Method and system for in-place interaction with contained objects

• US 5,581,686 A
• Filed: 06/06/1995
• Issued: 12/03/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Williams, Antony S., McDaniel, Richard, Hodges, C. Douglas, Koppolu, Srinivasa R., MacKichan, Barry B., Remala, Rao V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, BA
• Application Number:
  US08/468,026
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 395/157, 395/159, 395/155
• US Class Current: 715/784
• 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 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A computer method and system for interacting with a containee object contained within a container object. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the container object has a container application with a container window environment that has container resources for interacting with the container object. The containee object has a server application with a server window environment with server resources for interacting with the containee object. The method of the present invention displays the container window environment on a display device. A user then selects the containee object. In response to selecting the containee object, the method integrates a plurality of the server resources with the displayed container window environment. When a user then selects a server resource, the method invokes the server application to process the server resource selection. Conversely, when a user selects a container resource, the method invokes the container application to process the container resource selection.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for scrolling an outer application window that contains an inner application window activated within the outer application window, user input to the outer application window being processed by a first application, user input to file timer application window being processed by a second application, the first and second application being a separate executable code images that are separately scheduled by an operating system of the computer system, the computer system having a display device and a window system for managing the displaying of windows on the display device and for passing user input events to applications, the window system allowing the scrolling of data displayed within a window, the method comprising the steps of:

indicating a selection of data contained within the inner application window that is contained and activated within the outer application window;

in response to a user input to scroll the outer application window, maintaining the indicated selection of data as the selected data.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

scrolling the outer application window; and

maintaining the indicated selection of data as selected when the inner application window is scrolled out of view of the user.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of indicating the selection of data contained within the inner application window designates the inner application window as having keyboard input focus such that the second application will receive a next keyboard input event;

wherein the step of scrolling the outer application window is performed by the first application; and

wherein the step of maintaining the indicated selection of data as selected when the inner application window is scrolled out of view, continues to designate the inner application window as having keyboard input focus.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of indicating the selection of data displays a hatched pattern border around the data and wherein the step of maintaining the indicated selection of data as the selected data preserves the hatched border displayed around the object.

5. A method in a computer system for controlling activation of a containee object activated in-place within a container object, the container object having a window environment that contains a container application window and a container menu bar with container contents, the containee object having a server window that is displayed within the window environment of the container object and having a server menu bar with server contents which are integrated with the container menu bar, such that the server contents and the container contents are displayed in combination in a joined application menu bar in the container application window instead of displaying the container menu bar, the method comprising the steps of:

indicating a selection of data in the server window of the containee object;

receiving user input within the container application window after the selected data has been indicated in the server window;

determining whether the user input indicates that the container application window is to be scrolled;

when it is determined that the user input indicates that the container application window is to be scrolled, scrolling the container application window while keeping the containee object activated in-place, with the server window being displayed within the container application window and with the joined application window menu bar being displayed in the container application window, wherein the selected data remains indicated in the server window; and

when it is determined that the user input indicates a selection within a portion of the container window that is outside the server window and that does not indicate scrolling the container application window,

deactivating the containee object such that the container menu bar is displayed in the container window instead of the joined application menu bar; and

removing the indication of the selection of data within the server window and redisplaying the containee object, wherein no data within the containee object is selectable.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of scrolling the container application window while keeping the containee object activated in-place maintains the indicated selection of data as selected data when the server window is scrolled out of view of the user.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of indicating a selection of data displays a hatched pattern border around the server window and wherein the step of removing the indication of the selection of data within the server window removes the hatched pattern border when the containee object is redisplayed.

8. A method in a computer system for scrolling a container object that contains a containee object, the container object having a container window, the computer system having an operating system that schedules execution of computer programs, the container object being managed by a container application program, the containee object being managed by a containee application program, each application program being a separate executable code image that is separately scheduled by the operating system, the method comprising the steps of:

under control of the container application program, selecting the containee object; and

activating, within a window environment of the container application, the selected containee object, wherein the containee application program controls displaying of contents of a containee window within the container window;

under control of the containee application program, receiving an indication of a selection of data within the displayed containee window; and

displaying an indication that the selection of data is a current selection;

under control of the container application program, receiving a scrolling indication that the container window is to be scrolled;

in response to the scrolling indication, scrolling the container window while maintaining the indication flint the selection of data is the current selection;

receiving user input other than the scrolling indication;

in response to the input other than the scrolling indication, sending a request to the containee object to deselect the selection of data, thereby changing the current selection of data; and

deselecting the containee object wherein the containee window is no longer displayed; and

under control of the containee application program, deselecting the selected data and removing the displayed indication that the selection of data is the current selection.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of scrolling the container window maintains the indication that the selection of data is the current selection when the containee window is scrolled out of view of the user.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the step displaying the indication that the selection of data is the current selection displays a hatched pattern border around the containee window and wherein the step of removing the displayed indication that the selection of data is the current selection removes the hatched pattern border.

