Automatically scaling the information and controls in navigation tabs per available window area

• US 7,360,168 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2004
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, David P., Molander, Mark E., Bertram, Randal L., Kluttz, Karen R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): LONG, ANDREA NATAE
• Application Number:
  US10/777,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20050183030A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 715/854, 715/777, 715/815, 715/851
• US Class Current: 715/777
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

A method in a data processing system for providing a user of the data processing system with control of a software object organized into a plurality of information levels including initially displaying a first display window having a first size. The first display window includes a first level tab navigation frame to allow the user interactive access to a first information level of the plurality of information levels. The first display window additionally includes a first window-sizing interface to allow the user interactive access to a second display window having a second size which includes a second level tab navigation frame to allow the user interactive access to a second information level of the plurality of information levels and to subsequently display the second display window in response to the user interacting with the first window-sizing interface.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for providing a user of the data processing system with control of a software object organized into a plurality of information levels of varying amounts of information, the method comprising:

initially displaying a first display window having a first window size, wherein the first display window includes;

a first level tab navigation frame for allowing the user interactive access to a first information level of the plurality of information levels, and

a first window-sizing interface for allowing the user interactive access to a second window having a second window size,

wherein the second display window includes a second level tab navigation frame for allowing the user interactive access to a second information level of the plurality of information levels;

determining whether the direction of a presentation of the navigation frame is optimized to accommodate the changes to the information level within the display windows; and

displaying the second display window subsequent to the initial display of the first display window in response to the user interacting with the first window-sizing interface and based on whether the direction of the presentation is optimized.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second display window further includes a second window-sizing interface for allowing the user interactive access to the first display window.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

displaying the first display window subsequent to the display of the second display window in response to the user interacting with the second window-sizing interface to obtain access to the first display window.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the second display window further includes a second window-sizing interface for allowing the user interactive access to a third display window having a third window size;

and

wherein the third display window includes a third level tab navigation frame for allowing the user interactive access to a third information level of the plurality of information levels.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

displaying the third display window subsequent to the display of the second display window in response to the user interacting with the second window-sizing interface to obtain access to the third display window.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first level tab navigation frame includes a first tab content correlated to the first window size.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first tab content includes at least one of icons, user interface elements of text, status information in graphs, status information in tables, status information in icons, controls and combinations therein.

8. The method of claim 6,

wherein the second level tab navigation frame includes a second tab content correlated to the second window size;

and

wherein the second tab content includes information displayed in the first display window.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

orienting the display of the first display window relative to either a vertical axis or a horizontal axis as a function of the first window size.