ASSOCIATION OF DISPLAY ELEMENTS

• US 20070260999A1
• Filed: 05/05/2006
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cummins, Charles, Amadio, Louis, Amos, Keira, Bensaid, Phillip, Murarka, Neel
• Granted Patent: US 7,783,990 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/804
• 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

Abstract

A system and method is provided for displaying a display element on a display in which a display element may be displayed responsive to a command, the display element being associated with another display element. Also, in another example, the association between the display elements is also displayed. In one example, the association between the display elements is depicted via an animation.

Claims

1. In a computer system, a method of displaying an association between display elements, comprising:

displaying a first display element on a display;

receiving a command to display a second display element, the second display element associated with the first display element; and

responsive to the command, displaying the second display element and providing a visual association between the second display element and the first display element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second display element is subordinate to the first display element, the display of the second display element blocking usage of the first display element.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the visual association includes displaying at least a portion of the second display element appearing to contact or overlap at least a portion of the first display element.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the visual association comprises animating at least one of the first display element and the second display element.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein animating includes at least one of changing the size of the first display element from a first size to a second size and changing the size of the second display element from a third size to a fourth size.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the animating changes the size of the first display element, and the first size is larger than the second size.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the animating changes the size of the second display element, and the third size is smaller than the fourth size.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the animating includes both changing the size of the first and second display element and changing the size of the first display element occurs over a first predetermined period of time and changing the size of the second display element occurs over a second predetermined period of time.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the size of the first display element is different than the size of the second display element at the end of the first predetermined period of time and the second predetermined period of time.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first display element is smaller than the second display element at the end of the first predetermined period of time.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first predetermined period of time is about equal to the second predetermined period of time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein an association between the first display element and the second display element comprises the first display element and the second display element providing dynamic information corresponding to the same entity.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein an association between the first display element and the second display element comprises the second display element providing dynamic information based on the content of the first display element.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the dynamic information in the second display element comprises more detailed information corresponding to the content of the first display element.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein an association between the first display element and the second display element comprises an appearance of the second display element being dependent on the presence of the first display element on the display.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the appearance of the second display element occurs responsive to a selection of the first display element.

17. A system for providing a visual association between display elements on a display, comprising:

a display device adapted to display first and second display elements;

an input for receiving a command to display the second display element at a first time, the second display element being associated with a displayed first display element,

wherein the display device displays the second display element responsive to the received command and wherein the display device animates the displayed first and second display elements indicating an association between the first and second display elements.

18. In a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display, a method of providing a visual association between display elements on the display, comprising the steps of:

displaying a first display element and a second display element;

providing a visual association between the first display element and the second display element on the graphical user interface,

wherein the first display element and the second display element are related based on an association.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the visual association comprises an animation representing a change in size of the first display element and a concurrent change in size of the second display element.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the association comprises one of the first display element and the second display element providing information pertaining to a single entity, an appearance of one of the first or second display element depending on the other of the first or second display element, and one of the first or second display element providing information from the other of the first or second display element.