Web View Layer For Accessing User Interface Elements

• US 20090144644A1
• Filed: 02/09/2009
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andrew M. Grignon, Gregory N. Christie, Imran A. Chaudhri, John Louch
• Original Assignee: Andrew M. Grignon, Gregory N. Christie, Imran A. Chaudhri, John Louch
• Inventors: Louch, John, Grignon, Andrew M., Christie, Gregory N., Chaudhri, Imran A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,984,384 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A user-activatable dashboard (also referred to as a unified interest layer) contains any number of user interface elements, referred to herein as “widgets,” for quick access by a user. In response to a command from a user, the dashboard is invoked and the widgets are shown on the screen. The user can activate the dashboard at any time, causing the dashboard to temporarily replace the existing user interface display on the user'"'"'s screen. Once the dashboard has been activated, the user can interact with any or all of the widgets, and can configure the dashboard by adding, deleting, moving, or configuring individual widgets as desired. When the user wishes to return to the normal user interface he or she was working with, the user issues a command causing the dashboard to be dismissed. Once the dashboard has been dismissed, the previous user interface state is restored, allowing the user to resume normal interactions with the operating system.

Claims

1. In a computer system including a display screen comprising an area displaying a user interface, a computer-implemented method for presenting a dashboard layer, the method comprising:

responsive to a trigger event, activating the dashboard layer in the area displaying the user interface; and

responsive to the activation of the dashboard layer, displaying the dashboard layer containing a group of widgets, wherein at least one widget from the group of widgets is actively executing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one widget comprises one selected from the group consisting of:

a calendar widget;

a calculator widget;

a music player widget;

an address book widget;

a notes widget;

a stock quote widget;

a weather widget;

a traffic widget;

a package tracking widget;

a contact manager widget; and

a clock widget.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the widgets form the group is associated with an application, the method further comprising:

in response to a second trigger event comprising a user command to launch an application associated with a selected widget, launching the application associated with the widget.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a desktop and wherein the dashboard layer at least partially obscures the desktop while the dashboard layer is active.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the dashboard layer replaces the user interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the widgets from the group is associated with a fully functional application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the dashboard layer comprises:

displaying a transitional animation for activating the dashboard layer in the area displaying the user interface.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the dashboard layer functions as an area for placement for the group of widgets.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one widget from the group of widgets is capable of executing separately from the dashboard layer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the dashboard layer is sized such that the group of widgets contained by the dashboard layer can be usably presented within the dashboard layer upon activation of the dashboard layer.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one widget from the group is a separate process executing regardless of whether the dashboard layer is visible to the user.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an animation associated with a widget responsive to selection of the widget.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein each widget in the group of widgets is displayed without a window frame.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one widget from the group of widgets is capable of executing regardless of whether the widget is visible.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein each widget in the group of widgets is associated with a functionality that is performed by the widget.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a configuration bar for adding additional widgets to the group of widgets contained by the dashboard layer, wherein the configuration bar displays at least one selectable widget to add to the group.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein a selected widget is capable of being instantiated a plurality of times.

18. In a computer system including a display screen comprising an area displaying a user interface, a computer-implemented method for presenting a dashboard layer, comprising:

responsive to a trigger event, activating the dashboard layer in the area displaying the user interface, the dashboard layer comprising a web view, the activation of the dashboard layer thereby providing access to a group of widgets rendered within the web view of the dashboard layer; and

for each of the widgets from the group, rendering a borderless web page that represents the widget into the web view of the dashboard layer.

19. A computer-readable storage medium configured to store executable computer instructions for presenting a unified interest layer in a computer system including a display screen comprising an area displaying a user interface, the instructions when executed by a computer processor cause the processor to:

activate a unified interest layer in the area displaying the user interface responsive to a trigger event, thereby providing access to a group of widgets contained by the unified interest layer, wherein at least one of the widgets in the group of widgets was not visible on the display screen prior to activation of the unified interest layer.

20. In a computer system including a display screen comprising an area displaying a user interface, a computer-implemented method for presenting a unified interest layer, the method comprising:

activating a unified interest layer in the area displaying the user interface responsive to a trigger event, thereby providing access to a group of widgets contained by the unified interest layer, wherein at least one of the widgets in the group of widgets was not visible on the display screen prior to activation of the unified interest layer.

21. In a computer system including a display screen comprising an area displaying a user interface, a computer-implemented method for presenting a unified interest layer, the method comprising:

activating a unified interest layer in the area displaying the user interface responsive to a trigger event, thereby providing access to a group of widgets contained by the unified interest layer, wherein at least one of the widgets in the group of widgets is implemented in a web technology programming language.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the web technology programming language is hypertext markup language.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the web technology programming language is java script.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one of the widgets is implemented in a combination of web technology programming languages including hypertext markup language and java script.