Selection paradigm for displayed user interface

• US 6,907,580 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2000
• Issued: 06/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Michelman, Eric H., Moulhaud, Patrick, Isaacs, Scott M., Tripp, Daniel L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pillai, Namitha
• Application Number:
  US09/737,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20020075309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: 345/808, 345/856, 345/861, 345/711, 345/773, 345/780, 345/821, 345/822, 345/823, 345/842
• US Class Current: 715/856
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

A moveable displayed user interface element can be used to select an item displayed on a user interface. Once the proper item or items are selected, an area of the moveable displayed user interface element can be activated to perform an operation on the selected item or items. The moveable displayed user interface element can additionally display information about a selected item, and, in some cases, the displayed information can be edited to modify the selected item. A versatile lightweight system can be used to determine when a moveable object is over any of a number of regions associated with specified targets. The lightweight system can be used to implement moveable displayed user interface elements.

Claims

1. A method of presenting a computer user interface for performing an action on a selected displayed item out of a plurality of displayed items, the method comprising:

presenting a moveable displayed user interface element comprising an area displayed within the user interface element for receiving an activation;

responsive to detecting that a pointer of the user interface element is over a displayed item, selecting the displayed item; and

responsive to receiving an activation of the area displayed within the user interface element, causing the action to be performed on the selected displayed item.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting comprises highlighting the displayed item.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the moveable displayed user interface element comprises at least one user interface element within the displayed user interface element.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one user interface element within the displayed user interface element comprises a button.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one user interface element within the displayed user interface element comprises a button for confirming the action and a button for canceling the action.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one user interface element within the displayed user interface element comprises a button and a text box.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the text box is updated to indicate information about a displayed item when the displayed user interface element moves over the displayed item.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer user interface comprises a displayed pointer separate from the moveable displayed user interface element, the method further comprising:

responsive to determining the moveable displayed user interface element is being dragged by the displayed pointer, repositioning the moveable displayed user interface element.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to detecting that the user interface element is over a displayed item, displaying information about the displayed item.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the information about the displayed item is displayed within the moveable user interface element.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

accepting a modification of the information; and

modifying the displayed item in accordance with the accepted modification.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

accepting a modification of the information; and

sending the modification to a server computer for processing.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to detecting that the user interface element is over one of the displayed items, displaying properties of the displayed item.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein

the item appears in the rendered version of a web page stored at a server;

and

the action modifies information for presenting the web page stored at the server.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein

a description of the action is presented within the moveable displayed user interface element.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein

a description of the action is presented within the area displayed within the user interface element.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein

the description comprises a text description of the action.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein

the description comprises the word ‘

delete.’

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the action comprises moving the displayed item, the method further comprising:

responsive to receiving the activation, moving the moveable displayed user interface element along with the item.

48. The method of claim 1 wherein at least two displayed items are selected, and wherein responsive to receiving an activation further comprises causing the action to be performed on the at least two displayed items.

49. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting that the user interface element is over a displayed item comprises detecting that any portion of the user interface element is over the displayed item.

50. The method of claim 1 wherein the moveable displayed user interface element comprises a hot point and wherein detecting that the user interface element is over a displayed item comprises detecting that the hot point is over the displayed item.

51. The method of claim 50 wherein the hot point location can be specified by a user.

52. The method of claim 1 wherein the displayed item comprises a reference area and wherein detecting that the user interface element is over a displayed item comprises detecting that the moveable displayed user interface element is over the reference area.

53. The method of claim 52 wherein the reference area is larger than the displayed item.

54. The method of claim 52 wherein the reference area is smaller than the displayed item.

55. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to detecting that the user interface element has moved off a displayed item, releasing the displayed item.

56. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

20. A moveable displayed user interface element for performing an operation on a set of one or more items out of a plurality of items displayed on a display as part of a user interface, the moveable displayed user interface element operable to cause selection of the set of one or more items as the element is moved about the display and a pointer of the element is moved over the set of one or more items, the user interface element comprising:

at least one area of the user interface element which is designated for receiving an activate indication from a user to initiate the operation on the selected set of one or more items.

