Displaying objects using group and object priority levels

• US 7,376,910 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tadokoro, Mizuho, Inui, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHUONG, TRUC T
• Application Number:
  US10/248,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20030122879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,979 Days
• Field of Search: 715/850, 715/853, 715/854, 715/517, 715/762, 715/713, 715/793, 715/794, 715/797, 715/807
• US Class Current: 715/797
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A display device which displays a plurality of objects on a screen has a group configuration storage section for storing association information indicating the association between each of the plurality of objects and one of a plurality of groups, a group priority level storage section for storing group display priority levels which are priority levels for displaying each of the objects associated with one of the groups at the front of the objects associated with the other groups, an object priority level storage section for storing object display priority levels which are priority levels for displaying one of the objects associated with one of the groups at the front of the others, an object priority level changing section for changing the object display priority level while the association information is maintained, and a display section for displaying the plurality of objects according to the group display priority levels and the object display priority levels.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

a display device which displays a plurality of objects on a screen;

a group configuration storage section for storing association information indicating the association between each of said plurality of objects and one of a plurality of groups;

a group configuration changing section for changing said association information stored in said group configuration storage section;

a group priority level storage section for storing group display priority levels which are priority levels for displaying each of said objects associated with one of said groups at the front of the objects associated with the other groups;

a group rank changing section for changing said group display priority levels stored in said group priority level storage section in response to a user input;

an object priority level storage section for storing object display priority levels which are priority levels for displaying one of the objects associated with one of said groups at the front of the others;

an object priority level changing section for changing said object display priority level while said association information is maintained;

a display section for displaying said plurality of objects according to said group display priority levels and said object display priority levels; and

a recording section for storing a record of said objects displayed by said display section, and the association between the objects and the groups at the time of display,

wherein as each new object is generated, said group configuration changing section associates said new object with the group with which one of said objects having a certain relation with the new object in said group record information stored in said recording section is associated, said recording section including a record update setting section for providing a setting as to whether said group recording section will be updated,

said group rank changing section being responsive to selection of a displayed object by the user to heighten the display priority level of the group with which the selected object is associated.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display section displays a window for displaying an output from a program as one of said objects.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an object selecting section for selecting one of the plurality of objects according to a first instruction from a user, wherein said group configuration changing section associates said one of the objects with one of the groups highest in group display priority level when it receives a second instruction from the user.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said group configuration changing section associates a newly-generated object with one of said plurality of groups selected by a user.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said group configuration changing section associates a newly-generated object with one of the plurality of groups other than said group highest in group display priority level.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording section stores the group record information on a nonvolatile recording medium.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an input section for accepting an input from a user, and wherein said object priority level changing section changes said object display priority levels when said input section accepts an object priority level changing operation, and further wherein said group configuration changing section changes said the association information stored in said group configuration storage section when said input section accepts a group configuration changing operation different from said object priority level changing operation.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an input section for accepting an input from a user, wherein said object priority level changing section changes the object display priority levels when said input section accepts an object priority level changing operation, and further wherein said group rank changing section changes said group display priority levels stored in said group priority level storage section when said input section accept a group rank changing operation different from said object priority level changing operation.