Automatic configurator of display objects

• US 9,195,365 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2009
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Williams, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): TILLERY, RASHAWN N
• Application Number:
  US12/411,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20100251146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,435 Days
• Field of Search: 715/841, 715/853, 715/854, 715/817, 715/818, 715/819, 715/820, 715/829
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A system for configuring objects such as buttons for screens presented in a touch screen display. The configuration may be automatically based on preset styles. The graphical elements or icons and textual elements may be created once but used multiple times in various places. Multiple graphical and textual elements may be displayed on any button of the screens. The system may be based on the use of a predefined set of button styles that define the layout of each textual and graphical element in basic terms, such as left, right, and center. These styles do not necessarily prescribe a size, but a layout of the elements. The sizing, layout, justification, and clipping of each element may be determined by the button style. For each button style, the assigned textual and graphical elements may be automatically placed for the best or optimal layout and fit.

Claims

1. A method for generating an object for display on a screen for a business automation system comprising an embedded controller, comprising:

displaying an object to be further developed on a screen of an interface of a building automation system, wherein the building automation system comprises an embedded controller and a communications port for sending and/or receiving signals to and from one or more building control modules and wherein the object has a style selected from a set of preset styles that define a layout of each textual and graphical element in basic terms;

wherein the object is further developed by;

defining an optimal layout area on the object, wherein the layout area is defined regardless of the size and/or shape of the object;

setting a size of the object;

specifying a textual element to be displayed at a first predetermined location by the object;

specifying a graphical element to be displayed at a second predetermined location by the object, wherein the graphical element comprises an icon and is displayed separately from the textual element at the second predetermined location; and

wherein for each style of the object,

automatically placing the textual element at the first predetermined location within the layout area based on the style and size of the object and resizing the textual element to fit within the first predetermined location;

automatically placing the graphical element at the second predetermined location within the layout area based on the style of the object and the size and the location of the textual element, the graphical element being automatically re-sized to fit within the available space at the second predetermined location.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting a location on a screen for the object.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising re-setting the object size as needed for placement of the object on a screen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical element can be specified again for an object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the textual element can be specified again for an object.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a raised or pressed style for the graphical element; and

selecting font style, color and size for the textual element.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the available space on the object is indicated by a face rectangle element.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein if a graphical element on the object is removed, added, or changed in size, the other one or more textual and/or graphical elements, if any, are automatically and optimally positioned and sized to fit within the available space on the object.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing a program for automatic placement of specified textual and graphical elements for a best fit within the available space on the object, and for automatic positioning and sizing the textual and graphical elements to fit optimally within the available space on the object.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the object is a button, and wherein the first location is adjacent to the second location within the layout area and wherein the graphical element is sized to be the same width as the textual object and to fit within the available space in the layout area.

11. A building automation system comprising:

an embedded controller, at least one communications port for sending and/or receiving signals to and from one or more building control modules, a graphical user interface having a touch screen display and a processor, the processor comprising an automatic display object configurator configured to generate and display an object, the configurator comprising;

a set of predefined styles for a button;

a tool for providing a button having a first size for display on the touch screen display, the button having a style selected from the set of pre-defined styles;

two or more elements situated on the button including at least one textual element and at least one graphical element, wherein the at least one graphical element comprises an icon and is situated at a location separate from the textual element;

a second tool for automatically positioning and fitting the at least one textual element within a text rectangle positioned on the button at a first predetermined location and fitting the text within the text rectangle; and

automatically positioning the at least one graphical element adjacent to the text rectangle at a second predetermined location and re-sizing the graphical element to fit within the remaining available space of the button, wherein the at least one textual element and the graphical element are positioned based on the selected style of the button; and

wherein;

the button has a size; and

if the size changes then the second tool automatically positions and re-fits the two or more textual elements and the graphical element for an optimal fit based on the selected style and the new size of the button.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a face rectangle representing an area on the button for the one or more textual elements and the graphical element situated on the button, wherein the text rectangle is resized to fit within the face rectangle when the size of the button changes.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the area represented by the face rectangle is provided to the second tool.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein:

a textual element comprises settings for font style, size and color; and

a graphical element comprises an entry for a raised appearance and an entry for a pressed appearance and/or an icon.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the tools are instantiated in program code.

16. A building control system comprising:

an embedded controller, at least one communications port for sending and/or receiving signals to and from one or more building control module, a user interface having a display including a screen, and a processor, the processor comprising a configurator for generating and configuring an object on the screen of the display of the user interface, the configurator comprising;

a layout mechanism for inserting and arranging one or more graphical elements and two or more textual elements on an object according to a preset style and a selected size of the object on a screen for a display of a building control system; and

a set of preset styles for permitting an automatic arrangement of the one or more graphical elements and the two or more textual elements on the objects; and

wherein;

each preset style defines an arrangement of the one or more graphical elements and the two or more textual elements on an object relative to one another, wherein the one or more graphical elements are displayed at a location separate from the location of the two or more textual elements; and

each preset style permits the one or more graphical elements and the two or more textual elements to be automatically sized for a given size of the object, and a size and a location of the one or more graphical elements are dependent upon a size and a location of the two or more textual elements.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each preset style permits each of the graphical and textual elements to be automatically resized based on another size of the object.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein each of the graphical and textual elements of a preset style is reusable on numerous objects.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the graphical and/or textual elements are placed within a face rectangle element of the object;

the face rectangle element indicates an optimal surface area on the object for graphical and/or textual elements;

a textual element is for placement of messages, description and/or labels;

font style and color of the textual elements are selectable;

a graphical element has a raised or pressed appearance or neither appearance; and

an object is a button.