TECHNIQUES FOR ORGANIZING INFORMATION ON A COMPUTING DEVICE USING MOVABLE OBJECTS

• US 20100162151A1
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Graff, Eliot J., Missimer, Connie, Class, Gregory G., Guinn, Julie A., Basu, Sumit
• Application Number:
  US12/340,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20100162151A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour

Abstract

Techniques to organize information on a computing device using movable objects are described. A computer system may include a display operative to present a graphical user interface with a pointer to select one or more movable objects and position the movable objects at various target positions on the graphical user interface, an input device operative to receive selected movable objects and user movement to position the selected movable objects at a target position on the graphical user interface, and an object position component operative to anchor the selected movable objects at the target position using an anchor element to form a group of anchored objects, and arrange the group of anchored objects in a visual pattern relative to the anchor element. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

presenting a graphical user interface on an electronic display with a pointer to select one or more movable objects and position the movable objects at various target positions on the graphical user interface;

receiving selected movable objects and user movement to position the selected movable objects at a target position on the graphical user interface from an input device;

anchoring the selected movable objects at the target position using an anchor element to form a group of anchored objects; and

arranging the group of anchored objects in a visual pattern relative to the anchor element on the graphical user interface presented on the electronic display.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving a selected movable object and user movement to position the selected movable object in spatial proximity to the anchor element.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising automatically anchoring a selected movable object at a target position using the anchor element when in spatial proximity to the anchor element.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving a control directive to explicitly anchor a selected movable object to the group of anchored objects or another group of anchored objects.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising selecting one of multiple anchor elements in accordance with a set of anchoring rules when a selected movable object is in spatial proximity to the multiple anchor elements.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising automatically anchoring a selected movable object using an anchor element selected from multiple anchor elements when the selected movable object is in spatial proximity to the multiple anchor elements.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising arranging the anchored objects in a fan visual pattern, a cascade visual pattern or a grid visual pattern.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising assigning different colors, sounds or visual effects to different groups of anchored objects.

9. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor enable a computer system to:

present a graphical user interface to display multiple movable objects;

position selected movable objects at a target position on the graphical user interface;

anchor the selected movable objects at the target position using an anchor element to form a group of anchored objects; and

arrange the group of anchored objects in a visual pattern relative to the anchor element.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, further comprising instructions that when executed by a processor enable the computer system to receive a selected movable object and user movement to position the selected movable object in spatial proximity to an anchor element, and automatically anchor the selected movable object at the target position using the anchor element.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 9, further comprising instructions that when executed by a processor enable the computer system to receive a selected movable object and user movement to position the selected movable object in spatial proximity to multiple anchor elements, select one of the multiple anchor elements in accordance with a set of anchoring rules, and automatically anchor the selected movable object using the selected anchor element.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 9, further comprising instructions that when executed by a processor enable the computer system to arrange the anchored objects in a fan visual pattern, a cascade visual pattern or a grid visual pattern.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 9, further comprising instructions that when executed by a processor enable the computer system to form multiple groups of anchored objects.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 9, further comprising instructions that when executed by a processor enable the computer system to assign different colors, sounds or visual effects to different groups of anchored objects.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 9, further comprising instructions that when executed by a processor enable the computer system to form groups of movable objects prior to anchoring the groups of movable objects with respective anchor elements.

16. A computer system, comprising:

a display operative to present a graphical user interface with a pointer to select one or more movable objects and position the movable objects at various target positions on the graphical user interface;

an input device operative to receive selected movable objects and user movement to position the selected movable objects at a target position on the graphical user interface; and

an object position component operative to anchor the selected movable objects at the target position using an anchor element to form a group of anchored objects, and arrange the group of anchored objects in a visual pattern relative to the anchor element.

17. The computer system of claim 16, the input device operative to receive a selected movable object and user movement to position the selected movable object in spatial proximity to an anchor element, and the object position component operative to automatically anchor the selected movable object at the target position using the anchor element.

18. The computer system of claim 16, the input device operative to receive a selected movable object and user movement to position the selected movable object in spatial proximity to multiple anchor elements, and the object position component operative to select one of the multiple anchor elements in accordance with a set of anchoring rules, and automatically anchor the selected movable object using the selected anchor element.

19. The computer system of claim 16, the object position component operative to arrange the anchored objects in a fan visual pattern, a cascade visual pattern or a grid visual pattern.

20. The computer system of claim 16, the object position component operative to form multiple groups of anchored objects, and assign different colors, sounds or visual effects to each of the multiple groups of anchored objects.