Hierarchical in-place menus

• US 7,418,670 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2003
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Goldsmith, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hassan; Rashedul
• Application Number:
  US10/678,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20050076309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,789 Days
• Field of Search: 715/811, 715/810, 715/829, 715/825, 715/841, 715/854, 715/817, 715/818, 715/819, 715/820, 715/828, 715/845
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A hierarchical menu system displays submenus in place of parent menus, and vice versa, when appropriate menu items are selected from within parent menus and submenus. Parent menu items selected from within parent menus are displayed within submenus as links back to previous parent menus. Benefits of the disclosed hierarchical menu system include the ability to implement a hierarchical menu on devices having varying screen sizes, including small-screen devices, while maintaining a history of previously selected menu items that enable a user to navigate within the hierarchical menu to any previously displayed menu.

Claims

1. A system comprising one or more processor readable storage media having instructions to provide:

one or more applications; and

an operating system comprising at least one module configured to receive one or more menu calls from the one or more applications that specify a plurality of menu items, at least one of the menu items being selectable to implement a function of the one or more applications and to service those calls by;

displaying a top level menu;

receiving a first selection of a top level menu item; and

in response to the first selection, displaying a second level menu in place of the top level menu, the second level menu including the top level menu item and second level menu items;

wherein the at least one module of the operating system is configured to receive the one or more calls specifying concurrent display of the top level menu and the second level menu and automatically introduce the top level menu item into the second level menu and display the second level menu in place of the top level menu.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one module is further configured for:

receiving a second selection of the top level menu item from the second level menu; and

in response to the second selection, displaying the top level menu in place of the second level menu.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one module is further configured for:

receiving a second selection of a second level menu item; and

in response to the second selection, displaying a third level menu in place of the second level menu, the third level menu including the top level menu item, the second level menu item, and third level menu items.

4. A system as recited in claim 3, wherein the at least one module is further configured for:

receiving a third selection of the top level menu item from the third level menu; and

in response to the third selection, displaying the top level menu in place of the third level menu.

5. A system as recited in claim 3, wherein the at least one module is further configured for:

receiving a third selection of the second level menu item from the third level menu; and

in response to the third selection, displaying the second level menu in place of the third level menu.

6. A system as recited in claim 3, wherein the at least one module is further configured for:

receiving a third selection of a third level menu item from the third level menu; and

in response to the third selection, displaying a fourth level menu in place of the third level menu, the fourth level menu including the top level menu item, the second level menu item, the third level menu item, and fourth level menu items.

7. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the top level menu item is oriented within the second level menu above the second level menu items.

8. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the top level menu item is associated within the second level menu with a backward pointer indicating that a selection of the top level menu item from the second level menu will replace the second level menu with the top level menu.

9. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein a second level menu item is associated within the second level menu with a forward pointer indicating that a selection of the second level menu item will replace the second level menu with a third level menu.

10. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the top level menu and the second level menu are both modal menus.

11. A system as recited in claim 3, wherein the top level menu item and the second level menu item are each associated within the third level menu with a backward pointer indicating that a selection of the top level menu item or the second level menu item from the third level menu will replace the third level menu with the top level menu or the second level menu, respectively.

12. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein a third level menu item is associated within the third level menu with a forward pointer indicating that a selection of the third level menu item will replace the third level menu with a fourth level menu.

13. A system as recited in claim 6, wherein the top level menu item, the second level menu item, and the third level menu item are each associated within the fourth level menu with a backward pointer indicating that a selection of the top level menu item, the second level menu item, or the third level menu item from the fourth level menu will replace the fourth level menu with the top level menu, the second level menu, or the third level menu, respectively.

14. A computer including the system of claim 1.

15. A computer comprising:

a processor; and

an operating system executable via the processor comprising at least one module configured to service one or more calls received via one or more application programming interfaces from one or more applications that specify a plurality of menu items, at least one of the menu items being selectable to implement a function of the one or more applications by;

displaying a parent menu;

displaying a submenu in place of the parent menu in response to a selection of a parent said menu item within the parent menu; and

maintaining a stack of previously selected parent said menu items in the submenu, each of the previously selected parent said menu items configured to display a corresponding parent menu in place of the submenu,

wherein the at least one module of the operating system is configured to receive the one or more calls specifying concurrent display of the parent menu and the submenu and automatically introduce parent said menu items into the submenu and display the submenu in place of the parent menu.

16. A computer as recited in claim 15, wherein the at least one module is further configured for displaying the parent menu in response to a selection of a previously selected parent said menu item from the submenu.

17. A processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-executable instructions that are configured to provide an operating system comprising at least one module that is callable by one or more applications to specify a plurality of menu items, at least one of the menu items being selectable to implement a function of the one or more applications via one or more application programming interfaces for:

displaying a parent menu from a hierarchical menu;

receiving a first selection of a first said menu item from the parent menu;

displaying a submenu from the hierarchical menu in place of the parent menu in response to the first selection; and

displaying the menu item within the submenu as a previously selected said menu item selectable to jump back to the parent menu

wherein the at least one module of the operating system is configured to receive a call specifying concurrent display of the parent menu and the submenu and automatically introduce the menu item into the submenu and display the submenu in place of the parent menu.

