HEADS-UP SCROLLING

• US 20130335455A1
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Powell, Wesley, Rooke, Ben, Dorris, Dexter A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,754,558 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/684
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/34 for rolling or scrolling

Abstract

Methods, program products, and systems for heads-up scrolling are described. In heads-up scrolling, a scrolling control can be used to scroll through multiple data records in a database. When a slider of the scrolling control receives an input dragging the slider, a semitransparent window can be overlaid on content being displayed. The semitransparent window can have a user-specified layout for formatting one or more data fields of a data record. When the slider is dragged, the content being overlaid upon can remain static. Content in the semitransparent window can be updated to reflect content in a data record corresponding to a position of the slider. The content in the semitransparent window can be formatted according to the user-specified layout, which may be different from a format of the content under the semitransparent window.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a user interface including a scrolling control and a current data record, an input accessing a slider of the scrolling control, the scrolling control corresponding to a plurality of data record rows in a database, each data record comprising one or more data fields, the current data record including one of the data records being displayed;

while the input continues, providing for display a heads-up display window of a predicted data record while maintaining a display of the current data record, the predicted data record being identified from the data record rows based on a current position of the slider on the scrolling control, the heads-up display window comprising a preview of the predicted data record being overlaid on the current data record, the preview including a data field preselected from the one or more data fields of the predicted data record; and

updating the heads-up display window when the input moves the slider along the scrolling control while maintaining the display of the current data record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the slider has a fixed size.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the heads-up display window includes a semi-transparent window displaying the data field.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the heads-up display window includes a control that, when activated, causes a heads-up display layout editor to be displayed, the heads-up display layout editor usable to select the data field from the one or more data fields and configure formatting of the selected data field.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the input includes a touch and a drag on the slider, the method comprising:

upon receiving the touch on the slider, retrieving, from the database, a plurality of partial data record rows, each partial data record row corresponding to a data record row and comprising the preselected data field.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a first sort order based on a first data field of each of the data record rows and a second sort order on a second data field of each of the data record rows; and

storing unique values of the first data field and unique values of the second data field, wherein updating the heads-up display window comprising displaying new content for the second data field while maintaining content of the first data field.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a ratio between a count of the data record rows and a length of the slide control as measured in number of pixels; and

identifying the predicted data record for display in the heads-up display window based on the ratio.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

synchronizing the heads-up display and the predicted data record when the predicted data record is changed.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

detecting that the input ceases to access the slider;

then

selecting a predicted data record a data field of which is displayed in a last heads-up display window; and

retrieving data fields of the selected data record for display in a form view.

10. A non-transitory storage device storing computer instructions operable to cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a user interface including a scrolling control and a current data record, an input accessing a slider of the scrolling control, the scrolling control corresponding to a plurality of data record rows in a database, each data record comprising one or more data fields, the current data record including one of the data records being displayed;

while the input continues, providing for display a heads-up display window of a predicted data record while maintaining a display of the current data record, the predicted data record being identified from the data record rows based on a current position of the slider on the scrolling control, the heads-up display window comprising a preview of the predicted data record being overlaid on the current data record, the preview including a data field preselected from the one or more data fields of the predicted data record; and

updating the heads-up display window when the input moves the slider along the scrolling control while maintaining the display of the current data record.

11. The storage device of claim 10, wherein the slider has a fixed size.

12. The storage device of claim 10, wherein the heads-up display window includes a semi-transparent window displaying the data field.

13. The storage device of claim 10, wherein the heads-up display window includes a control that, when activated, causes a heads-up display layout editor to be displayed, the heads-up display layout editor usable to select the data field from the one or more data fields and configure formatting of the selected data field.

14. The storage device of claim 10, wherein the input includes a touch and a drag on the slider, the operations comprising:

upon receiving the touch on the slider, retrieving, from the database, a plurality of partial data record rows, each partial data record row corresponding to a data record row and comprising the preselected data field.

15. The storage device of claim 10, the operations comprising:

determining a first sort order based on a first data field of each of the data record rows and a second sort order on a second data field of each of the data record rows; and

storing unique values of the first data field and unique values of the second data field, wherein updating the heads-up display window comprising displaying new content for the second data field while maintaining content of the first data field.

16. The storage device of claim 10, the operations comprising:

determining a ratio between a count of the data record rows and a length of the slide control as measured in number of pixels; and

identifying the predicted data record for display in the heads-up display window based on the ratio.

17. The storage device of claim 10, the operations comprising:

synchronizing the heads-up display and the predicted data record when the predicted data record is changed.

18. The storage device of claim 10, the operations comprising:

detecting that the input ceases to access the slider;

then

selecting a predicted data record a data field of which is displayed in a last heads-up display window; and

retrieving all data fields of the selected data record for display in a form view.

19. A system comprising:

one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a user interface including a scrolling control and a current data record, an input accessing a slider of the scrolling control, the scrolling control corresponding to a plurality of data record rows in a database, each data record comprising one or more data fields, the current data record including one of the data records being displayed;

while the input continues, providing for display a heads-up display window of a predicted data record while maintaining a display of the current data record, the predicted data record being identified from the data record rows based on a current position of the slider on the scrolling control, the heads-up display window comprising a preview of the predicted data record being overlaid on the current data record, the preview including a data field preselected from the one or more data fields of the predicted data record; and

updating the heads-up display window when the input moves the slider along the scrolling control while maintaining the display of the current data record.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the slider has a fixed size.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the heads-up display window includes a semi-transparent window displaying the data field.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the heads-up display window includes a control that, when activated, causes a heads-up display layout editor to be displayed, the heads-up display layout editor usable to select the data field from the one or more data fields and configure formatting of the selected data field.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the input includes a touch and a drag on the slider, the operations comprising:

upon receiving the touch on the slider, retrieving, from the database, a plurality of partial data record rows, each partial data record row corresponding to a data record row and comprising the preselected data field.

24. The system of claim 19, the operations comprising:

determining a first sort order based on a first data field of each of the data record rows and a second sort order on a second data field of each of the data record rows; and

storing unique values of the first data field and unique values of the second data field, wherein updating the heads-up display window comprising displaying new content for the second data field while maintaining content of the first data field.

25. The system of claim 19, the operations comprising:

determining a ratio between a count of the data record rows and a length of the slide control as measured in number of pixels; and

identifying the predicted data record for display in the heads-up display window based on the ratio.

26. The system of claim 19, the operations comprising:

synchronizing the heads-up display and the predicted data record when the predicted data record is changed.

27. The system of claim 19, the operations comprising:

detecting that the input ceases to access the slider;

then

selecting a predicted data record a data field of which is displayed in a last heads-up display window; and

retrieving all data fields of the selected data record for display in a form view.