Desk drawer user interface

• US 5,657,049 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 08/12/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Spiegel, Joel, Norman, George, Ludolph, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): LIANG, REGINA
• Application Number:
  US08/480,969
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 345/145, 345/146, 345/157, 345/113, 345/115, 345/119, 345/120, 345/121, 395/156, 395/157, 395/158, 395/159
• US Class Current: 715/856
• 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

Abstract

A display oriented software user interface for the generation and display of a secondary display region within a primary display region of a computer controlled information management system having windows or localized sections of displayable information and icons. The secondary display region, Desk Drawer, providing advanced capabilities to the management system by generating a readily accessible region wherein icons may be placed and always accessed thereafter when the secondary display region is present. The presence of the secondary display region may be governed by a separate screen region responsive to the cursor display position.

Claims

1. In a computer controlled information management system including a display screen containing a first display region which allows the display of a plurality of windows, a method comprising:

performing a dragging operation comprising selecting an object displayed on said display screen to associate a pointer displayed on said display screen with said object, wherein said object represents a file or a folder;

dragging, during said dragging operation, said pointer to reach a trigger region displayed on said display screen, said trigger region being associated with a second display region;

displaying said second display region in an open state in response to said dragging step, wherein said second display region in said open state displays information within said second display region, wherein said second display region is opened in response to said dragging step.

2. A method as in claim 1 further comprising depositing said object into said second display region after said second display region is displayed, and wherein said second display region is a window.

3. A method as in claim 2 wherein said object follows said pointer as said pointer is dragged to said trigger region and wherein said information includes icons which are displayed within said second display region when said second display region is displayed.

4. A method as in claim 2 wherein said second display region when displayed in response to said dragging covers at least a portion of said first display region and any windows being displayed within said portion of said first display region, said second display region when displayed being completely viewable on said display screen such that said second display region is always displayed over and covering said portion of said first display region and any windows being displayed within said portion.

5. A method as in claim 1 wherein said object follows said pointer as said pointer is dragged to said trigger region.

6. A method as in claim 5 wherein said information includes icons which are displayed within said second display region when said second display region is displayed.

7. A method as in claim 1 wherein said step of displaying said second display region is in response to dragging said pointer to said trigger region without any additional user input.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein said second display region represents a directory in said computer controlled information management system.

9. The method as in claim 1 wherein said trigger region includes a hot spot region or an edge triggered region.

10. A computer readable medium in a digital processing system, said medium containing executable program instructions which when executed in said digital processing system cause said system to perform the steps comprising:

displaying a first display region on a display screen which allows the display of a plurality of windows;

performing a dragging operation comprising selecting an object displayed on said display screen to associate a pointer displayed on said display screen with said object, wherein said object represents a file or a folder;

dragging, during said dragging operation, said pointer to reach a trigger region displayed on said display screen, said trigger region being associated with a second display region;

displaying said second display region in an open state in response to said dragging step, wherein said second display region in said open state displays information within said second display region, and wherein said second display region is opened.

11. A computer readable medium as in claim 10, wherein said executable program instructions are further for depositing said object into said second display region after said second display region is displayed, and wherein said second display region is a window.

12. A computer readable medium as in claim 11, wherein said object follows said pointer as said pointer is dragged to said trigger region and wherein said information includes icons which are displayed within said second display region when said second display region is displayed.

13. A computer readable medium as in claim 11, wherein said second display region when displayed in response to said dragging covers at least a portion of said first display region and any windows being displayed within said portion of said first display region, said second display region when displayed being completely viewable on said display screen such that said second display region is always displayed over and covering said portion of said first display region and any windows being displayed within said portion.

14. A computer readable medium as in claim 10 wherein said object follows said pointer as said pointer is dragged to said trigger region.

15. A computer readable medium as in claim 14 wherein said information includes icons which are displayed within said second display region when said second display region is displayed.

16. A computer readable medium as in claim 10 wherein said step of displaying said second display region is in response to dragging said pointer to said trigger region without any additional user input.

17. The computer readable medium as in claim 10, wherein said trigger region includes a hot spot region or an edge triggered region.