CUSTOMIZATION OF USER INTERFACE ELEMENTS

• US 20090228831A1
• Filed: 03/03/2009
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: WENDKER, ANDREAS, Drukman, Maxwell O.
• Application Number:
  US12/397,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20090228831A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/808
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for manipulating a user interface. In certain embodiments, the user interface includes a window having one or more pop-up menus. Each pop-up menu includes a set of items that can be selected by a user. Upon selection of one or more of the items in a pop-up menu, in certain embodiments the user can drag the selected items to a target area in the user interface window. If there is a second pop-up menu at the target area, the selected items are transferred from the first pop-up menu to the second pop-up menu. If there is no second pop-up menu at the target area, a new pop-up menu is created that includes the selected items.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

presenting a graphical user interface on a display device of an electronic device capable of receiving user input, the graphical user interface including a first menu with a set of mandatory operations, the set having a plurality of subsets;

creating a second menu including a selected subset of the mandatory operations in response to the subset of mandatory operations being removed from the first menu; and

modifying the graphical user interface to include the first menu with the mandatory operations except the removed subset and to include the second menu with having the subset of mandatory operations removed from the first menu.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the subset of mandatory operations are removed in response to user-provided input.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising adding the removed subset back to the first menu in response to second menu being removed.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the second menu is removed in response to user-provided input.

5. A method for providing one or more pop-up menus in a graphical user interface of an electronic device, the menus including set of mandatory operations, the method comprising:

presenting all of the mandatory operations in a first pop-up menu in the graphical user interface;

receiving user-provided input indicating removal of a subset of the mandatory operations from the first pop-up menu;

generating a second pop-up menu that includes the subset of mandatory operations automatically in response to receiving the user-provided input; and

displaying first pop-up menu and the second pop-up menu in the graphical user interface, wherein the subset of mandatory operations is included in the second pop-up menu and not in the first pop-up menu.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of mandatory operations comprise a plurality of predefined subsets of operations.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

receiving user-provided input indicating removal of the second pop-up menu;

modifying the first pop-up menu to include the subset of mandatory operations; and

displaying the first pop-up menu in the graphical user interface and not displaying the second pop-up menu in the graphical user interface, wherein the first pop-up menu includes the subset of mandatory operations previously included in the second pop-up menu.

8. An apparatus comprising:

means for presenting a graphical user interface on a display device of an electronic device capable of receiving user input, the graphical user interface including a first menu with a set of mandatory operations, the set having a plurality of subsets;

means for creating a second menu including a selected subset of the mandatory operations in response to the subset of mandatory operations being removed from the first menu; and

means for modifying the graphical user interface to include the first menu with the mandatory operations except the removed subset and to include the second menu with having the subset of mandatory operations removed from the first menu.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising means for adding the removed subset back to the first menu in response to second menu being removed.

10. An apparatus for providing one or more pop-up menus in a graphical user interface of an electronic device, the menus including set of mandatory operations, the apparatus comprising:

means for presenting all of the mandatory operations in a first pop-up menu in the graphical user interface;

means for receiving user-provided input indicating removal of a subset of the mandatory operations from the first pop-up menu;

means for generating a second pop-up menu that includes the subset of mandatory operations automatically in response to receiving the user-provided input; and

means for displaying first pop-up menu and the second pop-up menu in the graphical user interface, wherein the subset of mandatory operations is included in the second pop-up menu and not in the first pop-up menu.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

means for receiving user-provided input indicating removal of the second pop-up menu;

means for modifying the first pop-up menu to include the subset of mandatory operations; and

means for displaying the first pop-up menu in the graphical user interface and not displaying the second pop-up menu in the graphical user interface, wherein the first pop-up menu includes the subset of mandatory operations previously included in the second pop-up menu.

12. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

present a graphical user interface on a display device of an electronic device capable of receiving user input, the graphical user interface including a first menu with a set of mandatory operations, the set having a plurality of subsets;

create a second menu including a selected subset of the mandatory operations in response to the subset of mandatory operations being removed from the first menu; and

modify the graphical user interface to include the first menu with the mandatory operations except the removed subset and to include the second menu with having the subset of mandatory operations removed from the first menu.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12 wherein the subset of mandatory operations are removed in response to user-provided input.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 12 further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to add the removed subset back to the first menu in response to second menu being removed.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein the second menu is removed in response to user-provided input.

16. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions for providing one or more pop-up menus in a graphical user interface of an electronic device, the menus including set of mandatory operations, the instructions to cause one or more processors to:

present all of the mandatory operations in a first pop-up menu in the graphical user interface;

receive user-provided input indicating removal of a subset of the mandatory operations from the first pop-up menu;

generate a second pop-up menu that includes the subset of mandatory operations automatically in response to receiving the user-provided input; and

display first pop-up menu and the second pop-up menu in the graphical user interface, wherein the subset of mandatory operations is included in the second pop-up menu and not in the first pop-up menu.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16 further comprising instructions that cause the one or more processors to:

receive user-provided input indicating removal of the second pop-up menu;

modify the first pop-up menu to include the subset of mandatory operations; and

display the first pop-up menu in the graphical user interface and not displaying the second pop-up menu in the graphical user interface, wherein the first pop-up menu includes the subset of mandatory operations previously included in the second pop-up menu.