Grouping items in a folder

• US 9,886,165 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2015
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ording, Bas, Hart, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kimbinh T
• Application Number:
  US14/687,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20150220248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 345473, 715854
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation

Abstract

User interface changes and file system operations related to grouping items in a destination folder are disclosed. A user can group multiple items displayed on a user interface into a destination folder using an input command. An animation can be presented in the user interface illustrating the creation of the destination folder and the movement of each selected item into the newly created folder. The movement of each selected item can be along a respective path starting from an initial location on the user interface and terminating at the destination folder, and initiation of the movement of each selected item can be asynchronous with respect to the other selected items. Implementations showing the animations in various types of user interfaces are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at an electronic device with one or more processors, memory, and a display device;

displaying, with the display device, a representation of a folder at a first location in a user interface, the folder including a first item and a second item;

while displaying the representation of the folder in the user interface, receiving an item-removal input for removing a plurality of items from the folder;

determining a second location as a destination for the first item and a third location as a destination for the second item, wherein the third location is different from the second location; and

in response to receiving the item-removal input, displaying an animation of;

the first item moving along a first respective path from the first location to the second location in the user interface, and

the second item moving along a second respective path from the first location to the third location in the user interface, wherein the second respective path is different from the first respective path.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving the item-removal input, ceasing display of the representation of the folder in the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface is a desktop of the electronic device kept in a keep-arranged state according to a keep-arranged criterion, and the method further comprises:

in response to receiving the item-removal input and before displaying the animation, determining the second location and the third location in the user interface based on the keep-arranged criterion.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the representation of the folder at the first location in the user interface is at a first time, the method further comprising:

at a second time, before the first time, receiving one or more item-addition inputs for adding the first item and the second item to the folder; and

in response to receiving the one or more item-addition inputs, adding the first item and the second item to the folder,

wherein the item-removal input comprises an input for reversing the addition of the first item and the second item to the folder.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

in response to receiving the item-removal input and before displaying the animation, determining a first original location of the first item in the user interface and a second original location of the second item in the user interface, wherein, at the second time;

the first item was displayed at the first original location in the user interface, and

the second item was displayed at the second original location in the user interface; and

designating the first original location of the first item as the second location, and the second original location of the second item as the third location.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to receiving the item-removal input and before displaying the animation, determining whether the first item and the second item can be moved to the first original location and the second original location in the user interface, respectively; and

in accordance with a determination that the first item and the second item cannot be moved to the first original location and the second original location in the user interface, respectively, forgoing displaying the animation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the item-removal input does not include a movement component.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the animation is independent of a movement component of the item-removal input.

9. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

displaying, with a display device, a representation of a folder at a first location in a user interface, the folder including a first item and a second item;

while displaying the representation of the folder in the user interface, receiving an item-removal input for removing a plurality of items from the folder;

determining a second location as a destination for the first item and a third location as a destination for the second item, wherein the third location is different from the second location; and

in response to receiving the item-removal input, displaying an animation of;

the first item moving along a first respective path from the first location to the second location in the user interface, and

the second item moving along a second respective path from the first location to the third location in the user interface, wherein the second respective path is different from the first respective path.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, further comprising instructions for:

in response to receiving the item-removal input, ceasing display of the representation of the folder in the user interface.

11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the user interface is a desktop of the electronic device kept in a keep-arranged state according to a keep-arranged criterion, and the electronic device further comprises instructions for:

in response to receiving the item-removal input and before displaying the animation, determining the second location and the third location in the user interface based on the keep-arranged criterion.

12. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein displaying the representation of the folder at the first location in the user interface is at a first time, and the electronic device further comprises instructions for:

at a second time, before the first time, receiving one or more item-addition inputs for adding the first item and the second item to the folder; and

in response to receiving the one or more item-addition inputs, adding the first item and the second item to the folder,

wherein the item-removal input comprises an input for reversing the addition of the first item and the second item to the folder.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, further comprising instructions for:

in response to receiving the item-removal input and before displaying the animation, determining a first original location of the first item in the user interface and a second original location of the second item in the user interface, wherein, at the second time;

the first item was displayed at the first original location in the user interface, and

the second item was displayed at the second original location in the user interface; and

designating the first original location of the first item as the second location, and the second original location of the second item as the third location.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising instructions for:

in response to receiving the item-removal input and before displaying the animation, determining whether the first item and the second item can be moved to the first original location and the second original location in the user interface, respectively; and

in accordance with a determination that the first item and the second item cannot be moved to the first original location and the second original location in the user interface, respectively, forgoing displaying the animation.

15. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the item-removal input does not include a movement component.

16. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the animation is independent of a movement component of the item-removal input.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by an electronic device with one or more processors and memory, cause the device to:

display, with a display device, a representation of a folder at a first location in a user interface, the folder including a first item and a second item;

while displaying the representation of the folder in the user interface, receive an item-removal input for removing a plurality of items from the folder;

determine a second location as a destination for the first item and a third location as a destination for the second item, wherein the third location is different from the second location; and

in response to receiving the item-removal input, display an animation of;

the first item moving along a first respective path from the first location to the second location in the user interface, and

the second item moving along a second respective path from the first location to the third location in the user interface, wherein the second respective path is different from the first respective path.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions that cause the device to:

in response to receiving the item-removal input, cease display of the representation of the folder in the user interface.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein displaying the representation of the folder at the first location in the user interface is at a first time, and the computer readable storage medium further comprises instructions that cause the device to:

at a second time, before the first time, receive one or more item-addition inputs for adding the first item and the second item to the folder; and

in response to receiving the one or more item-addition inputs, add the first item and the second item to the folder,

wherein the item-removal input comprises an input for reversing the addition of the first item and the second item to the folder.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions that cause the device to:

in response to receiving the item-removal input and before displaying the animation, determine a first original location of the first item in the user interface and a second original location of the second item in the user interface, wherein, at the second time;

the first item was displayed at the first original location in the user interface, and

the second item was displayed at the second original location in the user interface; and

designate the first original location of the first item as the second location, and the second original location of the second item as the third location.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 20, further comprising instructions that cause the device to:

in response to receiving the item-removal input and before displaying the animation, determine whether the first item and the second item can be moved to the first original location and the second original location in the user interface, respectively; and

in accordance with a determination that the first item and the second item cannot be moved to the first original location and the second original location in the user interface, respectively, forgo displaying the animation.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the animation is independent of a movement component of the item-removal input.