Providing a context-aware help content using a transparent overlay on a touch sensitive screen
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- after a help mode is triggered and before a transparent layer is displayed, collecting objects shown on a display interface for a running application and identifications (IDs) representing the objects, wherein a state of the display interface at the time of the collecting does not show a help indicia next to all of the objects for which help contents are available;
for each of the objects for which identifications were collected and before the transparent layer is displayed, determining whether there are object identifications of the objects with help contents associated; and
without modifying a positioning of element in the display interface from that of the state, displaying the transparent layer over the display interface and visually indicating in the transparent layer all the objects with help contents associated to prompt a user to select a desired object, wherein at a time that the visual indicating occurs via the transparent layer, the help contents are not displayed in either the transparent layer or the display interface, wherein displayed transparent layer is configured to receive and handle events associated with the objects in the underlying layer of display interface;
receiving a user selection of one of the objects that is visually indicated as having help contents associated, responsive to the receiving, displaying help contents associated with the one of the objects, wherein displaying the help contents causes the help indicator to no longer be presented.
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Abstract
Objects shown on a display interface can be collected for a running application. Identifications (IDs) representing the objects can also be collected. A determination can be made concerning whether there are object identifications of objects with help contents associated. A transparent layer can be displayed on the display interface. All the objects associated with help contents of the layer can be visually indicated in the transparent layer. The visual indicators can indicate that help is available for a corresponding object. When no help is available, no visual indicator is shown in the transparent layer proximate to corresponding object.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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after a help mode is triggered and before a transparent layer is displayed, collecting objects shown on a display interface for a running application and identifications (IDs) representing the objects, wherein a state of the display interface at the time of the collecting does not show a help indicia next to all of the objects for which help contents are available; for each of the objects for which identifications were collected and before the transparent layer is displayed, determining whether there are object identifications of the objects with help contents associated; and without modifying a positioning of element in the display interface from that of the state, displaying the transparent layer over the display interface and visually indicating in the transparent layer all the objects with help contents associated to prompt a user to select a desired object, wherein at a time that the visual indicating occurs via the transparent layer, the help contents are not displayed in either the transparent layer or the display interface, wherein displayed transparent layer is configured to receive and handle events associated with the objects in the underlying layer of display interface; receiving a user selection of one of the objects that is visually indicated as having help contents associated, responsive to the receiving, displaying help contents associated with the one of the objects, wherein displaying the help contents causes the help indicator to no longer be presented. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising:
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computer usable program code configured to after a help mode is triggered and before a transparent layer is displayed, collect objects shown on a display interface for a running application and identifications (IDs) representing the objects, wherein a state of the display interface at the time of the collecting does not show a help indicia next to all of the objects for which help contents are available; computer usable program code configured to determine ,for each of the objects for which identifications were collected and before a transparent layer is displayed, whether there are object identifications of the objects with help contents associated; computer usable program code configured to without modifying a positioning of element in the display interface from that of the state, display the transparent layer over the display interface and visually indicating in the transparent layer all the objects with help contents associated to prompt a user to select a desired object, wherein displayed transparent layer is configured to receive and handle events associated with the objects in the underlying layer of display interface and wherein at a time that the visual indicating occurs via the transparent layer, the help contents are not displayed in either the transparent layer or the display interface; and computer usable program code configured to receive a user selection of one of the objects that is visually indicated as having help contents associated, responsive to the receiving, displaying help contents associated with the one of the objects, wherein displaying the help contents causes the help indicator to no longer be presented. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A data processing system comprising:
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a bus; a memory connected to said bus, in which said memory comprises a set of instructions; and
a processor connected to said bus, in which said processor executes said set of instructions to;after a help mode is triggered and before a transparent layer is displayed, collect objects shown on a display interface for a running application and identifications (IDs) representing the objects, wherein a state of the display interface at the time of the collecting does not show a help indicia next to all of the objects for which help contents are available; for each of the objects for which identifications were collected and before the transparent layer is displayed, determine whether there are object identifications of objects with help contents associated; without modifying a positioning of element in the display interface from that of the state, display a transparent layer over the display interface and visually indicating in the transparent layer all the objects with help contents associated to prompt a user to select a desired object, wherein at a time that the visual indicating occurs via the transparent layer, the help contents are not displayed in either the transparent layer or the display interface, wherein displayed transparent layer is configured to receive and handle events associated with the objects in the underlying layer of display interface; and receive a user selection of one of the objects that is visually indicated as having help contents associated, responsive to the receiving, displaying help contents associated with the one of the objects, wherein displaying the help contents causes the help indicator to no longer be presented. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method comprising:
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before a help mode is triggered, presenting a plurality of graphical objects on a touch-sensitive screen, wherein a state of the tough-sensitive screen at the time of the presenting of the graphical objects does not show a help indicia next to all of the graphical objects for which help contents are available; after the help mode is triggered and in response to the help mode being triggered, presenting a graphical overlay on the touch-sensitive screen, having a level of transparency that permits the graphical objects to be seen, wherein the graphical overlay presents a help indictor proximate to the graphical objects for which help content is available and does not present a help indicator proximate to graphical objects to which help content is not available, wherein when the graphical overlay is active, the graphical objects in underlying display interface are not able to receive any events, wherein the presenting of the graphical overlay occurs without modifying a positioning of graphical objects from that of the state; receiving a touch input on the touch-sensitive screen for one of the help indicators and a corresponding one of the graphical objects still visible through the graphical overlay; responsive to the touch input, determining help content for the one of the graphical objects; and presenting the help content on the graphical overlay on the touch-sensitive screen in responsive to receiving the touch input, wherein the presenting the help content causes the help indicator to no longer be presented, and wherein the presenting of the help content at least partially obscures the underlying graphical objects, wherein the help content is not concurrently displayed with the help indicator, wherein the graphical overlay is presented responsive to an activation of a help function, wherein in absence of the help indicators being presented on the graphical overlay, no visual indication exists to indicate that selective ones of the graphical objects have help content associated with them and other ones of the graphical objects do not have help content associated with them. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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Specification