Displaying objects using group and object priority levels

• US 7,770,132 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2008
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• 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:
  US12/045,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20080168372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 715/713, 715/762, 715/793, 715/794, 715/797, 715/807, 715850-854
• 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. A method for controlling the display of a plurality of objects on a screen comprising:

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

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

storing, in a group priority level storage section, 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 other of said groups;

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

storing, in an object priority level storage section, 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;

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

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

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

wherein as each new object is generated said new object is associated with the group with which one of said object having a certain relation with the new object inside group record information stored in said recording section is associated;

providing a setting as to whether such group recording section will be updated; and

in response to selection of a displayed object by a user, heightening the display priority level of the group with which the selected displayed object is associated.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein displaying said plurality of objects according to said group display priority levels and said object display priority levels further comprises displaying a window for displaying an output from a program as one of said objects.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

selecting one of said plurality of objects according to a first instruction from a user; and

associating, in said group configuration changing section, one of the objects with one of the group'"'"'s highest in group display priority level, in response to receipt of a second instruction from the user.

4. A method according to claim 1 further comprising associating, in said group configuration changing section, a newly-generated object with one said plurality of groups selected by a user.

5. A method according to claim 1 further comprising associating, in said group configuration changing section, a newly-generated object with one of the plurality of groups other than said group highest in group display priority level.

6. A method according to claim 1 further comprising storing, in said recording section, the group record information on a non-volatile recording medium.

7. A method according to claim 1 further comprising accepting, in an input section, an input from a user, and wherein said object display priority levels are changed in the object priority level changing section when an object priority level changing operation is accepted in the input section, and further wherein association information stored in the group configuration storing section is changed when a group configuration changing operation different from said the object priority level changing operation is accepted in the input section.

8. A method according to claim 1 further comprising accepting, in the input section, an input from a user, and wherein object display priority levels are changed in said object priority level changing section when an object priority level changing operation is accepted in the input section, and further wherein said group display priority levels stored in said group priority level storage section are changed in said group rank changing section when a group rank changing operation different from said object priority level changing operation is accepted in the input section.

9. A computer program product for controlling the display of a plurality of objects on a screen, said computer program product comprising a storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, said computer usable program code comprising:

computer usable program code configured to store, in a group configuration storage section, association information indicating the association between each of said plurality of objects and one of a plurality of groups;

computer usable program code configured to change, in a group configuration changing section, said association information stored in said group configuration storage section;

computer usable program code configured to store, in a group priority level storage section, 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 other of said groups;

computer usable program code configured to change, in a group rank changing section, said group display priority levels stored in said group priority level storage section in response to a user input;

computer usable program code configured to store, in an object priority level storage section, 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;

computer usable program code configured to change, in an object priority level changing section, said object display priority level while said association information is maintained;

computer usable program code configured to display, by means of a display section, said plurality of objects according to said group display priority levels and said object display priority levels;

computer usable program code configured to store, in a recording section, a record of said displayed plurality of objects and the association between the objects in the groups at the time of display, wherein as each new object is generated said new object is associated with the group with which one of said objects having a certain relation with the new object inside group record information stored in said recording section is associated;

computer usable program code configured to provide a setting as to whether such group recording section will be updated; and

computer usable program code configured to, in response to selection of a displayed object by a user, heighten the display priority level of the group with which the selected displayed object is associated.

10. A computer program product according to claim 9 wherein computer usable program code configured to display said plurality of objects according to said group display priority levels and said object display priority levels further comprises computer usable program code configured to display a window for displaying an output from a program as one of said objects.

11. A computer program product according to claim 9 further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to select one of said plurality of objects according to a first instruction from a user; and

computer usable program code configured to associate, in said group configuration changing section, one of the objects with one of the groups highest in group display priority level, in response to receipt of a second instruction from the user.

12. A computer program product according to claim 9 further comprising computer usable program code configured to associate, in said group configuration changing section, a newly-generated object with one said plurality of groups selected by a user.

13. A computer program product according to claim 9 further comprising computer usable program code configured to associate, in said group configuration changing section, a newly-generated object with one of the plurality of groups other than said group highest in group display priority level.

14. A computer program product according to claim 9 further comprising computer usable program code configured to store, in said recording section, the group record information on a non-volatile recording medium.

15. A computer program product according to claim 9 further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to accept, in the input section, an input from a user;

computer usable program code configured to change an object display priority level in the object priority level changing section when an object priority level changing operation is accepted in the input section; and

computer usable program code configured to change association information stored in the group configuration storing section when a group configuration changing operation different from said the object priority level changing operation is accepted in the input section.

16. A computer program product according to claim 9 further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to accept, in the input section, an input from a user;

computer usable program code configured to change an object display priority level in said object priority level changing section when an object priority level changing operation is accepted in the input section; and

computer usable program code configured to change, in said group rank changing section, a group display priority level stored in said group priority level storage section when a group rank changing operation different from said object priority level changing operation is accepted in the input section.