Gallery user interface controls

• US 7,853,877 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2004
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Keller, Mark, Cooperstein, Howard, Weiss, Aaron, Koch, Zeke, Coleman, Kenneth, Giesen, Ronald Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, MYLINH T
• Application Number:
  US10/982,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20050097465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,230 Days
• Field of Search: 715/713, 715/714, 715/715, 715/711, 715/710, 715/708, 715/709, 715/735, 715/739, 715/741, 715/763, 715/764, 715/767, 715/772, 715/788, 715/790, 715/802, 715/808, 715/809, 715/810, 715/815, 715/816, 715/817, 715/819, 715/820, 715/825, 715/841, 715/860, 715/859, 715/851, 715/861
• US Class Current: 715/711
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

A computing system for providing a user interface control to modify properties of items within a main application window. The computing system has a main application window, a gallery control window, a control object selection processing module, and a control object focus processing module. The main application window contains one or more application items, each application item having one or more control properties affecting a behavior of the application item. The gallery control window contains a list of one or more control objects for modifying control properties of the application items located within the main application window. Each of the control objects in the list of control objects includes a graphical icon having a selection portion and a properties portion and one or more control properties that affect one or more items within the main application window.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user interface control, the method comprising:

providing a main application window having at least one application item;

providing a gallery control window having at least one control object for affecting a behavior of the at least one application item, the at least one control object comprising;

a graphical icon providing a visual depiction associated with at least one property being implemented by the at least one control object, wherein providing the visual depiction comprises previewing the at least one property by at least one of the following;

a formatted text and a thumbnail image,

a selection portion providing a first area for selecting the at least one control object, and

a properties portion providing a second area operative to cause, upon selection, a display of information associated with the at least one property being implemented by the at least one control object;

determining a cursor position relative to the at least one control object;

if the cursor position is over the selection portion of the at least one control object and a selection input is received;

applying the at least one property of the at least one control object to the at least one application item within the main application window; and

if the cursor position is over the properties portion of the at least one control object and a property selection input is received;

rendering a dropdown menu with at least one menu item associated with the at least one property of the at least one control object,

upon receiving an indication of a selection of the at least one menu item, enabling modification of the at least one property of the at least one control object, and

rendering another graphical icon of the at least one control object, the other graphical icon depicting the at least one property associated with the selection of the at least one menu item.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the cursor position relative to the at least one control object comprises:

identifying when the cursor is hovering over the one of the selection portion and the properties portion of the at least one control object.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving the selection input comprises:

receiving a mouse click on the selection portion of the at least one control object.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein enabling the user to modify the control properties of the at least one control object comprises:

receiving a mouse click upon the at least one menu item; and

determining an identity of the selected menu item from a location of the mouse click.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the at least one menu item is determined by a current state of the at least one control object.

6. A computer storage medium with computer-readable instructions encoded thereon which, when executed on a computing device, carry out a method for providing a user interface control, the method comprising:

providing a main application window having a plurality of application items;

providing a gallery control window having at least one control object for affecting a behavior of at least one of the plurality of application items, the at least one control object comprising;

a graphical icon providing a visual depiction associated with at least one property being implemented by the at least one control object, wherein providing the visual depiction comprises previewing the at least one property by at least one of the following;

a formatted text and a thumbnail image,

a selection portion providing a first area for selecting the at least one control object, and

a properties portion providing a second area operative to cause, upon selection, a display of information associated with the at least one property being implemented by the at least one control object;

determining a cursor position, wherein determining the cursor position comprises determining whether the cursor is hovering over the at least one control object based on user action;

if the cursor position is hovering over the selection portion of the at least one control object and a selection input is received, applying the at least one property of the selected at least one control object to a selected one of the plurality of application items; and

if the cursor position is hovering over the properties portion of the at least one control object and a properties selection input is received;

rendering a menu with a plurality of menu items associated with modifying the at least one property of the at least one control object,

upon receiving an indication of a user selection of one of the menu items;

enabling a user to modify the at least one property of the at least one control object represented by the selected menu item, and

in response to modification of the at least one property, modify the visual depiction associated with at least one property being implemented by the at least one control object.

7. The computer storage medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions further comprise:

if an indication of the user selection of the at least one control object is received following a modification of the at least one property associated with the selected at least one control object, applying the modified at least one property of the selected at least one control object to the selected application item within the application window.

8. The computer storage medium of claim 6, wherein receiving the selection input comprises:

receiving a mouse click on the selection portion of the at least one control object.

9. The computer storage medium of claim 6, wherein enabling the user to modify the at least one property of the at least one control object represented by the selected menu item comprises:

receiving a mouse click upon one of the plurality of menu items; and

determining an identity of the selected menu item from a location of the mouse click.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein rendering the menu with a plurality of menu items comprises rendering the menu with the plurality of menu items determined by a current state of the control object.

11. A system for providing a user interface control, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

provide a main application window having at least one application item;

provide a gallery control window having at least one control object for affecting a behavior of the at least one application item, the at least one control object comprising;

a graphical icon providing a visual depiction associated with at least one property being implemented by the at least one control object, wherein providing the visual depiction comprises previewing the at least one property by at least one of the following;

a formatted text and a thumbnail image,

a selection portion providing a first area for selecting the at least one control object, and

a properties portion providing a second area operative to cause, upon selection, a display of information associated with the at least one property being implemented by the at least one control object;

determine a cursor position relative to the at least one control object;

if the cursor position is over the selection portion of the at least one control object and a selection input is received;

apply the at least one property of the at least one control object to the at least one application item within the main application window; and

if the cursor position is over the properties portion of the at least one control object and a property selection input is received;

render a dropdown menu with at least one menu item associated with the at least one property of the at least one control object,

upon receiving an indication of a selection of the at least one menu item, enable modification of the at least one property of the at least one control object, and

render another graphical icon of the at least one control object, the other graphical icon depicting the at least one property associated with the selection of the at least one menu item.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processing unit being operative to determine the cursor position relative to the at least one control object comprises the processing unit being operative to identify when the cursor is hovering over the one of the selection portion and the properties portion of the at least one control object.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processing unit being operative to receive the selection input comprises the processing unit being operative to receive a mouse click on the selection portion of the at least one control object.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processing unit being operative to enable the user to modify the control properties of the at least one control object comprises the processing unit being operative to:

receive a mouse click upon the at least one menu item; and

determine an identity of the selected menu item from a location of the mouse click.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the at least one menu item is determined by a current state of the at least one control object.