System for viewing information underlying lists and other contexts

• US 8,031,845 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2009
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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): Anwah; Olisa
• Application Number:
  US12/354,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20090187855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 715/711, 715/715, 715/519, 345/684, 345/685, 455/466, 455/566, 455/550.1, 379/93.17
• US Class Current: 379/93.17
• 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 system is provided for viewing extended text information associated with a particular item in place. A user may invoke a text scrolling area in order to view extended text in place without obstructing the view of other screen items. Multiple scrolling areas may be created to view text associated with multiple items.

Claims

1. A system for displaying a list of items and extended information associated with one or more items in the list of items, the system comprising:

a graphical user interface configured to present one or more fields of each item in a list of items, and, for each item in said list of items, present an icon associated with said item;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions embodied therein, the computer readable instructions executable by a processor, the computer readable instructions comprising;

a text extension module configured to;

i) in response to a user selecting said icon associated with one of said items, provide extended information associated with said one of said items, said extended information presented in place of one or more previously presented fields of said one of said items; and

ii) in response to the user selecting said icon associated with said one of said items a second time, replace said extended information with said previously presented one or more fields.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is further configured to present left and right arrows associated with said extended information allowing the user to selectively view all of said extended information associated with said one of said items without obstructing viewing of other items in said list of items.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the text extension module is further configured to:

in response to the user selecting said icon associated with one or more additional items from said list of items, provide extended information associated with said one or more additional items, said extended information presented in place of one or more previously presented fields of said one or more additional items.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the text extension module is further configured to:

provide a scrolling field wherein said extended information associated with said one of said items is automatically scrolled in the scrolling field without obstructing viewing of other items in said list of items.

5. A system for displaying a list of email messages and extended information associated with one or more email messages in the list of email messages, the system comprising:

a graphical user interface configured to present one or more fields of each email message in a list of email messages, and for each email message in said list of email messages, present an icon associated with said email message;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions embodied therein, the computer readable instructions executable by a processor, the computer readable instructions comprising;

a text extension module configured to;

i) in response to a user selecting said icon associated with one of said email messages, provide extended information associated with said one of said email messages, said extended information presented in place of one or more previously presented fields of said one of said email messages; and

ii) in response to the user selecting said icon associated with said one of said email messages a second time, replace said extended information with said previously presented one or more fields, wherein the one or more fields of each email message in said list of email messages include name, subject, or date/time.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the graphical user interface is further configured to present left and right arrows associated with said extended information allowing the user to selectively view all of said extended information associated with said one of said email messages without obstructing viewing of other email messages in said list of email messages.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the text extension module is further configured to:

in response to the user selecting said icon associated with one or more additional email messages from said list of email messages, provide extended information associated with said one or more additional email messages, said extended information presented in place of one or more previously presented fields of said one or more additional email messages.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the text extension module is further configured to:

provide a scrolling field wherein said extended information associated with said one of said email messages is automatically scrolled in the scrolling field without obstructing viewing of other email messages in said list of email messages.

9. A graphical user interface for displaying a list of items and extended information associated with one or more items in the list of items, the graphical user interface comprising:

a list of items, each item in the list of items having one or more fields; and

an icon associated with each item in said list of items, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to be operable, in response to a user selecting said icon associated with one of said items, to present extended information associated with said one of said items in place of one or more previously presented fields of said one of said items, and wherein the graphical user interface is further configured to be operable, in response to the user selecting said icon associated with said one of said items a second time, to present said previously presented one or more fields in place of the extended information associated with said one of said items.

10. The graphical user interface of claim 9, further comprising:

left and right arrows associated with said extended information allowing the user to selectively view all of said extended information associated with said one of said items without obstructing viewing of other items in said list of items.

11. The graphical user interface of claim 9, wherein the graphical user interface is further configured to be operable, in response to the user selecting said icon associated with one or more additional items from said list of items, to present extended information associated with said one or more additional items, said extended information presented in place of one or more previously presented fields of said one or more additional items.

12. A graphical user interface for displaying a list of email messages and extended information associated with one or more email messages in the list of email messages, the graphical user interface comprising:

a list of email messages, each email message in the list of email messages having one or more fields; and

an icon associated with each email message in said list of email messages, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to be operable, in response to a user selecting said icon associated with one of said email messages, to present extended information associated with said one of said email messages in place of one or more previously presented fields of said one of said email messages, and wherein the graphical user interface is further configured to be operable, in response to the user selecting said icon associated with said one of said email messages a second time, to present said previously presented one or more fields in place of said extended information associated with said one of said email messages, wherein the one or more fields of each email message in said list of email messages include name, subject, or date/time.

13. The graphical user interface of claim 12, further comprising:

left and right arrows associated with said extended information allowing the user to selectively view all of said extended information associated with said one of said email messages without obstructing viewing of other email messages in said list of email messages.

14. The graphical user interface of claim 12, wherein the graphical user interface is further configured to be operable, in response to the user selecting said icon associated with one or more additional email messages from said list of email messages, to present extended information associated with said one or more additional email messages, said extended information presented in place of one or more previously presented fields of said one or more additional email messages.