System and method for visually expressing user interface elements

• US 7,661,069 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lindsay, Donald J, Ligameri, Mark R
• Primary Examiner(s): ENGLAND, SARA M
• Application Number:
  US11/094,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20060224986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,776 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/765, 715/766, 715/767, 715/768, 345/418, 345/419, 345/428, 345/581, 345/611, 345/618, 345/619, 345/650, 345/660, 345/664
• US Class Current: 715/767
• 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 method of visually expressing user interface elements on a display is provided which emphasizes those user interface elements which a user would be more interested in and deemphasizes those user interface elements which a user would be less interested in. Certain user interface elements, such as active elements, can be rendered in a sharp manner and be within a depth of field while other elements, such as inactive elements, can be rendered in a blurry manner and outside the depth of field.

Claims

1. A method for concurrently displaying a plurality of user interface elements on a display screen, the method comprising:

presenting a plurality of user interface windows in a Z-order orientation on the display screen, the plurality of user interface windows comprising at least a first user interface window and a second user interface window;

determining that a first user interface window is active and that a second user interface window is inactive, wherein the first user interface window and the second user interface window are presented in independent graphical user interface windows in a Z-order orientation on the display screen;

based on the first user interface window being active, rendering the first user interface window in a sharp, crisp manner;

because the user is not permitted to interact with the second user interface window, rendering the second user interface window in a blurry manner; and

scaling the size of each of the plurality of windows in the Z-order orientation so that the size of each window increases from topmost to bottommost in the Z-order orientation; and

displaying a slider control that allows a user to selectively change the number of user interface windows presented in a clear, crisp manner.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user interface window is within a depth of field and the second user interface window is outside the depth of field.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the depth of field is user configurable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user interface window is at the top of the Z-order of the user interface windows.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein after rendering the first and second user interface windows, the method further comprising responsive to a command, rendering the second user interface window element in a sharp, crisp manner and rendering the first user interface window in a blurry manner without changing the Z-order of user interface windows.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein rendering the first and second user interface windows in response to the command includes changing a focal point of a depth of field, wherein the second user interface window is within the depth of field and the first user interface window falls outside the depth of field, and wherein user interface windows within the depth of field are rendered in a sharp, crisp manner and user interface windows outside the depth of field are rendered in a blurred manner.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user interface element is at the top of Z-order of the user interface windows.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering a third user interface window in a sharp, crisp manner.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and third user interface windows fall within a depth of field and the second user interface window falls outside the depth of field.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

responsive to a command, changing the focal point of the depth of field, wherein the second user interface window is within the depth of field and at least one of the first and third user interface windows falls outside the depth of field;

changing the presentation of the first user interface window from a sharp, crisp manner to a blurry manner;

changing the presentation of the second user interface window from a blurry manner to a sharp, crisp manner;

displaying a slider control that allows a user to selectively change the number of user interface windows presented in a clear, crisp manner; and

based on the user manipulating the slider control, rendering the first user interface window in a sharp, crisp manner while contemporaneously rendering the second user interface window in a sharp, crisp manner.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein changing the focal point includes receiving a user input.

12. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for performing the method of claim 1.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user interface window is a system generated dialog.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the system generated dialog is generated in response to an error condition.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user interface window is an alert.

16. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-useable instructions stored thereon, the computer-useable instructions configured to display a user interface, comprising:

a display area rendering a control for a graphical user interface for setting a depth of field for rendering user interface windows,

wherein

a) a first user interface window is rendered in a sharp manner based on the first user interface element being active to a user,

b) a second user interface window is rendered in a blurry manner based on the second user interface element being inactive to a user; and

a slider control, displayed within the display area, that allows a user to selectively change the number of user interface windows presented in a clear, crisp manner.