Communication between a document editor in-space user interface and a document editor out-space user interface

• US 8,484,578 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gordner, Jonathan Ian, Dukhon, Marina, Satterfield, Jesse Clay, Singh, Navjot, Trevino, Maria Fernandez, Alberts, Amy E., Guntaur, Paula
• Primary Examiner(s): Belousov, Andrey
• Application Number:
  US12/163,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20090222763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,838 Days
• Field of Search: 715/808, 715/705, 715/731, 715/738, 715/741, 715/751
• US Class Current: 715/808
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

An out-space actuator is selected to access an out-space user interface for a document editor program. An out-space actuator is associated with an in-space user interface having a displayed document. When the out-space actuator is selected, an out-space user interface is displayed that includes an expanded feature selection surface. The out-space user interface may be used to display one or more status panes for providing status information about a document being edited in the in-space user interface. Application features for affecting changes to a given document'"'"'s status may be exposed in the out-space interface in proximity to associated status information. An out-space communication user interface (UI) component may be temporarily displayed in the document in-space user interface to communicate document status information that is presently available in the out-space user interface. A message bar may be displayed in the in-space user interface for communicating information from the out-space user interface.

Claims

1. A method of communicating status information for a document from an out-space user interface to an in-space user interface for alerting a user of the document of the availability of the status information in the out-space user interface, comprising:

displaying an in-space user interface that includes a display of authoring features and a document display area for creating and editing a document and an out-space actuator associated with the out-space user interface, and displaying a document that is editable in the document display area of the in-space user interface;

receiving a status of the document, and saving the status of the document in the out-space user interface;

temporarily displaying in the in-space user interface an out-space communication user interface (UI) component for alerting a user of the document about the availability of the status of the document; and

disposing the out-space actuator in the out-space communication user interface (UI) component for allowing deployment of the out-space user interface that includes;

removing the display of the editable document that is displayed within the document display area associated with the in-space user interface;

displaying a non-authoring feature within the document display area; and

displaying a smaller non-editable version of the editable document in the out-space communication user interface (UI) in response to selection of the out-space actuator from the out-space communication user interface (UI) component for allowing the user of the document to review the status of the document.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the out-space actuator from the out-space communication user interface (UI) component;

in response to receiving the selection of the out-space actuator from the out-space communication user interface (UI) component, displaying the out-space user interface; and

displaying the status of the document in the out-space user interface.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

displaying the status of the document in a document status display pane that is displayed in the out-space user interface; and

visually highlighting the document status display pane to indicate that the status of the document displayed in the document status display pane is associated with the out-space communication user interface (UI) component temporarily displayed in the in-space user interface for alerting a user of the document about the availability of the status of the document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein temporarily displaying in the in-space user interface an out-space communication user interface (UI) component for alerting a user of the document about the availability of the status of the document includes displaying in the out-space communication user interface (UI) component information that communicates at least a portion of the status of the document saved in the out-space user interface to the user of the document.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining a non-authoring feature that may be utilized for changing the status of the document; and

displaying information about the feature that may be utilized for changing the status of the document in the out-space user interface with the displayed status of the document.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising displaying a selectable control in the document status display pane for accessing the feature for changing the status of the document.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein in addition to visually highlighting the document status display pane to indicate that the status of the document displayed in the document status display pane is associated with the out-space communication user interface (UI) component temporarily displayed in the in-space user interface for alerting a user of the document about the availability of the status of the document, further comprising applying a secondary visual indication to the document status display pane to indicate an importance level associated with the displayed status of the document.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

dynamically updating the status of the document displayed in the document status display pane as the status of the document changes; and

temporarily displaying in the in-space user interface an updated out-space communication user interface (UI) component for alerting a user of the document about the availability of the updated status of the document.

