Causing display of comments associated with an object

• US 9,361,284 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2012
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Ylivainio, Risto Matias
• Primary Examiner(s): Moon, Seokyun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Acha, III, Josemarie G
• Application Number:
  US13/372,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20130044050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,576 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

Apparatus is configured to cause to be displayed, in a first area of a display, an object and to cause to be displayed, in a second area of the display, a first comment associated with the object, wherein the second area is in a fixed location relative to the first area. The apparatus is responsive to a first dynamic tactile user input within the second area of the display to cause the first comment to be at least partially hidden and to cause to be displayed, in the second area of the display, a second comment that was not visible prior to the first dynamic tactile user input without moving the object on the display.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory having computer-readable code stored thereon which when executed controls the at least one processor:

to cause to be displayed, in a first area of a display, an object;

to cause to be displayed, in a second area of the display disposed around and outside of the first area of the display so as to encircle the first area of the display, a first comment associated with the object and a second comment associated with the object such that the first comment covers a portion of the second comment, wherein the second area is in a fixed location relative to the first area, wherein the comments are displayed in a clockwise order around the first area of the display based upon an order of receipt of the comments such that a more recently received comment is displayed in the second area of the display at a position offset in the clockwise order from a previously received comment;

to be responsive to an anti-clockwise dynamic tactile user input that is around the first area of the display and within the second area of the display to cause the second comment to cover a portion of the first comment such that the first comment is at least partially hidden; and

to be responsive to a clockwise dynamic tactile user input that is around the first area of the display and within the second area of the display to cause the first comment to cover the portion of the second comment such that the second comment is at least partially hidden.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the anti-clockwise dynamic tactile user input within the second area of the display generally follows a shape of the second area of the display.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first comment has been more recently associated with the object than the second comment.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein, in an initial display configuration, the first comment is displayed in preference to at least a part of the second comment.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the comments are provided in a sequence around the first area of the display such that comments later in the sequence are displayed in preference to comments earlier in the sequence which are at the same part of the second area of the display, and wherein the anti-clockwise dynamic tactile user inputs- traces a shape of the second area of the display.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the causation of the second comment to cover a portion of the first comment such that the first comment is at least partially hidden is performed such that another portion of the second comment is visible.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display, in the second area of the display, of the second comment without moving the object on the display such that the second comment covers a portion of the first comment, is performed such that another portion of the first comment is visible.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first comment was more recently associated with the object than the second comment and a plurality of other comments were associated with the object subsequent to the second comment being associated with the object and subsequent to the first comment being associated with the object, wherein the causation of display of the first comment and the second comment is performed such that the first comment, the plurality of other comments, and the second comment are displayed in the second area of the display in clockwise order according to a time when each of the first comment, the plurality of other comments, and the second comment were associated with the object such that the clockwise order results in the first comment covering the portion of the second comment.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further controlled to cause a user input indicator representative of a responsiveness to at least one of the clockwise dynamic tactile user input or the anti-clockwise dynamic tactile user input to be displayed only once the comments are displayed in a manner so as to be at least partially overlapped.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further controlled to be responsive to the dynamic tactile user input to cause all comments that are fully visible to be at least partially hidden by other comments.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further controlled to be responsive to the dynamic tactile user input to cause a number of comments that are fully visible to be at least partially hidden by other comments with the number of comments being based upon a characteristic of the dynamic tactile user input.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the characteristic of the dynamic tactile user input comprises an extent of the dynamic tactile user input or a speed of the dynamic tactile user input.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the at least one processor is further controlled to be responsive to the dynamic tactile user input to cause a single comment that was fully visible to be at least partially hidden by another comment in an instance in which a speed of the dynamic tactile user input has a first relationship with respect to a threshold speed and to cause all comments that are fully visible to be at least partially hidden by other comments in an instance in which the speed of the dynamic tactile user input has a second relationship, different than the first relationship, with respect to the threshold speed.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further controlled to cause a change in viewing order of the comments by changing order tag numbers associated with the respective comments.

6. A method comprising:

displaying, in a first area of a display, an object;

displaying, in a second area of the display disposed around and outside of the first area of the display so as to encircle the first area of the display, a first comment associated with the object and a second comment associated with the object such that the first comment covers a portion of the second comment, wherein the second area is in a fixed location relative to the first area, wherein the comments are displayed in a clockwise order around the first area of the display based upon an order of receipt of the comments such that a more recently received comment is displayed in the second area of the display at a position offset in the clockwise order from a previously received comment;

responding to an anti-clockwise dynamic tactile user input within the second area of the display around the first area of the display to cause the second comment to cover a portion of the first comment such that the first comment is at least partially hidden; and

responding to a clockwise dynamic tactile user input within the second area of the display around the first area of the display to cause the first comment to cover the portion of the second comment such that the second comment is at least partially hidden.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the anti-clockwise tactile user input within the second area of the display generally follows a shape of the second area of the display.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first comment has been more recently associated with the object than the second comment.

