Techniques for use with a calendar and messaging component

• US 20080148181A1
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Henderson, Paul E., Ackermann, Edith, Sayegh, Allen, Reyes, August de Ios, Chandley, Adrian Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,584,038 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/801
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

Techniques are provided for displaying electronic calendar information. A calendar entry corresponding to a date is selected. In response to selecting the calendar entry, the calendar entry is expanded by increasing a portion of a display area associated with the calendar entry. Other calendar entries are compressed by decreasing a portion of the display area associated with the other calendar entries.

Claims

1. A method for displaying electronic calendar information comprising:

selecting a calendar entry corresponding to a date; and

in response to said selecting, expanding said calendar entry by increasing a portion of a display area associated with said calendar entry and compressing other calendar entries by decreasing a portion of the display area associated with said other calendar entries.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said calendar entry is expanded by increasing a size of the calendar entry in all vertical and horizontal directions.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the calendar entry by placing a message on the calendar entry.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the calendar entry by selecting, using an input device, a point on the display area associated with the calendar entry.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting is performed using a touchscreen device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the calendar entry is included in a calendar displayed in the display area, the calendar being in a compressed view form.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the display area includes a message area and when the calendar is in the compressed view form, the message area is in an expanded view form.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the calendar entry is included in a calendar displayed in the display area, the calendar being in an expanded view form.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the display area includes a message area and when the calendar is in the expanded view form, the message area is in a compressed view form.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the other calendar entries are compressed so that calendar entries included in a same row have a same height and can vary in width, and calendar entries included in a same column have a same width and can vary in height.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein movement within the calendar entry causes the display area to be updated in accordance with a granularity mode setting.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a first granularity mode setting does not provide for modifying sizes of calendar entries when movement is within the calendar entry.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a second granularity mode setting provides for modifying sizes of calendar entries when movement is with the calendar entry.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein one or more neighboring calendar entries of said calendar entry are modified in size in accordance with the movement in horizontal and vertical directions.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein movement in a horizontal or vertical direction toward a neighboring entry causes expansion of the neighboring entry and compression of the calendar entry.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said display area is included in a household appliance.

17. A computer readable medium comprising code stored thereon for displaying electronic calendar information, the computer readable medium comprising code for:

selecting a calendar entry corresponding to a date of a month from a monthly calendar included in a display area; and

in response to said selecting, expanding a portion of the display area associated with the calendar entry and accordingly decreasing other portions of the display area associated with other calendar entries in the monthly calendar.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein said calendar entry is expanded by increasing the portion of the display area associated with the calendar entry in vertical and horizontal directions.

19. A method for displaying electronic calendar information and message information comprising:

displaying calendar information in a first area of a display;

displaying message information in a second area of the display;

selecting a calendar entry corresponding to a date of a month from a monthly calendar included in the first area; and

in response to said selecting, expanding a portion of the first area associated with the calendar entry and accordingly decreasing other portions of the first area associated with other calendar entries in the monthly calendar.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein when one of the calendar information and the message information is in an expanded view form, the other of the calendar information and the message information is in a compressed view form.