18. A processor-readable storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the module is further callable to display the parent menu in place of the submenu in response to receipt of a selection of the previously selected said menu item.

19. A processor-readable storage medium as recited in claim 18, wherein the module is further callable to display second submenu from the hierarchical menu in place of the submenu in response to receipt of a selection of a submenu item, wherein the second submenu includes the previously selected said menu item selectable to jump back to the parent menu and the submenu item selectable to jump back to the submenu.

20. A processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-executable instructions that are configured to provide an operating system comprising at least one module that is callable by one or more applications to specify a plurality of menu options, at least one of the menu options being selectable to implement a function of the one or more applications;

specify whether to implement a hierarchical in-place menu or a hierarchical menu that is not in-place; and

display a GUI (graphical user interface) configured to implement the hierarchical in-place menu comprising the plurality of menu options, the hierarchical in-place menu comprising;

a parent menu that includes parent menu options, at least one parent menu option being selectable to replace the parent menu with a submenu; and

the submenu that includes the at least one parent menu option and submenu options

wherein the at least one module of the operating system is configured to receive a call specifying concurrent display of the parent menu and the submenu and automatically display the hierarchical in-place menu.

21. A processor-readable storage medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the at least one parent menu option is selectable from the submenu to replace the submenu with the parent menu.

22. A processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-executable instructions that are configured to provide an operating system comprising at least one module that is callable by one or more applications to:

specify a plurality of menu items of the one or more applications, at least one of the menu items being selectable to implement a function of the one or more applications; and

display a GUI (graphical user interface) configured to implement a hierarchical menu to include the plurality of menu items, the hierarchical menu comprising a current menu that includes current menu options and a previously selected menu option from a parent menu, the previously selected menu option selectable to replace the current menu with the parent menu

wherein the at least one module of the operating system is configured to receive a call specifying concurrent display of the parent menu and the current menu and automatically display the current menu in place of the parent menu.

23. A processor-readable storage medium as recited in claim 22, wherein the current menu includes a plurality of previously selected menu items, each previously selected menu item corresponding to a respective parent menu and selectable to replace the current menu with the respective parent menu.

24. A computer comprising the processor-readable storage medium that is configured to provide the at least one module that is callable by the one or more application to display the GUI of claim 22.

25. A processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-executable instructions that are configured to provide an operating system comprising at least one module that is callable by one or more applications via an application programming interface to;

specify a plurality of menu items of the one or more applications, at least one of the menu items being selectable to implement a function of the one or more applications; and

display a GUI (graphical user interface) configured to implement a hierarchical menu to include the plurality of menu items, the hierarchical menu comprising a parent menu and a submenu that are alternately and individually displayed in place of one another

wherein the at least one module of the operating system is configured to receive a call specifying concurrent display of the parent menu and the submenu and automatically display the submenu in place of the concurrent display.

26. A processor-readable storage medium as recited in claim 25, wherein the submenu includes a parent menu option previously selected from the parent menu, the parent menu option selectable from the submenu to replace the submenu with the parent menu.

27. A processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-executable instructions that are configured to provide an operating system comprising at least one module that is callable by one or more applications via an application programming interface to:

specify a plurality of menu items of the one or more applications, at least one of the menu items being selectable to implement a function of the one or more applications; and

display a hierarchical menu, to include the plurality of menu items, comprising a parent menu and a submenu each having a parent menu option, the parent menu option selectable from the parent menu to replace the parent menu with the submenu and the parent menu option selectable from the submenu to replace the submenu with the parent menu

wherein the at least one module of the operating system is configured to receive a call specifying concurrent display of the parent menu and the submenu and automatically display the submenu in place of the concurrent display.

28. A processor-readable storage medium as recited in claim 27, wherein the parent menu comprises a forward pointer associated with the parent menu option to indicate that selection of the parent menu option from the parent menu will replace the parent menu with the submenu.

29. A processor-readable storage medium as recited in claim 27, wherein the submenu comprises a backward pointer associated with the parent menu option to indicate that selection of the parent menu option from the submenu will replace the submenu with the parent menu.

30. A processor-readable storage medium as recited in claim 27 configured to display a single menu at a time, the single menu selected from the group comprising:

the parent menu; and

the submenu.

31. A computer comprising:

memory; and

an operating system stored in the memory comprising a hierarchical in-place menu module that is configured to implement a hierarchical in-place menu in response to one or more calls received via one or more application programming interfaces from an application program that specify a plurality of menu items, at least one of the menu items being selectable to implement a function of the application, the hierarchical in-place menu including a parent menu and a submenu each displayable separately from one another and each having a parent menu option, the parent menu option selectable from the parent menu to replace the parent menu with the submenu and the parent menu option selectable from the submenu to replace the submenu with the parent menu,

wherein the hierarchical in-place menu module displays the hierarchical in-place menu automatically in response to the one or more calls specifying concurrent display of the parent menu and the submenu.