Method and Apparatus for Displaying Cascading Menu

• US 20120124523A1
• Filed: 04/29/2010
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Zhang, Xiaoxin, Yang, Changyuan
• Granted Patent: US 10,209,863 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/841
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a method of displaying a cascading menu that includes a plurality of submenus. The method determines a first submenu as indicated for browsing by a user based on a clicking event of the user. When an operation interface of the first submenu is in a collapsed mode, a number of submenus that are currently in an expanded mode within an operation interface of the cascading menu is counted. When the number of submenus that are currently in the expanded mode reaches a defined threshold, at least a second submenu is selected from the submenus that are currently in the expanded mode, and an operation interface of the second submenu is shrunk. The operation interface of the first submenu is expanded. Therefore, a size of the operation interface of the cascading menu will not increase as the number of the expanded submenus increases. As such, the amount of a page space occupied by the cascading menu is reduced and utilization of the page space is improved. The present disclosure further discloses a terminal apparatus.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a cascading menu that includes a plurality of submenus, the method comprising:

determining a first submenu as indicated for browsing by a user based on a clicking event of the user;

when an operation interface of the first submenu is in a collapsed mode, counting a number of submenus currently in an expanded mode within an operation interface of the cascading menu;

when the number of submenus currently in the expanded mode reaches a first threshold, selecting at least a second submenu from the submenus currently in the expanded mode to shrink an operation interface of the selected second submenu; and

expanding the operation interface of the first submenu.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

measuring a size of the operation interface of the first submenu;

comparing the measured size of the operation interface with a second threshold; and

determining that the operation interface of the first submenu is in the collapsed mode when the measured size of the operation interface of the first submenu is less than the second threshold.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

when the number of submenus currently in the expanded mode does not reach the first threshold, expanding the operation interface of the first submenu.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, selecting at least a second submenu from the submenus currently in the expanded mode comprises:

measuring sizes of operation interfaces of submenus other than the first submenu to identify any operation interface of the submenus other than the first submenu to be in the expanded mode; and

selecting a submenu of the submenus other than the first submenu that is the first of the submenus other than the first submenu identified to be in the expanded mode as the second submenu.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

when a third submenu that is at a lower level and adjacent to the first submenu is in the collapsed mode, expanding an operation interface of the third submenu.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

re-counting the number of submenus that are currently in the collapsed mode; and

when the number of submenus that are currently in the expanded mode reaches the first threshold, selecting at least a fourth submenu from the submenus that are currently in the expanded mode to shrink an operation interface of the fourth submenu.

7. A method of displaying a cascading menu that includes a plurality of submenus, the method comprising:

determining a first submenu as indicated for browsing by a user based on a clicking event of the user;

when an operation interface of the first submenu is in a collapsed mode, measuring a total width of the plurality of submenus that are currently in an expanded mode within an operation interface the cascading menu;

when the total width of the plurality of submenus that are currently in the expanded mode reaches a first threshold, selecting at least a second submenu from the submenus that are currently in the expanded mode to shrink an operation interface of the second submenu; and

expanding the operation interface of the first submenu in a sliding manner.

8. A terminal apparatus that displays a cascading menu having a plurality of submenus, the terminal apparatus comprising:

a user interface unit that determines a first submenu that is indicated for browsing by a user based on a clicking event of the user;

a determination unit that determines whether or not an operation interface of the first submenu is in a collapsed mode to obtain a determination result;

a counting unit that counts a number of submenus that are currently in an expanded mode within an operation interface of the cascading menu, when the operation interface of the first submenu is in the collapsed mode based on the determination result;

a comparison unit that compares the number of submenus that are currently in the expanded mode with a first threshold to obtain a comparison result; and

a processing unit that selects at least a second submenu from the submenus that are currently in the expanded mode to shrink an operation interface of the second submenu, and expands the operation interface of the first submenu in a sliding manner when the number of submenus that are currently in the expanded mode reaches the first threshold based on the comparison result.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein:

the determination unit, when determining whether or not the operation interface of the first submenu is in the collapsed mode, measures a size of the operation interface of the first submenu to compare the measured size of the operation interface of the first submenu with a second threshold, and determines that the operation interface of the first submenu is in the collapsed mode when the size of the operation interface of the first submenu is less than the second threshold.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein:

the processing unit expands the operation interface of the first submenu when the number of submenus that are currently in the expanded mode does not reach the first threshold based on the comparison result obtained by the comparison unit

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein:

the processing unit, when selecting the second submenu from the submenus that are currently in the expanded mode, measures sizes of operation interfaces of submenus other than the first submenu to identify any operation interface of any of the submenus other than the first submenu is in the expanded mode, and selects a submenu that is the first of the submenus other than the first submenu identified to be in the expanded mode as the second submenu.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein:

the processing unit, after expanding the operation interface of the first submenu, expands an operation interface of a third submenu that is at a lower level and adjacent to the first submenu when the third submenu is in the collapsed mode.