System and method for color coding list items

• US 8,151,214 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2003
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Loverin, Darrell J., Coppinger, Jodi L., Raven, Mary Elizabeth, Moody, Paul B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US10/745,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20050144570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,018 Days
• Field of Search: 715/712, 715/764, 715/772, 715/776, 715/822, 715/823, 715/852, 715/855, 715/206, 715/207, 715/821
• US Class Current: 715/823
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A system and method is provided to assist a user in selecting, identifying, and handling email messages. A selection color module may provide for the display of color coding and selection highlighting. The selection color module may provide a secondary highlighting color to indicate messages related to a selected message. A category navigation module may provide one or more of the following: an indicator that provides the user with a number of items that are off the screen for a particular category, a command that causes the first entry for a category to be scrolled into view, a label to indicate the number of items in a particular category matching a particular criteria, and/or a control for scrolling between next or previous categories.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for color coding an item in a list of items displayed in a graphical user interface via a display device, each item having a plurality of displayed fields, and each of the plurality of displayed fields including a value or a symbol within the displayed field, the method comprising:

applying a first color to at least one field of the plurality of displayed fields of the item based on the value or the symbol of said at least one field;

receiving, via an input device, a user input related to a selection of either the item or a related item related to the item;

in response to the user selecting either the item or the related item related to the item, applying a second color to at least one other field of the plurality of displayed fields of the item while maintaining the color of the at least one field in the first color; and

displaying, in the graphical user interface, the at least one field colored in the first color and at least one other field colored in the second color,

wherein the first color and the second color are other than a background color.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the user selecting the item, and without subsequent user intervention;

(i) applying the second color to the at least one other field of the plurality of displayed fields of the selected item while maintaining the color of the at least one field in the first color;

(ii) determining one or more items related to the selected item;

(iii) applying a third color to at least one field of the plurality of displayed fields of each of the related items while maintaining the color of the at least one field of the selected item in the first color; and

(iv) displaying, in the graphical user interface, the at least one field of the selected item colored in the first color, the at least one other field of the selected item colored in the second color, and the at least one field of each of the related items colored in the third color,

wherein the third color, the first color, the second color, and the background color are different from one another.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the third color is determined from the second color.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of displayed fields is bounded by an area, the method further comprising:

applying a first color to at least the bounded area of the at least one field of the item based on the value or the symbol of the at least one field, wherein prior to applying the first color, the color of the bounded area of the at least one field of the item is a background color, and in response to applying the first color, the color of the bounded area of the at least one field of the item is changed from the background color to the first color; and

in response to the user selecting either the item or the related item related to the item, applying a second color to at least the bounded area of the at least one other field of the item while maintaining the color of the at least at one field in the first color, wherein prior to applying the second color, the color of the bounded area of the at least one other field of the item is a background color, and in response to applying the second color, the color of the bounded area of the at least one other field is changed from the background color to the second color.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the third color is a lighter shade or a darker shade of the second color.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying a third color to at least one second field of the plurality of displayed fields of the item, wherein the third color is based on the value or the symbol of said at least one second field,

wherein said at least one second field is different from said at least one field of the plurality of displayed fields of the item,

wherein said at least one second field is different from said at least one other field of the plurality of displayed fields of the item, and

in response to the user selecting either the item or the related item, applying the second color to the at least one other field of the plurality of displayed fields of the item while maintaining the color of the at least one field in the first color and the color of the at least one second field in the third color,

wherein the first color, the second color, the third color, and the background color are different from one another.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one field of the plurality of displayed fields of the item contains data including identifying characteristics of the item and wherein said first color is determined based on specific identifying characteristics of said at least one field.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said identifying characteristics identify at least one of an origin, a subject matter, and a priority of the item.

9. A computer-implemented method for color coding an item in a list of items displayed in a graphical user interface via a display device, the item having a plurality of displayed fields, and each of the plurality of displayed fields including a value or a symbol within the displayed field, the method comprising:

presenting a color coded field of the item in a first color in the graphical user interface,

said color coded field being one of the plurality of fields displayed in the graphical user interface, said first color determined based on the value or the symbol associated with the color coded field;

prior to a user selecting at least one of the item and a related item related to the item, presenting at least one non-highlighted field of the item in a background color, said at least one non-highlighted field being at least one of the plurality of fields displayed in the graphical user interface and other than the color coded field, wherein said first color and said background color are different from one another;

receiving, via an input device, a user input related to a selection of either the item or a related item related to the item;

in response to the user selecting either the item or the related item, changing the at least one non-highlighted field of the item to at least one highlighted field of the item by changing a color of the at least one non-highlighted field from said background color to a second color while maintaining the color coded field in the first color; and

displaying, in the graphical user interface, the color coded field colored in the first color and the at least one highlighted field colored in the second color,

wherein said first color, said second color and said background color are different from one another.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to the user selecting the item, and without subsequent user intervention;

