Interface overlay

• US 8,706,169 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cortright, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hashem, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US11/617,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20080163090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,672 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 455/519, 455/556.2, 455/566, 379/67.1, 379/88.17, 379/202.01
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing a user interface overlay. In one embodiment, a toolbar remains visible and can be selected at any time to activate the interface overlay. The interface overlay provides an easily visible list computing options, such as contacts, that overlays the entire display area. The background of the overlay may be semi-transparent so that underlying windows are still visible, but the list is highlighted. The list includes selectable display elements with display characteristics, such as size or color, that indicate one or more attributes associated with the corresponding computing options, such as a frequency of interaction with certain contacts. In one embodiment, groups of contacts can be sorted or filtered by the attributes before display. Each selectable display element identifies a contact and may indicate a current availability. A user selects a display element to initiate communication, such as an instant messaging chat session.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting an instruction to initiate a selection through a user interface; and

displaying an interface overlay that includes a selection element for selectable enabling a computing option associated with the selection element, wherein a display characteristic of the selection element is based on an attribute of the computing option, and wherein the display characteristic includes at least one of the following;

a size at which a contact element is displayed, a color, a screen location at which the selection element is displayed, an order of the selection element relative to other selection elements, or an animation, and where the attribute comprises a frequency with which the computing option is utilized.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the instruction comprises detecting selection of a toolbar, wherein the toolbar remains visible over other display elements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface overlay includes a semi-transparent background.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection element represents a communication address of a contact from a plurality of contacts in a messaging system and wherein the computing option enables electronic communication with the contact represented by the selection element.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the display characteristic comprises at least one of the following:

a size, a color, and an animation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection element provides at least one of the following:

an availability of the computing option and a secondary control for obtaining secondary information related to the computing option.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing option comprises electronic communication comprising one of the following:

an instant message, an email, and a voice communication.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting selection element from a plurality of displayed selection elements;

accessing data associated with the computing option that is associated with the selected selection element; and

performing a computing operation based on the data associated with the computing option.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly storing computer program instructions capable of being executed by a computer processor, the computer program instructions defining code for:

detecting an instruction to initiate a selection through a user interface; and

displaying an interface overlay that includes a selection element for selectable enabling a computing option associated with the selection element, wherein a display characteristic of the selection element is based on an attribute of the computing option, and wherein the display characteristic includes at least one of the following;

a size at which a contact element is displayed, a color, a screen location at which the selection element is displayed, an order of the selection element relative to other selection elements, or an animation, and where the attribute comprises a frequency with which the computing option is utilized.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising;

detecting logic executed by the processor for detecting an instruction through an input device to initiate a selection; and

displaying logic executed by the processor for displaying an interface overlay that includes a selection element for selectively enabling a computing option associated with the selection element, wherein a display characteristic of the selection element is based on an attribute of the computing option, and wherein the display characteristic includes at least one of the following;

a size at which a contact element is displayed, a color, a screen location at which the selection element is displayed, an order of the selection element relative to other selection elements, or an animation, where the attribute comprises a frequency with which the computing option is utilized.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a display in communication with the processor;

an input interface in communication with the processor and with an input device; and

a memory in communication with the processor and storing data and instructions causing the processor to perform operations, including;

detecting an instruction through the input device to initiate a selection; and

displaying an interface overlay that includes a selection element for selectively enabling a computing option associated with the selection element, wherein a display characteristic of the selection element is based on an attribute of the computing option, and wherein the display characteristic includes at least one of the following;

a size at which a contact element is displayed, a color, a pattern, an image, a screen location at which the selection element is displayed, an order of the selection element relative to other selection elements, or an animation, wherein the attribute comprises a frequency with which the computing option is utilized.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the display characteristic comprises at least one of the following:

a size, a shape, a color, a position, and an animation.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform an operation of displaying at least one other selection element with the display characteristic based on a further attribute associated with at least one other computing option, said further attribute being substantially the same as the attribute of the computing option.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform further operations including:

arranging a plurality of computing options into an order based on values of the attribute associated with the plurality of computing options; and

displaying a plurality of selection elements with display characteristics that indicate said values.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the interface overlay includes a semi-transparent background.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the interface overlay is displayed through a browser.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile device.

18. A system, comprising:

a contacts database storing information for communicating with a contact over a network; and

a messaging application in communication with the contacts database and performing a plurality of operations including;

receiving a request to establish a communication session;

causing an interface overlay to be displayed that includes a contact control element associated with the contact and for selectively establishing an electronic communication with the contact;

wherein a display characteristic of the contact control element is based on an attribute of the contact stored in the contacts database, and wherein the display characteristic includes at least one of the following;

a size at which the contact element is displayed, a color, a screen location at which a selection element is displayed, an order of the selection element relative to other selection elements, or an animation.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein at least one of the contacts database and the messaging application are on a sever and are accessible through the network from a client.