Dynamic context based menus

• US 9,582,187 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2011
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gil, Erez Kikin, Kotler, Matthew, Sachidanandam, Vignesh, Pearson, Mark, Hockman, Andrew, Friend, Ned, Grieb, Doreen
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatia, Ajay
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUONG H
• Application Number:
  US13/289,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20130019182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,943 Days
• Field of Search: 715/825, 715/841, 715/810, 715/828, 715/829, 715/834
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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

Abstract

Context based menus that can be dynamically positioned, laid out, and activated are provided for tap, swipe, and press-and-hold type interactions. Presenting a plurality of executable commands and/or links to submenus, a context based menu may be displayed in various shapes and forms in relation to selected content displayed on a user interface and/or other factors such as available display space, user attributes, and similar ones. Submenus presenting commands within a category may be displayed in place of, adjacent to, or overlapping with a parent context based menu. Menu position, contents, and/or shape may be adjusted in response to changes in selected content, user contact location, changes in user interface, and the like.

Claims

1. A method executed at least in part in a computing device for providing a dynamic context based menu, the method comprising:

in response to detecting one of;

a selection of a portion of displayed content on a user interface, a tap action on an insertion point gripper, and an action associated with a launcher indicator on the user interface, presenting the context based menu at a dynamically selected location based on at least one from a set of;

the selected portion of the displayed content, a displayed content type, available display area, user interface borders, a type of input, and a device type, wherein presenting the context based menu comprises;

in response to detecting one of;

a limited available space on the user interface and empty segments on the context based menu, displaying a partial view of the context based menu; and

in response to detecting both of;

the limited available space on the user interface and full segments on the context based menu, rotating the partial view of context based menu;

in response to detecting selection of one or more items from a plurality of items displayed on the context based menu, one of;

executing a command and

displaying a submenu associated with the selected one or more items by automatically arranging a layout of the items displayed on the context based menu based on a user attribute, wherein the user attribute includes at least one from a set of;

a left or right handedness of a user, a size of fingers, and a size of tap action pointer associated with a pointing device; and

displaying a textual tip associated with the selected one or more items, wherein the textual tip is positioned on one of an interior and an exterior of the context based menu.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the action associated with the launcher indicator on the user interface includes at least one from a set of:

a tap action on a fixed launcher indicator on the user interface, a tap action on a dynamic launcher indicator, a swipe action on the dynamic launcher indicator, a keyboard entry combination, a mouse input, a pen input, a tap action on a selected object, a tap action on one of a pair of content selection handles, an accelerometer sensor based input, an orientation sensor based input, an optically captured gesture, a time based input, a proximity to another device, a proximity to another person, and a proximity to a place.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the context based menu at a fixed location on the user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the context based menu along one of;

a left side, a right side, a top, and a bottom of the selected portion of the displayed content based on the user attribute.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user attribute further includes at least one from a set of:

a user credential, an ergonomic characteristic of the device, and a location attribute comprising one or more of a language selection for the user interface, geographic location information, time zone information, and country information; and

automatically moving the context based menu in response to a change of the user attribute.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a change of the available display area, moving the context based menu to a different location on the user interface.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the change of the available display area is appearance of a virtual keyboard.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the context based menu includes one of:

a substantially radially menu presenting items representing distinct categories of commands and a list style menu, where categories of displayed items alter presentation of items on the context based menu, and wherein at least one of a number of items displayed on the context based menu and a menu style is adjusted based on available display area and the displayed content type such that the context based menu is connected with the selected portion of the displayed content.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the context based menu has one of a substantially radial, a substantially rectangular, a straight in-line, a curved in-line, a flower-like, and an irregular shape.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying one or more segments of the context based menu in a transparent manner such that one of;

underlying displayed content is visible and overlapping of the context based menu and the submenu is accommodated.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one from a set of;

moving the context based menu, modifying a shape of the context based menu, and modifying a size of the context based menu in response to one of;

a change in a size of the selected portion of the displayed content, a change in the size of the user interface, a change in a type of the selected portion of the displayed content, and a change in an orientation of the user interface.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling selection of available items in a category through a rotating swipe action on a substantially radial shaped context based menu, wherein the available items are displayed in a scrolling list fashion in one of;

a center and a vicinity of the context based menu.

