Systems and methods for manipulating electronic information using a three-dimensional iconic representation

• US 20020091739A1
• Filed: 01/09/2001
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ferlitsch, Andrew Rodney, DeVore, Darwin Alan
• Granted Patent: US 7,266,768 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/273
• 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 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems for editing, creating and modifying documents through the use of multiple function icons in a graphical user interface environment. Icons comprising a series of object images may represent documents and the pages thereof. Manipulation of the object images and their parts through user input with a pointing device or other input device causes document modification to occur.

Claims

1. A method for manipulating computer documents through the use of an icon in a graphical user interface operating on a computing device comprising a display, a processing unit and an input device;

said method comprising;

displaying an icon on said display, wherein said icon represents a document, said icon comprising

at least one three-dimensional object image representing at least one document page, each of said at least one object images having at least one edge, and

at least one active region on each of said object images, said active region capable of activating a function in response to user input through said input device; and

activating a document manipulation function in response to a user input on said at least one active region.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said icon further comprises at least one tab having at least one active tab region capable of activating a function in response to user input through said input device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said three-dimensional object image comprises a reduced image of said document page.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said three-dimensional object image comprises a page image comprising descriptive portions of said document page.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said three-dimensional object image comprises a page image comprising a portion of said document page.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said three-dimensional object image comprises a page image comprising a summary of information contained on said document page.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said icon further comprises a page image displayable from each object image, said page image displaying recognizable elements of a document page represented by the object image to which said page image is associated.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said icon further comprises a document property sheet.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said icon further comprises a page property sheet.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said icon further comprises a print setting sheet.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said icon further comprises page scrolling functionality.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said icon further comprises the ability to represent a plurality of page ranges with independent scrolling controls.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein said object images further comprise tabs having at least one active tab region capable of activating a function in response to user input.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein said object images comprise page images.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein said page images may be dragged and dropped to effectuate document page manipulation functions.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein said icon further comprises a scrolling feature.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising a scroll object image for scrolling document pages into representation by said object images.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising a slidable scroll bar.

22. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein each object image comprises a plurality of edges such that multiple sets of edges are arranged to represent multiple page ranges of a document.

23. The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising page images related to each of said object image edges, said page images representing a page of said document which is represented by the corresponding object image.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said page images may be arranged in an adjacent series configuration.

13. A method for manipulating computer documents through the use of an icon in a graphical user interface operating on a computing device comprising a display, a processing unit and an input device;

said method comprising;

displaying an icon comprising

a series of three-dimensional object images having a face and at least one edge, said images being arranged in overlapping, adjacent, successive order wherein portions of each of said edges are visible while said object images are arranged in said order, each of said object images representing a page in a document, and

active regions on said object images, said active regions capable of activating functions which manipulate said document in response to user input; and

activating a function by selecting at least one of said active regions.

18. A method for manipulating computer documents through the use of a graphical user interface, said method comprising:

displaying an icon comprising a series of three-dimensional object images each of said object images displayed in adjacent succession and each of said object images having a visible exterior edge, each of said object images being associated with a selectively displayable page image;

displaying a page image, said page image comprising a visual representation of a document page;

displaying a function bar proximal to said series of object images;

wherein said object images, said page images and said function bar comprise active regions which activate functions upon user input; and

activating a function by selecting at least one of said active regions.

19. An apparatus for manipulating computer documents through the use of an icon in a graphical user interface, said apparatus comprising:

a display;

a processing unit;

an input device;

an icon displayed on said display in cooperation with said processing unit and said input device, said icon comprising

a series of three-dimensional object images having at least one edge, said images being arranged in overlapping, adjacent, successive order wherein portions of each of said edges are visible while said object images are arranged in said order, each of said object images representing a page in a document, and

active regions on said object images, said active regions capable of activating functions which manipulate said document in response to user input.

25. A computer readable medium comprising instructions for manipulating computer documents through the use of an icon in a graphical user interface, said instructions comprising the acts of:

displaying an icon comprising

a series of three-dimensional object images having at least one edge, said images being arranged in overlapping, adjacent, successive order wherein portions of each of said edges are visible while said object images are arranged in said order, each of said object images representing a page in a document, and

active regions on said object images, said active regions capable of activating functions which manipulate said document in response to user input; and

activating a function by selecting at least one of said active regions.

26. A computer data signal embodied in an electronic transmission, said signal having the function of manipulating computer documents through the use of an icon in a graphical user interface, said signal comprising instructions for:

displaying an icon comprising

a series of three-dimensional object images having at least one edge, said images being arranged in overlapping, adjacent, successive order wherein portions of each of said edges are visible while said object images are arranged in said order, each of said object images representing a page in a document, and

active regions on said object images, said active regions capable of activating functions which manipulate said document in response to user input; and

activating a function by selecting at least one of said active regions.