Method, apparatus and program storage device for providing customizable, immediate and radiating menus for accessing applications and actions

• US 8,352,881 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2007
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Champion, David Frederick, Meserth, Timothy Andreas, Molander, Mark E., Nyeste, Patrick Gabor, Windell, David Thomas, Smith, Jeffrey John
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Application Number:
  US11/683,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20080222569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,133 Days
• Field of Search: 715/723, 715/810, 715/812, 715817-819, 715/834, 715841-843, 715856-857, 715/860
• US Class Current: 715/834
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/35 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A method, apparatus and program storage device for providing customizable, immediate and radiating menus for accessing applications and actions. Upon initiation of a predetermined user action, such as a right-click operation, a primary menu is displayed and a second radial menu is displayed proximate the primary menu with the cursor position at a predetermined location for minimizing cursor manipulation for selecting a menu item from the second radial menu.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing at least one program of instructions executable by the computer to perform operations to cause a menu providing immediate access to menu items to be displayed, the operations comprising:

displaying a cursor at a position on a display;

inputting a predetermined action initiated by a user while the cursor is at the displayed position; and

initiating display of both a sequential menu and a quarter radial menu of selectable functions on the display immediately in response to the same inputted predetermined action so that both the sequential menu and the quarter radial menu are displayed at display positions proximate to the cursor position and so that the displays of the sequential menu and the quarter radial menu proximate to the cursor position are both initiated immediately in response to the same inputted predetermined action wherein the sequential menu is a linear menu having items listed in one of a vertical column, and a horizontal row; and

wherein the quarter radial menu is displayed as a quarter of a rounded rectangle that is divided into a plurality of sectors and having a center proximate the cursor and the sequential menu, each sector having a selectable function which is a predetermined selectable software application opening function, so that a particular software application associated with a particular software application opening function of said plurality of software application opening functions displayed by a radial menu sector, is opened by the user upon selection of the particular software application opening function; and

wherein the displaying the quarter radial menu comprises displaying, proximate the sequential menu, a first proximal ring of selectable functions near a cursor and a second distal ring of selectable functions farther from the cursor, wherein the selectable functions positioned in the first proximal ring and second distal ring are based upon frequency of use.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the predetermined action is a right-click operation initiated by the user so that the displaying a sequential menu and displaying a radial menu are both initiated immediately in response to a right-click operation initiated by the user.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the displaying a radial menu having predetermined selectable functions further comprises displaying a radial menu having predetermined selectable functions including executable actions of an opened software application.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise changing the software applications associated with the selectable software applications opening functions being displayed in response to user usage of software applications so that the displaying a radial menu having a plurality of selectable software application opening functions further comprises displaying a radial menu of a plurality of selectable software application opening functions for opening most recently used software applications so that a particular recently used software application associated with a particular software application opening function of said plurality of software application opening functions displayed by the radial menu for most recently used software applications, is opened by the user upon selection of the particular software application opening function.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the displaying a radial menu having predetermined selectable functions further comprises displaying a radial menu having a selectable number of menu choices.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the displaying a radial menu having predetermined selectable functions further comprises displaying a radial menu having menu choices with a selectable display area.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein the operations further comprise providing a setup procedure for allowing a number of menu choices in the radial menu to be selected.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the displaying a radial menu comprises displaying an arrangement selected from a group comprising a quarter-circle divided into a plurality of sectors, the quarter-circle having a center positioned proximate the sequential menu, a semi-circle divided into a plurality of sectors, the semi-circle having a center positioned proximate the sequential menu, a quarter of a rounded-rectangle divided into a plurality of sectors, the quarter of a rounded-rectangle having a center positioned proximate the sequential menu, and a three-quarters-of-a-circle divided into a plurality of sectors, the three-quarters-of-a-circle having a center positioned proximate the sequential menu.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the displaying a first proximal ring near a cursor and a second distal ring farther from the cursor further comprises displaying a first proximal ring and a second distal ring divided into sectors, wherein an area of the sectors of the second distal ring is greater than the area of the sectors of the first proximal ring.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the displaying a radial menu includes displaying a plurality of sectors each including an icon representing a selectable function and changing a visual characteristic of the icon when a cursor is moved over the icon.

11. A menu for providing immediate access to menu items, comprising:

a sequential menu adapted to be displayed proximate to a cursor position on a display immediately in response to initiation of a predetermined action wherein the sequential menu is a linear menu having items listed in one of a vertical column, and a horizontal row; and

a quarter radial menu of selectable functions, the radial quarter menu being divided into a plurality of sectors, each sector having a selectable function which is a predetermined selectable software application opening function, the quarter radial menu being adapted to be displayed immediately upon initiation of the predetermined action and having a center proximate the cursor and the sequential menu, so that both the sequential menu and the quarter radial menu are displayed at display positions proximate to the cursor position and so that the displays of the sequential menu and the quarter radial menu proximate to the cursor position are both initiated immediately in response to the same predetermined action, wherein each software application opening function opening an associated software application in response to selection of a function by a user; and

wherein the displaying the quarter radial menu comprises displaying, proximate the sequential menu, a first proximal ring of selectable functions near a cursor and a second distal ring of selectable functions farther from the cursor, wherein the selectable functions positioned in the first proximal ring and second distal ring are based upon frequency of use.

12. The menu of claim 11, wherein the predetermined action comprises a right-click operation initiated by a user.

13. The menu of claim 11, wherein the software applications associated with the selectable functions comprises a set of most recently used software applications.

14. The menu of claim 11, wherein the selectable functions includes a selectable number of selectable functions.

15. The menu of claim 11, wherein the selectable functions comprise a selectable display area.

16. The menu of claim 11, wherein the radial menu comprises a selectable number of selectable functions.

17. The menu of claim 11, wherein the radial menu comprises a first proximal ring disposed near a cursor and a second distal ring disposed farther from the cursor, wherein the first proximal ring and the second distal ring includes icons representing the selectable functions having a position based upon a frequency of use and wherein a display area of the sectors of the second distal ring are greater than the area of the sectors of the first proximal ring.

18. The menu of claim 11, wherein the radial menu includes a plurality of sectors having an icon representing a selectable function, wherein a visual characteristic of the icon changes when a cursor is moved over the icon.

19. A method for providing a context menu, comprising:

performing a right-click operation;

in response to the right-click operation, immediately displaying on a display both a sequential menu displayed proximate to a cursor position and a quarter radial menu of selectable functions, the radial quarter menu being divided into a plurality of sectors, each sector having a predetermined selectable software opening function, the quarter radial menu functions having a center proximate the cursor and the sequential menu so that both the sequential menu and the quarter radial menu are displayed at display positions proximate to the cursor position and so that the displays of the sequential menu and the quarter radial menu proximate to the cursor position are both initiated immediately in response to the same right-click operation, wherein the sequential menu is a linear menu having items listed in one of a vertical column, and a horizontal row, and wherein each software application opening function has an associated software application;

positioning a cursor at a predetermined location relative to the sequential menu and the quarter radial menu to minimize cursor manipulation when selecting a menu item from the radial menu; and

moving the cursor to a desired area of the quarter radial menu and clicking at a desired area within the radial menu to select a selectable software application opening function;

in response to clicking at the desired area within the radial menu, opening the selected software application associated with the selected software application opening function; and

wherein the displaying the quarter radial menu comprises displaying, proximate the sequential menu, a first proximal ring of selectable functions near a cursor and a second distal ring of selectable functions farther from the cursor, wherein the selectable functions positioned in the first proximal ring and second distal ring are based upon frequency of use.