(i) changing the at least one non-highlighted field of the selected item to at least one highlighted field of the selected item by changing a color of the at least one non-highlighted field from said background color to the second color while maintaining the color coded field in the first color;

(ii) determining one or more items related to the selected item; and

(iii) applying a third color to at least one field of the plurality of displayed fields of each of the related items while maintaining the color of the color coded field in the first color; and

(iv) displaying, in the graphical user interface, the color coded field colored in the first color, the at least one highlighted field colored in the second color, and the at least one field of each of the related items colored in the third color,

wherein the third color, the first color, the second color, and the background color are different from one another.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the third color is determined from the second color.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of displayed fields is bounded by an area, the method further comprising:

presenting at least the bounded area of the color coded field of the item in the first color, wherein prior to presenting the bounded area in the first color, the color of the bounded area of the color coded field of the item is a background color, and in response to presenting the bounded area in the first color, the color of the bounded area of the color coded field of the item is changed from the background color to the first color;

prior to the user selecting either the item or the related item, presenting at least the bounded area of the at least one non-highlighted field of the item in the background color; and

in response to the user selecting either the item or the related item, changing the at least one non-highlighted field of the item to at least one highlighted field of the item by changing the color of the bounded area of the at least one non-highlighted field from said background color to a second color.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the third color is a lighter shade or a darker shade of the second color.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

applying a third color to at least one second field of the plurality of displayed fields of the list item based on the value or the symbol of said at least one second field,

wherein said at least one second field is different from said color coded field of the list item, wherein said at least one second field is different from said at least one non-highlighted field, and

in response to the user selecting either the item or the related item, changing the at least one non-highlighted field of the item to at least one highlighted field of the item by changing the color of the at least one non-highlighted field from said background color to the second color while maintaining the color coded field in the first color and the color of the at least one second field in the third color,

wherein the third color, the first color, the second color, and the background color are different from one another.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein said color coded field of the item includes data concerning identifying characteristics of the item, and wherein said first color is determined based on specific identifying characteristics of said color coded field.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said identifying characteristics identify at least one of an origin, a subject matter, and a priority of the list item.

17. A system comprising a display device which is configured to display a graphical user interface being generated from computer-implemented instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-implemented instructions operable when executed by a processor to display a plurality of items, each item having a plurality of displayed fields, and each of the plurality of displayed fields including a value or a symbol within the displayed field, the graphical user interface comprising:

at least one color coded field associated with an item, said at least one color field belonging to the plurality of displayed fields of the item, said at least one color coded field having a first color, wherein the first color is determined based on the value or the symbol of the color coded field; and

at least one other field associated with the item, said at least one other field belonging to the plurality of displayed fields of the item and other than the at least one color coded field, said at least one other field having a background color when the item is unselected and a second color when the item is selected while maintaining the at least one color coded field in the first color,

wherein said first color, said second color, and said background color are different from one another.

18. The system comprising the interface of claim 17, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to be operable, in response to a user selecting the item and without subsequent user intervention, to apply a second color to the at least one other field while maintaining the at least one color coded field in the first color, and to present at least one of a plurality of related items related to the item;

said at least one field of the plurality of displayed fields of each said related items having a third color while maintaining the at least one color coded field of the item in the first color,

wherein said third color, said first color, said second color, and said background color are different from one another.

19. The system comprising the interface of claim 18, wherein said third color is determined from said second color, and wherein said third color is one of a lighter shade of said second color and a darker shade of said second color.

20. The system comprising the interface of claim 17, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to be operable to apply a third color to at least one second field of the plurality of displayed fields of the list item based on the value or the symbol of said at least one second field, wherein said at least one second field is different from said color coded field of the list item, wherein said at least one second field is different from said at least one other field of the item, and the graphical user interface is configured to be operable, in response to the user selecting either the item or the related item, to change the color of the at least one other field from the background color to the second color while maintaining the color of color coded field in the first color and the color of the at least one second field in the third color, wherein the third color, the first color, the second color, and the background color are different from one another.