Organization mode support mechanisms

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10078411-B2
Application number	US-201414310617-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2014
Priority date	Apr 2, 2014
Publication date	Sep 18, 2018
Grant date	Sep 18, 2018

Abstract

An organization mode in a user interface that displays multiple user interface elements. The multiple user interface elements fit over a grid positions that are at least conceptually imposed over a canvas. In organization mode, the grid positions are displayed, allowing the user to more easily see where user interface elements may be placed. As the user moves and/or resizes a user interface element, one or more corresponding grid positions are highlighted to show where the user interface element would be placed if the move or resize operation were to conclude at that moment. The organization mode may also provide a contextual actions menu with respect to a particular user interface element. The contextual actions menu includes multiple organization mode commands, including one or more that may be directed selected from the contextual actions menu to invoke the command.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable physical storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a computing system to cause the computing system to perform a method for supporting an organization mode in which a plurality of user interface elements may be organized within a user interface, the method comprising:
an act of displaying a canvas on the user interface, the canvas being subdivided into at least an extendable start board portion and a constituent element portion, the extendable start board portion being displayed simultaneously with the constituent element portion on the canvas, wherein:
upon selection of any one user interface element in the extendable start board portion, the constituent element portion is updated to include a group of user interface elements that each corresponds to the selected any one user interface element,
a size of the constituent element portion is dependent on a size of the extendable start board portion such that as the size of the extendable start board portion increases, the size of the constituent element portion decreases in response, and
when the size of the constituent element portion decreases, an appearance of at least some elements in the group of user interface elements included in the constituent element portion is progressively cutoff to coincide with the decreasing size of the constituent element portion;

an act of displaying a plurality of user interface elements on the extendable start board portion of the canvas so as to conform to a grid pattern having a plurality of grid positions on the extendable start board portion, each of the plurality of user interface elements occupying one or more of the grid positions of the plurality of grid positions and having boundaries corresponding to boundaries between grid positions;
an act of detecting a user instruction representing an intent to organize one or more of the plurality of user interface elements on the canvas, the user interface entering the organization mode after the user instruction is received;
an act of causing an appearance of at least some remaining user interface elements in the plurality to change such that the appearances are deemphasized, the at least some remaining user interface elements being elements that were not associated with the user instruction;
an act of causing at least some of the plurality of grid positions to be displayed in response to the act of detecting the user instruction; and
while in the organization mode and in response to selecting a particular user interface element, an act of causing a contextual actions menu to appear for the particular user interface element, the contextual actions menu displaying a subset of available commands, the displayed subset of available commands being commands that have been previously identified as being commonly used by a user while the user interacts with the user interface in the organization mode, the contextual actions menu being displayed simultaneously with the particular user interface element.

2. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the displayed subset of available commands includes a pin and unpin command.

3. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1 , the act of detecting a user instruction comprising:
an act of detecting a user instruction to move the one or more of the plurality of user interface elements on the canvas.

4. The computer program product in accordance with claim 3 , the method further comprising:
an act of detecting that a user is moving the one or more of the plurality of user interface elements; and
for each of a plurality of instances during the user's detected moving of the one or more of the plurality of user interface elements, an act of highlighting one or more of the plurality of grid positions so that the highlighted one or more grid positions represents where the one or more of the plurality of user interface elements would be placed on the canvas if the one or more of the plurality of user interface elements were to be dropped at the corresponding instance of the plurality of instances.

5. The computer program product in accordance with claim 4 , the highlighted one or more grid positions being underneath the one or more of the plurality of user interface elements for each of at least a majority of the plurality of instances.

6. The computer program product in accordance with claim 4 , the highlighted one or more grid positions being adjacent another of the plurality of user interface elements, but not underneath the one or more of the plurality of user interface elements for each of at least a majority of the plurality of instances.

7. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1 , the act of detecting a user instruction comprising:
an act of detecting a user instruction to resize the one or more of the plurality of user interface elements on the canvas.

8. The computer program product in accordance with claim 7 , the method further comprising:
an act of detecting that a user is resizing the one or more of the plurality of user interface elements; and
for each of one or more instances during the user's detected resizing of the one or more of the plurality of user interface elements, an act of highlighting one or more of the plurality of grid positions so that the highlighted one or more grid positions represents where the one or more of the plurality of user interface elements would be placed on the canvas if the one or more of the plurality of user interface elements were to be dropped at the corresponding instance of the one or more instances.

9. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1 , each of the plurality of user interface elements having one of a set of predetermined allowable shapes and sizes, each of the predetermined allowable shapes and sizes fitting over one or more grid positions.

10. A method for supporting an organization mode in which a plurality of user interface elements may be organized within a user interface, the method comprising:
an act of displaying a canvas on the user interface, the canvas being subdivided into at least an extendable start board portion and a constituent element portion, the extendable start board portion being displayed simultaneously with the constituent element portion on the canvas, wherein:
upon selection of any one user interface element in the extendable start board portion, the constituent element portion is updated to include a group of user interface elements that each corresponds to the selected any one user interface element,
a size of the constituent element portion is dependent on a size of the extendable start board portion such that as the size of the extendable start board portion increases, the size of the constituent element portion decreases in response, and
when the size of the constituent element portion decreases, an appearance of at least some elements in the group of user interface elements included in the constituent element portion is progressively cutoff to coincide with the decreasing size of the constituent element portion;

an act of displaying a plurality of user interface elements on the extendable start board portion of the canvas so as to conform to a grid pattern having a plurality of grid positions on the extendable start board portion, each of the plurality of user interface elements fitting over one or more of the grid positions of the plurality of grid positions;
an act of entering an organization mode in which the plurality of user interface elements may be organized on the canvas in a manner not permitted outside of the org

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Welicki Leon Ezequiel
• Wang Mo
• Scrosati Christopher
• Owens Kristofer John
• Harris Jon
• Sterling Jonah Bush
• Supino Dina-Marie Ledonna
• Joshi Vishal R
• Francisco Jesse David
• Danton Stephen Michael

Classifications

• G06F3/0483 Primary

  Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor · CPC title

• G06F3/0481 Primary

  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 title

• G06F3/04847

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title

• G06F3/0486

  Drag-and-drop · CPC title

• G06F3/04817

  using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34) · CPC title