User interface for displaying a gallery of formatting options applicable to a selected object

• US 8,146,016 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Himberger, Andrew M., Gauthier, Tracey M., Butcher, Aaron M., Harris, Jensen M., Satterfield, Jesse Clay
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Dennis-Doon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Application Number:
  US10/955,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20060036950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,735 Days
• Field of Search: 715/783, 715/779, 715/802, 715/825, 715841-843, 715/838, 345/157
• US Class Current: 715/825
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0421 Horizontal resolution change

Abstract

An improved user interface is provided for displaying a gallery of images showing different formatting options combinations that may be applied to a selected object. When a particular image is selected an associated formatting options combination is automatically applied to the selected object.

Claims

1. A method for providing a gallery of formatting options in an improved user interface, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of an insertion of a first object;

in response to receiving the indication of the insertion of the first object, providing a gallery of formatting controls associated with editing the inserted first object, wherein each of the formatting controls contained in the gallery of formatting controls is associated with formatting attributes configured to be applied to the first object;

displaying, in the user interface, a second object for illustrating how the first object will be formatted if the formatting attributes associated with any one of the formatting controls are applied to the first object;

receiving a first type of selection of an image formatting control of the gallery of formatting controls, the first type of selection corresponding to a mouse over on the image formatting control;

in response to receiving the first type of selection, dynamically applying image formatting attributes associated with the image formatting control to the first object, wherein dynamically applying the image formatting attributes associated with the image formatting control to the first object comprises temporarily editing the first object with the image formatting attributes associated with the image formatting control;

receiving a second type of selection of the image formatting control of the gallery of formatting controls; and

in response to receiving the type of second selection, applying the image formatting attributes associated with the image formatting control to the first object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the gallery of formatting controls includes providing the gallery of formatting controls in a drop-down menu displayed underneath the associated tab of the user interface.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising expanding the drop-down menu containing the gallery of formatting controls to display in the drop-down menu additional formatting controls associated with additional formatting attributes configured to be applied to the first object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the gallery of formatting controls includes providing the gallery of formatting controls in a dialog displayed in a software application workspace.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the gallery of formatting controls includes providing a plurality of the gallery of formatting controls for selection.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a selection of one of the plurality of the gallery of formatting controls; and

displaying formatting controls contained in the selected gallery of formatting controls.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising displaying the formatting controls contained in the selected gallery of formatting controls in a drop-down menu of formatting controls.

8. The method of claim 1, upon receiving an indication of loss of user input device focus on the first image formatting control, reversing the dynamic application of the first image formatting attributes associated with the first image formatting control to the first object.

9. A computer implemented method for providing a gallery of formatting options in an improved user interface, the method comprising:

displaying tabs disposed in an upper row of the user interface, each of the tabs identifying a task to be performed on a selected object;

receiving a first selection of one of the tabs, wherein the selected one of the tabs is operative, upon selection, to cause a display of a gallery of image formatting controls in a lower row underneath the upper row of the user interface;

in response to the first selection, displaying the gallery of image formatting controls, wherein each image formatting control contained in the gallery of image formatting controls is associated with image formatting attributes to be applied to the selected object;

displaying, within the gallery of image formatting controls, a visual representation of the selected object associated with each of the image formatting controls;

receiving an indication of mouse-over focus on the visual representation of the selected object;

in response to receiving the indication of mouse-over focus on the visual representation of the selected object, dynamically modifying the selected object with the image formatting attributes corresponding to an image formatting control associated with the visual representation;

receiving an indication of loss of mouse-over focus on the image formatting control of the gallery of image formatting controls;

in response to receiving the indication, removing the image formatting attributes associated with the previously focused image formatting control from the selected object;

receiving a second selection of the image formatting control of the gallery of image formatting controls; and

in response to receiving the second selection, applying the image formatting attributes associated with the image formatting control to the first object.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving an indication of loss of user input device focus on the image formatting control of the gallery of image formatting controls;

in response to receiving the indication, removing the image formatting attributes associated with the previously focused image formatting control from the selected object;

receiving a second selection of the image formatting control of the gallery of image formatting controls; and

in response to receiving the second selection, applying the image formatting attributes associated with the image formatting control to the first object.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the gallery of image formatting controls is disposed in a drop-down menu displayed underneath the associated tab of the user interface.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the gallery of image formatting controls is disposed in an expandable drop-down menu containing additional formatting controls associated with additional formatting attributes configured to be applied to the selected object.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the gallery of image formatting controls is disposed within a dialog displayed in a software application workspace.

