of delineating a relationship between related graphical objects, said method comprising:

associating an icon with at a first graphical object, said icon having an associated color scheme;

displaying said first graphical object with said icon having said associated color scheme, said icon being displayed within said first graphical object;

associating said icon having said color scheme with at a second graphical object that is diverse from, but related to, said first graphical object;

displaying said second related graphical object with said icon having said associated color scheme, said icon being displayed within said second related graphical object;

said second object being recognizable as related to said first object by persistence of said icon having said associated color scheme across said first graphical object and said related second graphical object.

6. The computer-based method of claim 5, wherein said first and second objects are located within a single graphical user interface.

7. The computer-based method of claim 5, wherein said first and second objects are associated with a series of graphical templates, and said persistence of said icon having said associated color scheme provides user assistance when traversing through said series of graphical templates.

8. The computer-based method of claim 5, wherein said first and second objects comprise any of:

graphical windows, toolbars, rulers, wizards, title bars, tables and icons.

9. An article of manufacture comprising computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein implementing a method of delineating a relationship between related graphical objects, said computer readable program code executable in a computer and said medium comprising:

computer readable program code associating a first icon with a first set of diverse, but, related graphical objects, said first icon having an first color scheme, and computer readable program code associating a second icon with a second set of at least two diverse, but related graphical objects, said second icon having a second color scheme, said first and second icons being distinguishable from each other;

when a graphical object in said first set is displayed, computer readable program code displaying said first icon within said displayed graphical object in said first set, and when a graphical object in said second set is displayed, displaying said second icon within said displayed graphical object in said second set; and

wherein said displayed graphical objects in said first and second sets are recognizable as related by the persistence of said first and second icons, respectively.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein said first icon is displayed within a visible portion of said displayed graphical object in said first set and said second icon is displayed within a visible portion of said displayed graphical object in said second set.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein said persistence of said first icon with said first color scheme provides user assistance when traversing a series of graphical templates.

12. An article of manufacture comprising computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein implementing a method of delineating a relationship between related graphical objects, said computer readable program code executable in a computer and said medium comprising:

computer readable program code associating a first icon with a first graphical object, said icon having a first color scheme;

computer readable program code displaying said first icon with said first specified color scheme within said first graphical object;

computer readable program code progressively displaying a series of graphical objects diverse from, but related to said first graphical object, said one or more related graphical objects reflecting an evolution of progression of development of said first graphical object, and

wherein said first icon with said specified color scheme is displayed within each of said related graphical objects, and said first icon associated with an evolution of progression of development of said first graphical object being distinguishable from a second icon associated with an evolution of progression of development of a second graphical object.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein said related graphical objects reflecting said evolution of progression of development of said first graphical object collectively comprise a user assistance wizard.