User interface mechanism for manipulating context in computer management applications

• US 6,344,862 B1
• Filed: 05/29/1998
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Anspach, Mark S., Raymond, Robert, Williams, Evelyn L., Webb, Jayson M., Besaw, Lawrence M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US09/087,066
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 345/333, 345/334, 345/335, 345/348, 345/346, 345/352, 345/354, 345/353, 345/338, 345/340, 345/762, 345/765, 345/744, 345/764, 345/781, 345/804, 345/835, 345/708, 345/810, 345/841, 345/840, 345/854, 709/328
• US Class Current: 715/781
• 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: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Contextual information that is presented to the user of a windows-based computer environment through the user interface of a single open window of the environment may be readily filtered and changed by appropriate manipulation by the user of a context control feature of the user interface. Manipulation of the context control feature allows the user to look at a given set of objects or tasks from different views or perspectives. It also provides the user with access to a different set of objects, thereby allowing the user to look at a different set of objects or tasks from the same view or perspective as an earlier set of objects or tasks.

Claims

1. A method for filtering information to provide contextual information about a perspective of objects to a user of a windows-based computer environment, said method comprising:

opening a window having a user interface; and

manipulating a context control feature of the user interface to determine a first context of the window corresponding to a first perspective of one or more perspectives for viewing and manipulating one or more objects, with each object of the one or more objects having one or more object capabilities and an object type of one or more object types within the window, wherein the first perspective is representative of a first set of interrelationships between the one or more objects and wherein the first perspective presents a filtered view of the object capabilities of the one or more objects.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of manipulating the context control feature is not performed and the first context of the window is set as a default by an application of the window.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein manipulating the context control feature comprises changing a context tab of the user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein manipulating the context control feature comprises selecting a context identifier from a context list.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first context of the window is a view of a set of objects.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first context of the window is a set of tasks.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising manipulating the context control feature to determine a second context of the window corresponding to a second perspective for viewing the one or more objects within the window.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein information shared by the first context and the second context is maintained by the second context when the context control feature is manipulated to determine the second context.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first context of the window corresponding to the first perspective is a first view of a set of objects and the second context of the window corresponding to the second perspective is a second view of the set of objects.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first context of the window is a view of a first set of objects and the second context of the window is a view of a second set of objects.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtered view of the first perspective presents available manipulations of the one or more objects.

12. A computer-readable medium having a computer program for filtering information to provide contextual information about a perspective of objects to a user of a windows-based computer environment, said computer program comprising:

instructions for opening a window having a user interface; and

instructions for manipulating a context control feature of the user interface to determine a first context of the window corresponding to a first perspective of one or more perspectives for viewing and manipulating one or more objects, with each object of the one or more objects having one or more object capabilities and an object type of one or more object types within the window, wherein the first perspective is representative of a first set of interrelationships between the one or more objects and wherein the first perspective presents a filtered view of the object capabilities of the one or more objects.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the instructions for manipulating the context control feature are performed by default by the computer program.

14. The medium of claim 12, wherein instructions for manipulating the context control feature comprises instructions for changing a context tab of the user interface.

15. The medium of claim 12, wherein manipulating the context control feature comprises instructions for selecting a context identifier from a context list.

16. The medium of claim 12, wherein the first context of the window is a view of a set of objects.

17. The medium of claim 12, wherein the first context of the window is a set of tasks.

18. The medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions for manipulating the context control feature to determine a second context of the window corresponding to a second perspective for viewing the one or more objects within the window.

19. The medium of claim 18, wherein information shared by the first context and the second context is maintained by the second context when the context control feature is manipulated to determine the second context.

20. The medium of claim 18, wherein the first context of the window corresponding to the first perspective is a first view of a set of objects and the second context of the window corresponding to the second perspective is a second view of the set of objects.

21. The medium of claim 18, wherein the first context of the window is a view of a first set of objects and the second context of the window is a view of a second set of objects.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the filtered view of the first perspective presents available manipulations of the one or more objects.

23. A user interface of a window that provides contextual information to a user of a windows-based computer environment, comprising:

a context control feature of the user interface that has one or more available contexts operable to present one or more corresponding perspectives within the window; and

a content pane;

wherein manipulating the context control feature of the user interface determines a context of the window from the one or more available contexts corresponding to a perspective of the one or more perspectives for viewing and manipulating a plurality of objects, with each object of the plurality of objects having one or more object capabilities and an object type of one or more object types, that is illustrated in the content pane of the user interface of the window, and

wherein the perspective is representative of a set of interrelationships between the plurality of objects and wherein the perspective presents a filtered view of the object capabilities of the one or more objects.

24. The user interface of claim 23, wherein the context is not determined by manipulating the context control feature of the user interface and the context is set as a default by an application of the window.

25. The user interface of claim 23, wherein the context control feature is a context list box that has the one or more available contexts in a context list.

26. The user interface of claim 23, wherein the context control feature is a context tab.

27. The user interface of claim 23, wherein the user interface further comprises a scoping pane that provides a plurality of views of the context.

28. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the user interface further comprises:

a menu bar; and

one or more static toolbars,

wherein one or more menus of the menu bar, one or more toolbar buttons of the one or more static toolbars, and the plurality of views of the scoping pane are defined by the context of the window.

29. The user interface of claim 23, wherein the user interface further comprises:

a menu bar; and

one or more static toolbars,

wherein one or more menus of the menu bar and one or more toolbar buttons of the one or more static toolbars are defined by the context of the window.

30. The user interface of claim 23, wherein the context of the window is a view of a set of objects.

31. The user interface of claim 23, wherein the context of the window is a set of tasks.

32. The user interface of claim 23, wherein the context control feature is manipulated to determine a subsequent context that is different from the context, wherein the subsequent context corresponds to a subsequent perspective of the plurality of perspectives that is different from the perspective to which the context corresponds.

33. The user interface of claim 32, wherein information shared by the context and the subsequent context is maintained by the subsequent context when the context control feature is manipulated to determine the subsequent context.

34. The user interface of claim 32, wherein the perspective to which the context of the window corresponds is a view of a set of objects and the subsequent perspective to which the subsequent context of the window corresponds is a subsequent view of the set of objects.

35. The user interface of claim 32, wherein the context of the window is a view of a first set of objects and the subsequent context of the window is a view of a second set of objects.

36. The user interface of claim 32, wherein the user interface further comprises:

a menu bar; and

one or more static toolbars,

wherein when the context control feature is manipulated to determine the subsequent context one or more menus of the menu bar and one or more toolbar buttons of the one or more static toolbars are defined by the subsequent context of the window.

37. The user interface of claim 23, wherein the filtered view of the perspective presents available manipulations of the plurality of objects.