METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ILLUSTRATING PROGRESS IN ACHIEVING A GOAL IN A COMPUTER PROGRAM TASK

• US 20100122201A1
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Smith, Lillian M., Demchak, Gregory L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34

Abstract

A method, apparatus and article of manufacture for illustrating progress in achieving a goal of a system modeled by a computer program. In one embodiment, the invention is evidenced by a method comprising the steps of displaying a widget wherein the widget comprises a center portion representing a category of data represented by the computer program and the category of data includes n data points that must be fulfilled to achieve the goal and an outer portion, comprising a segment representing each one of the n data points; and updating the widget to represent each of the n data points that has been fulfilled by delineating each segment representing a fulfilled data point requirement from each segment representing a non-fulfilled data point requirement.

Claims

1. A method for illustrating progress in achieving a goal of a system modeled by a computer program, comprising:

displaying a widget on a display, the widget comprising;

a center portion representing a category of data represented by the computer program, wherein the category of data includes n data points that must be fulfilled to achieve the goal; and

an outer portion, comprising a segment representing each one of the n data points;

updating the widget to represent each of the n data points that has been fulfilled, comprising delineating each segment representing a fulfilled data point requirement from each segment representing a non-fulfilled data point requirement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the outer portion comprises a ring of segments surrounding the center portion.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein progress toward the goal is achieved by accepting a plurality of user inputs to the computer program.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the computer program comprises a design program and each category of data represents a different aspect of a design that is the subject of the design program.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting if a pointer is hovered over the center portion; and

displaying information about the category of data if the pointer is hovered over the center portion.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a user selection of the center portion; and

displaying user-editable information about the category of data represented by the center portion.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the computer program comprises a design program and each category represents a different aspect of a design that is the subject of the design program, and wherein:

the information comprises a saved aspect of the design.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting if a pointer is hovered over one of the segments; and

displaying information about the data point represented by the segment if the pointer is hovered over the segment.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a user selection of one of the segments; and

displaying user-editable information about the data point represented by the selected segment.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer program comprises a design program and each category of data represents a different aspect of a design that is the subject of the design program.

10. An apparatus for illustrating progress in achieving a goal in a computer program, comprising:

a computer system, having a processor and a memory coupled thereto, the memory storing one or more instructions for performing the computer program and for presenting a widget on a display coupled to the computer system;

wherein the widget comprises;

a center portion representing a category of data represented by the computer program, wherein the category of data includes n data points that must be fulfilled to achieve the goal;

an outer portion, comprising a segment representing each one of the n data points,

wherein each of the segments representing a data point having a fulfilled data point requirement are delineated from each of the segments representing a data point having an unfulfilled data point.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the outer portion comprises a ring of segments surrounding the center portion.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein progress toward the goal is achieved by accepting a plurality of user inputs to the computer program.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for:

detecting if a pointer is hovered over the center portion; and

displaying information about the category of data if a pointer is hovered over the center portion.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for:

detecting a user selection of the center portion; and

displaying user-editable information about the category of data represented by the center portion.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the computer program comprises a design program and each category represents a different aspect of a design that is the subject of the design program, and wherein:

the information comprises a saved aspect of the design.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for:

detecting if a pointer is hovered over one of the segments; and

displaying information about the data point represented by the segment if the pointer is hovered over the segment.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for:

detecting a user selection of one of the segments; and

displaying user-editable information about the data point represented by the selected segment.

19. An apparatus for illustrating progress in achieving a goal in a task of a computer program, comprising:

means for displaying a widget, the widget comprising;

a center portion representing a category of data represented by the computer program, wherein the category of data includes n data points that must be fulfilled to achieve the goal;

an outer portion, comprising a segment representing each one of the n data points;

means for updating the widget to represent each of the n data points that has been fulfilled, comprising

delineating each segment representing a fulfilled data point requirement from each segment representing a non-fulfilled data point requirement.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the outer portion comprises a ring of segments surrounding the center portion.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein progress toward the goal is achieved by accepting a plurality of user inputs to the computer program.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the computer program comprises a design program and each category of data represents a different aspect of a design that is the subject of the design program.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

means for detecting if a pointer is hovered over the center portion; and

means for displaying information about the category of data if the pointer is hovered over the center portion.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

means for detecting a user selection of the center portion; and

means for displaying user-editable information about the category of data represented by the center portion.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein computer program comprises a design program and each category represents a different aspect of a design that is the subject of the design program, and wherein:

the information comprises a saved aspect of the design.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

means for detecting if a pointer is hovered over one of the segments; and

means for displaying information about the data point represented by the segment if the pointer is hovered over the segment.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

means for detecting a user selection of one of the segments; and

means for displaying user-editable information about the data point represented by the selected segment.