Method and apparatus for setting attributes and initiating actions through gestures

• US 7,895,537 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2003
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cheng, Li-Te, Rueckner, Devon J., Gruen, Daniel M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): WIENER, ERIC A
• Application Number:
  US10/745,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20050160372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,612 Days
• Field of Search: 715/521, 715/769, 715/773, 715/810, 715/828, 715/831, 715/835, 715/847, 715/860, 715/863, 715/866
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

An apparatus and method is provided for setting attributes and initiating actions associated with list items. An action icon menu is displayed with options for a user to select related to each item in the list. The user may set an item from the list for a selected action by choosing from the action icon menu or by performing a gesture associated with the desired action.

Claims

1. A method for setting attributes and initiating actions for an item in a list of items displayed in a graphical user interface, the method comprising:

presenting a list of items to the user via the graphical user interface;

presenting, for each of said items, a gestural icon associated with and in close proximity to said item;

providing an action icon menu having one or more action icons to the user in response to the user selecting said gestural icon associated with an item; and

marking said associated item for a desired action from said action icon menu, wherein the user is allowed to cause said associated item to be marked without navigating to a different area of the display and said gestural icon is replaced with an icon indicating a selected action in response to the user performing a predefined gesture representing the selected action.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein marking said selected item further comprises:

in response to the user selecting an action icon from said action icon menu, replacing said gestural icon with an icon indicating said selected action icon.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said selected action is marking said item urgent and said predefined gesture comprises:

selecting said gestural icon associated with said selected item with an input device; and

moving said input device from said gestural icon in an upward direction.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said selected action is marking said item for deletion and said predefined gesture comprises:

selecting said gestural icon associated with said selected item with an input device; and

moving said input device from said gestural icon towards the left side of the screen.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing said action associated with said item.

6. A non-transitory storage device storing a graphical user interface for setting attributes and initiating actions for an item, the graphical user interface comprising:

means for presenting a list of items to the user via the graphical user interface;

means for presenting, for each of said items, a gestural icon associated with said item to the user wherein said gestural icon is in close proximity to said item;

means for providing an action icon menu having one or more action icons to the user wherein said action icon menu is presented in place of said gestural icon in response to the user selecting said gestural icon associated with one or more of said items; and

means for marking said associated one or more items for a desired action from said action icon menu wherein the user is allowed to cause said associated one or more items to be marked without navigating to a different area of the display and said gestural icon is replaced with indicia indicating a selected action in response to the user performing a gesture representing the selected action.

7. The non-transitory storage device storing the graphical user interface of claim 6 wherein the means for marking said selected item further comprises:

in response to the user selecting an action icon from said action icon menu, means for replacing said gestural icon with indicia indicating said selected action icon.

8. The non-transitory storage device storing the graphical user interface of claim 6 wherein said means for marking said selected item further comprises:

means for selecting said gestural icon associated with said selected item with an input device; and

means for moving said input device from said gestural icon in an upward direction to mark said item urgent.

9. The non-transitory storage device storing the graphical user interface of claim 6 wherein said means for marking said selected item further comprises:

means for selecting said gestural icon associated with said selected item with an input device; and

means for moving said input device from said gestural icon towards the left side of the screen to mark the item for deletion.

10. The non-transitory storage device storing the graphical user interface of claim 6 further comprising:

means for storing said action associated with said item.

11. A graphical user interface visibly displayed on a terminal device for setting attributes and initiating actions for an item, the graphical user interface comprising:

a list of items;

a gestural icon associated with each of said items; and

an action icon menu provided in response to the user selecting said gestural icon associated with one or more of said items, said action icon menu comprising one or more action icons;

wherein the graphical user interface is configured to;

mark said associated one or more items for a selected action in response to a user selecting an action associated with the action icon menu; and

replace said gestural icon with an icon indicating the selected action in response to the user performing a predefined gesture representing the selected action.

12. The graphical user interface of claim 11 further comprising:

an indicia indicating said selected action wherein said indicia is presented in response to the user selection an action icon from said action icon menu and wherein said indicia replaces said gestural icon.