Updatable menu items

• US 7,856,602 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2005
• Issued: 12/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Armstrong, Kevin Neal
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William L
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZAHR, ASHRAF A
• Application Number:
  US11/111,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20060242596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,071 Days
• Field of Search: 715/774, 715/830
• US Class Current: 715/830
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A menu is displayed within a graphical user interface. The menu of one exemplary embodiment includes a plurality of selectable menu items within the menu. One of the menu items includes a first region and a second region. The first region presents a static title for the menu item, and the second region includes text that is capable of scrolling. The text within the second region of the first menu item is scrolled in response to the first menu item being selected. For example, the selection may be made by hovering a pointer above the first menu item. The scrolling may then be paused when the pointer is moved away from above the first menu item.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method comprising:

displaying a region in a graphical user interface for receiving a command to cause a menu to be displayed;

displaying, in response to receiving the command, the menu;

displaying, on a display device, the menu within the graphical user interface, the menu including a plurality of selectable menu items, including a first menu item and an intermediate menu item, within the menu, wherein the first menu item includes a first region and a separate second region, the first region presenting a static title for the menu item, and the second region including text that is capable of scrolling;

selecting the first menu item through the intermediate menu item; and

automatically loop scrolling the text, in response to receiving the command to display the menu on the display device, within the second region of the first menu item but not the intermediate menu item, wherein the automatic loop scrolling the text further includes an animation selected from one of the following;

horizontal loop scrolling right-to-left, horizontal loop scrolling left-to-right, vertical loop scrolling, content increasing in size, content decreasing in size, content presented having three-dimensional appearance, content having shadowing, content having a change in shadowing, scrolling during an unselected state, scrolling a first sentence horizontally while a second sentence scrolls vertically, and wherein, information communicated by the scrolling of the text automatically and dynamically changes as the text scrolls.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the first menu item, wherein the scrolling occurs prior to the receiving the selection of the first menu item.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the selection comprises a pointer hovering above the first menu item and wherein the method further comprises determining if a time threshold has been met with respect to receiving the selection of the first menu item, and wherein the scrolling is in response to the determining of the time threshold.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

pausing the scrolling of the text when the pointer is not positioned above the first menu item.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a processing unit coupled to a memory through a bus;

means for displaying a region in a graphical user interface for receiving a command to cause a menu to be displayed;

means for displaying, in response to receiving the command, the menu;

means for displaying the menu within the graphical user interface on a display device coupled to the processing unit, the menu including a plurality of selectable menu items, including a first menu item and an intermediate menu item, within the menu, wherein the first menu item includes a first region and a separate second region, the first region presenting a static title for the menu item, and the second region including text that is capable of automatically scrolling;

means for selecting the first menu item through the intermediate menu item; and

means for loop scrolling the text within the second region of the first menu item but not the intermediate menu item in response to receiving the command to display the menu, wherein the automatic loop scrolling of the text includes an animation selected from one of the following;

horizontal loop scrolling right-to-left, horizontal loop scrolling left-to-right, vertical loop scrolling, content increasing in size, content decreasing in size, content presented having three-dimensional appearance, content having shadowing, content having a change in shadowing, scrolling during an unselected state, scrolling a first sentence horizontally while a second sentence scrolls vertically, and wherein, information communicated by the scrolling of the text automatically and dynamically changes as the text scrolls.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

means for receiving a selection of the first menu item, wherein the scrolling occurs prior to the receiving the selection of the first menu item.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the selection comprises a pointer hovering above the first menu item.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

means for pausing the scrolling of the text when the pointer is not positioned above the first menu item.

9. A machine-implemented method comprising:

displaying a region in a graphical user interface for receiving a command to cause a menu to be displayed;

displaying, in response to receiving the command, the menu;

presenting, on a display device, the menu within the graphical user interface;

receiving a selection of a menu item through an intermediate menu item within the menu;

determining, through a quota, if a time threshold has been met with respect to receiving the selection of the first menu item; and

in response to determining the time threshold, automatically loop scrolling text within the selected menu item but not the intermediate menu item;

wherein the automatic loop scrolling of the text further includes an animation selected from one of the following;

horizontal loop scrolling right-to-left, horizontal loop scrolling left-to-right, vertical loop scrolling, content increasing in size, content decreasing in size, content presented having three-dimensional appearance, content having shadowing, content having a change in shadowing, scrolling during an unselected state, scrolling a first sentence horizontally while a second sentence scrolls vertically, and wherein, information communicated by the scrolling text automatically and dynamically changes as the text scrolls.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the menu item includes a first line of text and a second line of text, the first line of text being static, and the second line of text capable of scrolling.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating the content of the second line of text in real-time, wherein the second line of text scrolls.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the selection comprises positioning a pointer above the menu item.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a processing unit coupled to a memory through a bus;

