Panel presentation

• US 7,673,251 B1
• Filed: 10/02/2006
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Wibisono, Himgan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Distefano; Gregory A
• Application Number:
  US11/541,852
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/771, 715/766
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Panel presentation is described, including presenting a foreground panel over a background panel, detecting an input associated with the background panel, the input being configured to invoke the background panel, and rendering the foreground panel and the background panel in a substantially similar region of an interface, the foreground panel and the background panel being rendered without modifying the foreground panel.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

presenting a single window comprising a foreground panel and a background panel, in an interface;

wherein the foreground panel displays foreground content; and

wherein the background panel comprises a first portion of content in one area of the background panel and a second portion of content in another area of the background panel and wherein at least one of these portions of the background panel is hidden by the foreground panel;

detecting an input associated with invoking the background panel;

determining one or more display parameters associated with the foreground panel, the background panel, and the interface; and

in response to said detecting, sliding or squeezing the foreground panel such that;

the at least one hidden portion of the background panel is revealed, wherein to reveal the first portion of content a first edge of the foreground panel is moved in a first direction, and to reveal the second portion of the content a second edge of the foreground panel is moved in a second direction opposite from the first direction; and

the foreground content remains displayed by the foreground panel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the foreground panel slides toward a side of the interface.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising sliding the foreground panel to reveal the at least one hidden portion of the background panel in the interface, the background panel being layered under the foreground panel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface is of a web browsing application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface is of an application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the foreground panel is squeezed to provide space to render the at least one hidden portion of the background panel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the foreground panel and the background panel are rendered in a substantially similar region of the interface.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the foreground panel and the background panel are layered in a substantially similar region of the interface.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising rendering the background panel at least partially transparent, wherein the background and foreground panels are both overlaid over a background pattern of the interface such that said rendering the background panel at least partially transparent reveals at least a portion of the background pattern of the interface.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a transparency level of the background panel is adjusted when the input is detected.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the foreground panel provides a first skin and the background panel provides a second skin, the first skin or the second skin being visible based on the input.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein detecting the input further comprises detecting a user input associated with an icon, the icon being configured to invoke the portion of the background panel.

13. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

presenting a foreground panel over a background panel in the same window wherein the background panel comprises a first portion of content in one area of the background panel and a second portion of content in another area of the background panel, and said presenting comprises;

rendering the background panel and foreground panel wherein at least one of the portions of the background panel is hidden by the foreground panel;

detecting an input associated with the background panel, the input being configured to invoke the background panel; and

sliding or squeezing the foreground panel to reveal the at least one hidden portion of the background panel hidden by the foreground panel, such that;

to reveal the first portion of content a first edge of the foreground panel is moved in a first direction;

to reveal the second portion of content a second edge of the foreground panel is moved in a second direction opposite the first direction; and

the foreground panel remains displayed.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the foreground panel presents content and the background panel presents additional content, the additional content being associated with the content presented in the foreground panel.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein rendering the foreground panel and the background panel further comprises modifying a skin of the interface.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the background panel, when invoked, modifies a graphical appearance of the interface.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein rendering the foreground panel and the background panel further comprises modifying an alpha value for the background panel, wherein the background and foreground panels are both overlaid over a background pattern of the interface such that said modifying the alpha value at least partially reveals the background pattern of the interface.

18. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to store data executable by the processor to implement;

presenting a single window comprising a foreground panel, a background panel, and an interface;

wherein the foreground panel displays foreground content; and

wherein the background panel comprises a first portion of content in one area of the background panel and a second portion of content in another area of the background panel and wherein at least one of these portions of the background panel is hidden by the foreground panel;

presenting the foreground panel;

detecting an input associated with invoking the background panel;

determining one or more display parameters associated with the foreground panel, the background panel, and the input; and

in response to said detecting, sliding or squeezing the foreground panel such that;

the at least one hidden portion of the background panel is revealed, wherein to reveal the first portion of content a first edge of the foreground panel is moved in a first direction, and to reveal the second portion of the content a second edge of the foreground panel is moved in a second direction opposite from the first direction; and

the foreground content is displayed by the foreground panel.

19. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor storing program instructions executable by the processor to;

present a foreground panel over a background panel in a given window, wherein the background panel comprises a first portion of content in one area of the background panel and a second portion of content in another area of the background panel and at least one of the portions of the background panel is hidden by the foreground panel;

detect an input associated with the background panel, the input being configured to invoke the background panel, and

slide or squeeze the foreground panel to reveal the at least one hidden portion of the background panel is not being hidden by the foreground panel, such that;

to reveal the first portion of content a first edge of the foreground panel is moved in a first direction;

to reveal the second portion of content a second edge of the foreground panel is moved in a second direction opposite the first direction; and

the foreground panel remains displayed.

20. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

presenting a foreground panel and a background panel in a single window;

wherein the foreground panel displays foreground content; and

wherein the background panel comprises a first portion of content in one area of the background panel and a second portion of content in another area of the background panel and wherein at least one of these portions of the background panel is hidden by the foreground panel;

detecting an input associated with invoking the background panel;

determining one or more display parameters associated with the foreground panel, the background panel, and the input; and

in response to said detecting, sliding or squeezing the foreground panel, such that;

the at least one hidden portion of the background panel is revealed, wherein to reveal the first portion of content a first edge of the foreground panel is moved in a first direction, and to reveal the second portion of the content a second edge of the foreground panel is moved in a second direction opposite from the first direction; and

the foreground content is displayed by the foreground panel.

21. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

presenting a foreground panel over a background panel in a given window, wherein the background panel comprises a first portion of content in one area of the background panel and a second portion of content in another area of the background panel and said presenting comprises;

presenting the background panel and foreground panel wherein at least one of the portions of the background panel is hidden by the foreground panel;

detecting an input associated with the background panel, the input being configured to invoke the background panel; and

sliding or squeezing the foreground panel to reveal the at least one hidden portion of the background panel hidden by the foreground panel, such that;

to reveal the first portion of content a first edge of the foreground panel is moved in a first direction;

to reveal the second portion of content a second edge of the foreground panel is moved in a second direction opposite the first direction; and

the foreground panel remains displayed.