Address bar user interface control

• US 8,615,717 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Miner, Patrice L., Odins-Lucas, Zeke, DeVorchik, David G., Cummins, Charles, Gusmorino, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao Kevin
• Application Number:
  US12/967,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20110083097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 715778-800, 715/751, 715/759, 715/810, 715853-854, 715/855, 715/828
• US Class Current: 715/778
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

An address bar user interface control includes a plurality of interactive segments, each segment including one or more filters or selection criteria for selecting content from physical and/or virtual locations. A segment may include two or more filters or selection criteria which are logically combined such as by a logical “OR” operation. A user may select a child control associated with an interactive segment, i.e., a parent segment, to provide a list of selectable child filters or selection criteria. In response to selection of a child filter or selection criteria, an interactive segment representing the child filter or selection criteria is added to the address bar succeeding the parent segment and the interactive segments subsequent to the parent segment are removed.

Claims

1. An address bar user interface control for selecting content accessible to a computer system for display, the address bar comprising:

a plurality of interactive segments each including selection criteria for selecting content for display; and

a child control associated with the at least one interactive segment, the child control being selectable to identify selectable child selection criteria corresponding to the selection criteria of the at least one interactive segment, wherein selecting the child control associated with an interactive segment in the plurality of interactive segments causes display of a list of selectable child selection criteria, and wherein selection of a child selection criterion from the list of selectable child selection criteria further causes removal of each interactive segment subsequent to the interactive segment, associated with the selected child control, from the address bar.

2. The address bar user interface control of claim 1, further comprising an interactive segment corresponding to a child selection criterion, wherein selecting the child selection criterion from the list of selectable child selection criteria causes the interactive segment corresponding to the child selection criterion to be displayed succeeding the at least one interactive segment.

3. The address bar user interface control of claim 1, wherein if the interactive segment associated with the child selection criteria has an immediate ancestor selection criteria and the immediate ancestor selection criteria is not displayed, selecting the child control associated with the interactive segment further causes an ancestor list for the interactive segment to be displayed.

4. The address bar user interface control of claim 1, further comprising type identifiers associated with each of the child selection criteria in the list of selectable child selection criteria.

5. The address bar user interface control of claim 1, wherein a child selection criterion includes selection criteria for selecting content stored in a virtual location.

6. The address bar user interface control of claim 1, wherein the at least one interactive segment includes at least two selection criteria which are logically combined for selecting content for display.

7. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

displaying an address bar comprising a plurality of interactive segments, each interactive segment including at least one selection criteria for selecting content to be displayed on a display device, wherein the address bar selects content for display on a display device according to the at least one selection criteria of each of the plurality of interactive segments;

a child control for a first interactive segment of the plurality of interactive segments, the child control being selectable to display selectable child selection criteria;

in response to selection of the child control, displaying the selectable child selection criteria; and

upon selection of a selectable child selection criterion, causing each interactive segment subsequent to the first interactive segment to be removed from the address bar in response to the user selection of the selectable child selection criterion.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, further comprising causing a second interactive segment corresponding to the child selection criterion to be displayed succeeding the first interactive segment in response to the user selection of the child selection criterion.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein displaying further comprises displaying a second interactive segment including at least two selection criteria which are logically combined for selecting content for display.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the at least two selection criteria are logically combined by applying a logical OR operation.

11. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions stored thereon to;

display an address bar comprising a plurality of interactive segments, each interactive segment including at least one selection criteria for selecting content to be displayed on a display device, wherein the address bar selects content for display on a display device according to the at least one selection criteria of each of the plurality of interactive segments;

display a child control for a first interactive segment of the plurality of interactive segments, the child control being selectable to display selectable child selection criteria;

in response to selection of the child control, displaying the selectable child selection criteria; and

upon selection of a selectable child selection criterion, causing each interactive segment subsequent to the first interactive segment to be removed from the address bar in response to the user selection of the selectable child selection criterion.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the media further comprises computer-executable instructions causing a second interactive segment corresponding to the child selection criterion to be displayed succeeding the first interactive segment in response to the user selection of the child selection criterion.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein, wherein displaying the address bar further comprises displaying a second interactive segment including at least two selection criteria which are logically combined for selecting content for display.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the at least two selection criteria are logically combined by applying a logical OR operation.

15. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the at least one selection criteria includes selection criteria for selecting content stored in a virtual location.

16. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the at least one selection criteria includes selection criteria for selecting content stored in a physical location.

17. The computing device of claim 11, wherein if the first interactive segment associated with the child selection criteria has an immediate ancestor selection criteria and the immediate ancestor selection criteria is not displayed, selecting the child control associated with the interactive segment further causes an ancestor list for the first interactive segment to be displayed.