Task-sensitive methods and systems for displaying command sets

• US 9,507,610 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Rockey, Eric S., Talbott, Shannon P., Kelly, Gavin M., Jacobs, Nancy E., Hopcroft, Michael J., Westreich, Daniel J., Perlow, Jonathan D., Erickson, Paul R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatia, Ajay
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAN, PHOEBE X
• Application Number:
  US12/722,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20100229110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,455 Days
• Field of Search: 715810-815
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

Methods and systems present commands to a user within a software application program by determining the user'"'"'s context within the application program and automatically presenting in a user interface commands that pertain to the user'"'"'s current context. When the user'"'"'s context changes, the context-sensitive commands are automatically removed from the user interface. In one implementation context blocks and context panes are employed to present the commands.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

one or more processing units; and

one or more computer-readable media that provide nonvolatile storage of computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the computing system to;

display a user interface within a single navigable window, the user interface comprising;

a navigation area including buttons to provide browsing functionality for navigation of the single navigable window;

a document area displaying a document; and

a container area proximate the document area, the container area not obscuring the document area; and

in response to selection of a given object within the document area;

determine whether a first context block is relevant to a task for the given object within the document by evaluating a first visibility expression associated with the first context block, the first context block comprising a first plurality of user-selectable commands;

in response to determining that the first context block is relevant to the task for the given object and is not displayed in the container area, without receiving further input from the user, display the first context block within the container area; and

determine whether a second context block is relevant to the task for the given object within the document by evaluating a second visibility expression associated with the second context block, wherein the second visibility expression is different than the first visibility expression, the second context block comprising a second plurality of user-selectable commands, the first plurality of user-selectable commands in the first context block being different than the second plurality of user-selectable commands in the second context block;

in response to determining that a second context block is not displayed in the container area and that the second context block is relevant to the task for the given object, without receiving further input from the user, display the second context block within the container area;

in response to determining that a second context block is displayed in the container area and that the second context block is not relevant to the task for the given object, without receiving further input from the user, hide the second context block; and

wherein if the selection includes additional content in the document in addition to the given object, the first context block is displayed only when each user-selectable command in the first plurality of user-selectable commands is pertinent to the given object and the additional content.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the first context block is not displayed within the container area immediately prior to the selection of the given object.

3. The computing system of claim 1,

wherein the second context block, when displayed, comprises a title and a second plurality of user-selectable commands, the second plurality of user-selectable commands being different than the first plurality of user-selectable commands;

and

wherein the first context block, when displayed, comprises a title and the first plurality of user-selectable commands, the title of the first context block being different than the title of the second context block.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein in response to deselection of the given object, the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the computer system to hide the first context block.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein in response to the selection of the given object, the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the computer system to determine whether the second context block is relevant to the task.

6. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the given object is one of the following:

a portion of text, a table, and a spreadsheet.

7. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the user selects the given object by placing a cursor inside the given object.

8. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the first context block is modeless.

9. The computing system of claim 1, wherein HTML is used to define the plurality of user-selectable commands in the first context block.

10. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the software application program is a web browser and the document is a web page.

11. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the computer system to collapse the first context block when the user selects the title of the first context block.

12. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the container area is located to the left of the document area.

13. A computing system comprising:

one or more processing units; and

one or more computer-readable media that provide nonvolatile storage of computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the computing system to;

display a user interface within a single navigable window, wherein the single navigable window includes buttons for navigation of the single navigable window, the user interface comprising;

a navigation area including buttons to provide browsing functionality for navigation of the single navigable window;

a document area displaying a document;

a container area, the container area not obscuring the document area;

in response to selection of a given object within the document area;

determine whether a first context block is relevant to a task for the given object within the document by evaluating a first visibility expression associated with the first context block, the first context block comprising a plurality of user-selectable commands;

determine whether a second context block is relevant to the task by evaluating a second visibility expression associated with the second context block, wherein the second visibility expression is different than the first visibility expression, the second context block comprising a second plurality of user-selectable commands, the first plurality of user-selectable commands in the first context block being different than the second plurality of user-selectable commands in the second context block;

display the first context block within the container area, without receiving further input from the user, when the first context block is not displayed in the container area prior to the selection of the given object and the first context block is relevant to the task; and

display the second context block within the container area, without receiving further input from the user, when the second context block is not displayed in the container area prior to the selection of the given object and the second context block is relevant to the task;

hide the second context block within the container area, without receiving further input from the user, when the second context block is displayed in the container area and the second context block is not relevant to the task; and

wherein if the selection includes additional content in the document in addition to the given object, the first context block is displayed only when each user-selectable command in the first plurality of user-selectable commands is pertinent to the given object and the additional content.

14. The computing system of claim 13, wherein in response to selection of another object in the document, the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the computing system to:

determine whether the first context block is relevant to another task, the user attempting to perform the other task with regard to the other object; and

display the first context block within the container area when the first context block is not displayed in the container area immediately prior to the selection of the other object and the first context block is relevant to the other task.

15. The computing system of claim 13, wherein HTML is used to define the plurality of user-selectable commands in the first context block.

16. The computing system of claim 13, wherein the software application program is a web browser and the document is a web page.

17. A method comprising:

generating a user interface displayed within a single navigable window, the user interface comprising;

a navigation area including buttons to provide browsing functionality for navigation of the single navigable window, wherein the buttons include a back button, a forward button, and a stop button;

a document area displaying a document;

a container area proximate the document area, the container area not obscuring the document area;

in response to a user selecting a portion of text within the document area, performing the following actions;

determining whether a first context block is relevant to a task that the user is able to perform on the portion of text by evaluating a first visibility expression associated with the first context block, the first context block comprising one or more user-selectable commands to perform the task on the portion of text;

in response to determining the first context block is relevant to the task on the portion of text, making the first context block visible within the container area without receiving further input from the user;

determining whether a second context block is relevant to the task for the given object within the document by evaluating a second visibility expression associated with the second context block, wherein the second visibility expression is different than the first visibility expression, the second context block comprising a second plurality of user-selectable commands, the first plurality of user-selectable commands in the first context block being different than the second plurality of user-selectable commands in the second context block;

in response to determining that a second context block is relevant to the task for the given object, without receiving further input from the user, display the second context block within the container area;

in response to determining that a second context block is not relevant to the task for the given object, without receiving further input from the user, hiding the second context block; and

wherein if the selection includes additional content in the document in addition to the given object, the first context block is displayed only when each user-selectable command in the first plurality of user-selectable commands is pertinent to the given object and the additional content.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more user-selectable commands includes a spell checking feature to perform on the portion of text.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more user-selectable commands includes a spell checking feature when the portion of text includes an incorrectly spelled word.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the container area is located to the left of the document area.