11. A method in a computer system for controlling display of windows, the method comprising the steps of:

activating within the container window a containee window, wherein a containee application displays contents of the containee window and a container application and container application controls the container window, the container application and containee application being separately scheduled for execution by an operating system of the computer system;

under control of the containee application, highlighting a current selection of data within the displayed containee window; and

under control of the container application, scrolling the container window, wherein the current selection of data within the displayed containee window remaining highlighted and wherein the displayed containee window is moved within the container window as the container window is scrolled.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of highlighting a current selection of data within the displayed containee window draws a hatched pattern border around the current selection of data.

13. A computer-readable memory device containing instructions for controlling a computer processor in a computer system to scroll a container object that contains a containee object, the container object having a container window, the computer system having an operating system that schedules execution of computer programs, the container object being managed by a container application program, the containee object being managed by a containee application program, each application program being a separate executable code image that is separately scheduled by the operating system, by performing the steps of:

under control of the container application program, selecting the containee object; and

activating, within a window environment of the container application, the selected containee object, wherein the containee application program controls displaying of contents of a containee window within the container window;

under control of the containee application program, receiving an indication of a selection of data within the displayed containee window; and

displaying an indication that the selection of data is a current selection;

under control of the containee application program, receiving a scrolling indication that the container window is to be scrolled;

in response to the scrolling indication, scrolling the container window while maintaining the indication that the selection of data is the current selection;

receiving user input other than the scrolling indication;

in response to the input other than the scrolling indication, sending a request to the containee object to deselect the selection of data, thereby changing the current selection of data; and

deselecting the containee object wherein the containee window is no longer displayed; and

under control of the containee application program, deselecting the selected data and removing the displayed indication that the selection of data is the current selection.

14. A computer-readable memory device containing instructions for controlling a computer processor in a computer system to scroll an outer application window that contains an inner application window activated within the outer application window, user input to the outer application window being processed by a first application, user input to the inner application window being processed by a second application, the first and second application being a separate executable code images that are separately scheduled by an operating system of the computer system, the computer system having a display device and a window system for managing the displaying of windows on the display device and for passing user input events to applications, the window system allowing the scrolling of data displayed within a window, by perforating the steps of:

indicating a selection of data contained within the inner application window that is contained and activated within the outer application window; and

in response to a user input to scroll the outer application window, maintaining the indicated selection of data as the selected data.

17. The computer system of claim 14 the indication of the selection of data being a hatched border pattern displayed around the selected data.

15. A computer system for scrolling a container object, the computer system having an operating system that schedules execution of computer programs, the system comprising:

a container window belonging to the container object,

a containee object;

a containee window belonging to the containee object,

a server application program, separately schedulable by the operating system, which manages the containee object and the containee window and which, in response to receiving user input,

selects data in the containee window;

indicates that the selected data is selected; and

processes an indicated operation on the selected data;

a client application program, separately schedulable by the operating system, which manages the container object and the container window and which, in response to receiving user input,

when the input indicates selection and activation of the containee object,

selects the containee object; and

causes the containee object to be activated within a window environment of the container application, wherein the containee window is displayed within the container window;

when the input indicates that the container window is to be scrolled, scrolling the container window while maintaining the indication in the containee window that the selected data is selected; and

when the input indicates an operation other than scrolling and other than selection of the containee object, deselecting the containee object, wherein the indication of the data selection within the containee window is no longer displayed; and

a window manager that sends user input to the client application when the user input occurs within the container window and that sends user input to the server application when the user input occurs within the containee window.

16. A computer system for scrolling comprising:

a display device;

a window system for managing displaying windows on the display device and for passing input events to applications;

an operating system for separately scheduling a server application and a client application;

an inner application window having input events that are processed by the server application, wherein the server application, in response to receiving a selection input event, indicates a selection of data within the inner application window; and

an outer application window that contains the inner application window activated within the outer application window, the outer application window having input events flint are processed by the client application, wherein the client application,

in response to receiving a scrolling input event, scrolls the outer application window while maintaining the indication of the selection of data within the inner application window; and

in response to receiving a selection input event outside the inner application window, removes the indication of the selection of data within the inner application window.