Graphical multidimensional file management system and method

• US 8,645,826 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2011
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Audet, Mathieu
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton, Jr., Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Tionna
• Application Number:
  US13/213,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20110307832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 715/273
• US Class Current: 715/273
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• 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 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing computer-readable code thereon that provides, when executed by a computer, a method for displaying a plurality of information elements on a display is hereby provided, the method comprising displaying a plurality of juxtaposed information elements defining a first axis thereof, selecting one information element from the plurality of displayed information elements, and displaying a plurality of user-selectable elements related to the selected information element, some of the plurality of user-selectable elements being substantially vertically disposed in respect of one another substantially defining a second axis thereof, the second axis being disposed at an angle in respect with the first axis. A method providing same is also hereby provided.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a plurality of information elements on a display, the method comprising:

receiving a first selection of a first attribute;

receiving a second selection of a second attribute;

displaying, in response to the first selection, a plurality of juxtaposed information elements on the display, the plurality of juxtaposed information elements defining a first axis and selected at least in part on a basis of the first attribute;

concurrently displaying, in response to the second selection, a second plurality of juxtaposed information elements defining a second axis and selected at least in part on a basis of the second attribute;

receiving a selection of one information element from the plurality of juxtaposed information elements or the second plurality of juxtaposed information elements;

modifying, in response to the selection of the one information element, a visual aspect of the one information element to discriminate the one information element from the other information elements; and

displaying an information element including a plurality of user-selectable elements associated with the selected one information element, some of the plurality of user-selectable elements being substantially linearly disposed with respect of one another and substantially defining a third axis of information elements including the first selected information element, the third axis being disposed at an angle with respect to the first axis and the second axis.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-selectable information elements are adapted to be axially scrolled along the second axis.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the user-selectable information elements defining the second axis are hyperlinks.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first selection or the second selection includes receiving a touch input from the display that includes a touch screen adapted to interact with a body part of a user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the information elements defining the first axis are images of music albums and wherein at least some of the user-selectable information elements defining the second axis are associated with music files retrieved in response to the selection of the selected one information element.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a second information element from the first axis; and

replacing, in response to the selection of the second information element, the second axis with a third axis adapted to displaying a second plurality of user-selectable information elements related to the selected second information element.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the angle is about 90 degrees.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user-selectable information elements related to the selected information element includes the plurality of user-selectable information elements having at least an attribute in common with the selected information element, the attribute selected from a group of attributes including:

an indication of ownership, a creation date, a modification date, a document type, a keyword, an author, and a document format, of the one information element.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing computer-readable code thereon that provides, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the following operations:

receiving a first selection of a first attribute;

receiving a second selection of a second attribute;

displaying, in response to the first selection, a first plurality of juxtaposed information elements defining a first axis and selected at least in part on a basis of the first attribute, the first axis being adapted to be longitudinally scrolled;

concurrently displaying, in response to the second selection, a second plurality of juxtaposed information elements defining a second axis and selected at least in part on a basis of the second attribute, the second axis being adapted to be scrolled independently with respect to the first axis;

receiving a third selection selecting a first selected information element from the plurality of displayed information elements;

modifying, in response to the third selection, a visual aspect of the first selected information element to discriminate the first selected information element from the other information elements; and

displaying an information element including a plurality of user-selectable elements associated with the first selected information element, some of the plurality of user-selectable elements being substantially linearly disposed with respect of one another and substantially defining a third axis of information elements including the first selected information element, the third axis being disposed at an angle with respect to the first axis and the second axis.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

receiving a scroll input;

wherein at least one of the first plurality of juxtaposed information elements defining the first axis and the second plurality of juxtaposed information elements defining the second axis is scrolled in response to the scroll input.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the displayed information element is graphically depicted on the selected information element.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein receiving the first, second, or third selection includes processing a touch input from the display that includes a touch screen adapted to interact with a body part of a user to receive inputs that interact with the information elements and the axes.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first attribute and the second attribute each include at least one of:

an indication of ownership, a creation date, a modification date, a document type, a keyword, an author, and a document format, of the one information element.

14. A multidimensional management system, comprising:

a display;

a processor coupled to the display, the processor configured for,

receiving a first selection of a first attribute;

receiving a second selection of a second attribute;

displaying on the display, in response to the first selection, a first plurality of juxtaposed information elements defining a first axis and selected at least in part on a basis of the first attribute, the first axis being adapted to be longitudinally scrolled;

concurrently displaying on the display, in response to the second selection, a second plurality of juxtaposed information elements defining a second axis and selected at least in part on a basis of the second attribute, the second axis being adapted to be scrolled independently with respect to the first axis;

receiving a third selection selecting a first selected information element from the plurality of displayed information elements;

modifying, in response to the third selection, a visual aspect of the first selected information element to discriminate the first selected information element from the other information elements; and

displaying, on the display, an information element including a plurality of user-selectable elements associated with the first selected information element, some of the plurality of user-selectable elements being substantially linearly disposed with respect of one another and substantially defining a third axis of information elements including the first selected information element, the third axis being disposed at an angle with respect to the first axis and the second axis.

15. The multidimensional management system of claim 14, the processor further configured for:

receiving a scroll input;

wherein at least one of the first plurality of juxtaposed information elements defining the first axis and the second plurality of juxtaposed information elements defining the second axis is scrolled in response to the scroll input.

16. The multidimensional management system of claim 14, wherein the displayed information element is graphically depicted on the selected information element.

17. The multidimensional management system of claim 14, wherein receiving the first, second, or third selection includes processing a touch input from the display that includes a touch screen adapted to interact with a body part of a user to receive inputs that interact with the information elements and the axes.

18. The multidimensional management system of claim 14, wherein the first attribute and the second attribute each include at least one of:

an indication of ownership, a creation date, a modification date, a document type, a keyword, an author, and a document format, of the one information element.

19. The multidimensional management system of claim 14, the processor further configured for:

receiving a selection of a second information element from the first axis; and

replacing, in response to the selection of the second information element, the second axis with a third axis adapted to displaying a second plurality of user-selectable information elements related to the selected second information element.

20. The multidimensional management system of claim 14, wherein the angle is about 90 degrees.