Documents discrimination system and method thereof

• US 8,739,050 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2009
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 9224-5489 Quebec Inc., Maya-Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: 9224-5489 Quebec Inc.
• Inventors: Audet, Mathieu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, HIEN LUONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US12/400,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20090228788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,905 Days
• Field of Search: 715/746
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191

Abstract

A computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions for performing a method of discriminating documents is provided, the method comprising displaying a first array of documents, receiving instructions from the selection of an attribute associated with at least one document, displaying a second array of documents grouping documents having the selected attribute, and displaying documents associated with the selected attribute with a graphical discriminating feature. A method, a system and an graphical user interface providing same is also provided.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for tangibly storing computer-readable code thereon suitable for execution by a computing apparatus, the computer-readable code, when executed, being adapted to implement a method for visually indicating on a display those documents that have been copied from one axis of documents to another axis of documents based on a user-selected attribute, the method comprising:

(a) providing a first group of documents at least some of which are associated with one or more attributes;

(b) displaying documents of the first group of documents along a first axis;

(c) with respect to a first user-selected attribute of one of the first group of documents that is associated with one or more attributes,

(i) receiving user input representing the first user-selected attribute;

(ii) copying to a second axis each document of the first group of documents that has the first user-selected attribute, one or more documents copied to the second axis being displayed along the second axis during a period of time in which one or more documents of the first group of documents is displayed along the first axis; and

(iii) displaying for a predetermined time period a visual distinctive feature for each displayed document that is copied from the first group of documents to the second axis;

whereby a user is able to visualize which documents along the first axis have been copied to the second axis; and

(d) with respect to a second user-selected attribute of one of the first group of documents that is associated with one or more attributes,

(i) receiving user input representing the second user-selected attribute;

(ii) copying to a third axis each document of the first group of documents that has the second user-selected attribute, one or more documents copied to the third axis being displayed along the third axis during a period of time in which one or more documents of the first group of documents is displayed along the first axis; and

(iii) displaying for a predetermined time period along the first axis a visual distinctive feature for each displayed document on the first axis that is copied to the third axis;

whereby a user is able to visualize which documents along the first axis have been copied to the third axis.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing computer-readable code thereon for implementing the method of claim 1, wherein the first axis is displayed adjacent and parallel to the second axis;

and wherein the first axis is displayed adjacent and parallel to the third axis.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing computer-readable code thereon for implementing the method of claim 1, wherein the second axis is displayed at an angle in respect to the first axis and intersects the first axis at a displayed document on the first axis having the first user-selected attribute;

and wherein the third axis is displayed at an angle in respect to the first axis and intersects the first axis at a displayed document on the first axis having the second user-selected attribute.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing computer-readable code thereon for implementing the method of claim 1, wherein the first axis of documents includes the documents located thereon in a chronological order thereof.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing computer-readable code thereon for implementing the method of claim 1, wherein the documents simultaneously displayed in the first and second axes are adapted to be axially aligned on their respective axes to provide a graphical transversal alignment thereof;

and wherein the documents simultaneously displayed in the first and third axes are adapted to be axially aligned on their respective axes to provide a graphical transversal alignment thereof.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing computer-readable code thereon for implementing the method of claim 1, wherein, with respect to each user-selected attribute, the visual distinctive feature is adapted to be selectively displayed.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing computer-readable code thereon for implementing the method of claim 1, wherein, with respect to each user-selected attribute, the visual distinctive feature is user-selected from a group consisting of a pattern, a border and a color.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing computer-readable code thereon for implementing the method of claim 1, wherein, with respect to each user-selected attribute, the visual distinctive feature is progressively applied to the documents.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing computer-readable code thereon for implementing the method of claim 1, wherein, with respect to the first user-selected attribute, the visual distinctive feature for each document copied from the first axis is displayed along the second axis;

and wherein, with respect to the second user-selected attribute, the visual distinctive feature for each document copied from the first axis is displayed along the third axis.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing computer-readable code thereon for implementing the method of claim 1, wherein, with respect to the first user-selected attribute, the visual distinctive feature is displayed in connection with documents along the first axis that are copied to the second axis and is not displayed in connection with any document along the first axis that is not copied to the second axis;

and wherein, with respect to the second user-selected attribute, the visual distinctive feature is displayed in connection with documents along the first axis that are copied to the third axis and is not displayed in connection with any document along the first axis that is not copied to the third.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing computer-readable code thereon for implementing the method of claim 1, wherein the implemented method further comprises displaying an animation showing a movement of one or more of documents that are copied from the first axis.

