Parallax scrolling of multiple information panels in a graphical user interface

• US 9,274,695 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2013
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jive Software Incorporated (Wave Systems Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jive Software Incorporated (Wave Systems Corporation)
• Inventors: Ellenich, John Jacob, Derstadt, Robert Theodore
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Doon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dasgupta, Shourjo
• Application Number:
  US13/867,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20140317556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/34 for rolling or scrolling

Abstract

A method and a device are disclosed including a parallax Graphical User Interface (GUI) software component configured to allow automatic, parallax-type, smooth movement of multiple information panels out of user'"'"'s view when focus is placed on one of the multiple information panels and the focus information panel is scrolled. When the user scrolls in the opposite direction, the non-focus panels reappear smoothly and automatically and the original user view before scrolling is restored. In various embodiments, search results may be categorized and organized into separate windows, each independently scrollable, which may be viewed using the parallax GUI. In various embodiments, a number of documents and/or software applications used to open such documents, may be registered in a parallax list to allow navigation using the parallax GUI.

Claims

1. A computer comprising:

a computing device;

an input device;

a display device;

a parallax Graphical User Interface (GUI) software component that when executed on the computing device causes the computing device to;

detect a scrolling action of a user, using the input device, on a focus information panel of a plurality of information panels displayed on the display device;

scroll information content of the focus information panel in a first direction on the display device;

gradually and based on the direction of scroll of information content in the focus information panel shrink and slide the other information panels of the plurality of the information panels out of the way of the focus information panel on the display device to yield more area of the display device to the focus information panel and causing the other information panels of the plurality of the information panels to eventually disappear from a view of the user on the display device; and

wherein scrolling back the information content in the focus information panel in an opposite direction by the user causes the parallax GUI software component to make the other information panels to reappear and causes the display device to yield less area of the display device to the focus information panel.

2. The computer and the parallax GUI software component of claim 1 that when executed on the computing device further causes the computing device to determine a position of the focus information panel within the plurality of the information panels.

3. The computer and the parallax GUI software component of claim 2, wherein the determined position of the focus information panel includes at least a top, a middle, and a bottom position.

4. The computer and the parallax GUI software component of claim 2, wherein the other information panels are slid out of the way in a direction based on the determined position of the focus information panel.

5. The computer and the parallax GUI software component of claim 4, wherein the other information panels are slid out of the way based on a parallax technique.

6. The computer and the parallax GUI software component of claim 1, wherein the plurality of information panels include categorized search results.

7. The computer and the parallax GUI software component of claim 1, wherein the plurality of information panels include files registered for use with the parallax GUI software component.

8. A method of viewing information on a computing device, the method comprising:

detecting a scrolling action of a user on a focus information panel of a plurality of information panels;

scrolling information content of the focus information panel in a first direction;

gradually and based on the direction of scroll of information content in the focus information panel shrinking and sliding the other information panels of the plurality of the information panels out of the way of the focus information panel on a display device to yield more area of the display device to the focus information panel and causing the other information panels of the plurality of the information panels to eventually disappear from a view of the user; and

wherein scrolling back the information content in the focus information panel in an opposite direction by the user causes the other information panels to reappear and causes the display device to yield less area of the display device to the focus information panel.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining a position of the focus information panel within the plurality of the information panels.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determined position of the focus information panel includes at least a top, a middle, and a bottom position.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the other information panels are slid out of the way based on a parallax technique.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of information panels include categorized search results.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of information panels include files registered for use with a parallax graphical user interface software component.

14. A method of managing electronic data, the method comprising:

detecting a scrolling action on a focus information panel of a plurality of information panels;

determining a position of the focus information panel within the plurality of information panels;

gradually and based on the direction of the scroll of information content in the focus information panel shrinking and sliding the other information panels of the plurality of the information panels out of the way of the focus information panel on a display device, to yield more area of the display device to the focus information panel, in a direction based on the position of the focus information panel within the plurality of the information panels; and

wherein scrolling back the information content in the focus information panel in an opposite direction by the user causes the other information panels to reappear and causes the display device to yield less area of the display device to the focus information panel.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising using a parallax Graphical User Interface software component to slide the other information panels out of the way based on a parallax technique.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the position of the focus panel comprises determining whether the focus panel is at the top, in the middle, or at the bottom of the plurality of the information panels.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the information panels include categorized search results.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising causing the other information panels to slide back to their original positions if the focus information panel is scrolled back.