User interface having a carousel view for representing structured data

• US 8,028,250 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2004
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Shuo, Paniaras, Ioannis, Yu, Francisco L. Jr., Van Tilburg, Martijn Eldert, Vronay, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pan; Yongjia
• Application Number:
  US10/931,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20060048076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,583 Days
• Field of Search: 715755-777, 715/779, 715/781, 715783-787, 715/810, 715/825, 715828-835, 715/838, 715/841, 715848-851, 715853-855
• US Class Current: 715/853
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A carousel view is described. In an implementation, a method includes determining a number of items that are included in data. A carousel is then generated for output in a user interface. The carousel has a plurality of bins, each of which representing a corresponding one of the items. The carousel has a radius for display of each of the bins based on the determined number of items.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a processor executing processor-executable instructions stored on computer-readable storage media, the method comprising:

receiving hierarchical data, the hierarchical data including a plurality of hierarchical levels;

generating, by the processor, a hierarchical carousel view of the hierarchical data for output in a user interface, the hierarchical carousel view comprising a plurality of carousels, each of the plurality of carousels being associated with a hierarchical level, and each of the plurality of carousels including a plurality of bins;

displaying a carousel of the plurality of carousels, the carousel comprising a first collection of the bins arranged in a first ring;

expanding a plurality of the bins of the first ring contemporaneously to display a plurality of expanded bins as a single second ring of the carousel, the second ring of the carousel being displayed as an outer ring of the carousel, concentric with the first ring of the carousel and having a larger radius than the first ring of the carousel, which is displayed as an inner ring of the carousel relative to the outer second ring, the inner first ring containing at least one bin that has not been expanded and the outer second ring containing the plurality of expanded bins;

displaying the expanded bins as having respective additional carousels arranged in the second ring, the additional carousels corresponding to a different hierarchical level than the carousel having the first ring, each additional carousel being tangential to a respective expanded bin in the outer second ring;

closing the inner first ring of the carousel to display the outer second ring of the carousel, including the tangential additional carousels, without displaying the inner first ring of the carousel; and

following the closing of the inner first ring, contracting the second ring to a smaller radius determined based on a number of the expanded bins in the second ring.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein:

the hierarchical data includes a plurality of items; and

each said bin represents a corresponding said item.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein, prior to closing the inner first ring, the carousel includes a plurality of unexpanded bins in the inner first ring and the plurality of expanded bins in the outer second ring.

4. A method as described in claim 3, further comprising rotating the inner first ring of the carousel to view additional unexpanded bins in the inner first ring, while the outer second ring containing the plurality of expanded bins is locked from rotation to prevent the additional carousels from overlapping.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein:

a first group of said first collection of bins is spaced, one to another, in the first ring of the carousel according to a first set of rules;

a second group of said first collection of bins is spaced, one to another, in the first ring of the carousel according to a second set of rules;

the first group is displayed to appear closer to a user and the second group is displayed to appear further from the user; and

when the user clicks on a particular one of the bins in the second group, the first ring of the carousel rotates to display the particular bin to appear closest to the user.

6. A computing device comprising the processor and a memory configured to maintain one or more modules that are executable on the processor to perform the method of claim 1.

7. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising the processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor on a computer, direct the computer to perform the method of claim 1.

8. A method implemented by a processor executing processor-executable instructions stored on computer-readable storage media, the method comprising:

determining a number of items that are included in data;

generating a first carousel, which includes a clipping area for use when the number of items is too great to be concurrently displayed in a user interface;

displaying the first carousel as having a plurality of bins arranged in a first ring, each of which represents a corresponding said item, the first ring of the first carousel having a first radius for display of each said bin based on the determined number of said items;

displaying a first collection of said bins as being spaced in the first ring of the first carousel according to a first set of rules to be initially displayed and a second collection of said bins as being spaced in the first ring of the first carousel within the clipping area according to a second set of rules as to not be displayed until the first ring of the first carousel is rotated;

