System for organizing document icons with suggestions, folders, drawers, and cabinets

• US 5,751,287 A
• Filed: 11/06/1995
• Issued: 05/12/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Advanced Messaging Technologies, Inc. (J2 Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: DocuMagix, Inc. (Ziff Davis, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wheeler, Maxon, LeGault, Kenn, Degenhardt, Jon R., Hahn, Samuel S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John E.
• Application Number:
  US08/554,052
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326-358
• US Class Current: 715/775
• 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

Abstract

A user interface providing a cabinet, drawers, folders and documents for manipulating and organizing the documents. An image of a file cabinet is used where the user can create, name, describe, lock and position the drawer within a space in the file cabinet. Each drawer can be marked with a graphic icon for easier visual identification. The drawer, and drawer text, can also be colored. When a drawer is selected it "opens" and to show file folders within the drawer in or more windows on the screen. The folders can similarly be named, described and keyed with a color. Each file folder is shown having a label tab with a name on the label tab. The label tabs are visible even when multiple folders are shown on the within a window. When a folder is opened, documents within that folder are shown in thumbnail size in an open-folder window. Suggestions may be given to associated documents with file folders.

Claims

1. A method for managing documents in a computer system, the computer system including a user input device coupled to a processor, a display, and a memory;

the method comprising the steps of;

printing a bit-mapped representation of a document created by an application program running on the processor to a location in the memory;

associating the bit-mapped representation with a storage structure in the memory;

displaying a file cabinet image on the display, the file cabinet image including a plurality of file drawer images;

selecting a file drawer image from the plurality of file drawer images in response to a first signal from the user input device;

displaying a plurality of file folder images on the display associated with the file drawer image on the display;

selecting a file folder image from the plurality of the file folder images in response to a second signal from the user input device, the file folder image associated with the storage structure in the memory, and the file folder image having a file folder name;

displaying an icon representing the bit-mapped representation on the display;

selecting the icon in response to a third signal from the user input device; and

displaying the bit-mapped representation of the document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the file cabinet image also includes a plurality of drawer opening images.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

selecting a second file drawer image from the plurality of file drawer images in response to a fifth signal from the user input device, the second file drawer image located at a first location on the file cabinet image;

selecting a drawer opening image from the plurality of drawer opening images in response to a sixth signal from the user input device, the drawer opening image located at a second location on the file cabinet image;

displaying the second file drawer image at the second location on the file cabinet image; and

displaying the drawer opening image at the first location on the cabinet image.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

selecting a second file drawer image from the plurality of file drawer images in response to a fourth signal from the user input device, the second file drawer image located at a location on the file cabinet image;

defining a password associated with the second file drawer image;

thereafter

displaying a modified second file drawer image at the location on the file cabinet image, the modified second file drawer image indicating password protection of contents associated with the second file drawer image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of file drawer images have icons associated therewith, the method further comprising the step of:

displaying the icons associated with each of the plurality of file drawer images on top of associated file drawer images on the display.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of file drawers images and the plurality of drawer openings images are arranged in a grid pattern on the display.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a second file cabinet image on the display, the second file cabinet image including second plurality of file drawer images and a plurality of drawer opening images;

selecting a file drawer image from the second plurality of file drawer images, in response to a fourth from the user input device, and

displaying a second plurality of file folder images associated with the second file drawer image on the display.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the icons associated with each of the plurality of file drawer images are user selectable.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of associating the bit-mapped representation with a storage structure in the memory comprises the step of:

displaying the file folder name from the plurality of file folder names on the display as a suggested association in response to the bit-mapped image; and

associating the storage structure in the memory with the suggested file folder image in response to the suggested association.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

converting the bit-mapped document into a format used by another application program.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the icon further comprises the step of:

displaying a thumbnail image of a page in the document on the display.

