COMPUTER SYSTEM WITH GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE INCLUDING SPRING-LOADED ENCLOSURES

• US 20100218130A1
• Filed: 05/04/2010
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1993
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomas J. Conrad, Yin Yin Wong
• Original Assignee: Thomas J. Conrad, Yin Yin Wong
• Inventors: Conrad, Thomas J., Wong, Yin Yin
• Application Number:
  US12/773,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20100218130A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

A new behavior in a graphical user interface allows the user to open and close enclosures, while dragging an object. When the user pauses, gestures, or rolls over a hot spot on top of an icon or text representing a closed enclosure, a temporary window for the closed enclosure is “sprung open” to allow the user to browse inside the enclosure and possible open another enclosure contained within the temporary window. This process can be carried on throughout a hierarchy of windows as the user browses for a destination window for the drag operation. All of the temporary windows except the destination are closed when the mouse button is released, signaling the end of a drag. The user may close sprung open windows by simply moving the cursor out of the sprung open window, or by making some other gesture. If an enclosure to be sprung open was previously open on the desktop, the previously opened window may zoom over to the current mouse position, and then return to its original position when the user mouse is out of the window.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

performing a drag operation comprising associating an object with a location on a display;

storing in a memory a plurality of objects including enclosures that comprise objects that may enclose other objects;

displaying windows on the display corresponding to open enclosures wherein a window for an opened enclosure includes identifiers within the window corresponding to objects enclosed by the opened enclosure; and

opening a temporary window for a particular enclosure displayed within one of the windows to display identifiers within the temporary window corresponding to objects enclosed by the particular enclosure in response to a drag operation over a location on the display device corresponding to an identifier of the particular enclosure.