Area selectable menus

• US 8,533,629 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Russo, Thomas P.
• Primary Examiner(s): SALOMON, PHENUEL S
• Application Number:
  US12/628,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20100077354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/810, 715/811, 715/815, 715/834, 715/863
• US Class Current: 715/834
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

System and method of adjusting selection areas of menu options in a menu utilize the frequency of selection of each of the menu options to adjust the size of various selection areas over time. The sizes of menu options or selection areas with relatively high frequency of use may increase, while the sizes of the selection areas of the remaining menu options may decrease. In addition, the size of the menu options may be further adjusted to return to the original arrangement, e.g., in which the size of each of the selection areas is equal or occupies some predetermined area. The user may hold an electronic pen over the menu or select an icon from the menu to resize the selection areas to return to the original arrangement.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising one or more processors configured with executable instructions to perform operations comprising:

displaying, via a touch sensitive display of the computing device, a radially configured user interface comprising at least a first selection area and a second selection area;

monitoring, at the computing device, a first frequency of personal use of the first selection area and a second frequency of personal use of the second selection area, the first frequency of personal use and the second frequency of personal use being based on menu selections provided by a user of the computing device via touch input;

storing the first frequency of personal use and the second frequency of personal use;

determining that the first frequency of personal use is greater than the second frequency of personal use;

increasing a size of the first selection area based in part on the first frequency of personal use being greater than the second frequency of personal use, wherein the increasing adds selection space for the user to select the first selection area; and

decreasing a size of the second selection area based in part on the first frequency of personal use being greater than the second frequency of personal use, wherein the decreasing removes selection space for the user to select the second selection area.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise activating a resize action wherein each of the first and second selection areas is returned to an initial size.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise displaying a resize icon on the radially configured user interface.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise activating a second radially configured user interface, the second radially configured user interface having a second set of menu options.

5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the second radially configured user interface is activated by selecting one of the first selection area or the second selection area.

6. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise selecting one of the second set of menu options via touch input.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein selecting one of the first selection area or the second selection area and selecting one of the second set of menu options is provided via a gesture.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein:

the size of the first selection area is bounded by a predetermined maximum percentage of a total available area of the radially configured user interface; and

the size of the second selection area is bounded by a predetermined minimum percentage of the total available area of the radially configured user interface.

9. A process comprising:

displaying, via a touch screen of a computing device, a user interface comprising at least a first selection area having a first size and a second selection area having a second size;

monitoring, at the computing device, a first frequency of user selections of the first selection area and a second frequency of user selections of the second selection area;

storing the first frequency of user selections of the first selection area and the second frequency of user selections of the second selection area;

determining that the first frequency of user selections of the first selection area is greater than the second frequency of user selections of the second selection area; and

increasing the first size of the first selection area within the user interface and decreasing the second size of the second selection area within the user interface based, at least in part, on the first frequency of user selections of the first selection area being greater than the second frequency of user selections of the second selection area.

10. The process of claim 9, wherein the first frequency of user selections of the first selection area is based on menu selections provided at the computing device via touch input.

11. The process of claim 9, further comprising activating a second user interface, the second user interface comprising a set of menu options, wherein the second user interface is activated by selecting one of the first selection area or the second selection area.

12. The process of claim 11, further comprising selecting one of the set of menu options, wherein selecting one of the first selection area or the second selection area and selecting one of the set of menu options is provided via a gesture.

13. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the process of claim 9.

14. The process of claim 9, wherein:

the first size of the first selection area is bounded by a predetermined maximum percentage of a total available area of the user interface; and

the second size of the second selection area is bounded by a predetermined minimum percentage of the total available area of the user interface.

15. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform operations comprising:

displaying, at a computing device, a user interface comprising at least a first selection area having a first size and a second selection area having a second size;

monitoring, at the computing device, use of the first selection area and use of the second selection area, the use of the first selection area and the use of the second selection area being personal to a user associated with the computing device;

determining that a first frequency of use of the first selection area is greater than a second frequency of use of the second selection area; and

adjusting the first size to a third size and the second size to a fourth size based, at least in part, on the first frequency of use of the first selection area being greater than the second frequency of use of the second selection area, wherein adjusting the first size to the third size and the second size to the fourth size comprises;

increasing coverage of the first selection area within the user interface while maintaining a total size of the user interface; and

decreasing coverage of the second selection area within the user interface while maintaining the total size of the user interface.

16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the use of the first selection area is based on menu selections provided via touch input at the computing device.

17. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein:

the third size of the first selection area is bounded by a predetermined maximum percentage of a total available area of the user interface; and

the fourth size of the second selection area is bounded by a predetermined minimum percentage of the total available area of the user interface.