Floating Command Object

• US 20110138273A1
• Filed: 02/15/2011
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ligameri, Mark R., Peters, Mark A., Harris, Jensen M., Menon, Deepak, Radtke, Roland, Satterfield, Jesse Clay
• Granted Patent: US 9,015,624 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/256
• 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 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

A floating command object is provided for offering a set of commonly or frequently used commands in close proximity to a selected text, data or other object in a document. When a given object is selected for editing, the floating object automatically displays near the object to allow easy selection of relevant commands such as formatting property commands. The object remains displayed to allow multiple command selections until it is closed by user action. If a mouse or touchpad pointer is moved away from the displayed object, the displayed object becomes increasingly translucent to visually deemphasize the relevance of the object to the new position of the pointer.

Claims

1. A method of providing a floating command object that is contextually relevant to selected document contents, the method comprising:

displaying a command object adjacent to selected document content, the command object comprising at least one functionality command that is relevant to editing the selected content;

associating an opacity of the displayed command object to a distance between an electronic pointer and the displayed command object; and

continuing to display the command object after receiving a selection of the at least one functionality command.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the at least one functionality command; and

editing the selected document content in association with the selected at least one functionality command.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein continuing to display the command object comprises editing the selected document content in association with the selected at least one functionality command without closing a display of the command object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein continuing to display the command object comprises maintaining the command object in its displayed position relative to the selected text until the display of the command object is closed by a user action.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein maintaining the command object in its displayed position relative to the selected document contents until the display of the command object is closed by the user action comprises maintaining the command object until a selection of subsequent document content is received.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein maintaining the command object in its displayed position relative to the selected document contents until the display of the command object is closed by the user action comprises maintaining the command object until additional document content is received.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the command object adjacent to the selected document content comprises displaying the command object adjacent to an editing insertion point in the selected document content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the opacity of the displayed command object to the distance between an electronic pointer and the displayed command object comprises causing the displayed command object to grow increasingly translucent as the distance between the electronic pointer and the displayed command object increases.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the opacity of the displayed command object to the distance between an electronic pointer and the displayed command object comprises causing the displayed command object to grow increasingly opaque as the distance between the electronic pointer and the displayed command object decreases.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, receiving, prior to displaying the command object, a selection of document text.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein displaying the command object comprising the at least one functionality command comprises displaying the at least one functionality command that is relevant to editing the selected text includes displaying, wherein selection of the at least one functionality command causes an application of a formatting property to the selected text.

12. A computer-readable medium having a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for providing a floating command object that is contextually relevant to selected document objects, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

receiving a selection of document object for editing;

displaying, in response to receiving the selection of the document object, a command object adjacent to the selected document object;

displaying in the command object a set of functionality commands that are relevant to formatting the selected document object;

associating an opacity of the displayed command object to a distance between an electronic pointer and the displayed command object; and

continuing to display the command object throughout operation of any one of the set of functionality commands.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a functionality command of the set of functionality commands; and

applying functionality of the selected functionality command.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein displaying in the command object the set of functionality commands that are relevant to formatting the selected document object comprises displaying the set of functionality commands derived from a subset of available formatting commands available for editing an electronic document associated with the document object.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein displaying the set of functionality commands derived from the subset of available formatting commands available for editing the electronic document associated with the document object comprises displaying the set of functionality commands with visual representations similar to those of the available formatting commands.

14. The computer-readable medium 13, wherein continuing to display the command object throughout operation of any one of the set of functionality commands comprises applying the functionality without closing a display of the command object after having applied the functionality.

17. A system for providing a floating command object that is contextually relevant to selected document content, the system comprising:

a memory storage;

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

receiving a selection of text for editing;

displaying, in response to receiving the selection of the text, a command object adjacent to the selected text;

displaying in the command object a set of functionality commands that are relevant to formatting properties associated with the selected text;

associating an opacity of the displayed command object to a distance between an electronic pointer and the displayed command object; and

continuing to display the command object throughout operation of any one of the set of functionality commands.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the processing unit being operative to continue to display the command object comprises the processing unit being operative to maintain the command object in its displayed position relative to the selected text until the display of the command object is closed by a user action.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processing unit being operative to maintain the command object in its displayed position comprises the processing unit being operative to maintain the command object until a selection of subsequent document content is received.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the processing unit being operative to maintain the command object in its displayed position comprises the processing unit being operative to maintain the command object until additional document content is received.