Virtual address bar user interface control

• US 7,240,292 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2003
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Koch, Kenneth A., Hally, J. Craig, Ligameri, Mark R., Miner, Patrice L., De Vorchik, David G., Odins-Lucas, Zeke B., Banks, Richard M., Kaasten, Shaun A., Moore, Jason F., Sheldon, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US10/420,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20040207666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 715/778, 715/779, 715/751, 715/759, 715/800, 715/792, 715/796, 715/782, 715/783
• US Class Current: 715/778
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

A virtual address bar user interface control is presented. The virtual address bar includes a plurality of interactive segments, each segment corresponding to a predetermined filter for selecting content in a computer file system. Collectively, the interactive segments represent a virtual address for selecting content. Selecting an interactive segment in the virtual address bar causes those segments subsequent to the selected segment to be removed from the virtual address bar. A user may select a peer filter for a segment to replace that segment'"'"'s current filter and removes those segments subsequent to the updated segment. The virtual address bar can be selectively configured to operate as a conventional address bar, and reconfigured to operate as a virtual address bar. Additional filter segments are added to the end of the existing filter segments. Those existing filter segments that conflict with the added segment are removed from the virtual address bar.

Claims

1. A method for providing a virtual path to content stored in a computer file system using a virtual address bar, the method comprising:

displaying a virtual address bar operable to include a first interactive segment, wherein the first interactive segment references content on the computer file system according to selection criteria for selecting content; and

adding one or more additional interactive segments to the virtual address bar, wherein each additional interactive segment further restricts the content referenced by the preceding interactive segments;

wherein the first interactive segment and the one or more additional interactive segments comprise a virtual path.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring for and detecting user actions on the virtual address bar; and

upon detecting a user action on the virtual address bar, updating the virtual address bar according to the detected user action.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the detected user action is a configuration selection, and wherein updating the virtual address bar according to the detected user action comprises configuring the virtual address bar to function as a conventional address bar when the virtual address bar is not functioning as a conventional address bar.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the detected user action is a configuration selection, and wherein updating the virtual address bar according to the detected user action further comprises reconfiguring the virtual address bar to cease functioning as a conventional address bar when the virtual address bar is functioning as a conventional address bar.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the detected user action is a selection of an interactive segment, and wherein updating the virtual address bar according to the detected user action comprises removing those interactive segments succeeding the selected interactive segment from the virtual address bar.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the detected user action is an alternative selection of an interactive segment, and wherein updating the virtual address bar according to the detected user action comprises presenting a list of selectable peer filters to the user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein updating the virtual address bar according to the detected user action further comprises detecting a user selection of a peer filter from the list of selectable peer filters, and replacing the alternatively selected interactive segment'"'"'s selection criteria with the selected peer filter.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein updating the virtual address bar according to the detected user action further comprises removing those interactive segments subsequent to the alternatively selected interactive segment from the virtual address bar.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein an interactive segment conflicts with the additional interactive segment when the interactive segment'"'"'s selection criteria and the additional interactive segment'"'"'s selection criteria are mutually exclusive.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein an alternative selection of an interactive segment in the virtual address bar comprises placing a cursor element over the interactive segment and leaving the cursor element stationary over the interactive segment for a predetermined amount of time.

11. The method of claim 2 further comprising adding an additional interactive segment to the virtual address bar according to external user actions.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising adding the additional interactive segment to the end of the interactive segments in the virtual address bar.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising, upon adding the additional interactive segment to the end of the interactive segments in the virtual address bar, removing those interactive segments that conflict with the additional interactive segment from the virtual address bar.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein an interactive segment conflicts with the additional interactive segment when interactive segment'"'"'s selection criteria is broader in scope than the additional interactive segment'"'"'s selection criteria.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein an interactive segment conflicts with the additional interactive segment when interactive segment'"'"'s selection criteria is narrower in scope than the additional interactive segment'"'"'s selection criteria.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying a user actionable scroll indicator when the virtual address bar is unable to display the first interactive segment and the one or more additional interactive segments due to size limitations.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the user actionable scroll indicator indicates a direction of undisplayed interactive segments.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

detecting user actions on the user actionable scroll indicator; and

upon detecting a user action on the user actionable scroll indicator, scrolling the display of the interactive segments in the direction indicated by the user actionable scroll indicator such that the virtual address bar displays at least one of the previously undisplayed interactive segments.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein any one of the first interactive segment and the one or more additional interactive segments references content stored in a particular location in the computer file system.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein any one of the first interactive segment and the one or more additional interactive segments references content irrespective of the content'"'"'s particular location in the computer file system.

21. A software program, recorded on a computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions, which when executed, carry out the method comprising:

displaying a virtual address bar comprising a plurality of interactive segments, each interactive segment corresponding to selection criteria for selecting content to be displayed on a display device, wherein the virtual address bar selects content for display on a display device according to the corresponding selection criteria of each of the plurality of interactive segments;

detecting user actions on the virtual address bar; and

upon detecting a user action on the virtual address bar, updating the virtual address bar according to the detected user action.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the detected user action is a selection of an interactive segment, and wherein updating the virtual address bar according to the detected user action comprises removing those interactive segments succeeding the selected interactive segment from the virtual address bar.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the detected user action is an alternative selection of an interactive segment, and wherein updating the virtual address bar according to the detected user action comprises presenting a list of selectable peer filters to the user.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein updating the virtual address bar according to the detected user action further comprises detecting a user selection of a peer filter from the list of selectable peer filters, and replacing the alternatively selected interactive segment'"'"'s selection criteria with the selected peer filter.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein updating the virtual address bar according to the detected user action further comprises removing those interactive segments subsequent to the alternatively selected interactive segment from the virtual address bar.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 further comprising adding an additional interactive segment to the virtual address bar according to external user actions.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 further comprising adding the additional interactive segment to the end of the interactive segments in the virtual address bar.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 further comprising, upon adding the additional interactive segment to the end of the interactive segments in the virtual address bar, removing those interactive segments that conflict with the additional interactive segment from the virtual address bar.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein an interactive segment conflicts with the additional interactive segment when the interactive segment'"'"'s corresponding selection criteria and additional interactive segment'"'"'s selection criteria are mutually exclusive.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein an interactive segment conflicts with the additional interactive segment when the interactive segment'"'"'s corresponding selection criteria is broader in scope than the additional interactive segment'"'"'s selection criteria.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein an interactive segment conflicts with the additional interactive segment when the interactive segment'"'"'s corresponding selection criteria is narrower in scope than the additional interactive segment'"'"'s selection criteria.