Widget of Graphical User Interface and Method for Navigating Amongst Related Objects

• US 20090019397A1
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dassault Systemes SA
• Original Assignee: Dassault Systemes SA
• Inventors: Buffet, Jean, Perroux, Francois
• Granted Patent: US 8,386,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/837
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

The invention is directed to a widget of or in a graphical user interface for navigating amongst related objects. The widget is adapted for displaying first and second groups of objects within respective first and second visually linked display areas. The widget is further adapted, upon user selection of a relation between an object of the second group and a third group of objects, for displaying objects of the third group in the second display area and objects of the second group in the first display area. The invention also relates to a method for navigating amongst related objects, comprising a step of providing to a user a graphical user interface with such a widget. Lastly, the invention is directed to a computer program comprising code means for implementing the method and to a computer system comprising means for implementing the method.

Claims

1. A widget of graphical user interface for navigating amongst related objects, wherein:

the widget is adapted for displaying first and second groups of objects within respective first and second visually linked display areas; and

the widget is further adapted, upon user selection of a relation between at least an object of the second group and at least an object of a third group of objects, for displaying objects of the third group in the second display area and objects of the second group in the first display area.

2. The widget according to claim 1, wherein the widget is further adapted, upon selection of said relation, for replacing:

objects of the second group by objects of the third group in the second display area; and

objects of the first group by objects of the second group in the first display area.

3. The widget according to claim 1, wherein one of the display areas is at least partially nested in the other of the display areas.

4. The widget according to claim 3, wherein the first and the second display areas are scaled images of each other.

5. The widget of claim 1, wherein each of said display areas is at least a portion of a ring.

6. The widget according to claim 1, further adapted for displaying said objects with different renderings according to their respective display area.

7. The widget according to claim 1, further adapted, upon user selection of a relation between at least an object of the first group and at least an object of the second group, for restoring initial display of said first and second groups of objects within said respective first and second display areas.

8. The widget according to claim 1, further adapted, upon user selection of an object of any of said groups, for activating a behaviour associated to said selected object.

9. The widget according to claim 1, further adapted for displaying a default object of the second group in the first display area.

10. The widget according to claim 9, further adapted, upon user selection of said relation, for displaying a default object of the third group in place of said default object of the second group.

11. The widget according to claim 9, further adapted for displaying a default object in only one of the display areas.

12. The widget according to claim 9, wherein said default objects is an object that is statistically most often selected in its respective group.

13. The widget according to claim 1, further adapted, upon user pre-selection of said relation, for pre-visualizing objects of said third group in a third display area outside said first and second display areas.

14. The widget according to claim 13, wherein said first, second and third display areas are at least partially nested in each other.

15. The widget according to claim 14, wherein the first display area is at least partially nested in the second display area, which is itself at least partially nested in the third display area.

16. The widget according to claim 1, wherein said objects are hierarchically interrelated.

17. A widget of graphical user interface for navigating amongst related objects, wherein:

the widget is adapted for displaying a first group of objects within a respective first display area; and

the widget is further adapted, upon user selection of a relation between at least an object of the first group and at least an object of a second group of objects, for displaying objects of the second group in the first display area and objects of the first group in a second display area.

18. A method for navigating amongst related objects in a computer application, comprising:

providing to a user a graphical user interface having a widget, the widget being adapted to display a first group of objects within a respective first display area, and the widget being further adapted, upon user selection of a relation between at least an object of the first group and at least an object of a second group of objects, to display objects of the second group in the first display area and objects of the first group in a second display area; and

displaying the widget in said interface.

19. A method for navigating amongst related objects, comprising the computer implemented steps of:

in a graphical user interface;

displaying first and second groups of objects within said respective first and second visually linked display areas;

receiving selection by a user of said relation between said at least one object of the second group and said at least one object of a third group; and

displaying objects of the third group in the second display area and objects of the second group in the first display area.

20. A method for navigating amongst related objects, comprising the computer implemented steps of:

in a user a graphical user interface;

displaying a first group of objects within a respective first display area; and

upon user selection of a relation between at least an object of the first group and at least an object of a second group of objects, displaying objects of the second group in the first display area and objects of the first group in a second display area.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising steps of:

receiving selection by a user of a relation between at least one object of the second group and at least one object of a third group of objects; and

displaying objects of the third group in the first display area and objects of the second group in the second display area.

22. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer code embedded thereon, which when executed by a digital processor generates a widget of a graphical user interface for navigating amongst related objects, wherein;

the widget is adapted for displaying a first group of objects within a respective first display area; and

the widget is further adapted, upon user selection of a relation between at least an object of the first group and at least an object of a second group of objects, for displaying objects of the second group in the first display area and objects of the first group in a second display area.

23. A computer system comprising:

graphical user interface means for;

(i) displaying a first group of objects within a respective first display areas; and

(ii) upon user selection of a relation between at least an object of the first group and at least an object of a second group of objects, displaying objects of the second group in the first display area and objects of the first group in a second display area; and

display means for outputting to a user a resulting widget of the graphical user interface means.

24. A computer system as claimed in claim 23 further comprising:

means for visually limiting the first and second display areas; and

wherein the graphical user interface means further;

receives selection by a user of a relation between at least one object of the second group and at least one object of a third group of objects; and

displays objects of the third group in the first display area and objects of the second group in the second display area.