13. A computing device for providing a dynamic context based menu, the computing device comprising:

an input device;

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory and the input device, the processor executing an application and causing a user interface associated with the application to be displayed on a screen, wherein the processor is configured to;

in response to detecting one of;

a selection of a portion of displayed content on a user interface, a tap action on an insertion point gripper, and an action associated with a launcher indicator on the user interface, present the context based menu at a dynamically selected location based on at least one from a set of;

the selected portion of the displayed content, a displayed content type, available display area, user interface borders, a type of input, and a device type, wherein the context based menu is presented by;

in response to detecting one of;

a limited available space on the user interface and empty segments on the context based menu, displaying a partial view of the context based menu; and

in response to detecting both of;

the limited available space on the user interface and full segments on the context based menu, rotating the partial view of context based menu;

in response to detecting selection of one or more items from a plurality of items displayed on the context based menu, one of;

execute a command and

display a submenu associated with the selected one or more items by automatically arranging a layout of the items displayed on the context based menu based on a user attribute, wherein the user attribute includes at least one from a set of;

a left or right handedness of a user, a size of fingers, and a size of tap action pointer associated with a pointing device;

display a textual tip associated with the selected one or more items, wherein the textual tip is positioned on one of an interior and an exterior of the context based menu; and

in response to one of;

execution of a predefined command, a tap action away from the context based menu, a selection of a back button displayed on the context based menu, a scroll action, a zooming action, a selection of a different portion of displayed content, a new content entry, and selection of another user interface, hide the context based menu.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein items on the context based menu represent a current state comprising one or more of:

a mouse hover, a keyboard focus, an item pressed, an item selected, a hover selected, an item disabled, a disabled hover, and a normal state.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

display a type of selected portion of the content to which the items on the context based menu apply.

16. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the application is one of a web-based application and a cloud-based application enabling a user to interact with content displayed through a browser on a client device.

17. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the context based menu has a radial shape, the items are displayed on hub and spoke style segments of the context based menu, and one or more links to submenus are presented at one of:

near a center of the context based menu and along an outer radius of the context based menu.

18. A hardware computer-readable memory device with instructions stored thereon for providing a dynamic context based menu for a touch and gesture enabled device, the instructions containing:

in response to detecting one of;

a selection of a portion of displayed content on a user interface, a tap action on an insertion point gripper, and an action associated with a launcher indicator on the user interface, presenting the context based menu at a dynamically selected location based on at least one from a set of;

the selected portion of the displayed content, a displayed content type, available display area, user interface borders, a type of input, and a device type, wherein presenting the context based menu comprises;

in response to detecting one of;

a limited available space on the user interface and empty segments on the context based menu, displaying a partial view of the context based menu; and

in response to detecting both of;

the limited available space on the user interface and full segments on the context based menu, rotating the partial view of context based menu;

in response to detecting selection of one or more items from a plurality of items displayed on the context based menu, one of;

executing a command and

displaying a submenu associated with the selected one or more items by automatically arranging a layout of the items displayed on the context based menu based on a user attribute, wherein the user attribute includes at least one from a set of;

a left or right handedness of a user, a size of fingers, and a size of tap action pointer associated with a pointing device;

displaying a textual tip associated with the selected one or more items, wherein the textual tip is positioned on one of an interior and an exterior of context based menu; and

in response to one of;

execution of a predefined command, a tap action away from the context based menu, a selection of a back button displayed on the context based menu, a scroll action, a zooming action, a selection of a different portion of displayed content, a new content entry, and selection of another user interface, hiding the context based menu.

19. The hardware computer-readable memory device of claim 18, wherein each item displayed on the context based menu comprises one of a graphic object, a textual object, and a combination of graphic and text object, and wherein at least one from a set of:

a color scheme, a graphical scheme, an animation scheme, and a shading scheme is employed to enhance a visual effect of the context based menu.

20. The hardware computer-readable memory device of claim 19, wherein the instructions further comprise:

presenting one of an appearance, a presentation, and a disappearance of at least one from a set of;

a context based menu launcher, the context based menu, items on the context based menu, and a submenu through an animation scheme.