14. A computer readable storage device having a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for providing a gallery of formatting options in an improved user interface, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

receiving a first indication of selection of a first object for formatting via a software application;

providing a gallery of image formatting controls organized in logical groupings associated with tasks to be performed by the software application, wherein each image formatting control contained in the gallery of image formatting controls is associated with image formatting attributes to be applied to the first object;

displaying, within the gallery of image formatting controls, a visual representation of the selected object associated with each of the formatting controls, the visual representation of the selected object being a modified representation of the selected object operative to illustrate how the selected object will be formatted if the image formatting attributes associated with a corresponding image formatting control are applied to the selected object;

receiving a second indication of mouse focusing over an image formatting control of the gallery of image formatting controls;

in response to receiving the second indication, dynamically applying image formatting attributes associated with the focused image formatting control to the selected object;

receiving a third indication of loss of mouse-over focus on the image formatting control of the gallery of image formatting controls; and

in response to receiving the third indication, dynamically removing the image formatting attributes associated with the previously focused image formatting control from the selected object.

15. The computer readable storage device of claim 14, wherein providing the gallery of formatting controls includes providing the gallery of formatting controls in a drop-down menu displayed underneath the associated tab of the user interface.

16. The computer readable storage device of claim 15, further comprising expanding the drop-down menu containing the gallery of formatting controls to display in the drop-down menu additional formatting controls associated with additional formatting attributes configured to be applied to the first object.

17. The computer readable storage device of claim 14, wherein providing the gallery of formatting controls includes providing the gallery of formatting controls in a dialog displayed in a software application workspace.

18. The computer readable storage device of claim 14, wherein providing the gallery of formatting controls includes providing a plurality of the gallery of formatting controls for selection.

19. The computer readable storage device of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a selection of one of the plurality of the gallery of formatting controls; and

displaying formatting controls contained in the selected gallery of formatting controls.

20. The computer readable storage device of claim 19, further comprising displaying the formatting controls contained in the selected gallery of formatting controls in a drop-down menu of formatting controls.

21. The computer readable storage device of claim 14, upon receiving a fourth indication of a selection of the image formatting control of the gallery of image formatting controls, applying the image formatting attributes associated with the selected image formatting control to the first object.

22. A computer readable storage device having a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for providing a gallery of formatting options in an improved user interface, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

providing textually identified tabs in the user interface, wherein each of the tabs identifies a task to be performed on a selected object;

providing a gallery of formatting controls associated with a formatting task, wherein each of the formatting controls contained in the gallery of formatting controls is associated with formatting attributes to be applied to the selected object;

displaying, adjacent to each formatting control, a visual representation of the selected object illustrating how the selected object will be formatted if the formatting attributes associated with an adjacent formatting control are applied to the selected object, wherein the visual representation of the selected object comprises a generic object;

receiving a first selection of one of;

an image formatting control of the gallery of formatting controls and a visual representation associated with the image formatting control, wherein the first selection comprises a mouse-over motion;

in response to receiving the first selection, dynamically modifying the selected object with image formatting attributes associated with the corresponding image formatting;

receiving an indication that the first selection is no longer being received; and

in response to receiving the indication, reversing the image formatting attributes associated with the image formatting control from the selected object.

23. The computer readable storage device of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving a second selection of the image formatting control; and

applying the image formatting attributes associated with the selected image formatting control to the selected object.

24. The computer readable storage device of claim 22, wherein providing the gallery of formatting controls includes providing the gallery of formatting controls within the user interface.

25. The computer readable storage device of claim 22, wherein providing the gallery of formatting controls includes providing the gallery of formatting controls in a drop-down menu.

26. The computer readable storage device of claim 25, further comprising expanding the drop-down menu containing the gallery of formatting controls to display in the drop-down menu additional formatting controls associated with additional formatting attributes configured be applied to the selected object.

27. The computer readable storage device of claim 22, wherein providing the gallery of formatting controls includes providing the gallery of formatting controls in a dialog displayed in a software application workspace.

28. The computer readable storage device of claim 22, wherein providing the gallery of formatting controls includes providing a plurality of the gallery of formatting controls for selection.

29. The computer readable storage device of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving a selection of one of the plurality of the gallery of formatting controls; and

displaying formatting controls contained in the selected gallery of formatting controls.

30. The computer readable storage device of claim 29, further comprising displaying the formatting controls contained in the selected gallery of formatting controls in a drop-down menu of formatting controls.