Visualization information bar

• US 9,557,906 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2012
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Pasceri, Vincent Joseph, Baca Del Rosario, Diego David, Logan, Wolf Lochland
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, James A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Guo, Xilin
• Application Number:
  US13/401,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20130215155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,806 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems are provided for maintaining an information bar associated with a visualization. The visualization may correspond to an interface configured to display one or more entities (e.g., a map interface may display location entities, such as coffee shops, and/or direction entities, such as portions of a route, within a map). Responsive to the visualization being populated, the information bar may be populated with one or more information panels corresponding to the one or more entities. For example, a first information panel may comprise coffee specials and hours of operation for a first coffee shop entity populated within the visualization. Responsive to a selection of an entity within the visualization, a corresponding information panel may (automatically) be scrolled to and/or highlighted within the information bar. In this way, the information bar may display information panels corresponding to entities of the visualization.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining an information bar associated with a map visualization, comprising:

presenting an information bar as a scrollable bar across a first portion of the map visualization;

responsive to the map visualization being populated with entities comprising a first entity and a second entity, populating the information bar with one or more information panels having content associated with the entities and comprising a first information panel corresponding to the first entity and a second information panel corresponding to the second entity;

receiving a selection within the map visualization of the first entity; and

responsive to the selection within the map visualization of the first entity, upon determining the first information panel is not visible within the information bar, automatically scrolling the information bar to the first information panel to visually present the first information panel.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

responsive to the selection of the first entity, highlighting the first information panel.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

responsive to a selection of the first information panel, populating the first information panel with additional details associated with the first entity.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

presenting an input bar across a second portion of the map visualization, the second portion adjacent to the first portion; and

responsive to the map visualization being populated with one or more other entities based upon a search submitted within the input bar, visually hiding the input bar and presenting the information bar across at least a portion of the second portion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the entities populated within the map visualization correspond to one or more portions of a route, and the one or more information panels correspond to at least one portion of the one or more portions of the route.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

saving a state of the information bar as a saved state, the state corresponding to the one or more information panels.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising:

removing at least one of the one or more information panels from the information bar associated with the saved state; and

populating the information bar with one or more new information panels responsive to the removing.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising:

responsive to a back command, removing at least one of the one or more new information panels from the information bar.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

visually presenting a first set of information panels populated within the information bar; and

responsive to a scroll command, visually presenting a second set of information panels populated within the information bar.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

responsive to a collapse command, visually hiding the information bar and presenting an expand command.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising:

adjusting a height of the information bar based upon at least one of the one or more information panels populated within the information bar.

12. The method of claim 1, at least one of the first information panel or the second information panel comprising at least one of an error message related to a task, a search result, a direction within a list of directions, a business listing for a business, a browse-able collection of maps, a browse-able collection of locations, or a browse-able collection of businesses.

13. A computing system comprising:

a processor; and

computer storage memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the processor, configure the computing system to;

present an information bar as a scrollable bar across a first portion of a map visualization;

present an input bar across a second portion of the map visualization;

responsive to the map visualization being populated with entities comprising a first entity and a second entity based upon a search submitted within the input bar;

visually hide the input bar and present the information bar across at least a portion of the second portion, and

populate the information bar with one or more information panels having content associated with the entities and comprising a first information panel corresponding to the first entity and a second information panel corresponding to the second entity, the map visualization displaying a directional route comprising at least a first selectable route portion and a second selectable route portion;

receiving a selection of the second selectable route portion; and

responsive to the selection of the second selectable route portion, providing route details for the second selectable route portion within the second information panel.

14. The system of claim 13, the information bar component configured to:

responsive to a selection within the map visualization of the first entity, automatically scroll the information bar to the first information panel corresponding to the first entity and highlight the first information panel.

15. The system of claim 13, the information bar component configured to:

save a state of the information bar as a saved state; and

restore the state of the information bar using the saved state.

16. The system of claim 13, the information bar component configured to:

responsive to a selection of the first information panel, populate the first information panel with additional details associated with the first entity and highlight the first entity within the map visualization.

17. The system of claim 13, the information bar component configured to:

responsive to a collapse command, visually hide the information bar and present an expand command.

18. A computer-readable device medium, excluding signals, comprising instructions that when executed perform a method for maintaining an information bar associated with a map visualization, comprising:

presenting an information bar across a map interface;

responsive to the map interface being populated with entities comprising a first entity and a second entity, populating the information bar with information panels having content associated with the entities and comprising a first information panel corresponding to the first entity and a second information panel corresponding to the second entity; and

responsive to a selection of one of the entities by the map interface, for which a corresponding information panel is not visible in the information bar, automatically scrolling the information bar to present the corresponding information panel in the information bar and highlighting the corresponding information panel.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising:

responsive to a selection of an information panel within the information bar, populating the information panel with additional details associated with a corresponding entity and highlighting the corresponding entity within the map interface.

20. The method of claim 18, comprising:

the entities populated within the map interface corresponding to portions of a route, and the information panels corresponding to portions of the route.