SMART PROGRESS INDICATOR

• US 20130262527A1
• Filed: 04/02/2012
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hunter, Nicolas M., Sivi, Scott D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,738,665 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/805
• 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 3/0484 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

Abstract

Methods, program products, and systems for a smart progress indicator are described. A smart progress indicator can be user-configurable and user-programmable. A smart progress indicator can represent a ratio between a completed portion of a task and the whole task. In addition, the smart progress indicator can include triggers such that the smart progress indicator can have different colors or patterns depending on whether or not one or more conditions are satisfied. In some implementations, the smart progress indicator can dynamically change data sources for the completed portion of the task or for the whole task based on the conditions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

creating a progress indicator, the progress indicator being a graphical indication of a ratio between a portion of a whole task that has been completed and the whole task; and

associating the progress indicator with a trigger that includes a condition, wherein, based on whether the condition is satisfied, a data source of the whole task is determined, and a display pattern of the progress indicator corresponding to the ratio is applied, determining the data source and applying the display pattern comprising;

before the condition is satisfied;

designating a first data source for the whole task, the first data source specifying a first series of subcomponents of the whole task; and

representing the portion of the whole task that has been completed in a first display pattern; and

upon the condition being satisfied;

switching the data source for the whole task, including designating a second data source for the whole task, the second data source specifying a second series of subcomponents of the whole task; and

switching a representation of the completed portion of the whole task, including representing the portion of the whole task that has been completed in a second display pattern.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the progress indicator is at least one of a progress bar or a progress pie chart.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the progress indicator is a bar comprising an unfilled portion and a filled portion, the filled portion comprising multiple segments, a ratio between a length of the filled portion and a total length of the bar being indicative of the ratio between the completed portion of the task and the whole task, wherein each segment of the filled portion of the bar has a distinct display pattern.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the display pattern of the progress indicator comprises at least one of a shade pattern, a brightness pattern, or a color pattern.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the condition comprises a configurable calculation, and

the configurable calculation uses one of the first data source or the second data source as an input and produces one or more values as an output, the trigger operable to specify at least one of the one or more output values for comparing to a threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition comprises a status parameter that has a binary data type, each value of the status corresponding to a distinct display pattern.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first data source or the second data source corresponds to a repeating field, which is a data field containing multiple and separate values.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising providing for display an editing area for receiving user input for editing the condition.

9. A non-transitory storage device storing computer instructions that, when executed, are operable to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

creating a progress indicator, the progress indicator being a graphical indication of a ratio between a portion of a whole task that has been completed and the whole task; and

associating the progress indicator with a trigger that includes a condition, wherein, based on whether the condition is satisfied, a data source of the whole task is determined, and a display pattern of the progress indicator corresponding to the ratio is applied, determining the data source and applying the display pattern comprising;

before the condition is satisfied;

designating a first data source for the whole task, the first data source specifying a first series of subcomponents of the whole task; and

representing the portion of the whole task that has been completed in a first display pattern; and

upon the condition being satisfied;

switching the data source for the whole task, including designating a second data source for the whole task, the second data source specifying a second series of subcomponents of the whole task; and

switching a representation of the completed portion of the whole task, including representing the portion of the whole task that has been completed in a second display pattern.

10. The storage device of claim 9, wherein the progress indicator is at least one of a progress bar or a progress pie chart.

11. The storage device of claim 10, wherein the progress indicator is a bar comprising an unfilled portion and a filled portion, the filled portion comprising multiple segments, a ratio between a length of the filled portion and a total length of the bar being indicative of the ratio between the completed portion of the task and the whole task, wherein each segment of the filled portion of the bar has a distinct display pattern.

12. The storage device of claim 11, wherein the display pattern of the progress indicator comprises at least one of a shade pattern, a brightness pattern, or a color pattern.

13. The storage device of claim 9, wherein:

the condition comprises a configurable calculation, and

the configurable calculation uses one of the first data source or the second data source as an input and produces one or more values as an output, the trigger operable to specify at least one of the one or more output values for comparing to a threshold.

14. The storage device of claim 9, wherein the condition comprises a status parameter that has a binary data type, each value of the status corresponding to a distinct display pattern.

15. The storage device of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first data source or the second data source corresponds to a repeating field, which is a data field containing multiple and separate values.

16. The storage device of claim 9, the operations comprising providing for display an editing area for receiving user input for editing the condition.

17. A system comprising:

one or more processors programmed to perform operations comprising;

creating a progress indicator, the progress indicator being a graphical indication of a ratio between a portion of a whole task that has been completed and to the whole task; and

associating the progress indicator with a trigger that includes a condition, wherein, based on whether the \condition is satisfied, a data source of the whole task is determined, and a display pattern of the progress indicator corresponding to the ratio is applied, determining the data source and applying the display pattern comprising;

before the condition is satisfied;

designating a first data source for the whole task, the first data source specifying a first series of subcomponents of the whole task; and

representing the portion of the whole task that has been completed in a first display pattern; and

upon the condition being satisfied;

switching the data source for the whole task, including designating a second data source for the whole task, the second data source specifying a second series of subcomponents of the whole task; and

switching a representation of the completed portion of the whole task, including representing the portion of the whole task that has been completed in a second display pattern.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the progress indicator is at least one of a progress bar or a progress pie chart.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the progress indicator is a bar comprising an unfilled portion and a filled portion, the filled portion comprising multiple segments, a ratio between a length of the filled portion and a total length of the bar being indicative of the ratio between the completed portion of the task and the whole task, wherein each segment of the filled portion of the bar has a distinct display pattern.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the display pattern of the progress indicator comprises at least one of a shade pattern, a brightness pattern, or a color pattern.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the condition comprises a configurable calculation, and

the configurable calculation uses one of the first data source or the second data source as an input and produces one or more values as an output, the trigger operable to specify at least one of the one or more output values for comparing to a threshold.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the condition comprises a status parameter that has a binary data type, each value of the status corresponding to a distinct display pattern.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first data source or the second data source corresponds to a repeating field, which is a data field containing multiple and separate values.

24. The system of claim 17, the operations comprising providing for display an editing area for receiving user input for editing the condition.