Dynamic and intelligent hover assistance

• US 7,480,863 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2003
• Issued: 01/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hintermeister, Gregory R., Branson, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): ALVESTEFFER, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US10/723,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20050114778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,882 Days
• Field of Search: 715/711, 715/859, 715/860, 715/861
• US Class Current: 715/711
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

A method, system and article of manufacture for hover help management in data processing systems and, more particularly, for providing dynamic and intelligent hover assistance in graphical user interfaces. One embodiment provides a method of displaying hover assistance on a display screen. The method comprises moving a pointer element to a position over a user interface element shown on the display screen in response to user manipulation of a pointing device, while the pointer element is positioned over the user interface element, invoking a first hover element for display on the display screen, and invoking a second hover element for display on the display screen after invoking the first hover element, and while the pointer element continues to be positioned over the user interface element.

Claims

1. A method of displaying hover assistance on a display screen, comprising:

moving a pointer element to a position over a user interface element shown on the display screen in response to user manipulation of a pointing device;

while the pointer element is positioned over the user interface element, invoking a first hover element for display on the display screen;

wherein the first hover element comprises a first plurality of indications of respective actions to be performed by a user to cause execution of an associated operation, each of the first plurality of indications being user-selectable from the first hover element by a mouse pointer;

wherein

1) upon selection of any of the indications of the first plurality of indications from the first hover element prior to the expiration of a first predetermined period of time processing branches to execute the associated operation;

2) upon no selection of any of the indications of the plurality of indications from the first hover element, invoking a second hover element for display on the display screen after invoking the first hover element, wherein invoking the second hover element is responsive to the pointer element continuing to be positioned over the user interface element for the first predetermined period of time; and

wherein the second hover element comprises a second plurality of indications of respective actions to be preformed by a user to cause execution of associated operation, each of the second plurality of indications being user-selectable from the second hover element by a mouse pointer;

wherein at least the second hover element includes a user-selectable copy element which, when selected, causes the second hover element to be copied to a clipboard;

wherein the first and second hover element provide assistance regarding the user interface element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second hover element provides more detail regarding the user interface element relative to the first hover element.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the first and second hover elements simultaneously for a period of time and while the pointer element continues to be positioned over the user interface element.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

removing the pointer element from the position over the user interface element; and

removing from display at least one of the first hover element and the second hover element upon removing the pointer element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first hover element and the second hover element comprise help text specific to the user interface element.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first hover element and the second hover element are displayed in a single text box.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first hover element and the second hover element comprises information that is generated using at least one of a flash, video, audio, extensible markup language (XML) and hypertext generation tool.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein invoking the first hover element occurs after expiration of the first predefined period of time and invoking the second hover element occurs after expiration of a second predefined period of time, wherein the first predefined period of time is shorter than the second predefined period of time and wherein expiration of both the first predefined period of time and the second predefined period of time are calculated from the same event.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the same event is detecting the pointer element at the position over the user interface element.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising successively invoking a plurality of hover elements after invoking the second hover element.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each successive hover element of the plurality of hover elements provides more detail regarding the user interface element relative to each previous hover element.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein invoking of each successive hover element occurs after one of (i) expiration of a predefined period of time and (ii) a user input command to display the successive hover element, whichever occurs first.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the associated operation displays a help window including detailed help specific to the user interface element.