12. A method for managing documents in a computer system, the computer system including a user input device coupled to a processor, a display, a memory having a plurality of documents, and a document input device, the method comprising the steps of:

creating an electronic representation of a document using the document input device;

determining a file folder name from a plurality of file folder names as a suggested association for the electronic representation in response to the electronic representation. the file folder name associated with a file folder image;

displaying the file folder name on the display;

associating the electronic representation with the file folder name in response to a first input signal from the user input device;

displaying a file cabinet image on the display, the file cabinet image including a plurality of file drawer images;

selecting a file drawer image from the plurality of file drawer images in response to a second signal from the user input device;

displaying a plurality of file folder images associated with the file drawer image on the display, the plurality including the file folder image;

selecting the file folder image in response to a third signal from the user input device, and

displaying the electronic representation of the document on the display .

13. An apparatus for managing documents in a computer system, the computer system including a user input device coupled to a processor, and a memory having a plurality of documents, the apparatus further comprising;

a display;

a machine configured to print a bit-mapped representation of a document created. by an application program running on the processor to a location in the memory;

a machine configured to associate the bit-mapped representation with a storage location in the memory

a machine configured to display a file cabinet image on the display, the file cabinet image including a plurality of file drawer images;

a machine configured to select a file drawer image from the plurality of file drawer images in response to a first signal from the user input device;

a machine configured to display a plurality of file folder images associated with the file drawer image on the display

a machine configured to select a file folder image from the plurality of file folder images in response to a second signal from the user input device the file folder image associated with the storage location in the memory; and

a machine configured to display the bit-mapped representation on the display

14. A computer program for managing documents in a computer system, the computer system including a user input device coupled to a processor, a display, and a memory having a plurality of documents, the computer program comprising:

code that prints a bit-mapped representation of a document created by an application program running on the processor to the memory;

code that associates the bit-mapped representation with a storage location in the memory

code that displays a file cabinet image on the display, the file cabinet image including a plurality of file drawer images;

code that enables the user to select a file drawer image from the plurality of file drawer images in response to a first signal from the user input device; and

code that displays a plurality of file folder images associated with the file drawer image on the display;

code that enables the user to select a file folder image from the plurality of file folder images in response to a second signal from the user input device the file folder image associated with the storage location in the memory, and

code that displays the bit-mapped representation on the display

wherein the codes are stored on a tangible medium.

15. A computer system for managing documents, the computer system including a user input device coupled to a processor, a display, a memory having a plurality of documents, and a document input device, the computer system further comprising:

a machine configured to create an electronic representation of a physical document using the document input device;

a machine configured to determine a file folder name from a plurality of file folder names as a suggested association for the electronic representation in response to the electronic representation the file folder name associated with a file folder image;

a machine configured to display the file folder name on the display;

a machine configured to associate the electronic representation with the file folder name in response to a first input signal from the user input device;

a machine configured to display a file cabinet image on the display, the file cabinet image including a plurality of file drawer images;

a machine configured to select a file drawer image from the plurality of file drawer images in response to a second signal from the user input device;

a machine configured to display a plurality of file folder images associated with the file drawer image on the display;

a machine configured to select the file folder image in response to a third signal from the user input device; and

a machine configured to display the electronic representation of the document on the display.

16. A computer program for managing documents in a computer system, the computer system including a user input device coupled to a processor, a display, a memory having a plurality of documents, and a document input device, the computer program comprising:

code for creating an electronic representation of a physical document using the document input device;

code for displaying a file folder name on the display as a suggested association for the electronic representation in response to the electronic representation;

code for associating the electronic representation with the file folder name in response to a first input signal from the user input device;

code for displaying a file cabinet image on the display, the file cabinet image including a plurality of file drawer images;

code for selecting a file drawer image from the plurality of file drawer images in response to a first plurality of signals from the user input device;

code for displaying a plurality of file folder images associated with the file drawer image on the display;

code for selecting the file folder image in response to a third signal from the user input device; and

code for displaying the electronic representation of the document on the display,

wherein the codes are stored on a tangible medium.