9. A method of communicating status information for a document from an out-space user interface to an in-space user interface for alerting a user of the document of the availability of the status information in the out-space user interface, comprising:

displaying an in-space user interface that includes a display of authoring features and a document display area for creating and editing a document and having an out-space actuator associated with the out-space user interface, and displaying a document that is editable in the document display area of the in-space user interface;

receiving a status of the document, and saving the status of the document in the out-space user interface;

displaying in the in-space user interface a message bar for alerting a user of the document about the availability of the status of the document; and

disposing the out-space actuator in the message bar for allowing deployment of the out-space user interface that includes replacing the display of the document that is editable within the document display area associated with the in-space user interface with a display of a non-authoring feature within the document display area in response to selection of the out-space actuator from the message bar for allowing the user of the document to review the status of the document.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the out-space actuator from the message bar;

in response to receiving the selection of the out-space actuator from the message bar, displaying the out-space user interface; and

displaying the status of the document in the out-space user interface.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying the status of the document in a document status display pane that is displayed in the out-space user interface; and

visually highlighting the document status display pane to indicate that the status of the document displayed in the document status display pane is associated with the message bar displayed in the in-space user interface for alerting a user of the document about the availability of the status of the document.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying in the in-space user interface a message bar for alerting a user of the document about the availability of the status of the document includes displaying in the message bar information that communicates at least a portion of the status of the document saved in the out-space user interface to the user of the document.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining a non-authoring feature that may be utilized for changing the status of the document; and

displaying information about the feature that may be utilized for changing the status of the document in the out-space user interface with the displayed status of the document.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying a selectable control in the document status display pane for accessing the feature for changing the status of the document.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein in addition to visually highlighting the document status display pane to indicate that the status of the document displayed in the document status display pane is associated with the message bar displayed in the in-space user interface for alerting a user of the document about the availability of the status of the document, further comprising applying a secondary visual indication to the document status display pane to indicate an importance level associated with the displayed status of the document.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

dynamically updating the status of the document displayed in the document status display pane as the status of the document changes; and

displaying in the in-space user interface an updated message bar for alerting a user of the document about the availability of the updated status of the document.

17. A method of communicating status information for a document from a secondary user interface to a primary interface for alerting a user of the document of the availability of the status information in the secondary user interface, comprising:

providing a primary user interface having an actuator associated with the secondary user interface, and displaying a document in the primary user interface;

receiving a first status of the document, and saving the first status of the document in the secondary user interface;

temporarily displaying in the primary user interface an out-space communication user interface (UI) component for alerting a user of the document about the availability of the first status of the document;

disposing the actuator associated with the secondary user interface in the out-space communication user interface (UI) component for allowing deployment of the secondary user interface in response to selection of the actuator from the out-space communication user interface (UI) component for allowing the user of the document to review the status of the document;

displaying in the primary user interface a message bar for alerting a user of the document about the availability of a second status of the document saved in the secondary user interface; and

disposing the actuator associated with the secondary user interface in the message bar for allowing deployment of the out-space user interface that replaces a display of the document within a document display area of the primary user interface used to display the document in response to selection of the actuator from the message bar for allowing the user of the document to review the second status of the document.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

displaying the first and second statuses of the document in respective first and second document status display panes that are displayed in the secondary user interface; and

visually highlighting each of the first and second status display panes with a different visual highlighting to indicate that the first status of the document displayed in the first document status display pane is associated with the out-space communication user interface (UI) component temporarily displayed in the primary user interface, and to indicate that the second status of the document displayed in the second document status display pane is associated with the message bar displayed in the primary user interface.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein temporarily displaying in the in-space user interface an out-space communication user interface (UI) component for alerting a user of the document about the availability of the status of the document includes displaying in the out-space communication user interface (UI) component information that communicates at least a portion of the status of the document saved in the out-space user interface to the user of the document.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

dynamically updating the first and second statuses of the document displayed in each of the first and second document status display panes as the first and second statuses of the document change;

temporarily displaying in the primary user interface an updated out-space communication user interface (UI) component for alerting a user of the document about the availability of the updated first status of the document; and

updating information displayed in the displayed message bar for alerting a user of the document about the availability of the updated second status of the document.