Interface engine providing a continuous user interface

• US 6,957,392 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2002
• Issued: 10/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Laszlo Systems Incorporated (Synchronoss Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Simister, J. Bret, Wolff, Adam G., Carlson, Max David, Kimm, Christopher, Temkin, David T.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US10/092,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20030132959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 345474-475, 345/619, 345/629, 345/630, 345632-641, 345/625, 345/646, 345660-671, 345744-747, 345/760, 345762-763, 345/838, 345/678, 345804-805, 345853-854, 345/712, 345/707, 345/706, 345/789, 345794-800, 345/726, 715/706, 715861-862, 715744-747, 715804-805, 715/704, 715/847, 715798-801, 715/726
• US Class Current: 715/746
• 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 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

An interface engine provides animated views in a user interface. The interface engine directs the operation of a rendering environment to create an interface in a rendering area. The interface engine includes views, layouts, animators, and constraints. Views identify child views and resources for display in the rendering area. In response to events, such as user inputs, a view modifies itself by calling layouts, animators, and constraints. A layout manages the attributes of a view'"'"'s child views, including child view position and size. An animator modifies the view'"'"'s appearance over a specified period of time. A constraint imposes limits on view properties. In one implementation, an Internet site delivers an interface engine to a browser to supply content and a user interface. A presentation server compiles an interface engine description and specified resources into an interface engine. The presentation server delivers the interface engine to the browser, which executes the interface engine using a plug-in—eliminating excessive interface updates found in traditional HTML pages.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user interface, comprising:

sending a request for content from an Internet browser to a server;

receiving an interface engine in response to said request, said interface engine includes a set of views, layouts, constraints and animators;

receiving requests to change appearances of items displayed in said browser that are represented by said views; and

changing said appearances of said items in said browser by providing continuous fluid transitions of appearances of said items using said layouts, constraints and animators, said changing said appearances of said items includes making one or more unplanned changes to multiple items in a coordinated manner and showing intermediate steps of said changing of said appearances.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said requests to change appearances includes a request to change a position of a first item in said user interface.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said requests to change appearances includes a request to change a size of a first item in said user interface.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said changing said appearances of said items includes:

calling one or more attribute modifiers; and

modifying a first view in response to said one or more attribute modifiers.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein:

said calling one or more attribute modifiers includes calling a first animator to animate a property of said first view; and

said modifying a first view includes animating said property in response to said first animator.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising:

calling a constraint to modify an attribute in response to animating said property; and

modifying said attribute in response to said constraint.

7. A method according to claim 4, wherein:

said first view identifies a set of child views;

said calling one or more attribute modifiers includes calling a layout to layout one or more of said child views; and

said modifying a first view includes laying out said one or more child views in response to said layout.

8. A method for providing a user interface, comprising:

receiving a request to change an item displayed in a network browser from a first visual state to a second unplanned visual state, said item is associated with a first view of a set of views that comprise said user interface; and

implementing said requested change by providing continuous fluid transitions for said item from said first visual state to said second unplanned visual state, said continuous fluid transitions are performed by a method comprising calling one or more attribute modifiers for said first view and modifying said first view in response to said one or more attribute modifiers, said attribute modifiers includes layouts, constraints and animators, said implementing said requested change includes making one or more unplanned changes to appearances of multiple items in a coordinated manner and showing intermediate steps of said changes to appearances of said multiple items.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

sending a request to a server via a network;

receiving an interface engine in response to said request to said server; and

running said interface engine within said network browser, said implementing said requested change is performed by said interface engine.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein:

said first visual state pertains to a first position; and

said second unplanned visual state pertains to a second position.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein:

said first visual state pertains to a first size; and

said second unplanned visual state pertains to a second size.

12. An apparatus that provides a user interface, comprising:

a storage device;

a communications interface in communication with a network;

a display; and

one or more processors in communication with said storage device, said communications interface and said display;

said one or more processors implement a browser that receives an interface engine from a server in communication with said browser via said network, said interface engine implements a user interface within said browser, said interface engine includes a set of views, layouts, constraints and animators;

said browser receives a requests to change appearances of items displayed in said browser that are represented by said views and changes said appearances by providing continuous fluid transitions of appearances of said items using said layouts, constraints and animators, said changing said appearances includes making one or more unplanned changes to appearances of multiple items in a coordinated manner and showing intermediate steps of said changes to appearances of said multiple items.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

said requests to change appearances includes a request to change a position of an item in said user interface.

14. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

said requests to change appearances includes a request to change a size of an item in said user interface.

15. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said changing said appearances of said items includes:

calling one or more attribute modifiers, said attribute modifiers includes said layouts, constraints and animators; and

modifying a first view in response to said one or more attribute modifiers.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein:

said calling one or more attribute modifiers includes calling a first animator to animate a property of said first view; and

said modifying a first view includes animating said property in response to said first animator.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein:

said interface engine calls a constraint to modify an attribute in response to animating said property and modifies said attribute in response to said constraint.

18. One or more processor readable storage devices having code embodied on said one or more processor readable storage devices, said code for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

sending a request for content from an Internet browser to a server;

receiving an interface engine in response to said request, said interface engine includes a set of views, layouts, constraints and animators;

receiving requests to change appearances of items displayed in said browser that are represented by said views; and

changing said appearances of said items in said browser by providing continuous fluid transitions of appearances of said items using one or more attribute modifiers, said attribute modifiers include said layouts, constraints and animators, said changing said appearances of said items includes making one or more unplanned changes to multiple items in a coordinated manner and showing intermediate steps of said changing of said appearances.

19. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein:

said requests to change appearances includes a request to change a position of a first item in said user interface.

20. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein:

said requests to change appearances includes a request to change a size of a first item in said user interface.

21. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein:

said changing said appearances includes calling a first animator to animate a property of a first view.

22. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein:

said changing said appearances further includes calling a first constraint to modify an attribute of a first view in response to a second view.

23. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein:

said changing said appearances includes changing a first view;

said first view identifies a set of child views; and

said changing a first view includes calling a layout to layout one or more of said child views.

24. One or more processor readable storage devices having code embodied on said one or more processor readable storage devices, said code for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

receiving a request to change an item displayed in a network browser from a first visual state to a second unplanned visual state; and

implementing said requested change by providing continuous fluid transitions for said item from said first visual state to said second unplanned visual state;

said code includes views, layouts, constraints and animators;

said item is associated with a first view;

said continuous fluid transitions are provided by a method comprising calling one or more attribute modifiers for said first view and modifying said first view in response to said one or more attribute modifiers;

said one or more attribute modifiers includes said layouts, constraints and animators;

said implementing said requested change includes making one or more unplanned changes to appearances of multiple items in a coordinated manner and showing intermediate steps of said changes to appearances of said multiple items.

25. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 24, wherein:

said first visual state pertains to a first position; and

said second unplanned visual state pertains to a second position.

26. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 24, wherein:

said first visual state pertains to a first size; and

said second unplanned visual state pertains to a second size.

27. One or more processor readable storage devices having code embodied on said one or more processor readable storage devices, said code for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

receiving a request to change an item displayed in a network browser from a first visual state to a second unplanned visual state; and

implementing said requested change by providing continuous fluid transitions for said item from said first visual state to said second unplanned visual state;

said code includes views, layouts, constraints and animators;

said item is associated with a first view;

said continuous fluid transitions are provided by calling one or more animators to animate said first view in response to said request to change;

said calling one or more animators includes informing said one or more animators of said second unplanned visual state;

said implementing said requested change includes making one or more unplanned changes to appearances of multiple items in a coordinated manner and showing intermediate steps of said changes to appearances of said multiple items.