Displaying nodes visually offset from associated components

• US 10,534,501 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2015
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kamiyama, Yoshiroh, Shima, Kotaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Pringle-Parker, Jason A
• Application Number:
  US14/589,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20150116319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,835 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

[Object] To facilitate user'"'"'s operations.

[Solution] An editing apparatus is provided including: a component output unit for outputting a display screen on which a plurality of components are displayed; a node output unit for outputting a plurality of nodes respectively corresponding to the plurality of components on the display screen so that the nodes are displayed along with the plurality of components so as to overlap the display of the plurality of components; and a setting unit for setting, in response to a user'"'"'s instruction of association between two or more of the nodes, an association between two or more of the components corresponding to the two or more of the nodes.

Claims

1. A computer hardware system, comprising:

at least one hardware processor configured to initiate and/or perform;

outputting, to a display screen, a plurality of concurrently-displayed software components;

outputting, to the display screen, two nodes respectively associated with two of the plurality of software components; and

outputting, to the display screen and responsive to a selection of the two nodes, a link connecting the two nodes, wherein

a first of the two nodes is graphically linked to the software component to which the first node is associated, and

the first node displays a selected property of the software component to which the first node is associated.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein

the first node is graphically linked to the software component with a three-dimensional shape, and

the three-dimensional shape includes

the one node as one portion and

the associated software component as a second portion.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein

the one node is an upper face of the three-dimensional shape,

the associated software component is a lower face of the three-dimensional shape.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein

the three-dimensional shape is a truncated pyramid.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein

the link is based upon the selected property.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein

a second of the two nodes is associated with a tab of one of a plurality of windows.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to initiate and/or perform:

displaying a plurality of tabs respectively associated with a plurality of windows, and

maintaining, upon a selection of a new tab, display of the two nodes and the link connecting the two nodes.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to initiate and/or perform:

outputting, to the display screen, a shadow for each of the two nodes.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein

each of the plurality of concurrently-displayed software components are a window with which an application program executed by the computer is associated.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein

each of the plurality of concurrently-displayed software components respectively create a display on the display screen.

11. A computer program product, comprising:

a hardware storage device having stored therein computer-readable program code, which when executed by a computer hardware device, causes the computer hardware device to perform;

outputting, to a display screen, a plurality of concurrently-displayed software components;

outputting, to the display screen, two nodes respectively associated with two of the plurality of software components; and

outputting, to the display screen and responsive to a selection of the two nodes, a link connecting the two nodes, wherein

a first of the two nodes is graphically linked to the software component to which the first node is associated, and

the first node displays a selected property of the software component to which the first node is associated.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein

the link is based upon the selected property.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein

a second of the two nodes is associated with a tab of one of a plurality of windows.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer-readable program code further causes the computer hardware device to perform:

displaying a plurality of tabs respectively associated with a plurality of windows, and

maintaining, upon a selection of a new tab, display of the two nodes and the link connecting the two nodes.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer-readable program code further causes the computer hardware device to perform:

outputting, to the display screen, a shadow for each of the two nodes.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein

each of the plurality of concurrently-displayed software components are a window with which an application program executed by the computer is associated.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein

each of the plurality of concurrently-displayed software components respectively create a display on the display screen.

18. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein

the first node is graphically linked to the software component with a three-dimensional shape, and

the three-dimensional shape includes

the one node as one portion and

the associated software component as a second portion.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein

the one node is an upper face of the three-dimensional shape,

the associated software component is a lower face of the three-dimensional shape.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein

the three-dimensional shape is a truncated pyramid.