Context aware user interface parts

• US 9,792,354 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2014
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Olenick, Brad, Scrosati, Christopher, Welicki, Leon Ezequiel, Sanderson, Steven, Dias, Alvaro Rahul, Armas, Federico Silva, Joshi, Vishal R., Cox, Tom, Beckwith, Justin, Lucero, Jonathan, Owens, Kristofer John, Danton, Stephen Michael, Sterling, Jonah Bush, Supino, Dina-Marie Ledonna, Bhojawala, Nafisa, Joshi, Madhur, Anand, Karandeep Singh, Staples, William J., Francisco, Jesse David, Alexander, Brendyn, Casal, Julio O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Hien
• Application Number:
  US14/231,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20150095811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3329 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence

Abstract

A model for displaying multiple user interface elements such that each control includes a container that includes standard functionality across at least a majority of the user interface elements. For instance, such standard functionality might include a part status indication, a title, a content status indication, a command invocation function, a part resizing function, and so forth. The model may also provide for standardization of resizing of user interface elements. For a given user interface element, there would be a predetermined number of possible size and shapes, each corresponding to a different projection of data. For instance, all of the user interface elements on a screen may fall within the predetermined number of possible size and shapes, thereby allowing more functional layout of the user interface on the display.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to cause the computer system to visually manage a lifecycle of a resource, the computer-executable instructions including instructions that are executable to cause the computer system to perform at least the following;

display a plurality of visualized container user interface elements on a screen as part of a portal user interface, each container user interface element being associated with a corresponding resource, being configured to manage a lifecycle of the corresponding resource, and being configured to be displayed using a predetermined number of different sizes, such that each visualized container user interface element is resizable to each of the predetermined number of different sizes, each different size being configured to display a different level of detail of data associated with the corresponding resource; and

manage the lifecycle of a particular resource using a particular one of the plurality of visualized containers, including;

displaying a visual representation associated with the particular resource within the particular visualized container using a first size of the particular visualized container that is configured to display a first level of detail of data associated with the particular resource, the first level of detail including a status indication of the particular resource indicating that the particular resource is not running, the visual representation also including one or more visual user interface controls for sending one or more commands to the particular resource, including a particular user interface control for sending a start command;

based at least on receiving a user selection of the particular visual user interface control, sending a start command to the particular resource and updating the displayed status indication to indicate that the particular resource is starting; and

once the particular resource has started, updating the visual representation of the particular resource within the particular visualized container using a second, different, size of the particular visualized container that is configured to display a second level of detail of data associated with the particular resource, the second level of detail including service data generated by the particular resource, when running.

2. The computer system in accordance with claim 1, the status indication being a blocking or non-blocking status.

3. The computer system in accordance with claim 1, the status indication being a progress indication.

4. The computer system in accordance with claim 1, the status indication being a failed status.

5. The computer system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the visual representation the visual representation includes a title displayed in a predetermined place.

6. The computer system in accordance with claim 5, the predetermined place being a first predetermined place, the visual representation including a subtitle displayed in a second predetermined place.

7. The computer system in accordance with claim 1, the status indication being a success status.

8. The computer system in accordance with claim 1, the status indication being a warning status.

9. The computer system in accordance with claim 1, the status indication being an error status.

10. The computer system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second level of detail includes changing a form of presentation of the data associated with the particular resource.

11. The computer system in accordance with claim 10, wherein changing the form of presentation of the data comprises changing between a multimedia and a text format.

12. The computer system in accordance with claim 1, wherein updating the visual representation also comprises changing a shape of the visual representation.

13. A method, implemented at a computer system that includes one or more processors, for visually managing a lifecycle of a resource, the method comprising:

presenting a plurality of visualized container user interface elements on a screen as part of a portal user interface, each container user interface element being associated with a corresponding resource, being configured to manage a lifecycle of the corresponding resource, and being configured to be displayed using a predetermined number of different sizes, such that each visualized container user interface element is resizable to each of the predetermined number of different sizes, each different size and shape being configured to display a different level of detail of data associated with the corresponding resource; and

managing the lifecycle of a particular resource using a particular one of the plurality visualized containers, including;

presenting a visual representation associated with the particular resource within the particular visualized container using a first size of the particular visualized container that is configured to display a first level of detail of data associated with the particular resource, the first level of detail including a status indication of the particular resource indicating that the particular resource is not running, the visual representation also including one or more visual user interface controls for sending one or more commands to the particular resource, including a particular user interface control for sending a start command;

based at least on receiving a user selection of the particular visual user interface control, sending a start command to the particular resource and updating the status indication to indicate that the particular resource is starting; and

once the particular resource has started, updating the visual representation of the particular resource within the particular visualized container using a second, different, size of the particular visualized container that is configured to display a second level of detail of data associated with the particular resource, the second level of detail including service data generated by the particular resource, when running.

14. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the second level of detail includes changing a form of presentation of the data associated with the particular resource.

15. The method in accordance with claim 14, wherein changing the form of presentation of the data comprises changing between a multimedia format and a textual format.

16. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein updating the visual representation also comprises changing a shape of the visual representation.

17. A computer program product comprising one or more hardware storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to cause the computer system to visually manage a lifecycle of a resource, the computer-executable instructions including instructions that are executable to cause the computer system to perform at least the following:

render a plurality of visualized container user interface elements on a screen as part of a portal user interface, each container user interface element being associated with a corresponding resource, being configured to manage a lifecycle of the corresponding resource, and being configured to be displayed using a predetermined number of different sizes, such that each visualized container user interface element is resizable to each of the predetermined number of different sizes, each different size being configured to display a different level of detail of data associated with the corresponding resource; and

managed the lifecycle of a particular resource using a particular one of the plurality visualized containers, including;

rendering a visual representation associated with the particular resource within the particular visualized container using a first size of the particular visualized container that is configured to display a first level of detail of data associated with the particular resource, the first level of detail including a status indication of the particular resource indicating that the particular resource is not running, the visual representation also including one or more visual user interface controls for sending one or more commands to the particular resource, including a particular user interface control for sending a start command;

based at least on receiving a user selection of the particular visual user interface control, sending a start command to the particular resource and updating the displayed status indication to indicate that the particular resource is starting; and

once the particular resource has started, updating the visual representation of the particular resource within the particular visualized container using a second, different, size of the particular visualized container that is configured to display a second level of detail of data associated with the particular resource, the second level of detail including service data generated by the particular resource, when running.

18. The computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the second level of detail includes changing a form of presentation of the data associated with the particular resource.

19. The computer program product in accordance with claim 18, wherein changing the form of presentation of the data comprises changing between a multimedia format and a textual format.

20. The computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein updating the visual representation also comprises changing a shape of the visual representation.