Searchable registers

• US 7,707,519 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Weinlander, Markus, Windl, Helmut
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, TING ZHOU
• Application Number:
  US11/170,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20060001672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,763 Days
• Field of Search: 715/781, 715/828, 715/810, 715/853, 715/856, 715/854
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for displaying information, data and/or input elements on an interface (4), in particular on a screen, with at least one register (1) for displaying a subset of information, data and/or input elements, with the at least one register having a selectable, sensitive area on the interface and with means for showing the content (2) of the at least one register (1) on selection of the sensitive area (11) of the register (1).

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with a computer program executable by a computer, the program comprising computer-readable code which when executed by the computer causes the computer to display information, data and/or input elements on a user interface by:

displaying a plurality of registers, each register having a respective tab positioned along an edge of a work area of the user interface;

activating a first register to function as an active register for receiving inputs, wherein the activating of the first register comprises a user performing a mouse click on the respective tab of the first register, wherein the activating of the first register causes displaying a content of said first register, wherein the content comprises a subset of the information, data and/or input elements related to the first register; and

selecting at least a second register while the first register continues to be the active register, wherein the selecting of said at least second register comprises hovering a selector element over a respective tab of said at least second register without causing said at least second register to be an active register, and without performing a mouse click, wherein the selecting of said at least second register causes displaying a content of said at least second register, wherein the displaying of the content of said at least second register comprises displaying a second subset of the information, data and/or input elements on a foreground of the display to hide the display of the subset associated with the first register as long as the selector element continues hovering over the respective tab of said at least second register, the first register continues to be the active register while the subset associated with the first register is covered and hidden from view by the content of the second register,

wherein an activating of said at least second register to become an active register for receiving inputs and a deactivating of the first register as the active register comprises a user performing a mouse click on the respective tab of said at least second register.

2. A method for displaying information, data, and/or input elements on an user interface, comprising:

providing a work area;

displaying a plurality of registers, each register having a respective tab positioned along an edge of the work area of the user interface;

activating a first register to function as an active register for receiving inputs, wherein the activating of the first register comprises a user performing a mouse click on the respective tab of the first register, wherein the activating of the first register causes displaying a content of said first register, wherein the content comprises a subset of the information, data and/or input elements related to the first register; and

selecting at least a second register while the first register continues to be the active register, wherein the selecting of said at least second register comprises hovering a selector element over a respective tab of said at least second register without causing said at least second register to be an active register and without performing a mouse click, wherein the selecting of said at least second register causes displaying a content of said at least second register, wherein the displaying of the content of said at least second register comprises displaying a second subset of the information, data and/or input elements on a foreground of the display to hide the display of the subset associated with the first register as long as the selector element continues hovering over the respective tab of said at least second register, the first register continues to be the active register while the subset associated with the first register is covered and hidden from view by the content of the second register,

wherein an activating of said at least second register to become an active register for receiving inputs and a deactivating of the first register as the active register comprises a user performing a mouse click on the respective tab of said at least second register.