User interface with multi-state menu

• US 7,512,898 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2005
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Boyce, Douglas A., Gioconda, Thomas G., Jennings, Claire Anna, McLees, Lorraine R, Brawley, Zoe, Jarrard, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): BONSHOCK, DENNIS G
• Application Number:
  US11/102,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20060230354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 715/799, 715/810, 715/815, 715/821, 715/822, 715/823, 715/828, 715/834
• US Class Current: 715/822
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• 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

Abstract

A user interface having a persistent graphical interface element is disclosed. The element may have an appearance of a mechanical structure that traverses one or more displayed tracks. Movement along the tracks may be animated in response to navigation commands. Selectable menu panels may be included in the interface, and may overlay displayed contents of documents being viewed and/or edited to ensure that certain menu options are always available. The menu may be given multiple distinct appearances corresponding to different display sizes.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for generating a user interface, the interface comprising:

a content portion displaying contents of a document that is being viewed; and

a two-part interface element framing and extending inward to overlay a portion of the document, the first part being a menu portion having a plurality of selectable menu panels, and the second part being a feedback portion that uses an animation of doors opening to reveal a dynamic graphic indicia specific to a selected one of the menu panels, wherein the interface element is displayable in two states based on a resizing command selectable via the interface element, wherein in a first state the selectable menu panels each have text and graphic indicia, in a second state the graphic indicia are omitted from the menu panels with the second part remaining at a constant size through resize, wherein the interface element remains stationary as the contents of the document being viewed are moved underneath the interface element, and wherein the second part of the interface element extends further inward over the document than the first part, and retains its size when the first part is resized in response to the resizing command.

2. The medium of claim 1, wherein the specific graphic indicia is presented in a color that is different from a color of the selected menu panel.

3. The medium of claim 1, wherein the selection of a menu panel is made by hovering a pointer over a menu panel to be selected.

4. The medium of claim 1, wherein in response to a highlighting, an additional sub-menu panel is displayed, the sub-menu panel containing additional selectable indicia corresponding to the highlighted menu panel.

5. The medium of claim 4, wherein the additional selectable indicia includes graphics and text.

6. The medium of claim 4, wherein the sub-menu panel is displayed using an animation that extends the sub-menu panel from the feedback region.

7. The medium of claim 4, wherein the sub-menu panel is used for both states of the interface element.

8. The medium of claim 1, wherein the feedback region is also selectable to cause a predetermined home Internet page to be viewed.

9. The medium of claim 1, wherein the text indicia in the second state is a truncated form of the text indicia in the first state.

10. A method of displaying a document, comprising the steps of:

framing an Internet page with a non-rectangular border, one edge of the border including an interface element extending inward from the border and overlaying a portion of an Internet page, the interface element including a feedback region and a plurality of selectable menu panels, each panel having text and image indicia in a first state, wherein the interface element maintains a fixed position as the contents of the Internet page are scrolled;

receiving a request to highlight one of the menu panels;

in response to the request, modifying the feedback region to use an animation of doors opening to reveal therein a larger version of an indicia found in the selected menu panel; and

receiving a user input finalizing a selection of the menu panel;

receiving a request via the interface element to resize the menu panel, and in response, resizing the menu panel without resizing the feedback region, wherein after the resizing the menu panel omits the image indicia displayed in the first state.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of displaying an appearance state indicia on the interface element to indicate that a second appearance state of the element is available.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of in response to receiving an input on the appearance state indicia, replacing the plurality of selectable menu panels with a second plurality of smaller menu panels, the smaller menu panels having truncated versions of the text indicia.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of in response to receiving a request to highlight one of the smaller menu panels, modifying the feedback region to display an indicia corresponding to an indicia associated with the one of the smaller menu panels.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the smaller menu panels lack the image indicia.

15. A computer-readable medium storing electronic instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the performance of the following:

display a document'"'"'s content framed by a border, one edge of the border including an interface element having two parts extending inward to overlap a portion of the content, wherein the interface element remains stationary as the content is moved underneath the interface element, a first part having a plurality of selectable menu panels, and a second part having a feedback image that uses an animation of doors opening to reveal an indicia specific to a selected menu panel;

receive a command to resize the interface element via the interface element;

in response to the command, resizing the first part of the interface element but retaining an original size of the second part of the interface element, wherein both parts extend inward to overlap the portion of the content before and after the resizing;

wherein before resizing the first part of the interface element includes both image and text indicia and after resizing the first part omits the image indicia.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further storing electronic instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the performance of the following:

receive a user-selection of a menu panel containing a graphic image; and

replicate at least a portion of the graphic image from the selected menu panel in the second part as the feedback image.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further storing electronic instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the performance of the following:

receive sequential user highlighting inputs over a plurality of the menu panels; and

dynamically change the feedback image to include a larger and more colorful version of the graphic image in a currently highlighted menu panel.