Menus with translucency and live preview

• US 8,645,863 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2008
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mandic, Mirko, Fomichev, Andrew V., Satterfield, Jesse Clay, Harris, Jensen
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): BASOM, BLAINE T
• Application Number:
  US12/147,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20090007012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,049 Days
• Field of Search: 715/837, 715/834, 715/768, 715/812, 715/813, 715/828, 715/841, 715/808
• US Class Current: 715/813
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

A region menu is used to easily access menu items. Generally, the region menu includes a number of regions with associated menus that are located close to an initial mouse position from where the region menu is evoked. Hovering over any of the regions of the region menu displays the menu item that is associated with the region. Additionally, hovering over a menu item within one of the regions of the displayed region menu may activate a live preview showing a projected result of what would occur should that menu item be selected. During a live preview, a portion of the region menu becomes translucent such that content beneath the menu becomes visible.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing a region menu, comprising:

determining when to activate the region menu;

wherein the region menu includes at least two regions including a first region, and a second region, that are approximately adjacent to each other;

wherein the first region is associated with a first menu; and

the second region is associated with a second menu;

selecting, based on a current context, the first menu as a default menu when the current context is a first context and selecting the second menu as the default menu when the current context is a second context, wherein the default menu is initially displayed, proximate to the region associated with the selected menu in response to activating the region menu and before displaying the other one of the first and second menus that is not selected;

displaying the region menu;

determining a menu to display that is selected from the first menu and the second menu; and

displaying the menu at a display location such the menu does not overlap another menu and another one of the regions when there is insufficient room to display the menu on the display at a corresponding section for the menu.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a menu to display comprises determining when a pointer is over one of the regions and displaying the corresponding menu that is associated with a section when the pointer is over the region.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a portion of the displayed menu is displayed translucently in response to a menu option within the displayed menu is hovered over such that content under the displayed menu may be seen through the displayed menu.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the portion of the menu that is displayed translucently includes sections of the menu that are outside of the section that includes the hovered-over menu item.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising providing a live preview of the hovered-over menu option such that projected results of the hovered-over menu item are displayed before the hovered-over menu option is selected.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the live preview relates to paste options within a document.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the region menu is a context menu.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the menus that are each associated with a section of the region menu are consistent across applications.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for presenting a region menu, comprising:

determining when to activate the region menu;

wherein the region menu includes three regions that are approximately adjacent to each other;

wherein each of the regions includes an associated menu;

selecting, based on a current context, a first associated menu as a default menu when the current context is a first context and selecting a second associated menu as the default menu when the current context is a second context, wherein the default menu is initially displayed, proximate to the region associated with the selected menu in response to activating the region menu and before displaying the other associated menus that are not selected;

automatically displaying the default menu in response to activating the region menu;

determining when a pointer moves from a first region to a second region, and in response to the pointer moving to the second region automatically displaying a second menu.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein a portion of the menu displayed for the region is displayed translucently when the pointer is hovering over a section within the menu.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the portion of the menu that is displayed translucently includes menu options that are included in other sections of the menu.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising displaying a border around the menu such that the portion of the menu that is displayed translucently includes the displayed border.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising determining a menu option within the menu being hovered-over and providing a live preview of the hovered-over menu option such that projected results of the hovered-over menu item are displayed before the hovered-over menu option is selected.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising changing the live preview when the hovered-over menu option is selected or when the pointer moves from the menu option.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the region menu is a context menu and wherein displaying the region menu comprises locating each of the regions of the region menu around a current location of a pointer.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein each of the menus that are each associated with a region of the region menu are consistent across applications;

wherein one of the menus includes cut, copy and paste tools.

17. A system for utilizing a region menu, comprising:

a processor and a computer-readable medium;

an operating environment stored on the computer-readable medium and executing on the processor; and

a menu manager operating under the control of the operating environment and operative to;

determine when to activate the region menu;

wherein the region menu is a context menu that includes three regions that are positioned approximately adjacent to each other and are within approximately one hundred pixels of a first region;

wherein the first region is associated with a first menu;

a second region is associated with a second menu; and

the third region is associated with a third menu;

selecting, based on a current context, the first menu as a default menu when the current context is a first context and selecting the second menu as the default menu when the current context is a second context, wherein the default menu is initially displayed, proximate to the region associated with the selected menu in response to activating the region menu and before displaying the other one of the first and second menus that is not selected;

displaying the region menu upon activation;

determining a menu to display that is selected from the first menu, the second menu, and third menu;

displaying the menu at a display location such the menu does not overlap another menu and another one of the regions when there is insufficient room to display the menu on the display at a corresponding section for the menu;

determining when a pointer is over one of the regions and displaying the menu that is associated with the region when the pointer is over the region.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein a portion of the menu is displayed translucently when the pointer is hovering over a section within the displayed menu such that content is visible underneath the translucent portion of the menu;

wherein the portion of the menu that is displayed translucently includes menu options that are included in other sections of the menu.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising determining a menu option within the menu being hovered-over and providing a live preview of the hovered-over menu option such that projected results of the hovered-over menu item are displayed before the hovered-over menu option is selected.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising changing the live preview when the hovered-over menu option is selected or when the pointer moves from the menu option.