Multiple roots in navigation pane

• US 7,614,016 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2005
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hoefnagels, Stephan, Ivanovic, Relja B., Miner, Patrice L., De Vorchik, David G., Wong, Lyon K. F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Salomon; Phenuel S
• Application Number:
  US11/110,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20060242604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,657 Days
• Field of Search: 715/854, 715/853, 707/1
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A method and system of creating and customizing multiple roots in a navigation pane are described. By selecting desired pages and adding them to the navigation pane, users may create multiple roots with which to navigate. A multiple roots navigation system permits the user to bypass irrelevant pages while reducing the amount of information presented in the navigation pane. The individual root nodes may further be customized to reflect ownership, importance or general aesthetic preferences. Using multiple roots, a user is not restricted to a single hierarchical display structure.

Claims

1. A method for allowing a user to interact with multiple root nodes displayed in a navigation pane of a shell browser window displayed as part of a graphical user interface on a display device connected to a data processing device, said shell browser being usable for navigating data stored on the data processing device, comprising steps of:

displaying a first root node in the navigation pane of the shell browser window, said first root node corresponding to a first collection of related data items, wherein said first root node is selectable to display in the shell browser window a first page view of the first collection of related data items, and wherein said first root node is selectable to display in the navigation pane one or more children nodes of said first root node;

creating a second root node representing a second collection of related data items to be simultaneously displayed with said first root node, said second root node is a former descendent of the first root node, wherein creation of the second root node creates the visual appearance that said second collection of related data is a root node without actually modifying the underlying structure of said data processing device;

simultaneously displaying said second root node in the navigation pane of the shell browser window, wherein said second root node is selectable to display in the shell browser window a second page view of the second collection of related data items, and wherein said second root node is selectable to display in the navigation pane one or more children nodes of said second root node; and

responsive to user input, reordering the first root node and the second root node in the navigation pane, wherein the second root node is ordered in a position before the first root node.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising hiding the first root node to create one or more new root nodes, said one or more new root nodes being any children of the hidden first root node.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of ordering the first and second root nodes in the navigation pane responsive to user input.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user input comprises selecting the first root node, and dragging and dropping the first root node in a desired location in the navigation pane.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the user input comprises selecting an ordering scheme from a plurality of ordering schemes.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to user input comprising selecting a new root node from a plurality of data items displayed in the shell browser window, and dragging and dropping the new root node in the displayed navigation pane, simultaneously displaying the third root node in the navigation pane of the shell browser window, said third root node corresponding to a third collection of related data items, wherein said third root node is selectable to display a third page view of the third collection of related data items.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first root node corresponds to a virtual folder defined by an autolist on the data processing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first root node corresponds to a static list on the data processing device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first root node corresponds to a network accessible location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first root node corresponds to a shared location on the data processing device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a second window through which a user can add root nodes to and remove root nodes from display in the navigation pane.

12. A computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by a data processing device, perform a method for allowing a user to interact with multiple root nodes displayed in a navigation pane of a shell browser window displayed as part of a graphical user interface on a display device connected to the data processing device, said shell browser being usable for navigating data stored on the data processing device, wherein a root node is a node that appears to lack a parent node, said method comprising steps of:

displaying a first root node in the navigation pane of the shell browser window, said first root node corresponding to a first collection of related data items, wherein said first root node is selectable to display in the shell browser window a first page view of the first collection of related data items, and wherein said first root node is selectable to display in the navigation pane one or more children nodes of said first root node;

creating a second root node representing a second collection of related shell data items to be simultaneously displayed with said first root node, said second root node is a former descendent of the first root node, wherein creation of the second root node creates the visual appearance that said second root node is a root node without actually modifying the underlying structure of said data processing device;

responsive to user input, reordering the first root node and the second root node in the navigation pane, wherein the second root node is ordered in a position before the first root node; and

simultaneously displaying said second root node in the navigation pane of the shell browser window, wherein said second root node is selectable to display in the shell browser window a second page view of the second collection of related data items, and wherein said second root node is selectable to display in the navigation pane one or more children nodes of said second root node.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein said method further comprises hiding the first root node to create one or more new root nodes, said one or more new root nodes being any children of the hidden first root node.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises the step of ordering the first and second root nodes in the navigation pane responsive to additional user input.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the user input comprises selecting an ordering scheme from one or more ordering schemes.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

responsive to user input comprising selecting a new root node from a plurality of data items displayed in the shell browser window, and dragging and dropping the new root node in the displayed navigation pane, simultaneously displaying the third root node in the navigation pane of the shell browser window, said third root node corresponding to a third collection of related data items, wherein said third root node is selectable to display a third page view of the third collection of related data items.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first root node corresponds to a virtual folder defined by an autolist on the data processing device.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first root node corresponds to a shared location on the data processing device.

19. A computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by a data processing device, perform a method for allowing a user to interact with multiple root nodes displayed in a navigation pane of a shell browser window displayed as part of a graphical user interface on a display device connected to the data processing device, said shell browser being usable for navigating data stored on the data processing device, wherein a root node is a node that appears to lack a parent node, said method comprising steps of:

displaying a first root node in the navigation pane of the shell browser window, said first root node corresponding to a first collection of related data items, wherein said first root node is selectable to display in the shell browser window a first page view of the first collection of related data items, and wherein said first root node is selectable to display in the navigation pane one or more children nodes of said first root node;

receiving a request for the creation of a second root node based on a member of said first collection of related data items, wherein said request is made by said user;

acquiring the member'"'"'s physical location within the underlying data structure of said data processing device;

determining the member'"'"'s descendants, wherein a second collection of related data items is comprised of said descendants;

creating said second root node, wherein said second root node comprises a pointer to said member'"'"'s physical location and an expandable list of descendants; and

displaying said second root node in the navigation pane of the shell browser window simultaneously to said displaying of said first root node, wherein said second root node is selectable to display in the shell browser window a second page view of the second collection of related data items, and wherein said second root node is selectable to display in the navigation pane one or more children nodes of said second root node.