Adding Tiles to a Graphical User Interface

• US 20090144376A1
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zumobi Incorporated (Aclate, Inc.)
• Inventors: Moscatelli, Adriana, SanGiovanni, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,846,750 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation

Abstract

A software application having a graphical user interface (GUI) that displays content tiles along with the use of an electronic device to add tiles to the GUI is described in this disclosure. A predefined key on an input device is selected to indicate to display available tiles. One of the displayed available tiles is selected and the user designates a location on the display of the content tiles where to place the selected displayed available tiles. The selected tile is then inserted into the display with the plurality of tiles at the designated location and a tile previously at the designation location on the display is deleted and placed in a delete directory.

Claims

1. A method for adding tiles to a graphical user interface display comprising:

displaying with an application having a graphical user interface (GUI) a plurality of content tiles in a grid format, each tile corresponding to content stored on a plurality of different web sites;

selecting a predefined key on an input device to indicate to display available tiles not included within the gird of content tiles;

in response to selection of the predefined key, displaying the available tiles;

selecting one of the displayed available tiles;

designating a location on the display of the plurality of content tiles where to place the selected one of the displayed available tiles;

inserting the selected tile into the display with the plurality of tiles at the designated location; and

deleting a tile previously at the designation location on the display and placing the deleted tile into a delete directory.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising receiving the tiles from a third party via one either electronic mail or using a multimedia messaging system.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising receiving tiles by selecting a link used to retrieve tiles from a web site.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein selecting the link automatically adds a tile to the display.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein the tile is automatically added to a default location on the display.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein one of the displayed available tiles is selected by either depressing 0 key on a communications device, depressing a 0 menu button on the display or by selecting a zero menu from a drop down menu on the display.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein a location on the display of the plurality of content tiles where to place the selected one of the displayed available tiles is designated by either selecting arrows on a keypad or selecting a location on the display.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising making tiles in the deleted directory available for replacement on the display with the plurality of tiles.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 further comprising adding the removed tile to an inbox directory indicating the list of available tiles to be selected.

10. A computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform acts comprising:

displaying a plurality of content tiles that indicate content stored on a plurality of different web sites;

receiving a selection of a predefined key on an input device to indicate to display available tiles not included with the plurality of content tiles available to be selected;

in response to selection of the predefined key, displaying the available tiles;

receiving a selection of one of the displayed available tiles;

receiving a designation of a location on the display of the plurality of content tiles where to place the selected one of the displayed available tiles;

inserting the selected tile into the display with the plurality of tiles at the designated location; and

deleting a tile previously at the designation location on the display and placing the deleted tile into a deleted directory.

11. The computer readable media as recited in claim 10 wherein one of the displayed available tiles is selected by either depressing 0 key on an input device, depressing a 0 menu button on the display or by selecting a zero menu from a drop down menu on the display.

12. The computer readable media as recited in claim 10 wherein a location on the display of the plurality of content tiles where to place the selected one of the displayed available tiles is designated by either selecting arrows on keypad or selecting a location on the display.

13. The computer readable media as recited in claim 10 wherein the acts further comprise making tiles in the deleted directory available for replacement on the display with the plurality of tiles by moving the tiles to an inbox directory.

14. The computer readable media as recited in claim 13 wherein the acts further comprise adding the removed tile to the list of available tiles to be selected.

15. A system comprising:

an input device;

a mobile communications device coupled with the input device to display a plurality of content tiles that indicate content stored on a plurality of different web sites stored on a service provider, said device to receive a selection of a predefined key on an input device to indicate to display available tiles not included with the plurality of content tiles available to be selected;

the service provider to provide content to the mobile communications device when tiles are selected on the mobile communication device; and

said mobile communications device in response to selection of the predefined key, to display the available tiles, to receive a selection of one of the displayed available tiles from the input device, said device to receive a designation of a location on the display of the plurality of content tiles where to place the selected one of the displayed available tiles, to insert the selected tile into the display with the plurality of tiles at the designated location, and to delete a tile previously at the designation location on the display and to place the deleted tile into a delete directory in memory of the device.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the mobile communications device to receive the tiles from the service provider via one either electronic mail or using a multimedia messaging system and place the received tiles on receipt into an inbox directory on the mobile communications device.

17. The system as recited in claim 15 further comprising wherein the mobile communications device to receive tiles by selecting a link used to retrieve tiles from a web site.

18. The system as recited in claim 15 wherein the mobiles communications device automatically adds a tile to the display in response to selecting the link.

19. The system as recited in claim 18 wherein the device automatically adds a tile to a default location on the display.

20. The system as recited in claim 15 wherein the display of the plurality of content tiles is in a grid format, and wherein said device is operative to receive an indication from the input device the designated location on the display of where to place the selected one of the displayed available tiles by the input device indicating a selection of the location on the grid, and wherein the device is operative to place the selected one of the available tiles on the grid at the designated location.