Breadth-first menu system for mobile applications

• US 9,886,170 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Wang, Yifei
• Primary Examiner(s): Xia, Xuyang
• Application Number:
  US14/315,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20150378521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Disclosed herein are technologies for implementing a framework for displaying menu items, across different modules, at the same level on a screen display to allow direct switching to different levels, i.e., without stepping back and forth in levels. This Abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of displaying menu items that allows direct switching to different levels, the method being implemented by at least one computing device and comprising:

loading the menu items from an initial breadth-first data structure in a database of the at least one computing device, wherein the menu items are structured based on modules and importance of the modules;

displaying a menu comprising the menu items and user-selectable elements indicating the different levels of importance of the modules in a user interface of the at least one computing device,

wherein the user-selectable elements enable a user to directly select and display one of the different levels of the menu items from across different function modules while hiding menu items associated with levels other than the selected displayed level,

wherein there are at least two different function modules being concurrently displayed in the menu for the selected level,

wherein the user-selected elements for the displayed one of the different levels of the menu items are concurrently displayed across respective tabs,

wherein the different levels are determined by frequencies of usage;

receiving a user-input that includes a selection of at least one menu item at the selected level;

counting the user-input to accumulate a usage-frequency for the at least one menu item and storing the usage-frequency for the at least one menu item in the initial breadth-first data structure;

comparing the usage-frequency of the selected at least one menu item to a usage-threshold for a particular menu level;

when the usage-frequency for the selected at least one menu item reaches the usage-threshold for the particular menu level,

automatically promoting the selected at least one menu item to that menu level while updating the initial breadth-first data structure; and

loading the updated breadth-first data structure and displaying the menu accordingly.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the importance of the modules comprises a first level, a second level, and a third level of importance, wherein the first level, the second level, and the third level of importance correspond to frequently selected, less frequently selected, and rarely selected menu items, respectively.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the initial breadth-first data structure is configured in a program logic to move the menu items between a first level, a second level, and a third level, wherein the moving of the menu items is facilitated by the selection of the at least one menu item in the user-input.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the usage-threshold is different for a first level, a second level, and a third level.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the usage-frequency comprises a number of times that the at least one menu item is selected.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the displaying the menu comprises displaying the initial breadth-first data structure as a flat list.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the updating comprises changing locations and positions of the selected at least one menu item in a stack register or the database.

8. A mobile device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media in communication with the one or more processors, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media stores processor-executable instructions that when executed cause the one or more processors to perform operations to;

load menu items of an initial breadth-first data structure from a database of the mobile device, wherein the menu items are structured based on modules and importance of the modules;

display a menu comprising the menu items and user-selectable elements indicating the different levels of importance of the modules in a user interface of the mobile device, wherein the user-selectable elements enable a user to directly select and display one of the different levels of the menu items from across different function modules while hiding menu items associated with levels other than the selected displayed level, wherein there are at least two different function modules being concurrently displayed in the menu for the selected level, wherein the user-selected elements for the displayed one of the different levels of the menu items are concurrently displayed across respective tabs, wherein the different levels are determined by frequencies of usage;

receive a user-input that includes a selection of at least one menu item at the selected level;

count the user-input to accumulate a usage-frequency for the at least one menu item and store the usage-frequency for the at least one menu item in the initial breadth-first data structure;

compare the usage-frequency of the selected at least one menu item to a usage-threshold for a particular menu level;

when the usage-frequency for the selected at least one menu item reaches the usage-threshold for the particular menu level,

automatically promote the selected at least one menu item to that menu level while updating the initial breadth-first data structure; and

load the updated initial breadth-first data structure and display the menu accordingly.

9. The mobile device according to claim 8, wherein the importance of the modules comprises a first a second level, and a third level of importance, wherein the first level, the second level, and the third level of importance correspond to frequently selected, less frequently selected, and rarely selected menu items, respectively.

10. The mobile device according to claim 8, wherein the usage-threshold is different for a first level, a second level, and a third level.

11. The mobile device according to claim 8, wherein the usage-frequency comprises a number of times that the at least one menu item is selected.

12. The mobile device according to claim 8, wherein the displaying the updated breadth-first data structure comprises displaying the updated breadth-first data structure as a flat list.

13. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing processor-executable instructions that when executed cause one or more processors of at least one computing device to perform operations comprising:

loading menu items of a breadth-first data structure from a database of the at least one computing device, wherein the menu items are structured based on modules and importance of the modules;

displaying a menu comprising the menu items and user-selectable elements indicating the different levels of importance of the modules in a user interface of the at least one computing device, wherein the user-selectable elements enable a user to directly select and display one of the different levels of the menu items from across different function modules while hiding menu items associated with levels other than the selected displayed level, wherein there are at least two different function modules being concurrently displayed in the menu for the selected level, wherein the user-selected elements for the displayed one of the different levels of the menu items are concurrently displayed across respective tabs, wherein the different levels are determined by frequencies of usage;

receiving a user-input that includes a selection of at least one menu item at the selected level;

counting the user-input to accumulate a usage-frequency for the at least one menu item and storing the usage-frequency for the at least one menu item in the breadth-first data structure;

comparing the usage-frequency of the selected at least one menu item to a usage-threshold for a particular menu level;

when the usage-frequency for the selected at least one menu item reaches the usage-threshold for the particular menu level,

automatically promoting the selected at least one menu item to that menu level while updating the breadth-first data structure; and

loading the updated breadth-first data structure and displaying the menu accordingly.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media according to claim 13, wherein the importance of the modules comprises a first a second level;

and a third level of importance, wherein the first level, the second level; and

the third level of importance correspond to frequently selected, less frequently selected, and rarely selected menu items, respectively.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media according to claim 13, wherein the breadth-first data structure is configured by a program logic to move the menu items between a first level, a second level, and a third level, wherein the moving of the menu items is facilitated by the selection of the at least one menu item in the user-input.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media according to claim 13, wherein the usage-threshold is different for a first level, a second level, and a third level.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media according to claim 13, wherein the usage-frequency comprises a number of times that the at least one menu item is selected.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media according to claim 13, wherein the displaying the updated breadth-first data structure comprises displaying the updated breadth-first data structure as a flat list.