Method and system for managing multi-user user-selectable elements

• US 8,904,281 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2008
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Audet, Mathieu
• Primary Examiner(s): Queler, Adam M
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURKE, TIONNA M
• Application Number:
  US12/017,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20080134022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,509 Days
• Field of Search: 715/253
• US Class Current: 715/253
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method for associating a characterization attribute with a document in a computerized system is disclosed, the method comprising providing a primary insertion of a document associating at least one intrinsic characterization attribute with the document, and providing a secondary insertion of the document associating at least one extrinsic characterization attribute with the document. A method for changing the level of details of a document representation in accordance with a magnification of the document representation is also disclosed. A machine readable medium containing machine executable instructions providing a method for building a multi-user document vector is also disclosed, the method comprising a first plurality of documents associated with a first user, a second plurality of documents associated with a second user and a multi-user document vector comprising the first plurality of documents and the second plurality of documents.

Claims

1. A method of providing a multi-dimensional multi-user element vector interface on a display, the method comprising:

generating, with a processor, a first element vector including a first group of elements, the first element vector corresponding to a first user, elements having at least one attribute from a set of characterization attributes;

generating, with the processor, a second element vector including a second group of elements, the second element vector corresponding to a second user, elements having at least one attribute from the set of characterization attributes;

displaying, on the display, the first element vector and the second element vector in the multi-user element interface such that the second element vector is substantially parallel to the first element vector;

receiving an input including a selected attribute from the set of characterization attributes;

generating, in response to the input, a third group of elements having the selected attribute from the first element vector and the second element vector; and

displaying the third group of elements as an axis of elements, the axis of elements being at a non-zero angle to the first element vector and the second element vector.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of characterization attributes includes an access right defining user access to the elements.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the third group of elements, when displayed for the second user, includes elements from the first group of elements that include an access right granting access to the second user.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the elements include a visual distinctive feature indicative of the access right.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed elements are substantially equidistantly disposed from each other.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the elements are computer files.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the input includes a contact between a body part of a user and a touch sensitive screen.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising filtering the elements displayed on the axis of elements on a basis of the user access rights associated with the elements.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed axis of elements is adapted to extend outside a viewing area of the display.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating a graphical representation of multiple users including;

a first link associated with the first user and the first element vector, and a second link associated with the second user and the second element vector; and

displaying the graphical representation of multiple users generally perpendicular to the first element vector and the second element vector.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first link includes an indication in the graphical representation of multiple users that corresponds to a position of the first user in an organization.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium adapted to store thereon computer-executable code that, when executed, includes a method of providing a multi-dimensional multi-user element vector interface, the method comprising:

generating a first element vector including a first group of elements corresponding to a first user, at least some of the user-selectable elements having at least one attribute from a set of characterization attributes;

generating a second element vector including a second group of elements corresponding to a second user, at least some of the elements having at least one attribute from the set of characterization attributes;

displaying the first element vector and the second element vector in the multi-user element interface such that the second element vector is substantially parallel to the first element vector;

receiving an input including a selected attribute from the set of characterization attributes;

generating, in response to the input, a third group of elements having the selected attribute from the first element vector and the second element vector; and

displaying the third group of elements as an axis of elements, the axis of elements being at a non-zero angle to the first element vector and the second element vector.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the set of characterization attributes includes an access right defining user access to the elements.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the third group of user-selectable elements, when displayed for the second user, includes elements from the first group of elements that include the access right granting access to the second user.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the elements include a visual distinctive feature indicative of the access right.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the displayed elements are substantially equidistantly disposed from each other.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein at least some of the elements are computer files.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, the method further comprising:

generating a graphical representation of multiple users including;

a first link associated with the first user and the first element vector, and a second link associated with the second user and the second element vector; and

displaying the graphical representation of multiple users generally perpendicular to the first element vector and the second element vector.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the first link includes an indication in the graphical representation of multiple users that corresponds to a position of the first user in an organization.

20. A computerized knowledge-management system comprising:

at least one processor coupled to a computer-readable storage medium, the storage medium including;

a first plurality of documents associated with a first user, and a second plurality of documents associated with a second user;

an interface unit configured to generate a graphical representation of multiple users including;

a first link associated with a first user and a first element vector, and a second link associated with a second user and a second element vector, the first element vector including a first group of elements having at least one attribute from a set of characterization attributes, and the second element vector including a second group of elements having at least one attribute from the set of characterization attributes; and

a display coupled to the interface unit, the interface unit configured to present via the display;

the first element vector, the second element vector parallel to the first element vector, and the graphical representation of multiple users at a non-zero angle to the first element vector and the second element vector, the graphical representation of multiple users including the first link and the second link.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the first plurality of documents on the first element vector is associated with a first user characterization attribute and the second plurality of documents on the second element vector is associated with a second user characterization attribute.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving an input including a selected attribute from the set of characterization attributes;

generating, in response to the input, a third group of elements having the selected attribute from the first element vector and the second element vector; and

displaying the third group of elements as an axis of elements, the axis of elements being at a non-zero angle to the first element vector and the second element vector.