Graphically organizing content in a user interface to a software application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10963144-B2
Application number	US-201715834484-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2017
Priority date	Dec 7, 2017
Publication date	Mar 30, 2021
Grant date	Mar 30, 2021

Abstract

Systems, methods, and software are disclosed herein for graphically organizing content in a user interface to a software application. A visual representations of data objects is presented on a canvas in the user interface. User input is received indicative of at least a visual construct for arranging the visual representations of the data objects on the canvas and criteria for arranging the visual representations of the data objects with respect to the visual construct. Data associated with each of the data objects that relates to the criteria is then identified. Each of the visual representations of data objects are placed on the visual construct based on the data related to the criteria.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer apparatus comprising:
one or more computer readable storage media;
a processing system operatively coupled to the one or more computer readable storage media; and
an application stored on the one or more computer readable storage media and comprising program instructions for graphically organizing content in a user interface that, when executed by the processing system, direct the processing system to at least:
present image representations of data objects on a canvas in the user interface, wherein each data object of the data objects represents an entity and comprises data describing the entity, the data describing the entity comprises an image associated with the entity, and each image representation includes the image associated with the entity;
receive a first user input indicating a visual construct for rearranging the image representations of the data objects on the canvas, wherein the first user input is hand-drawn digital inking on the canvas presenting the image representations of the data objects;
receive a second user input indicating criteria for arranging the image representations of the data objects with respect to the visual construct;
receive a third user input indicating a selection of at least a subset of the image representations of the data objects;
identify data that relates to the criteria from each of the at least the subset of the data objects, wherein the data that relates to the criteria comprises at least a portion of the data describing the entity for each of the at least the subset of the data objects; and
rearrange the image representations of the at least the subset of the data objects onto the visual construct based on the data that relates to the criteria.

2. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second user input is hand-drawn digital inking on the canvas.

3. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein the visual construct comprises a graph and the criteria comprises a label for each axis of the graph.

4. The computer apparatus of claim 3 wherein the processing system in further configured to:
identify a scale for each axis of the graph based on the data associated with each data object of the data objects; and
wherein to place the image representations of the data objects on the visual construct, the program instructions direct the processing system to place each image representation on the visual construct based on the data related to the criteria and the identified scale for each axis of the graph.

5. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein the visual construct comprises a table and the criteria comprises a label for each column or row on the table.

6. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein each data object of the data objects includes metadata indicating the data that relates to the criteria.

7. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein each data object of the data objects includes an embedded link to a data source and wherein to identify the data that relates to the criteria, the program instructions direct the processing system to query the data source for the data that relates to the criteria.

8. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processing system is further configured to:
receive a sort command on the canvas in the user interface that places select image representations of the image representations of the data objects on the visual construct; and
wherein to place the select image representations of data objects in the visual construct, the program instructions direct the processing system to sort the image representations of data objects on the visual construct based on the sort command.

9. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processing system is further configured to:
receive an erase command on the canvas in the user interface that is associated with at least one of a data object of the data objects and a criterion of the criteria; and
remove the at least one of a data object and the criterion from the visual construct when placing the image representations of data objects on the visual construct.

10. A method for graphically organizing content in a user interface to a software application, the method comprising:
presenting image representations of data objects on a canvas in the user interface, wherein each data object of the data objects represents an entity and comprises data describing the entity, the data describing the entity comprises an image associated with the entity, and each image representation includes the image associated with the entity;
receiving a first user input indicating a visual construct for rearranging the image representations of the data objects on the canvas, wherein the first user input is hand-drawn digital inking on the canvas presenting the image representations of the data objects;
receiving a second user input indicating criteria for arranging the image representations of the data objects with respect to the visual construct;
receiving a third user input indicating a selection of at least a subset of the image representations of the data objects;
identifying data that relates to the criteria from each of the at least the subset of the data objects, wherein the data that relates to the criteria comprises at least a portion of the data describing the entity for each of the at least the subset of the data objects; and
rearranging the image representations of the at least the subset of the data objects onto the visual construct based on the data that relates to the criteria.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the second user input is hand-drawn digital inking on the canvas.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the visual construct comprises a graph and the criteria comprises a label for each axis of the graph.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
identifying a scale for each axis of the graph based on the data associated with each data object of the data objects; and
wherein placing the image representations of the data objects on the visual construct comprises placing each image representation on the visual construct based on the data related to the criteria and the identified scale for each axis of the graph.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the visual construct comprises a table and the criteria comprises a label for each column or row on the table.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein each data object of the data objects includes metadata indicating the data that relates to the criteria.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein each data object of the data objects includes an embedded link to a data source and wherein identifying the data that relates to the criteria comprises querying the data source for the data that relates to the criteria.

17. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
receiving a sort command on the canvas in the user interface that places select image representations of the image representations of the data objects on the visual construct; and
wherein placing the image representations of data objects in the visual construct comprises sorting the image representations of data objects on the visual construct based on the sort command.

18. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
receiving an erase command on the canvas in the user interface that is associated with at least one of a data object of the data objects and a criterion of the criteria; and
removing the at least one of the data object and the criterion from the visual construct when placing the image representations of data objects on the visual construct.

19. On

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Fox Seth
• Zhu Yibing
• Ebeling Rolf Arnold

Classifications

• G06T11/26

  Drawing of charts or graphs · CPC title

• G06F16/26

  Visual data mining; Browsing structured data · CPC title

• G06F40/18

  of spreadsheets (form-filling G06F40/174) · CPC title

• G06F3/04845 Primary

  for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour · CPC title

• G06T2200/24

  involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs] · CPC title