DYNAMIC STACKING AND EXPANSION OF VISUAL ITEMS
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Accused Products
Abstract
Aspects of the present invention are directed to the stacking of visual items, and their subsequent expansion, or unstacking Upon selection of a stack, that stack expands into the individual visual items making up that stack. Further aspects of the present invention are directed to expanding a stack in different ways depending upon the circumstances. Further aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a hot area associated with, and potentially disposed around, a stack. Selection by the user of the hot area results in selection of the associated stack. The stack may itself be considered a single item that is itself selectable. After the stack is expanded, then the individual visual items making up the original stack are each individually selectable. However, when stacked, the individual items may not be selectable except as a complete stack.
8 Citations
40 Claims
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1-20. -20. (canceled)
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21. A computer-readable medium storing computer executable instructions for performing a method for presenting visual items on a graphical user interface of a computer, the method comprising:
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providing a plurality of visual items as an expandable icon; receiving a first user selection of a first region associated with the expandable icon; responsive to the first user selection, determining whether sufficient room exists for all of the plurality of visual items side-by-side without moving the top one of the visual item; responsive to determining that sufficient room does not exist, repositioning the plurality of visual items side-by-side and altering the size or shape of the first region, and responsive to determining that sufficient room does not exist, repositioning a bottom-most one of the visual items in the stack at a left-most area, at least some of the remaining ones of the plurality of visual items side-by-side and to the right of the bottom-most one of the visual items, and other visual items above or below the visual items side-by-side; receiving a second user selection of a second region having the altered size or shape of the first region and surrounding the plurality of visual items while the plurality of visual items are side-by-side; responsive to the second user selection, again returning the plurality of visual items to an overlapping position associated with a top-level visual item. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. A computer system having processors and memories configured to execute a method for providing visual items on a graphical user interface of a computer, the method comprising:
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providing, by a computer processor, a plurality of visual items as an expandable icon; associating, by the computer processor, the visual item with a count that indicates the number of visual items in the expandable icon; and repositioning, by the computer processor, the plurality of visual items associated with the expandable icon in response to a gesture. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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26-1. The system of claim 23, further including, displaying a hot area that causes the expandable icon to reposition the plurality of visual items in a non-overlapping orientation.
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28. A computer-implemented method for providing visual items on a graphical user interface of a computer, the method comprising:
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providing, by a computer processor, a plurality of visual items as an expandable icon; associating, by the computer processor, the visual item with a count that indicates the number of visual items in the expandable icon; and repositioning, by the computer processor, the plurality of visual items associated with the expandable icon in response to a gesture. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification