Pinable and actionable navigation breadcrumbs

• US 10,552,029 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2015
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ADP, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ADP LLC (ADP, Inc.)
• Inventors: Heasman, Nick, Morgan, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Yi, Rinna
• Application Number:
  US14/850,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20170075542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

A method implemented by a computer. The method includes displaying, on a tangible display device, a pinboard including a first breadcrumb on a first area of the display device, wherein the breadcrumb points to first data. The method also includes displaying, on a second area of the tangible display device different than the first area, a plurality of categories of information regarding the first data. The method also includes responsive to selecting a first category of the plurality of categories, performing both of: displaying details regarding the first category in a third area of the tangible display device different than the first area and the second area, as well as updating the breadcrumb to point to second data relating to the first category, whereby faster operation of the computer is enabled by avoidance of intervening user actions.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computer, the method comprising:

displaying, on a tangible display device, a web page that includes a first area, a second area, a third area, and a fourth area;

displaying, on the tangible display device, a pinboard in the first area of the web page, wherein the pinboard contains a pin icon, a separation bar, and a first breadcrumb comprising a visual representation of a first person, the first breadcrumb pointing to first data associated with the first person, and a second breadcrumb that is associated with a corresponding web page, wherein breadcrumbs on a first side of the separation bar automatically change over time as a user or a data processing system creates or manipulates the breadcrumbs over time, and breadcrumbs on a second side of the separation bar comprise breadcrumbs the user has pinned to the pinboard using the pin icon;

responsive to the user manipulating the separation bar in the pinboard, expanding the pinboard to show a number of breadcrumbs represented as icons or collapsing the pinboard, such that the breadcrumb can be moved to a new position by dragging and dropping that results in displaying moved breadcrumbs in the collapsed pinboard;

responsive to the user selecting the first breadcrumb in the pinboard, displaying a plurality of categories regarding the first data associated with the first person, wherein each of the plurality of categories is associated with a selectable icon and relates to at least one of;

a task list, a checklist, one or more timelines, or different categories relating to an employment of the first person;

responsive to the user selecting a first category of the plurality of categories in the second area, displaying details of the selected first category associated with the first person in the third area, and updating the first breadcrumb of the pinboard with new data relating to the selected first category, such that, responsive to the user selecting the first breadcrumb of the pinboard in the first area at a later time, the first breadcrumb points to the new data relating to the selected first category to display updated details with new data regarding the first category in the third area;

responsive to the user selecting the selectable icons associated with the plurality of categories in the second area, updating the selectable icons by including visual indicators that indicate a task or a step represented by a corresponding category is completed; and

responsive to the user selecting the second breadcrumb in the pinboard, displaying, on the tangible display device, the corresponding web page associated with the second breadcrumb.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

responsive to the user selecting the fourth area, displaying, in the second area, one or more tasks or steps of a process related to a timeline.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

responsive to the user selecting a task from the one or more tasks or steps in the second area, displaying, in the second area, one or more sub-tasks of the process under the selected task in the second area.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

responsive to the user selecting the fourth area, displaying, on the fourth area of the tangible display device, a name of a category relating to a timeline of the one or more timelines.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

responsive to the user selecting the fourth area, displaying additional categories in the plurality of categories of the second area.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the timeline is the first category.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

responsive to the user selecting the fourth area, displaying, on the fourth area of the tangible display device, a name of a category relating to a timeline of the one or more timelines.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

responsive to the user selecting the fourth area, displaying additional categories in the plurality of categories of the second area.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to the user selecting the fourth area, displaying, on the fourth area of the tangible display device, a name of a category relating to a timeline of the one or more timelines.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

responsive to the user selecting the fourth area, displaying additional categories in the plurality of categories of the second area.

