User Interface Presentation of Information in Reconfigured or Overlapping Containers

• US 20100287494A1
• Filed: 04/05/2010
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ording, Bas
• Granted Patent: US 9,037,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/790
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/60 Shadow generation

Abstract

A graphical user interface provides a display of multiple items of information in a manner such that the user can comprehend the relationship of various items to one another over a wide span. To achieve this result, at least some information containers are allocated a reduced amount of area in which to be viewed by the user. At least one container continues to be displayed in full view, however. In one embodiment, the containers are displayed in an overlapping arrangement. In a column view, for instance, the column containing the object that was last clicked upon, and the column showing the contents of the selected object, can be displayed in full view. The other columns may be only partially visible, due to the overlapping arrangement. However, the user is presented with enough information to comprehend the relationship of objects at different levels. When the user moves a cursor over a container with a reduced viewing area, the display changes to show that container in full view.

Claims

1. A method for displaying multiple items of information in a column view on a display of a computer system, comprising the following steps:

displaying a first set of objects in a first column that occupies a defined area within a window;

displaying a second set of objects in a second column of said window;

adding a third column to said window that contains at least one object; and

repositioning said first and second columns relative to one another within said window, in response to the addition of said third column, so that a portion of said first column remains visible in an area of window that is less than said defined area.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of adding a third column is performed in response to a user action.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said user action is the selection of an object in said second column.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said one object in said third column contains information pertaining to the selected object in said second column.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said first and second columns are repositioned relative to one another such that said second column overlaps a portion of said first column.

6. The method of claim 5, further including the step of displaying a shadow at the interface of said first and second columns when said first column is overlapped by said second column.

7. The method of claim 6, further including the step of increasing the width of said shadow concurrently with an increase in the amount of overlap of said first column by said second column, until a predetermined shadow width is attained.

8. The method of claim 5, further including the steps of:

detecting an event associated with a given overlapped column; and

repositioning columns which overlap said given column to remove their overlap and thereby display the given column in full view.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said event is associated with a user input action to shift focus to said given column.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said user input action is movement of a cursor to a position over said given column.

11. The method of claim 10 further including the steps of:

detecting whether the cursor is positioned within an active window or an inactive window; and

inhibiting said repositioning of the columns which overlap said given column if said cursor is positioned over an inactive window, until said cursor remains over said given column for a predetermined period of time.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein said event is generated by the computer system.

13. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

detecting an event associated with a given column having a visible area less than its defined area; and

repositioning columns relative to said given column to display the given column so that its visible area occupies said defined area.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said event is associated with a user input action to shift focus to said given column.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said user input action is movement of a cursor to a position over said given column.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said event is generated by the computer system.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said repositioning step includes the step of scaling the width of said column so that it conforms to said visible area.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein said repositioning step includes animation in which said columns slide from a current position to a destination position.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein said repositioning step includes animation in which columns having a visible area less than their defined area appear to rotate out of the plane of the display.

20. A computer-readable medium containing a program that executes the following steps:

displaying a first set of objects in a first column that occupies a defined area within a window;

displaying a second set of objects in a second column of said window;

adding a third column to said window that contains at least one object; and

repositioning said first and second columns relative to one another within said window, in response to the addition of said third column, so that a portion of said first column remains visible in an area of window that is less than said defined area.