Active Tiled User Interface

• US 20090031247A1
• Filed: 07/26/2007
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Walter, Wolfgang E., Persich, Christoph
• Granted Patent: US 9,489,216 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/788
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A computer interface can be customized by a user at run time (instead of by a developer or administrator at an earlier time). A rectangular area can be divided into a plurality of sub-areas, and content sources assigned to each sub-area; or two adjacent sub-areas can be coalesced into a single, larger area. Content sources are assigned to each sub-area, and live content from the assigned source is displayed in the sub-area.

Claims

1. A method of customizing a computer user interface comprising:

selecting a rectangular area of an interface screen;

dividing the rectangular area into a plurality of rectangular sub-areas;

assigning a first content source to a first of the plurality of rectangular sub-areas; and

assigning a second content source to a second of the plurality of rectangular sub-areas, wherein

content from the first content source is displayed in the first rectangular sub-area after the first assigning operation and before the second assigning operation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting a position of a dividing line separating two adjacent rectangular sub-areas;

increasing a size of a content displayed by a content source assigned to a first of the two adjacent rectangular sub-areas; and

decreasing a size of a content displayed by a content source assigned to a second of the two adjacent rectangular sub-areas.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the rectangular area is divided into three horizontally-adjacent rectangular sub-areas, the method further comprising:

adjusting a position of a dividing line separating a center sub-area of the three horizontally-adjacent rectangular sub-areas from a left sub-area of the three horizontally-adjacent rectangular sub-areas; and

automatically changing a size of a right sub-area of the three horizontally-adjacent sub-areas by an amount proportional to an amount of the adjusting operation.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the rectangular area is divided into three horizontally-adjacent rectangular sub-areas of unequal horizontal dimension, the method further comprising:

adjusting a position of a dividing line separating a center sub-area of the three horizontally-adjacent rectangular sub-areas from a left sub-area of the three horizontally-adjacent rectangular sub-areas; and

automatically changing a size of a right sub-area of the three horizontally-adjacent sub-areas by an amount proportional to an amount of the adjusting operation and proportional to a ratio between a size of the right sub-area and an original size of the center sub-area.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the rectangular area of the interface screen is a rectangular sub-area of a larger rectangular area.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving one of a static text message or a static image; and

displaying the one of the static text message or static image in the first of the plurality of sub-areas.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving data from a database; and

displaying the data in the first of the plurality of sub-areas.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

formatting the data as a table of numbers; and

displaying the table of numbers in the first of the plurality of sub-areas.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

formatting the data as a graph; and

displaying the graph in the first of the plurality of sub-areas.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically saving a configuration of the display screen after an assigning operation.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

restoring the automatically saved configuration of the display screen to reproduce the saved configuration.

12. A method of customizing a computer user interface comprising:

selecting two adjacent rectangular sub-areas of an interface screen;

replacing the two adjacent rectangular sub-areas with a single larger rectangular sub-area substantially equal in size to a union of the two adjacent rectangular sub-areas;

discarding an assignment of a first content source to a first of the two adjacent rectangular sub-areas; and

displaying content from a second content source assigned to a second of the two rectangular sub-areas in the single larger rectangular sub-area.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

selecting one of the first content source and the second content source; and

displaying the selected one of the first content source and the second content source in the single larger rectangular sub-area.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the single larger rectangular sub-area is a last sub-area of a parent area, the method further comprising:

removing the single larger rectangular sub-area; and

assigning the second content source to the parent area.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

discarding an assignment of the second content source to the single larger rectangular sub-area;

assigning a third content source to the single larger rectangular sub-area; and

displaying content from the third content source in the single larger rectangular area.

16. A computer-readable medium containing data and instructions to cause a programmable processor to perform operations comprising:

defining a nested grid having parent-child and sibling relationships within a display window, wherein each sibling occupies a configurable portion of an area of the parent;

associating a plurality of content sources with the nested grid, one content source with each subgrid of the nested grid;

displaying content from each content source within its associated subgrid;

resizing all child subgrids responsive to a resizing the parent grid; and

resizing at least one sibling subgrid responsive to a resizing of another sibling subgrid.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein each subgrid shares at least one boundary with another subgrid of the nested grid.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein a union of areas occupied by all of the children of a parent is substantially coextensive with an area of the parent.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein no sibling overlaps any other sibling.

20. A system comprising:

a display screen to present information from a plurality of sources;

a window manager to coordinate display of a plurality of overlapping windows on the display screen;

logic to partition a content area of one of the overlapping windows into a nested grid of non-overlapping tiles and adjust a size or configuration of the non-overlapping tiles; and

a content source to display information in one of the non-overlapping tiles.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the logic includes functionality to split, join and resize tiles of the nested grid of overlapping tiles.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the logic includes functionality to change a content source to display information in one of the non-overlapping tiles.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein the content source is an Internet browser.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein at least one of a Uniform Resource Locator (“

URL”

) entry field or a “

Back”

button of the Internet browser is inactive.