Sidebar tile free-arrangement

• US 7,657,842 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cummins, Charles, Matthews, David A, Ligameri, Mark R
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William L
• Assistant Examiner(s): DiStefano; Gregory A
• Application Number:
  US10/985,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20060107231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• Field of Search: 715/788, 715/764, 715/779
• US Class Current: 715/788
• 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

The present invention relates to a system and method for displaying information on a display such that access to applications or dynamic information through independent user interfaces may be attained in a designated area on a display and may be easily and conveniently moved from the designated area on the display to any other location in the display. Further, the applications or independent user interfaces may be arranged automatically such that the independent user interfaces may be substantially evenly spaced.

Claims

1. In a computer system with a display device, a method of displaying information on the display device comprising:

graphically displaying a plurality of independent user interfaces in a designated area on the display device, said independent user interfaces displaying dynamic information, wherein each independent user interface has a flyout clickable region, wherein the dynamic information is updated periodically and the dynamic information is received over a network;

moving at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces from a current location for said at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces to a destination location;

when the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is moved to a destination location located inside the designated area, the flyout clickable region extends around at least one edge of the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces;

when the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is moved to a destination location located outside of the designated area, the flyout clickable region surrounds the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces; and

rearranging automatically the plurality of independent user interfaces in the designated area after the moving step so that the plurality of user interfaces in the designated area are substantially evenly spaced.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the designated area is located on an edge of the display.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said destination location is outside of said designated area.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising moving said at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces from a location outside of said designated area to a location within said designated area.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising rearranging the plurality of independent user interfaces in the designated area after said at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is moved into the designated area so that the plurality of independent user interfaces and the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces are substantially evenly spaced in the designated area.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said destination location is outside of said designated area and at a location occupied by a display element.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising setting a display priority for the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of setting display priority comprises displaying the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces in front of the display element.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of setting display priority comprises displaying the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces in back of the display element.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising minimizing the display element on the display when the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is rearranged on the display.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising restoring the minimized display element after said at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is positioned on said display.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the display element is a window.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying all independent user interfaces on top of overlapping display elements if a cursor is positioned over a predetermined location on the display.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is associated with a taskbar button.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising moving an independent user interface out of said designated area;

and rearranging automatically display elements on the display so that display elements do not overlap with the independent user interfaces.

16. A system for displaying information on a display device comprising:

a display device for graphically displaying a plurality of independent user interfaces in a designated area on the display device, said independent user interfaces displaying dynamic information, wherein each independent user interface has a flyout clickable region, wherein the dynamic information consists of stock, weather, sports, sports-related, news, instant messenger, mailbox, or auction information and is updated periodically, and the dynamic information is received over a network; and

a processor for moving at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces from a current location for said at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces to a destination location and for rearranging automatically the plurality of independent user interfaces in the designated area after moving said at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces so that the plurality of user interfaces in the designated area are substantially evenly spaced, wherein when the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is moved to a destination location located inside the designated area, the flyout clickable region extends around at least one edge of the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces and when the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is moved to a destination location located outside of the designated area, the flyout clickable region surrounds the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the designated area is located on an edge of the display.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein said destination location is outside of said designated area.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said processor further moves said at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces from a location outside of said designated area to a location within said designated area.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein said processor further rearranges the plurality of independent user interfaces in the designated area after said at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is moved into the designated area so that the plurality of independent user interfaces and the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces are substantially evenly spaced in the designated area.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein said destination location is outside of said designated area and at a location occupied by a display element.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising a processor for setting a display priority for the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein setting a display priority comprises displaying the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces in front of the display element.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein setting a display priority comprises displaying the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces in back of the display element.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein said processor further minimizes the display element on the display when the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is rearranged on the display.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein said processor further restores the minimized display element after said at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is positioned on said display.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the display element is a window.

28. The system of claim 16 wherein said processor further displays all independent user interfaces on top of overlapping display elements if a cursor is positioned over a predetermined location on the display.

29. The system of claim 16 wherein said at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is associated with a taskbar button.

30. The system of claim 16 wherein said processor further moves at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces out of said designated area and rearranges automatically display elements on the display so that display elements do not overlap with the at least one independent user interface.

31. A computer-storage medium comprising executable code for performing the steps of:

graphically displaying a plurality of independent user interfaces in a designated area on the display device, said independent user interfaces displaying stock, weather, sports, sports-related, news, instant messenger, mailbox, or auction information dynamically, wherein dynamically displayed information is updated periodically and received over a network, wherein each independent user interface has a flyout clickable region;

moving at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces from a current location for said at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces to a destination location;

when the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is moved to a destination location located inside the designated area, the flyout clickable region extends around at least one edge of the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces;

when the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is moved to a destination location located outside of the designated area, the flyout clickable region surrounds the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces; and

rearranging automatically the plurality of independent user interfaces in the designated area after the moving step so that the plurality of user interfaces in the designated area are substantially evenly spaced.

32. The computer-storage medium of claim 31 wherein said destination location is outside of said designated area, the computer-readable medium further comprising computer executable code for moving said at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces from a location outside of said designated area to a location within said designated area and rearranging the plurality of independent user interfaces in the designated area after said at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is moved into the designated area so that the plurality of independent user interfaces and the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces are substantially evenly spaced in the designated area.

33. The computer-storage medium of claim 31 wherein said destination location is outside of said designated area and is occupied by a display element, the computer-readable medium further comprising computer executable code for:

setting a display priority for the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces so that the at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is displayed in back of the display element; and

displaying all independent user interfaces on top of the display element if a cursor is positioned over a predetermined location on the display.

34. The computer-storage medium of claim 31 wherein said at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces is associated with a taskbar button, the computer-readable medium further comprising computer executable code for:

moving at least one of said plurality of independent user interfaces out of said designated area; and

rearranging display elements on the display so that display elements do not overlap.

35. In a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display, a method of providing the graphical user interface on the display, comprising the steps of:

(a) retrieving a set of independent user interfaces for the graphical user interface, said independent user interfaces providing alphanumeric dynamic information, wherein each independent user interface within the set of independent user interfaces has a flyout clickable region and the alphanumeric dynamic information is updated periodically, and the alphanumeric dynamic information is received over a wide area network;

(b) displaying the graphical user interface comprising the set of independent user interfaces on the display;

(c) moving at least one of the independent user interfaces from a current location in the graphical user interface to a destination location;

when the at least one of the independent user interfaces is moved to a destination location located inside the designated area, the flyout clickable region extends around at least one edge of the at least one of the independent user interfaces;

when the at least one of the independent user interfaces is moved to a destination location located outside of the designated area, the flyout clickable region surrounds the at least one of the independent user interfaces; and

(d) rearranging automatically the set of independent user interfaces in the graphical user interface after the moving step so that the set of independent user interfaces in the graphical user interface are substantially evenly spaced.