Application navigation

• US 8,171,429 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bollman, Eric, Cassano, Heather McIntosh, Su, Lin, Jaffe, Chris S, Shih, Nina F
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, RUAY L
• Application Number:
  US12/130,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20090300552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 715200-277, 715700-867, 715/513, 700701-866, 709201-229, 705 50- 79, 345 30-111, 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-206, 719/310
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A method for operating a user interface for switching between computer applications is provided. The method may include displaying first, second and third navigation controls. The first navigation control may include entity selectors, the second navigation control may include application selectors, and the third navigation control may include sub-application selectors. The application selectors may be associated with the entities in the first navigation control and the sub-application selectors may be associated with the application selectors. An application associated with sub-application selector may be launched upon selecting the sub-application selector. The state of an application may be stored and retrieved upon switching between applications so as to enable fast switching between applications.

Claims

1. A method for switching between applications, the method comprising:

defining a tree hierarchy with a group of nodes related to one another in terms of a parent-child relationship, wherein the tree hierarchy includes a first level of nodes, a second level of nodes, and a third level of nodes, wherein each second level node is a child of one of the first level nodes, and each third level node is a child of one of the second level nodes, wherein each first level node represents one of a plurality of entities, each second level node represents one of a plurality of applications, and each third level node represents one of a plurality of sub-applications;

simultaneously displaying, by a computer, first, second, and third navigation controls configured to respectively display first and second entities, one or more applications that are children of the first entity, and a first sub application that is a child of one of the applications;

receiving, at the computer and via the first navigation control, a user selection of the second entity in the first navigation control;

in response to the user selection, determining, by the computer, one or more applications that are children of the second entity, and a second sub application that is a child of one of the one or more applications that are children of the second entity;

configuring the second and third navigation controls to respectively display the one or more applications that are children of the second entity and the second sub application, wherein reconfiguring of the third navigation from displaying the first sub application to displaying the second sub application occurs without traversal of the tree hierarchy.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

executing instructions for launching an application associated with a selected sub-application in the third navigation control.

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

executing instructions for launching an application associated with a selected application in the second navigation control.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising displaying additional sub-applications in the third navigation control in response to receiving a sub-application selection.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising displaying a popup menu including a list of sub-applications in response to receiving a sub-application selection.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a popup menu selection corresponding to a selected sub-application in the list of sub-applications; and

displaying the selected sub-application in the third navigation control.

7. A machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon, a computer program comprising at least one code section for switching between applications, the at least one code section being executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform acts of:

defining a tree hierarchy with a group of nodes related to one another in terms of a parent-child relationship, wherein the tree hierarchy includes a first level of nodes, a second level of nodes, and a third level of nodes, wherein each second level node is a child of one of the first level nodes, and each third level node is a child of one of the second level nodes, wherein each first level node represents one of a plurality of entities, each second level node represents one of a plurality of applications, and each third level node represents one of a plurality of sub-applications;

simultaneously displaying first, second, and third navigation controls configured to respectively display first and second entities, one or more applications that are children of the first entity, and a first sub application that is a child of one of the applications;

receiving, via the first navigation control, a user selection of the second entity in the first navigation control;

in response to the user selection, determining one or more applications that are children of the second entity, and a second sub application that is a child of one of the one or more applications that are children of the second entity;

configuring the second and third navigation controls to respectively display the one or more applications that are children of the second entity and the second sub application, wherein reconfiguring of the third navigation from displaying the first sub application to displaying the second sub application occurs without traversal of the tree hierarchy.

8. The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the at least one code section comprises code that enables executing instructions for launching an application associated with a selected sub-application selector in the third navigation control.

9. The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the at least one code section comprises code that enables storing a state of the application so as to enable returning to the application and restoring a state of the application.

10. The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the at least one code section comprises code that enables executing instructions for launching an application associated with a selected application in the second navigation control.

11. The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the at least one code section comprises code that enables displaying additional sub-application selectors in the third navigation control in response to receiving a sub-application selection.

12. The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the at least one code section comprises code that enables displaying a popup menu including a list of sub-applications selectors in response to receiving a sub-application selection.

13. The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the at least one code section comprises code that enables receiving a popup menu selection corresponding to a selected sub-application in the list of sub-applications;

and

displaying the selected sub-application in the third navigation control.

14. A system for switching between applications, the system comprising:

circuitry configured to define a tree hierarchy with a group of nodes related to one another in terms of a parent-child relationship, wherein the tree hierarchy includes a first level of nodes, a second level of nodes, and a third level of nodes, wherein each second level node is a child of one of the first level nodes, and each third level node is a child of one of the second level nodes, wherein each first level node represents one of a plurality of entities, each second level node represents one of a plurality of applications, and each third level node represents one of a plurality of sub-applications;

display circuitry configured to simultaneously display first, second, and third navigation controls configured to respectively display first and second entities, one or more applications that are children of the first entity, and a first sub application that is a child of one of the applications;

receiving logic configured to receive, via the first navigation control, a user selection of the second entity in the first navigation control, and in response to the user selection, determine one or more applications that are children of the second entity, and a second sub application that is a child of one of the one or more applications that are children of the second entity;

wherein the display circuitry configures the second and third navigation controls to respectively display the one or more applications that are children of the second entity and the second sub application, wherein reconfiguring of the third navigation from displaying the first sub application to displaying the second sub application occurs without traversal of the tree hierarchy.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the circuitry enables executing instructions for launching an application associated with a selected sub-application selector in the third navigation control.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the circuitry enables executing instructions for launching an application associated with a selected application in the second navigation control.

17. The system according to claim 14, wherein the circuitry enables displaying additional sub-application selectors in the third navigation control in response to receiving a sub-application selection.

18. The system according to claim 14, wherein the circuitry enables displaying a popup menu including a list of sub-applications selectors in response to receiving a sub-application selection.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the circuitry enables receiving a popup menu selection corresponding to a selected sub-application in the list of sub-applications;

and

displaying the selected sub-application in the third navigation control.