21. The moveable displayed user interface element of claim 20, wherein the moveable displayed user interface element is operable to be moved by being dragged by a displayed pointer.

22. The moveable displayed user interface element of claim 20 further comprising an area indicating a name of the operation initiated on the selected set of one or more items.

23. The moveable displayed user interface element of claim 20 wherein

the display comprises a window presented by an Internet browser;

and

the moveable displayed user interface element causes selection of items displayed within the window presented by the Internet browser.

24. The moveable displayed user interface element of claim 20 wherein the moveable displayed user interface element further comprises a separate drag area for moving the moveable displayed user interface element about the display.

25. The displayed user interface element of claim 20 wherein the display comprises a table, and the plurality of items comprises columns in the table.

26. The displayed user interface element of claim 20 wherein the area designated for receiving an activate indication is a displayed button.

27. The displayed user interface element of claim 20 further comprising:

an area which is designated for canceling the operation upon activation.

28. The displayed user interface element of claim 20, further comprising:

an area which is designated for saving the operation upon activation.

29. The displayed user interface element of claim 20, wherein the operation comprises a plurality of steps.

30. The displayed user interface element of claim 20 wherein the operation is a delete operation.

31. The displayed user interface element of claim 20 wherein the operation is a move operation.

32. The displayed user interface element of claim 20 wherein the operation is a format operation.

33. The displayed user interface element of claim 20 wherein the operation is a buy operation.

34. The displayed user interface element of claim 20 wherein the operation is a spellcheck operation.

35. The displayed user interface element of claim 20 wherein the operation is a get information operation.

36. The displayed user interface element of claim 20 further comprising an area operable to cause the displayed user interface element to move to a displayed item neighboring a currently-selected displayed item.

37. The displayed user interface element of claim 20 further comprising an area operable to cause the displayed user interface element to move from a currently-selected displayed item to a displayed next item.

38. The displayed user interface element of claim 20 further comprising:

a display area for presenting information about a selected item.

39. The displayed user interface element of claim 38 wherein the information about the selected item is editable to modified the selected item.

40. The displayed user interface element of claim 38 wherein the display area for presenting information about a selected area is inhibited during movement of the user interface element.

41. The displayed user interface element of claim 38 wherein the display area automatically updates information about the selected item when the item is selected.

42. The displayed user interface element of claim 41 wherein the information about the selected item comprises a property of the selected item.

43. The displayed user interface element of claim 41 wherein the information about the selected item comprises formatting information about the selected item.

44. The displayed user interface element of claim 41 wherein the information about the selected item comprises a name of the selected item.

57. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for presenting the moveable displayed user interface element of claim 20.

45. A moveable displayed user interface element operable to select an item displayed on a user interface, the moveable displayed user interface element comprising:

a hot point operable to cause selection of the item when the hot point is moved over the item;

a display area comprising a name of an operation;

a button for receiving an indication that the operation is to be performed on the item selected, the button at least partly comprising an area of the moveable displayed user interface other than the hot point.

46. The moveable displayed user interface element of claim 45 wherein the moveable displayed user interface element is implemented as a DHTML DIV element.

47. A user interface displayed on a display, the user interface comprising:

means for selecting a displayed item displayed on the display when a hot point of a moveable displayed user interface element is moved over the displayed item; and

on the moveable displayed user interface element at a location other than the hot point, displayed means for receiving an activation indication to perform an operation on the selected item.

58. A method of presenting a computer user interface for performing an action on a displayed item out of a plurality of displayed items, the method comprising:

presenting a moveable displayed user interface element comprising a portion of the displayed user interface element configured to achieve selection and an area displayed within the user interface element for receiving an activation at a location other than the portion configured to achieve selection; and

responsive to receiving an activation of the area displayed within the user interface element, causing the action to be performed on a displayed item under the portion of the moveable displayed user interface element configured to achieve selection.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein the portion comprises a plurality of X,Y coordinates.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein each of the coordinates is a hot point.