Software interface

• US 6,459,441 B1
• Filed: 03/03/1999
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dassault Systemes, Dassault Systemes SA
• Original Assignee: Dassault Systemes SA
• Inventors: Vu, Duy Minh, Perroux, Francois
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Mylinh T
• Application Number:
  US09/261,657
• Time in Patent Office: 1,308 Days
• Field of Search: 345/345, 345/440, 345/347, 345/837, 345/835, 345/765, 345/328, 345/804, 345/805, 345/839
• US Class Current: 715/837
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A software control method includes forming groups of software application functions. A different characteristic is associated with each of the groups, and a different graphical user interface (GUI) object is formed for each function in each of the groups. Each GUI object includes the characteristic associated with its function'"'"'s group and a second characteristic that distinguishes its function from other functions within its function'"'"'s group. A computer program residing on a computer-readable medium includes instructions for causing a computer to form a different graphical user interface (GUI) object for each of a collection of software functions. Each GUI object may include a first visual characteristic that identifies a first characteristic of the object'"'"'s associated function, and a second visual characteristic that identifies a second characteristic of the object'"'"'s associated function.

Claims

1. A software control method comprising:

Operationally associating a different graphical user interface (GUI) object with each of a plurality of functions of a software application, the plurality of functions being subdivided into a plurality of groups including a first group and a second group, each comprising at least two of the functions, and each one of the GUI objects comprising a first characteristic associating said one of the GUI objects with a one of the plurality of groups comprising the function associated with said one of the GUI objects, said first characteristic being common to each of the GUI objects in a same one of the plurality of groups, and, for each GUI object in the same one of the groups, a second characteristic that is different for each of the functions in the second group to distinguish the function associated with said one of the GUI objects from functions associated with other GUI objects in the same one of the groups, and each of the first and second characteristics of each GUI object being distinguishable by a user upon presentation of each GUI object;

presenting ones of the GUI objects to a user as an interface enabling control of the software application; and

wherein the first and second characteristics are non-spatial characteristics, functions in the first group have a first operationally related purpose, and functions in the second group have a second operationally related purpose different from said first related purpose.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the software application comprises an application to process a model of a three dimensional object comprised of a plurality of parts, a first one of the groups comprises functionality associated with design of ones of the parts, a second one of the groups comprises functionality associated with assembling together said parts to construct the model.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising displaying a first GUI object associated with a function in the first group and displaying a second GUI object associated with a function in the second group, where the first and second GUI objects comprise the same second characteristic.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the first characteristics comprises an icon background image and each of the second characteristics comprises a foreground image.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a user selection of the first GUI object and performing the function associated with the first GUI object.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said first characteristic comprise a color characteristic.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein each GUI object is an icon.

8. An application control method comprising:

Operationally associating a different graphical user interface (GUI) object with each of a plurality of functions of a software application, the plurality of functions being subdivided into a plurality of groups including a first group and a second group, each comprising at least two of the functions, and each one of the GUI objects comprising a first characteristic associating said one of the GUI objects with a one of the plurality of groups comprising the function associated with said one of the GUI objects, said first characteristic being common to each of the GUI objects in a same one of the plurality of groups, and, for each GUI object in the same one of the groups a second characteristic that is different for each of the functions in the second group to distinguish the function associated with said one of the GUI objects from functions associated with other GUI objects in the same one of the groups, and each of the first and second characteristics of each GUI object being distinguishable by a user upon presentation of each GUI object;

Presenting ones of the GUI objects to a user as an interface enabling control of the software application; and

wherein the first and second characteristics are non-spatial characteristics, functions in the first group have a first operationally related purpose and functions in the second group have a second operationally related Purpose different from said first related purpose.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein at least two functions have a same first operational characteristic and are associated with GUI objects having a same first visual characteristic and other functions not having the first operational characteristic are associated with GUI objects not having said same first visual characteristic.

10. A computer program residing on a computer-readable medium, comprising instruction for causing a computer to:

operationally associating a different graphical user interface (GUI) object with each of a plurality of functions of a software application, the plurality of functions being subdivided into a plurality of groups including a first group and a second group, each comprising at least two of the functions, and each one of the GUI objects comprising a first characteristic associating said one of the GUI objects with a one of the plurality of groups comprising the function associated with said one of the GUI objects, said first characteristic being common to each of the GUI objects in a same one of the plurality of groups, and, for each GUI object in the same one of the groups, and a second characteristic that is different for each of the functions in the second group to distinguish the function associated with said one of the GUI objects from functions associated with other GUI objects in the same one of the groups, and each of the first and second characteristics of each GUI object being distinguishable by a user upon presentation of each GUI object; and

presenting ones of the GUI objects to a user as an interface enabling control of the software application; and

wherein the first and second characteristics are non-spatial characteristics, functions in the first group have a first operationally related, purpose, and functions in the second group have a second operationally related purpose different from said first related purpose.

11. The computer program of claim 10 wherein the first characteristic is a background image and the second characteristic is a foreground image.

12. The computer program of claim 11 wherein each GUI object is an icon.

13. The computer program of claim 10 further comprising instructions for causing the computer to receive a user selection identifying a GUI object and execute the function associated with the selected GUI object.

14. A computer system having a processor operatively interconnected to a memory, a graphical display device, and a user input device, a graphical user interface comprising:

a plurality of different graphical user interface (GUI) objects that can be rendered to the graphical display device, each GUI object being user-selectable to access one of a plurality of functions of a computer program, the plurality of functions being subdivided into a plurality of groups including a first group and a second group, each comprising at least two of the functions and each one of the GUI objects comprising a first characteristic associating said one of the GUI objects with one of the plurality of groups comprising the function associated with said one of the GUI objects, said first characteristic being common to each of the GUI objects in a same one of the plurality of groups, and a second characteristic that is different for each of the functions in the second group to distinguish the function associated with other GUI object from functions associated with other GUI objects in the same one of the groups, and each of first and second characteristics of each GUI object being distinguishable by a user upon presentation of each GUI object; and

presenting ones of the GUI objects to a user as an interface enabling control of the computer program; and

wherein

the first and second characteristics are non-spatial characteristics, functions in the first group have a first operationally related purpose, and functions in the second group have a second operationally related purpose different from said first related purpose.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the first characteristic is a background image and the second characteristic is a foreground image.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein functions having a same first operational characteristic are associated with GUI objects having a same first visual characteristic and functions having a different first operational characteristic are associated with GUI objects having a different first visual characteristic.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein functions having a same second operational characteristic are associated with GUI objects having a same second visual characteristic and functions having a different second operational characteristic are associated with GUI objects having a different second visual characteristic.

18. A software control method comprising:

forming a plurality of groups including a first group and second a group each comprising a plurality of functions of a software application;

associating a first visual characteristic with each of the groups, said first visual characteristic being different for each group and said first visual characteristic signifying a functional attribute common to the plurality of software functions in the group;

for each of the groups, associating a second visual characteristic with each of the plurality of functions in said group, the second visual characteristic being different for each function within the group and said second visual characteristic distinguishing each function in the group; and

operationally associating a different graphical user interface (GUI) object with each function in each of the groups, each GUI object comprising the first visual characteristic associated said function with the group comprising said function and the second visual characteristic distinguishing said function within the group comprising said function; and

wherein

the first and second characteristics are non-spatial characteristics, functions in the first group have a first operationally related purpose, and functions in the second group have a second operationally related purpose different from said first related purpose.