Operating system launch menu program listing

• US 7,512,904 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2005
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lerner, Matthew R., Matthews, David A., Stabb, Charles W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, MYLINH T
• Application Number:
  US11/085,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20060218502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 715/799, 715/853, 715/854, 715/841, 715/815, 715/733
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

An operating system program launch menu, such as a Start menu, provides various mechanisms for a user to quickly and efficiently locate and launch desired data items such as programs, data files, storage locations, and the like. A search box within the program launch menu may be used to quickly locate programs, documents, communications, and other data items. An auto-complete feature may be used, e.g., when the user restricts the locations searched for the user-entered search text. A most commonly used program list may include programs based on various criteria including both frequency of use and recent use, thereby always including a most recently used item. An all programs view may display programs and documents in a hosted-tree view within the original confines of the program launch menu, thereby negating the need to open sub-menus on top of a large portion of the desktop displayed on the display device.

Claims

1. A method of displaying on a computer display a list of selectable items in a program launch menu of an operating system executing on a computer system, comprising steps of:

receiving a user-initiated indication to display a default program launch menu by actuating a button on a taskbar;

displaying on a computer display device the default program launch menu of an operating system, said default program launch menu having a predefined area for displaying regions and a selection control, wherein the regions comprise a first region for presenting pinned items and a second dynamic region for presenting a first plurality of selectable items, and wherein the pinned items remain in a fixed location within the first region regardless of user-initiated actions with respect to selecting items;

presenting a listing of views in proximity to the selection control that allow a user to select at least one view, wherein the listing of views includes the at least one view that, when selected, changes which selectable items are presented in the second dynamic region;

receiving a user-initiated selection of the presented at least one view;

identifying a selected launch program menu based on the selected at least one view;

displaying on a computer display device a second plurality of selectable items associated with the selected program launch menu of an operating system, said selected program launch menu occupying the same second dynamic region within the predefined area as the default program launch menu previously occupied, wherein the plurality of selectable items are arranged according to a hierarchy, wherein the predefined area presents a nested tree view of at least as portion of the plurality of selectable items, and wherein items of the plurality of selectable items comprises one of expandable items and launchable items based a type of the selected program launch menu;

initially displaying in the second dynamic region a first subset of the second plurality of selectable items, wherein each selectable item in the first subset is at a top level of the hierarchy; and

when the second program launch menu directs that the items of the second plurality of selectable items are the expandable items, responsive to a user selecting a first expandable item in the first subset, rearranging items within the second dynamic region to provide room to hierarchically display therein a second subset of the second plurality of selectable items, the second subset including one or more children items of the first expandable item, and

responsive to user input selecting a second expandable item in the second subset, rearranging items within the second dynamic region to provide room to hierarchically display therein a third subset of the second plurality of selectable items, the third subset including one or more children items of the second expandable item.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a size of the predefined area unless the user explicitly resizes the program launch menu, wherein resizing the predefined area affects an area on an operating system graphical user interface encompassed by the second dynamic region and the substance of selectable items presented therein.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising maximizing a height of the predefined area based on a height of an operating system graphical user interface upon utilizing the selection control to toggle from the selected program launch menu to the default program launch menu.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the selectable items presented in the second dynamic region represents one of a launchable application program, a storage location, or a file type.

5. One or more computer storage media for storing computer executable instructions that, when executed, perform the method of claim 1.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a widget control next to the expandable items, wherein each widget control indicates whether a corresponding expandable item is in an expanded or unexpanded state, and wherein the user can interact with each widget to toggle the corresponding expandable item between the expanded and unexpanded states.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of the program launch menu include comprises at least one of a most commonly used list, an all programs view, a search results view, and a run list view.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a user-initiated indication of typing characters at a search box anchored to the predefined area;

automatically navigating to the search results view, wherein the search results view includes a third plurality of selectable items that correlate to the typed characters;

transitioning the contents of the dynamic region from the identified second plurality of selectable items to the third plurality of selectable items; and

displaying on the computer display device the search results view as the program launch menu of an operating system.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the most commonly used list includes a predefined number of most-frequently used items and most-recently used items, wherein the predefined number is based on a size of the predefined area, and wherein a ratio of the most-frequently used items and the most-recently used items is determined utilizing an algorithm that records and processes the user'"'"'s usage data.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising if the type of the selected program launch menu directs that the items of the second plurality of selectable items are the launchable items, responsive to the user selecting any launchable item displayed in the second dynamic region, executing a program application associated with the launchable item.