9. The method according to claim 6, comprising, in an initial display configuration, displaying the first comment in preference to at least a part of the second comment.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the comments are provided in a sequence around the first area of the display such that comments later in the sequence are displayed in preference to comments earlier in the sequence which are at the same part of the second area of the display, and wherein the anti-clockwise tactile user input traces a shape of the second area of the display.

15. The method according to claim 6, wherein the causation of the second comment to cover a portion of the first comment such that the first comment is at least partially hidden is performed such that another portion of the second comment is visible.

16. The method according to claim 6, wherein the display, in the second area of the display, of the second comment without moving the object on the display such that the second comment covers a portion of the first comment, is performed such that another portion of the first comment is visible.

17. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first comment was more recently associated with the object than the second comment and a plurality of other comments were associated with the object subsequent to the second comment being associated with the object and subsequent to the first comment being associated with the object, wherein the causation of display of the first comment and the second comment is performed such that the first comment, the plurality of other comments, and the second comment are displayed in the second area of the display in clockwise order according to a time when each of the first comment, the plurality of other comments, and the second comment were associated with the object such that the clockwise order results in the first comment covering the portion of the second comment.

27. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising causing a user input indicator representative of a responsiveness to at least one of the clockwise dynamic tactile user input or the anti-clockwise dynamic tactile user input to be displayed only once the comments are displayed in a manner so as to be at least partially overlapped.

28. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising causing, in response to the dynamic tactile user input, all comments that are fully visible to be at least partially hidden by other comments.

29. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising causing, in response to the dynamic tactile user input, a number of comments that are fully visible to be at least partially hidden by other comments with the number of comments being based upon a characteristic of the dynamic tactile user input.

30. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the characteristic of the dynamic tactile user input comprises an extent of the dynamic tactile user input or a speed of the dynamic tactile user input.

31. The method as claimed in claim 29, further comprising causing, in response to the dynamic tactile user input, (i) a single comment that was fully visible to be at least partially hidden by another comment in an instance in which a speed of the dynamic tactile user input has a first relationship with respect to a threshold speed and (ii) all comments that are fully visible to be at least partially hidden by other comments in an instance in which the speed of the dynamic tactile user input has a second relationship, different than the first relationship, with respect to the threshold speed.

32. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising causing a change in viewing order of the comments by changing order tag numbers associated with the respective comments.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-readable code, which, when executed by computing apparatus, causes the computing apparatus to perform a method comprising:

displaying, in a first area of a display, an object;

displaying, in a second area of the display disposed around and outside of the first area of the display so as to encircle the first area of the display, a first comment associated with the object and a second comment associated with the object such that the first comment covers a portion of the second comment, wherein the second area is in a fixed location relative to the first area, wherein the comments are displayed in a clockwise order around the first area of the display based upon an order of receipt of the comments such that a more recently received comment is displayed in the second area of the display at a position offset in the clockwise order from a previously received comment;

responding to an anti-clockwise dynamic tactile user input within the second area of the display around the first area of the display to cause the second comment to cover a portion of the first comment such that the first comment is at least partially hidden; and

responding to a clockwise dynamic tactile user input within the second area of the display around the first of the display to cause the first comment to cover the portion of the second comment such that the second comment is at least partially hidden.

18. The medium according to claim 11, wherein the causation of the second comment to cover a portion of the first comment such that the first comment is at least partially hidden is performed such that another portion of the second comment is visible.

19. The medium according to claim 11, wherein the display, in the second area of the display, of the second comment without moving the object on the display such that the second comment covers a portion of the first comment, is performed such that another portion of the first comment is visible.

20. The medium according to claim 11, wherein the first comment was more recently associated with the object than the second comment and a plurality of other comments were associated with the object subsequent to the second comment being associated with the object and subsequent to the first comment being associated with the object, wherein the causation of display of the first comment and the second comment is performed such that the first comment, the plurality of other comments, and the second comment are displayed in the second area of the display in clockwise order according to a time when each of the first comment, the plurality of other comments, and the second comment were associated with the object such that the clockwise order results in the first comment covering the portion of the second comment.