expanding multiple bins of the first ring of the first carousel simultaneously to display the multiple bins as a second ring of the first carousel, the multiple bins expanded as the second ring of the first carousel being expanded as multiple second carousels, the second carousels being tangentially positioned adjacent to a corresponding one of the multiple bins expanded as the second ring of the first carousel;

closing the first ring of the first carousel to display the second ring of the first carousel without displaying the first ring of the first carousel; and

following the closing of the inner first ring, contracting the second ring to a smaller radius determined based on a number of the multiple bins expanded in the second ring.

9. A method as described in claim 8, wherein:

the data is hierarchical data;

a first plurality of said items is included in a first hierarchical level and a second plurality of said items is included in a second hierarchical level;

the generated first carousel includes a plurality of said bins representing the first plurality of said items; and

the second carousels include a second plurality of said bins representing the second plurality of said items.

10. A method as described in claim 9, wherein the generated first carousel and the second carousels are arranged, one to another, in the user interface to indicate the first and second hierarchical levels, respectively.

11. A method as described in claim 8, wherein the first radius is computed utilizing a square root function.

12. A method as described in claim 8, further comprising rotating the first ring of the first carousel to view additional bins in the first ring, while the second ring containing the multiple bins expanded from the first ring as the second carousels is locked from rotation to prevent the second carousels from overlapping.

13. A method as described in claim 8, wherein at least two said bins are arranged according to an ideal arc length.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising the processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor on a computer, direct the computer to perform the method of claim 8.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor on a computer, direct the computer to arrange a plurality of bins to form a first carousel for output to a display by performing operations comprising:

applying a first set of rules for spacing each said bin, one to another, located in a first portion of a first ring of the first carousel such that when the first portion is rendered, the first portion is initially displayed;

applying a second set of rules for spacing each said bin, one to another, located in a second portion of the first ring of the first carousel such that when the second portion is rendered the second portion is not initially displayed but is instead within a clipping area until the first carousel is rotated;

when rendered, said bins located in the first portion of the first ring of the first carousel being displayed towards a front of the display for selection by a user, with the clipping area being displayed towards a rear of the display area, said bins located in the first portion of the first carousel being spaced further apart according to the first set of rules than are said bins which are not located in the first portion of the first ring of the first carousel;

expanding multiple bins of the first ring of the first carousel simultaneously to display a second ring of the first carousel, the second ring of the first carousel being displayed as an outer ring concentric with the first ring of the first carousel and having a second radius that is larger than a first radius of the first ring of the first carousel which is displayed as an inner ring relative to the outer second ring of the first carousel, the multiple bins expanded as multiple second carousels displayed in the second ring of the first carousel, each second carousel being tangential to a respective one of the multiple bins expanded from the first ring of the first carousel;

closing the inner first ring of the first carousel to display the outer second ring of the first carousel without displaying the inner first ring of the first carousel; and

following the closing of the inner first ring, contracting the outer second ring to a smaller radius determined based on a number of the multiple bins expanded in the second ring.

16. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 15, wherein the first and second portions of the first ring of the first carousel, when rendered, are displayed such that the first portion appears in front of the second portion.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 15, wherein the application of the first set of rules results in a spacing of said bins located in the first portion of the first ring of the first carousel according to an ideal arc length.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 15, wherein:

the application of the first set of rules results in a first spacing of each said bin, one to another, located in the first portion of the first ring of the first carousel;

the application of the second set of rules results in a second spacing of each said bin, one to another, located in the second portion of the first ring of the first carousel; and

the second spacing is less than the first spacing.

19. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor on a computer, direct the computer to output a user interface having at least one carousel that represents a plurality of items from a hierarchical level, the at least one carousel, when output, comprising:

a plurality of bins representing a first collection of the items, the first collection of items being initially displayed as a first ring in the user interface;

a clipping area on the first ring of the carousel representing a second collection of the items from a same hierarchical level as the first collection of the items;

the second collection of items within the clipping area not being displayed until the first ring of the carousel is rotated when the carousel includes more items than can be concurrently displayed in the user interface;

the first collection of items being initially displayed towards a front of a display area for selection via the user interface;

the clipping area being initially displayed towards a rear of the display area and not positioned for selection via the user interface; and

expanding multiple bins of the first ring of the carousel contemporaneously as expanded bins displayed in a second ring of the carousel, the second ring of the carousel being displayed as an outer ring of the carousel concentric with the first ring of the carousel and having a second radius that is larger than a first radius of the first ring of the carousel which is displayed as an inner carousel relative to the outer second ring of the carousel, at least one of the expanded bins being expanded as an additional carousel tangentially positioned adjacent to a respective expanded bin in the second ring of the carousel;

closing the inner first ring of the carousel to display the outer second ring of the carousel, including the at least one tangential additional carousel, without displaying the inner first ring of the carousel; and

following the closing of the inner first ring, contracting the second ring to a smaller radius determined based on a number of the expanded bins in the second ring.

20. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 19, wherein each said bin is selectable to output a corresponding one of the first collection of the items.

21. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 19, wherein the clipping area is not selectable to output said items included in the second collection.

22. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 19, wherein each of the multiple expanded bins is expanded as a respective additional carousel displayed tangentially positioned adjacent to a corresponding expanded bin in the second ring of the carousel.

23. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory configured to maintain one or more modules that are executable on the processor to;

represent items of data using a corresponding plurality of bins arranged in a first ring of a carousel such that the bins are selectable by a user;

display multiple bins of the first ring of the carousel as multiple expanded bins expanded contemporaneously and displayed in a second ring of the carousel, the second ring of the carousel being displayed as an outer ring of the carousel concentric with the first ring of the carousel and having a second radius that is larger than a first radius of the first ring of the carousel which is displayed as an inner ring of the carousel relative to the outer second ring of the carousel, the outer second ring containing the multiple expanded bins and the inner first ring containing a subset of bins that have not been expanded;

close the inner first ring of the carousel to display the outer second ring of the carousel without displaying the inner first ring of the carousel; and

following closing of the inner first ring, contract the outer second ring having the expanded bins to a smaller radius determined based on a number of the expanded bins in the outer second ring.

24. A computing device as described in claim 23, wherein the one or more modules are further executable to calculate the first radius for the first ring of the carousel based on the number of items.

25. A computing device as described in claim 24, wherein the first radius is calculated utilizing a square root function.

26. A computing device as described in claim 23, wherein the one or more modules are further executable to:

receive the data that includes a plurality of hierarchical levels; and

generate a hierarchical carousel view of the data.

27. A computing device as described in claim 26, wherein the hierarchical carousel view includes the carousel having the first ring and a plurality of additional carousels that each correspond to and positioned tangentially to a respective one of the expanded bins.

28. A computing device as described in claim 23, wherein:

each said bin located in a first portion of the first ring of the carousel is spaced according to a first set of rules;

each said bin located in a second portion of the first ring of the carousel is spaced according to a second set of rules; and

the spacing of the first portion of the first ring of the carousel differs from the spacing of the second portion of the first ring of the carousel.

29. A computing device as described in claim 27, the one or more modules being further executable to rotate the inner first ring of the carousel for displaying additional bins in the inner first ring of the carousel, while preventing rotation of the outer second ring containing the multiple expanded bins expanded from the first ring of the carousel to prevent the plurality of additional carousels from overlapping.

30. A computing device as described in claim 23, wherein the first ring of the carousel and the second ring of the carousel comprises a three-dimensional depiction.

31. A computing device as described in claim 23, wherein each said bin in the first ring of the carousel is positioned according to a first radius that is computed to be proportional to the number of said bins included in the first ring of the carousel.