Virtual address bar user interface control

• US 8,918,735 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2013
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hally, J. Craig, Moore, Jason F., Banks, Richard M., Miner, Patrice L., Koch, Kenneth A., Ligameri, Mark R., Kaasten, Shaun A., Sheldon, Michael, De Vorchik, David G., Odins-Lucas, Zeke B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US13/895,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20130263060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 715744-800
• 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

A virtual address bar user interface control is presented. The virtual address bar comprises an interactive address segment and a conventional address segment. The interactive address segment corresponds to a predefined filter comprising selection criteria applied to content stored on a storage device. Selection of the interactive address segment causes content satisfying the predefined filter to be displayed. The conventional address segment references content at the content'"'"'s particular location within a hierarchical file system structure on the storage device. Selection of the conventional address segment causes the content stored at the particular location to be displayed.

Claims

1. One or more computer storage media having embodied thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

displaying a virtual address bar operable to simultaneously include an interactive address segment and a conventional address segment, wherein;

the interactive address segment corresponds to a predefined filter comprising selection criteria applied to content stored on a storage device, and wherein selection of the interactive address segment causes content satisfying the predefined filter to be displayed, and

the conventional address segment references content at the content'"'"'s particular location within a hierarchical file system structure on the storage device, and wherein selection of the conventional address segment causes the content stored at the particular location to be displayed.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the virtual address bar is operable to include a plurality of interactive address segments.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the virtual address bar is operable to include a plurality of conventional address segments.

4. The media of claim 1, the operations further comprising:

receiving a first configuration selection; and

subsequent to receiving the first configuration selection, reconfiguring the virtual address bar to function as a conventional address bar.

5. The media of claim 4, the operations further comprising:

receiving a second configuration selection; and

subsequent to receiving the second configuration selection, reconfiguring the conventional address bar to cease functioning as a conventional address bar and to function as a virtual address bar.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein the conventional address segment is displayed in a first initial position on the virtual address bar and the interactive address segment is displayed in a second subsequent position on the virtual address bar.

7. The media of claim 6, wherein in response to user interaction with the conventional address segment, the interactive address segment is removed from the virtual address bar.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein the interactive address segment is displayed in a first initial position on the virtual address bar and the conventional address segment is displayed in a second subsequent position on the virtual address bar.

9. The media of claim 1, wherein the interactive address segment is operable to respond to user interaction and modify the interactive address segment such that, upon manipulating the interactive address segment, a list of selectable peer filters is presented to the user.

10. The media of claim 1, wherein an additional interactive address segment is added to the virtual address bar according to user interactions external to the virtual address bar.

11. A method comprising:

displaying a virtual address bar including an interactive address segment and a conventional address segment, wherein

the interactive address segment corresponds to a predefined filter comprising selection criteria applied to content stored on a storage device, and

the conventional address segment references content at the content'"'"'s particular location within a hierarchical file system structure on the storage device;

displaying content satisfying the predefined filter in response to selection of the interactive address segment; and

displaying content stored at the content'"'"'s particular location in response to selection of the conventional address segment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the virtual address bar includes a plurality of interactive address segments.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the virtual address bar includes a plurality of conventional address segments.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying the virtual address bar includes displaying the conventional address segment in a first initial position on the virtual address bar and displaying the interactive address segment in a second subsequent position on the virtual address bar.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising removing the interactive address segment from the virtual address bar in response to user interaction with the conventional address segment.

16. A computing device having stored thereon computer-useable instructions that, when executed, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

displaying a virtual address bar operable to simultaneously include an interactive address segment and a conventional address segment, wherein;

the interactive address segment corresponds to a predefined filter comprising selection criteria applied to content stored on a storage device, and wherein selection of the interactive address segment causes content satisfying the predefined filter to be displayed; and

the conventional address segment references content at the content'"'"'s particular location within a hierarchical file system structure on the storage device, and wherein selection of the conventional address segment causes the content stored at the particular location to be displayed.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the virtual address bar is operable to include a plurality of interactive address segments.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the virtual address bar is operable to include a plurality of conventional address segments.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the virtual address bar is embedded in a file viewer and displayed on the display device.

20. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the virtual address bar is embedded in an open file dialog view and displayed on the display device.