Method of managing groups of arrays of documents

• US 8,607,155 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2009
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 9224-5489 Quebec Inc., Maya-Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: 9224-5489 Quebec Inc.
• Inventors: Audet, Mathieu
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin, Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): BADAWI, ANGIE M
• Application Number:
  US12/559,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 715/784
• US Class Current: 715/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• 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: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method of grouping arrays of documents is provided, the method comprising providing a first plurality of documents in a first array of documents, providing a second plurality of documents in a second array of documents, grouping the first array of documents and the second array of documents in a first group of arrays of documents, and displaying the first group of documents. A tangible machine-readable medium and a graphical user interface providing same are also provided herewith.

Claims

1. At least one non-transitory machine-readable media having machine-executable instructions encoded thereon which, when executed by a data processing system, cause the data processing system to perform a method of grouping axes of information elements, the method comprising:

providing a first plurality of information elements adapted to be displayed in a first axis of information elements;

providing a second plurality of information elements adapted to be displayed in a second axis of information elements, the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements being adapted to be acted upon independently from one another, the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements being further adapted to be grouped together on a basis of a user input;

grouping the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements in a group of axes of information elements, the group of axes being adapted to collectively perform an action on the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements; and

displaying the group of axes of information elements,

the first axis of information elements being adapted to graphically represent information elements along a first substantially rectilinear arrangement and the second axis of information elements being adapted to graphically represent information elements along a second substantially rectilinear arrangement,

the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements from the group of axes of information elements being adapted to be ungrouped on a basis of a user input.

2. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, wherein the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements are adapted to be substantially parallelly displayed thereof.

3. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of information elements are provided on a basis of a first attribute and the second plurality of information elements are provided on a basis of a second attribute.

4. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, wherein the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements are individually displayable prior to being grouped together.

5. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, wherein grouping the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements is made on a basis of a user input.

6. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, further comprising ungrouping the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements on a basis of a user input.

7. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, wherein, when the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements are grouped, an intervening distance between the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements is adjustable.

8. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, wherein at least some information elements in the group of axes of information elements are user-selectable.

9. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, wherein, when the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements are grouped, the first axis of information elements is adapted to be longitudinally scrolled in respect with the second axis of information elements in the group of axes of information elements.

10. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, wherein the group of axes of information elements is adapted to be longitudinally scrollable to collectively scroll the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements.

11. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, wherein the group of axes of information elements is a first group of axes of information elements, the method further comprising displaying a second group of axes of information elements adjacent to the first group of axes of information elements, the second group of axes of information elements being adapted to display at least one axis of information elements, the first group of axes of information elements and the second group of axes of information elements being adapted to be distanced from one another.

12. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, wherein the group of axes of axes of information elements is provided with a graphical distinctive feature adapted to graphically discriminate the group of axes of information elements.

13. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, wherein the group of axes of information elements is adapted to locate at least some information elements contained in the group of axes of information elements along a timeline.

14. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, further comprising one of the steps selected from the group consisting of adding an additional axis of information elements in the group of axes of information elements and removing an axis of information elements from the group of axes of information elements.

15. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising magnifying the first axis of information elements from the group of axes of information elements to graphically discriminate the first axis of information elements from the second axis of information elements.

16. A device, comprising a processor configured to present to a user a graphical interface for displaying and managing arrays of documents, the graphical interface comprising:

a first display area that is operable to display a first axis of information elements;

a second display area that is operable to display a second axis of information elements, the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements being adapted to be acted upon independently from one another, the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements being further adapted to be grouped together on a basis of a user input;

a first command that is operable to group the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements in a group of axes of information elements, the group of axes of information elements being adapted to collectively perform an action on the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements; and

a third display area that is operable to display the group of axes of information elements,

the first axis of information elements being adapted to graphically represent information elements therein along a first substantially rectilinear arrangement and the second axis of information elements being adapted to graphically represent information elements therein along a second substantially rectilinear arrangement,

a second command that is operable to ungroup the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements from the group of axes of information elements, the first axis of information elements and the second axis of information elements from the group of axes of information elements being adapted to be ungrouped on a basis of a user input.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the group of axes of information elements is a first group of axes of information elements, the method further comprising displaying a second group of axes of information elements, the second group of axes of information elements being adapted to display at least one axis of information elements.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the group of axes of information elements is adapted to locate at least some information elements contained in the group of axes of information elements along a timeline.

19. A computer system comprising:

a processor programmed to execute a plurality of modules;

a documents gathering module adapted to provide a first plurality of documents adapted to be displayed in a first axis of documents disposed in a substantially longitudinal fashion and a second plurality of documents adapted to be displayed in a second axis of documents, the first axis of documents and the second axis of documents being adapted to be acted upon independently from one another, the first axis of documents and the second axis of documents being further adapted to be grouped together on a basis of a user input; and

an axes of documents management module adapted to provide a mechanism configured to group the first axis of documents and the second axis of documents into a group of axes of documents on a display, the group of axes of documents being adapted to collectively perform an action on the first axis of documents and the second axis of documents on a basis of a user input;

a display module adapted to display the group of axes of documents,

the first axis of documents being adapted to graphically represent documents along a first substantially rectilinear arrangement and the second axis of documents being adapted to graphically represent documents along a second substantially rectilinear arrangement,

the first axis of documents and the second axis of documents from the group of axes of documents being adapted to be ungrouped.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the group of axes of documents is a first group of axes of documents, the method further comprising displaying a second group of axes of documents, the second group of axes of documents being adapted to display at least one axis of documents.