Interactive visualization of multiple software functionality content items

• US 9,996,241 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2011
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kikin-Gil, Erez, Friend, Ned B., Kotler, Matthew J., Parker, Charles W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Hien L
• Application Number:
  US13/271,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20130091465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,436 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Interactive visualization of multiple software functionality content items is provided. A variety of content items may be associated with each other according to one or more association attributes. A visualization presentation of one or more of the content items may be displayed in a visualization interface. Organization of content items may be made in association with a visualization ordering based on one or more logical attributes. An ordered navigation interface component may be provided to allow navigation of the displayed content items in a moving visualization such that a focused on content item may be displayed in a main or primary display position. Users may interact with each content item displayed in the visualization interface to include providing edits, comments, feedback, and the like.

Claims

1. A method of providing a computer-generated visualization of electronic content items, comprising:

receiving a plurality of content items from a data store;

displaying a portion of the plurality of content items on a visualization surface in a sequential order across the visualization surface, wherein a content item of the plurality of content items is displayed in a primary display position;

displaying on the visualization surface an ordered navigation interface for providing navigation of the display of the portion of the plurality of content items, the ordered navigation interface including a plurality of arrangement options, each arrangement option being associated with a respective subset of the plurality of content items that are associated with a same respective attribute corresponding to the arrangement option;

receiving a request to edit the content item displayed in the primary display position;

in response to receiving the request, providing application functionality within the visualization surface to edit the content item displayed in the primary display position without separately launching an application having the application functionality; and

saving the content item to the data store.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying on the visualization surface the ordered navigation interface for providing navigation of the display of the portion of the plurality of content items includes displaying on the visualization surface a timeline interface for providing navigation of the display of the portion of the plurality of content items based on times associated with each of the plurality of content items.

3. The method of claim 1, prior to displaying the portion of the plurality of content items on the visualization surface, further comprising associating each of the plurality of content items with each other based on a prescribed ordering attribute associated with each of the plurality of content items.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein upon receiving a command for navigating from one content item to another content item, moving the display of the portion of the plurality of content items across the visualization surface such that a navigated to one of the plurality of content items is displayed in the primary display position relative to other of the plurality of content items, and such that the navigated to one of the plurality of content items is displayed in a larger display size than a display size for the other of the plurality of content items.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing navigation of the display of the portion of the plurality of content items includes providing navigation of the display of the portion of the plurality of content items in a sequential order according to a prescribed ordering attribute associated with each of the plurality of content items.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, upon receiving an interaction with the ordered navigation interface for navigating the display of the portion of the plurality of content items, moving the display of the portion of the plurality of content items across the visualization surface such that a navigated to one of the plurality of content items is displayed in the primary display position relative to other of the plurality of content items.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising displaying at a particular point along the ordered navigation interface an icon for indicating an event has occurred to a content item at the particular point along the ordered navigation interface, wherein the particular point along the ordered navigation interface corresponds to the content item displayed with the display of the plurality of content items and associated with the event that has occurred.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein upon receiving a selection of the icon, automatically navigating to the content item associated with the icon such that the content item associated with the icon is displayed in the primary display position relative to other of the plurality of content items.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying in association with the content item associated with the icon a graphical representation of the event that has occurred to the content item.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein indicating the event has occurred to the content item at the particular point along the ordered navigation interface includes indicating that a content change has occurred for the content item.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a single content item of the plurality of content items on the visualization surface; and

wherein displaying the ordered navigation interface includes displaying the ordered navigation interface where one or more points along the ordered navigation interface corresponds to one or more states of the single content item.

12. A computing device for providing a visualization of electronic content items, comprising:

a processing unit;

a memory; and

a content visualization application operative to;

retrieve content items at a data store;

display a portion of content items on a visualization surface according to a prescribed ordering attribute associated with each of the content items;

display an ordered navigation interface on the visualization surface for providing navigation of the content items, the ordered navigation interface including a plurality of arrangement options, each arrangement option being associated with a respective subset of the content items that are associated with a same respective attribute corresponding to the arrangement option;

navigating to a selected content item on the visualization surface;

receiving a request to edit the selected content item;

in response to receiving the request, providing application functionality within the visualization surface to edit the selected content item; and

saving the selected content item to the data store.

13. The computing device of claim 12, further comprising receiving an indication that a new content item has been added to the data store.

14. The computing device of claim 13, further comprising updating the visualization surface to display the new content item.

15. The computing device of claim 12, further comprising receiving an indication that a content item has been deleted from the data store.

16. The computing device of claim 12, further comprising updating the visualization surface to remove the content item.

17. The computing device of claim 12, further comprising receiving an indication that a content item at the data store has been edited.

18. The computing device of claim 12, further comprising displaying an indication on the visualization surface indicating the content item has edited.

19. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the content item is edited without separately launching an application having the application functionality.

20. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the ordered navigation interface includes a current focus of the visualization surface, the current focus indicating the portion of the content items that are displayed in the visualization surface.

21. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the application functionality is retrieved by the content visualization application for the portion of the content items.

22. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the selected content item in the content visualization application is a live document, wherein edits may be made and saved according to a native application functionality with which those documents were created.

23. The computing device of claim 22, wherein each content item is linked to the native application functionality.

24. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the ordered navigation interface on the visualization surface for providing navigation of the content items comprises a smaller display of each of the content items.

25. A computer readable storage device forming an article of manufacture and containing computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer perform a method of providing a visualization of electronic content items, comprising:

retrieving content items at a data store;

displaying a portion of content items on a visualization surface according to a prescribed ordering attribute associated with each of the content items;

displaying an ordered navigation interface on the visualization surface for providing navigation of the content items, the ordered navigation interface including a plurality of arrangement options, each arrangement option being associated with a respective subset of the content items that are associated with a same respective attribute corresponding to the arrangement option;

navigating to a selected content item on the visualization surface;

when a request to edit the selected content item is received;

in response to receiving the request, providing application functionality within the visualization surface to edit the selected content item; and

saving the selected content item to the data store; and

when an event associated with a content item at the data store has occurred;

receiving an indication of the event; and

updating the visualization surface.

26. The computer readable storage device of claim 25, wherein the event is one of a adding the content item to the data store, removing the content item from the data store, and a change to the content item at the data store.

27. The computer readable storage device of claim 25, wherein providing application functionality within the visualization surface to edit the selected content item comprises functionality to revise the selected content item.