means for displaying a region in a graphical user interface for receiving a command to cause a menu to be displayed;

means for displaying, in response to receiving the command, the menu;

means for presenting the menu within the graphical user interface on a display device coupled to the processing unit;

means for receiving a selection of a menu item through an intermediate menu item within the menu;

means for determining, through a quota if a time threshold has been met with respect to receiving the selection of the first menu item; and

means for loop scrolling text automatically within the selected menu item but not the intermediate menu item in response to determining the time threshold;

wherein the automatic loop scrolling of the text includes an animation selected from one of the following;

horizontal scrolling right-to-left, horizontal scrolling left-to-right, vertical scrolling upwards, vertical scrolling, content increasing in size, content decreasing in size, content presented having three-dimensional appearance, content having shadowing, content having a change in shadowing, scrolling during an unselected state, scrolling a first sentence horizontally while a second sentence scrolls vertically, and wherein, information communicated by the scrolling text automatically and dynamically changes as the text scrolls.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for generating the content of the second line of text in real-time, wherein the second line of text scrolls.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for receiving the selection comprises a pointer positioned above the menu item.

16. A machine-implemented method comprising:

displaying a region in a graphical user interface for receiving a command to cause a menu to be displayed;

displaying, in response to receiving the command, the menu;

displaying, on a display device, a menu within a graphical user interface, the menu including a plurality of selectable menu items which include a first menu item and an intermediate menu item, wherein the first menu item includes a first line of text and a separate second line of text; and

automatically animating the second line of text of the first menu item but not the intermediate menu item upon displaying the menu in response to receiving the command to display the menu, the first menu item being selected through the intermediate menu item, wherein the automatic animating of the second line of text includes an animation selected from one of the following;

horizontal loop scrolling right-to-left, horizontal loop scrolling left-to-right, vertical loop scrolling, and one or more of the following animations;

content increasing in size, content decreasing in size, content presented having three- dimensional appearance, content having shadowing, content having a change in shadowing, scrolling during an unselected state, and scrolling a first sentence horizontally while a second sentence scrolls vertically, and wherein, information communicated by the scrolling text automatically and dynamically changes as the text scrolls.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein automatically animating the second line of text includes scrolling the second line of text.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the second line of text scrolls horizontally.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a processing unit coupled to a memory through a bus;

means for displaying a region in a graphical user interface for receiving a command to cause a menu to be displayed;

means for displaying, in response to receiving the command, the menu;

means for displaying, on a display device, the menu within the graphical user interface, the menu including a plurality of selectable menu items which include a first menu item and an intermediate menu item, wherein the first menu item includes a first line of text and a separate second line of text; and

means for automatically animating the second line of text of the first menu item but not the intermediate menu item upon displaying the menu in response to receiving the command to display the menu, the first menu item being selected through the intermediate menu item, wherein the automatic animating of the second line of text includes an animation selected from one of the following;

horizontal loop scrolling right-to-left, horizontal loop scrolling left-to-right, vertical loop scrolling, and one or more of the following animations;

content increasing in size, content decreasing in size, content presented having three-dimensional appearance, content having shadowing, content having a change in shadowing, scrolling during an unselected state, and scrolling a first sentence horizontally while a second sentence scrolls vertically, and wherein, information communicated by the scrolling text automatically and dynamically changes as the text scrolls.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for automatically animating the second line of text includes scrolling the second line of text.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the second line of text scrolls vertically.

22. A machine-readable storage medium storing instructions to cause a machine to perform a machine-implemented method comprising:

displaying a region in a graphical user interface for receiving a command to cause a menu to be displayed;

displaying, in response to receiving the command, the menu;

displaying, on a display device, the menu within the graphical user interface, the menu including a plurality of selectable menu items which include a first menu item and an intermediate menu item, wherein the first menu item includes a first line of text and a separate second line of text; and

automatically animating the second line of text of the first menu item but not the intermediate menu item upon displaying the menu in response to receiving the command to display the menu, the first menu item being selected through the intermediate menu item, wherein the automatic animating of the second line of text includes an animation selected from one of the following;

horizontal loop scrolling right-to-left, horizontal loop scrolling left-to-right, vertical loop scrolling, and one or more of the following animations;

content increasing in size, content decreasing in size, content presented having three-dimensional appearance, content having shadowing, content having a change in shadowing, scrolling during an unselected state, and scrolling a first sentence horizontally while a second sentence scrolls vertically, and wherein, information communicated by the scrolling text automatically and dynamically changes as the text scrolls.

23. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein automatically animating the second line of text includes scrolling the second line of text.

24. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the second line of text scrolls horizontally.

25. A system comprising:

a processing unit coupled to a memory through a bus; and

a process executed from the memory by the processing unit to cause the processing unit to;

display a region in a graphical user interface for receiving a command to cause a menu to be displayed;

display, in response to receiving the command, the menu;

display, on a display device, the menu within the graphical user interface, the menu including a plurality of selectable menu items which include a first menu item and an intermediate menu item, wherein the first menu item includes a first line of text and a separate second line of text; and

automatically animating the second line of text of the first menu item but not the intermediate menu item upon displaying the menu in response to receiving the command to display the menu, the first menu item being selected through the intermediate menu item, wherein the automatic animating of the second line of text includes an animation selected from one of the following;

horizontal loop scrolling right-to-left, horizontal loop scrolling left-to-right, vertical loop scrolling, and one or more of the following animations;

content increasing in size, content decreasing in size, content presented having three-dimensional appearance, content having shadowing, content having a change in shadowing, scrolling during an unselected state, and scrolling a first sentence horizontally while a second sentence scrolls vertically, and wherein, information communicated by the scrolling text automatically and dynamically changes as the text scrolls.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein automatically animating the second line of text includes scrolling the second line of text.

27. A machine-implemented method comprising:

displaying a region in a graphical user interface for receiving a command to cause an object to be displayed;

displaying, in response to receiving the command, the object;

displaying, on a display device, an object within the graphical user interface, the object including a plurality of selectable items, each item including a static region and a separate updatable region; and

receiving a selection of a first selectable item through an intermediate selectable item within the object, wherein upon receiving the selection, text within the selected first item but not the intermediate selectable item automatically scrolls, wherein the selection is made by hovering a pointer above the first item for a predetermined period of time, as determined through a quota;

wherein the automatic scrolling of the text includes an animation selected from one of the following;

horizontal loop scrolling right-to-left, horizontal loop scrolling left-to-right,vertical loop scrolling, and one or more of the following animations;

content increasing in size, content decreasing in size, content presented having three-dimensional appearance, content having shadowing, content having a change in shadowing, scrolling during an unselected state, scrolling a first sentence horizontally while a second sentence scrolls vertically, and wherein, information communicated by the scrolling text automatically and dynamically changes as the text scrolls.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the object is selected from the group consisting of a menu and a table.

29. An apparatus comprising:

a processing unit coupled to a memory through a bus;

means for displaying a region in a graphical user interface for receiving a command to cause an object to be displayed;

means for displaying, in response to receiving the command, the object;

means for displaying the object within the graphical user interface on a display device coupled to the processing unit, the object including a plurality of selectable items, each item including a static region and a separate updatable region; and

means for receiving a selection of a first selectable item through an intermediate selectable item within the object, wherein upon receiving the selection, text within the selected first item but not the intermediate selectable item automatically scrolls, wherein the selection is made by positioning a pointer above the first item for a predetermined period of time, as determined through a quota;

wherein animating the content includes an animation selected from one of the following;

horizontal loop scrolling right-to-left, horizontal loop scrolling left-to-right, vertical loop scrolling, and one or more of the following animations;

content increasing in size, content decreasing in size, content presented having three-dimensional appearance, content having shadowing, content having a change in shadowing, scrolling during an unselected state, scrolling a first sentence horizontally while a second sentence scrolls vertically, and wherein, information communicated by the scrolling text automatically and dynamically changes as the text scrolls.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the object is a menu.

31. A machine-readable storage medium storing instructions to cause a machine to perform a machine-implemented method comprising:

displaying a region in a graphical user interface for receiving a command to cause an object to be displayed;

displaying, in response to receiving the command, the object;

displaying, on a display device, the object within the graphical user interface, the object including a plurality of selectable items, each item including a static region and a separate updatable region; and

receiving a selection of a first selectable item through an intermediate selectable item within the object, wherein upon receiving the selection, text within the selected first item but not the intermediate selectable item automatically scrolls, wherein the selection is made by hovering a pointer above the first item for a predetermined period of time as determined through a quota;

wherein animating the content includes an animation selected from one of the following;

horizontal loop scrolling right-to-left, horizontal loop scrolling left-to-right, vertical loop scrolling, and one or more of the following animations;

content increasing in size, content decreasing in size, content presented having three-dimensional appearance, content having shadowing, content having a change in shadowing, scrolling during an unselected state, scrolling a first sentence horizontally while a second sentence scrolls vertically, and wherein, information communicated by the scrolling text automatically and dynamically changes as the text scrolls.

32. The machine-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the object is selected from the group consisting of a menu and a table.