CONTEXT AWARE USER INTERFACE PARTS

• US 20150095811A1
• Filed: 04/01/2014
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Olenick, Brad, Welicki, Leon Ezequiel, Dias, Alvaro Rahul, Joshi, Vishal R., Cox, Tom, Beckwith, Justin, Owens, Kristofer John, Danton, Stephen Michael, Sterling, Jonah Bush, Bhojawala, Nafisa, Joshi, Madhur, Anand, Karandeep Singh, Staples, William J., Francisco, Jesse David, Alexander, Brendyn, Scrosati, Christopher, Sanderson, Steven, Armas, Federico Silva, Lucero, Jonathan, Supino, Dina-Marie Ledonna, Casal, Julio O.
• Granted Patent: US 9,792,354 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3329 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence

Abstract

A model for displaying multiple user interface elements such that each control includes a container that includes standard functionality across at least a majority of the user interface elements. For instance, such standard functionality might include a part status indication, a title, a content status indication, a command invocation function, a part resizing function, and so forth. The model may also provide for standardization of resizing of user interface elements. For a given user interface element, there would be a predetermined number of possible size and shapes, each corresponding to a different projection of data. For instance, all of the user interface elements on a screen may fall within the predetermined number of possible size and shapes, thereby allowing more functional layout of the user interface on the display.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having thereon computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to instantiate and/or operate the following:

a plurality of user interface elements, each user element representing a visualized container on a screen, each of at least some of the user interface elements associated with one or more controls that project data into the user interface elements, each user interface element also including a container that includes standard functionality across at least a majority of the user interface elements.

2. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, the standard functionality comprising a part status indication.

3. The computer program product in accordance with claim 2, the part status indication being a blocking or non-blocking part status.

4. The computer program product in accordance with claim 2, the part status indication being a progress indication part status.

5. The computer program product in accordance with claim 2, the part status indication being a failed part status indication.

6. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, the standard functionality comprising a title displayed in a predetermined place.

7. The computer program product in accordance with claim 6, the predetermined place being a first predetermined place, the standard functionality comprising a subtitle displayed in a second predetermined place.

8. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, the standard functionality comprising content status indication.

9. The computer program product in accordance with claim 8, the content status indication being a success content status indication.

10. The computer program product in accordance with claim 8, the content status indication being a warning content status indication.

11. The computer program product in accordance with claim 8, the content status indication being an error content status indication.

12. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, the standard functionality comprising a command invocation function.

13. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, the standard functionality comprising a part resizing function.

14. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, at least one of the user interface elements being selectable to generate another user interface element.

15. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of the parts may be moved to different contexts within a user interface without changing the standard functionality.

16. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein interaction with one portion of the user interface element affects data projected at another portion of the user interface element

17. A method for visualizing a user interface element on a screen, the method comprising:

an act of placing the user interface element configured in a first size and shape on a screen, the user interface element having predetermined number of possible size and shapes, each corresponding to a different projection of data;

an act of providing a first projection of data through the user interface element having the first size and shape while placed on the screen.

18. The method in accordance with claim 17, further comprising:

an act of detecting a user-issued resize command for the user interface element to change the user interface element to be configured in a second size and shape.

19. The method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising the following in response to the act of detecting:

an act of placing the user interface element configured in a second size and shape on the screen; and

an act of providing a second projection of data through the user interface element having the second size and shape while placed on the screen, the second projection of data including at least some different data than the first projection of data.

20. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having thereon computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to instantiate and/or operate the following:

a plurality of user interface elements, each user element representing a visualized container on a screen, each of at least some of the user interface elements associated with one or more controls that project data into the user interface elements, each user interface element also including a container that includes standard functionality across at least a majority of the user interface elements, the standard functionality including at least one of the following;

a part status indication, a content status indication, a command invocation function, a part resizing function,

wherein each of the parts may be moved to different contexts within a user interface without changing the standard functionality.