METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR BINDING ATTRIBUTES BETWEEN VISUAL COMPONENTS

• US 20120133662A1
• Filed: 11/30/2010
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cypress Lake Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sitting Man LLC
• Inventors: Morris, Robert Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,780,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/581
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Methods and systems are described for binding attributes between visual components. A first visual component, including a first presentation space for presenting first data by an operating first application, is detected. Binding information, for the first application, is identified that specifies a mapping between a first visual attribute of the first visual component and a second visual attribute of a second visual component including a second presentation space for presenting second data by a second application. A change to the first visual attribute is detected. In response to the detection of the change, change information is automatically sent to change the second visual attribute according to the mapping.

Claims

1. A method for binding attributes between visual components, the method comprising:

detecting a first visual component including a first presentation space for presenting first data by an operating first application;

identifying binding information, for the first application, that specifies a mapping between a first visual attribute of the first visual component and a second visual attribute of a second visual component including a second presentation space for presenting second data by a second application;

detecting a first change to the first visual attribute; and

in response to detecting the first change, automatically sending change information to change the second visual attribute according to the mapping.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the first visual component includes at least one of receiving an indication to present the first visual component, detecting an access to a resource for presenting the first visual component, intercepting a communication for presenting the first visual component, and receiving a message via a network identifying the first visual component.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein detecting an access to the resource includes detecting an access to an output device to present the first visual component.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the first visual component comprises:

receiving the binding information; and

identifying the first visual component and the second visual component based on the binding information.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the binding information is identified based on at least one of an attribute identifying a type of data processed by at least one the first application and the second application, a program link between the first application and the second application, an operation that includes processing by at least one the first application and the second application, a data entity accessible to at least one of the first application and the second application, an output of the first application that is processed as an input by the second application, and an output of the second application that is processed as an input by the first application.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the binding information is configurable by a user of at least one of the first application and the second application.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first visual attribute and the second visual attribute identifies at least one of a font, a color, a location in a presentation space, a size, a shape, a measure of time, a z-value, a transparency attribute, a shading, a pattern, a line thickness, and an attribute of a background.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the binding information is identified based on a first matching criterion that matches at least one of the first visual component and the first application.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the binding information includes at least one of a first application identifier of the first application, a first visual component identifier of the first visual component, a first attribute identifier of the first visual attribute, a second application identifier of the second application, a second visual component identifier of the second visual component, and a second attribute identifier of the second visual attribute.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying of the binding information includes detecting the binding information in at least one of the first application and the second application.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first visual attribute and the second visual attribute is identified by attribute information received in response to a user input.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the binding information includes at least one of receiving the binding information from the first application, locating the binding information based on an attribute of the first application, and receiving a user input identifying the binding information.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the first change comprises:

receiving attribute information, for changing the first visual attribute, in response to a user input corresponding to the first visual component; and

detecting the first change based on the attribute information.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the first change includes at least one of receiving an indication to change the first visual attribute, detecting an access to a resource for changing the first visual attribute, intercepting a communication for changing the first visual attribute, and receiving a message via a network identifying the first visual attribute.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein detecting an access to the resource includes detecting an access to an output device to change the first visual attribute.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the resource includes at least one of a semaphore, a lock, a presentation space, a component of a graphical user interface subsystem, a component of a graphics subsystem, a display adapter, a display device, an access control component, a serialization component, a synchronization component, and a network component.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the first change includes receiving a user input corresponding to the first visual component.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein sending change information comprises:

determining the second visual attribute based on the mapping; and

sending change information to at least one of the second application and a component external to the second application to change the second visual attribute based on the determined second visual attribute.

19. A system for binding attributes between visual components, the system comprising:

a user interface monitor component, a binding director component, a binding monitor component, and a change director component adapted for operation in an execution environment;

the user interface monitor component configured for detecting a first visual component including a first presentation space for presenting first data by an operating first application;

the binding director component configured for identifying binding information, for the first application, that specifies a mapping between a first visual attribute of the first visual component and a second visual attribute of a second visual component including a second presentation space for presenting second data by a second application;

the binding monitor component configured for detecting a first change to the first visual attribute; and

the change director component configured for, in response to detecting the first change, automatically sending change information to change the second visual attribute according to the mapping.

20. A computer-readable medium embodying a computer program, executable by a machine, for binding attributes between visual components, the computer program comprising executable instructions for:

detecting a first visual component including a first presentation space for presenting first data by an operating first application;

identifying binding information, for the first application, that specifies a mapping between a first visual attribute of the first visual component and a second visual attribute of a second visual component including a second presentation space for presenting second data by a second application;

detecting a first change to the first visual attribute; and

in response to detecting the first change, automatically sending change information to change the second visual attribute according to the mapping.