12. The non-statutory computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing computer-readable code thereon for implementing the method of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second user-selected attributes comprises a value.

13. A method for visually indicating on a display those documents that have been copied from one axis of documents to another axis of documents based on a user-selected attribute, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a first group of documents in a first display area of a display such that the group of documents defines at least a portion of a first axis of documents at least some of the first group of documents being associated with one or more attributes;

(b) with respect to a first user-selected attribute of one of the first group of documents that is associated with one or more attributes,

(i) receiving user input representing the first user-selected attribute;

(ii) copying to a second display area of the display documents of the first group of documents that have the first user-selected attribute, said copying resulting in the copied documents defining at least a portion of a second axis of documents, at least portions of the first axis and second axis being concurrently displayed; and

(iii) displaying for a predetermined period of time a visual distinctive feature with documents of the first group that are copied to the second axis;

whereby a user is able to visualize which documents along the first axis have been copied to the second axis; and

(c) with respect to a second user-selected attribute of one of the first group of documents that is associated with one or more attributes,

(i) receiving user input representing the second user-selected attribute;

(ii) copying documents of the first group of documents that have the second user-selected attribute, said copying resulting in the copied documents defining at least a portion of a third axis of documents, at least portions of the first axis and third axis being concurrently displayed; and

(iii) displaying for a predetermined period of time a visual distinctive feature with documents of the first group that are copied to the third axis;

whereby a user is able to visualize which documents along the first axis have been copied to the third axis.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first axis is displayed adjacent and parallel to the second axis;

and wherein the first axis is displayed adjacent and parallel to the third axis.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the second axis is displayed at an angle in respect to the first axis and intersects the first axis at a displayed document on the first axis having the first user-selected attribute;

and wherein the third axis is displayed at an angle in respect to the first axis and intersects the first axis at a displayed document on the first axis having the second user-selected attribute.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying an animation showing a movement of one or more of documents that are copied from the first axis.

17. An apparatus for implementing a user interface adapted to visually indicating on a display those documents that have been copied from one axis of documents to another axis of documents based on a user-selected attribute, the apparatus comprising:

a memory module adapted to store thereon a plurality of documents; and

a processing unit in communication with the memory module, the processing unit being operative for executing computer readable program code stored on a non-transient computer readable medium for implementing a method comprising;

(a) displaying documents of the plurality of documents on a first axis of documents;

(b) with respect to a first user-selected attribute of one of the first group of documents that is associated with one or more attributes,

(i) receiving user input representing the first user-selected attribute;

(ii) copying to a second axis of documents each document of the plurality of documents that has the first user-selected attribute, at least a portion of the second axis being displayed at least during a period of time in which at least a portion of the first axis is displayed; and

(iii) displaying for a predetermined period of time a visual distinctive feature associated with each displayed document on the first axis that is copied to the second axis;

whereby a user is able to visualize which documents along the first axis have been copied to the second axis; and

(c) with respect to a second user-selected attribute of one of the first group of documents that is associated with one or more attributes,

(i) receiving user input representing the second user-selected attribute;

(ii) copying to a third axis of documents each document of the plurality of documents that has the second user-selected attribute, at least a portion of the third axis being displayed at least during a period of time in which at least a portion of the first axis is displayed; and

(iii) displaying for a predetermined period of time a visual distinctive feature associated with each displayed document on the first axis that is copied to the third axis;

whereby a user is able to visualize which documents along the first axis have been copied to the third axis.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first axis is displayed adjacent and parallel to the second axis;

and wherein the first axis is displayed adjacent and parallel to the third axis.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second axis is displayed at an angle in respect to the first axis and intersects the first axis at a displayed document on the first axis having the first user-selected attribute;

and wherein the third axis is displayed at an angle in respect to the first axis and intersects the first axis at a displayed document on the first axis having the second user-selected attribute.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the method implemented further comprises displaying an animation showing a movement of one or more of documents that are copied from the first axis.