11. A computing device, comprising:

a tangible display device; and

a processor in communication with the tangible display device, wherein the processor;

displays, on the tangible display device, a web page that includes a first area, a second area, a third area, and a fourth area;

displays, on the tangible display device, a pinboard in the first area of the web page, wherein the pinboard includes a pin icon, a separation bar, and a first breadcrumb that is a visual representation of a first person, wherein the first breadcrumb points to first data associated with the first person, and a second breadcrumb that is associated with a corresponding web page, wherein breadcrumbs on a first side of the separation bar automatically change as a user or a data processing system creates the breadcrumbs over time, and breadcrumbs on a second side of the separation bar comprise breadcrumbs the user has pinned to the pinboard using the pin icon;

in response to the user manipulating the separation bar in the pinboard, expands the pinboard to show a number of breadcrumbs represented as icons or collapse the pinboard, such that the breadcrumb can be moved to a new position by dragging and dropping that results in displaying moved breadcrumbs in the collapsed pinboard;

in response to the user selecting the first breadcrumb in the pinboard, displays a plurality of categories regarding the first data associated with the first person, wherein each of the plurality of categories is associated with a selectable icon and relates to at least one of;

a task list, a check list, one or more timelines, or different categories relating an employment of the first person;

in response to the user selecting a first category of the plurality of categories in the second area, displays details of the selected first category associated with the first person in the third area, and update the first breadcrumb of the pinboard with new data relating to the selected first category, such that, responsive to the user selecting the first breadcrumb of the pinboard in the first area at a later time, the first breadcrumb points to the new data relating to first category to display updated details with new data regarding the first category in the third area;

in response to the user selecting the selectable icons associated with the plurality of categories in the second area, updates the selectable icons by including visual indicators that indicates a task or a step represented by a corresponding category is completed; and

in response to the user selecting the second breadcrumb in the pinboard, displays, on the tangible display device, the corresponding web page associated with the second breadcrumb.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the processor further:

in response to the user selecting the fourth area, displays, in the second area, one or more tasks or steps of a process related to a timeline.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the processor further:

in response to the user selecting a task from the one or more tasks or steps in the second area, displays, in the second area, one or more sub-tasks of the process under the selected task in the second area.

14. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the first category is the timeline.

15. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the processor further:

in response to the user selecting the fourth area, displays on the fourth area of the tangible display device, a name of a category relating to a timeline of the one or more timelines.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the processor further:

in response to the user selecting the fourth area, displays additional categories in the plurality of categories displayed in the second area for selection.

17. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium including instructions for improving operation of a computer by avoidance of intervening user actions, the instructions comprising;

first program code for displaying, on a tangible display device, a web page that includes a first area, a second area, a third area, and a fourth area;

second program code for displaying, on the tangible display device, a pinboard in the first area of the web page, wherein the pinboard comprises a pin icon, a separation bar, and a first breadcrumb that is a visual representation of a first person, wherein the first breadcrumb points to first data associated with the first person, and a second breadcrumb that is associated with a corresponding web page, wherein breadcrumbs on a first side of the separation bar automatically change over time as a user or a data processing system creates the breadcrumbs, and breadcrumbs on a second side of the separation bar comprise breadcrumbs the user has pinned to the pinboard using the pin icon;

third program code for, responsive to the user manipulating the separation bar in the pinboard, expanding the pinboard to show a number of breadcrumbs represented as icons or collapse the pinboard, such that the breadcrumb can be moved to a new position by dragging and dropping that results in displaying the breadcrumbs in the collapsed pinboard;

fourth program code for, responsive to the user selecting the first breadcrumb in the pinboard, displaying a plurality of categories regarding the first data associated with the first person, wherein each of the plurality of categories is associated with a selectable icon and relates to at least one of;

a task list, a check list, one or more timelines, or different categories relating to employment of the first person;

fifth program code for, responsive to the user selecting a first category of the plurality of categories in the second area, displaying details of the selected first category associated with the first person in the third area, and substantially simultaneously update the first breadcrumb of the pinboard with new data relating to the selected first category, such that, responsive to the user selecting the first breadcrumb of the pinboard in the first area at a later time, the first breadcrumb points to the new data relating to the first category to display updated details with new data regarding the first category in the third area;

sixth program code for, responsive to the user selecting the selectable icons associated with the plurality of categories in the second area, updating the selectable icons by including visual indicators that indicate a task or a step represented by a corresponding category is complete; and

seventh program code for, responsive to the user selecting the second breadcrumb in the pinboard, displaying, on the tangible display device, the corresponding web page associated with the second breadcrumb.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the instructions further comprise:

eighth program code for displaying, in the second area, one or more tasks or steps of a process related to a timeline.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the first category is the timeline.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein displaying the one or more tasks or steps is responsive to the user selecting the fourth area.