Transitions between user interfaces in a content editing application

• US 10,642,927 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Dukhon, Marina, Gordner, Jonathan Ian, Satterfield, Jesse Clay, Singh, Navjot, Trevino, Maria Fernandez, Alberts, Amy E., Guntaur, Paula
• Primary Examiner(s): Belousov, Andrey
• Application Number:
  US15/483,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20170212877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 715753
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• 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 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

An out-space actuator is selected to access an out-space user interface for a document editor program. An out-space actuator is associated with an in-space user interface having a displayed document. When the out-space actuator is selected, an out-space user interface is displayed that includes an expanded feature selection surface. The out-space user interface may be used to display one or more status panes for providing status information about a document being edited in the in-space user interface. Application features for affecting changes to a given document'"'"'s status may be exposed in the out-space interface in proximity to associated status information. An out-space communication user interface (UI) component may be temporarily displayed in the document in-space user interface to communicate document status information that is presently available in the out-space user interface. A message bar may be displayed in the in-space user interface for communicating information from the out-space user interface.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of transitioning between a first and second user interface of a content editing application, comprising:

causing display of a first user interface that includes a temporarily displayed selectable user interface actuator, a selectable authoring feature, and an editable document, wherein the temporarily displayed selectable user interface actuator includes an indicator indicating that one or more modifications have been made to information associated with a selectable non-authoring feature related to the document;

in response to receiving a selection of the selectable authoring feature, enabling modification of content of the document by the content editing application in accordance with the selected authoring feature;

in response to receiving a selection of the temporarily displayed selectable user interface actuator, disabling modification of the content of the document by the content editing application and replacing the display of the first user interface with a display of a second user interface, wherein the display of the second user interface includes the selectable non-authoring feature related to the document; and

in response to receiving a selection of the non-authoring feature, enabling modification of information specific to the selected non-authoring feature.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selection of the of the temporarily displayed selectable user interface actuator is performed with a single mouse click.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selection of the temporarily-displayed selectable user interface actuator causes the display of the first user interface to be replaced with the display of the second user interface and wherein the display of the second user interface highlights the one or more modifications that were indicated in the indicator.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the highlight is applied to one or more panes displayed in the second user interface.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the temporarily displayed selectable user interface actuator is contained in or proximate to a communication interface component or a message bar.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first user interface includes a ribbon and wherein the second user interface includes an expanded ribbon, the expanded ribbon occupying display space that was previously occupied by content of the document.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the expanded ribbon includes the plurality of selectable non-authoring features, and wherein the plurality of non-authoring features includes at least one of:

a document information feature, a document log feature, a share document feature, a print document feature, a getting started feature and an application information feature.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content editing application is selected from:

a word processing application, a spreadsheet application, a slide presentation application, a web page editing application, and an email editing application.

7. The computer-implemented method of 6, wherein receiving the expanded ribbon includes a plurality of selectable non-authoring features and wherein receiving the selection of one of the plurality of selectable non-authoring features causes a display of one or more panes containing information specific to the selected non-authoring feature.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the one or more panes includes a selectable control, wherein receiving the selection of the control enables modification of the information within the one pane.

11. A computer-implemented method of transitioning between a first and second user interface of a content editing application comprising:

causing display of a first user interface that includes a temporarily displayed selectable user interface actuator, a selectable authoring feature, and an editable document, wherein the temporarily displayed selectable user interface actuator includes an indicator indicating that one or more modifications have been made to information associated with a selectable non-authoring feature related to the document;

in response to receiving a selection of the selectable authoring feature, enabling modification of content of the document by the content editing application in accordance with the selected authoring feature;

in response to receiving a selection of the temporarily displayed selectable user interface actuator;

disabling modification of the content of the document by the content editing application;

generating an image of the document; and

replacing the display of the first user interface with a display of a second user interface, wherein the display of the second user interface includes a display of the generated image and a display of the selectable non-authoring feature related to the document; and

in response to receiving a selection of the selectable non-authoring feature, enabling modification of information specific to the selected non-authoring feature.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the image displayed in the second user interface is a selectable image and wherein receiving the selection of the image causes the display of the second user interface to be replaced with the first user interface.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein display of the second user interface includes a pane containing the information specific to the non-authoring feature and wherein the image is displayed proximate the pane.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the display of the second user interface includes a pane containing information specific to the non-authoring feature and wherein the image is displayed within the pane.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the display of the second user interface includes a display of a selectable non-authoring feature unrelated to the document.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein receiving the selection of the selectable non-authoring feature unrelated to the document causes the display of a selectable document template or the display of information related to services associated with the content editing application.

17. A computer-implemented method of transitioning between a first and second user interface of a content editing application, comprising:

causing display of a first user interface that includes a temporarily displayed selectable user interface actuator, a selectable authoring feature, and an editable document, wherein the temporarily displayed selectable user interface actuator includes an indicator indicating that one or more modifications have been made to information associated with a selectable non-authoring feature related to the document;

in response to receiving a selection of the selectable authoring feature, enabling modification of content of the document by the content editing application in accordance with the selected authoring feature;

in response to receiving a selection of the temporarily displayed selectable user interface actuator, disabling modification of the content of the document by the content editing application and replacing the display of the first user interface with a display of a second user interface, wherein the display of the second user interface includes the selectable non-authoring feature related to the document and a selectable non-authoring feature related to the content editing application;

in response to receiving a selection of the non-authoring feature related to the document, enabling modification of information specific to the selected non-authoring feature; and

in response to receiving a selection of the non-authoring feature related to the content editing application, displaying support information specific to the content editing application.