Method for configuring a graphical user interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9495080-B2
Application number	US-201113821231-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2011
Priority date	Sep 15, 2010
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

In order to configure a graphical user interface ( 6 ′) for displays of various terminals, a graphical configuration interface ( 81 ′) is presented, which comprises a miniaturized presentation of a desktop for the graphical user interface ( 6 ′). Configuration instructions are received in order to select widgets (W′) and in order to arrange the widgets (W′) on the desktop by positioning miniaturized presentations of the widgets on the desktop presented in miniature. Further configuration instructions selectively associate one or more defined parts of the desktop with the terminals, and the graphical user interface ( 6 ′) is defined for a particular terminal on the basis of the associated parts of the desktop and the widgets (W′) arranged thereon.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for configuring a graphical user interface for displays of a plurality of terminals, comprising:
representing a graphical configuration interface comprising a miniaturized representation of a desktop for the graphical user interface;
receiving configuration instructions for selecting widgets and for arranging the widgets in the desktop by positioning miniaturized representations of the widgets in the desktop represented in a miniaturized manner, wherein a plurality of navigation part-areas of a navigation area of the graphical user interface are represented, which in each case represent a miniaturized part of the desktop assigned thereto and the widgets arranged thereon;
receiving configuration instructions for selective assignment to the terminals of navigation part-areas; and
configuring the graphical user interface for representation on a display of each of the plurality of terminals on the basis of the navigation part-areas which are assigned for the relevant terminal, wherein the navigation part-areas are coupled such that in the event of a movement of a widget by a user from one of the navigation part-areas into another of the navigation part-areas, the permissibility of the positioning of the widget in the other of the navigation part-areas is checked, and the movement of the widget is rejected if the permissibility of the positioning is not permitted;
said method performed by execution of program instructions by a computing device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein defining the graphical user interface comprises generating an information area for representing a section of the parts of the desktop which are in each case allocated to the relevant terminals are and are arranged in a mutually adjacent manner, and with a much smaller navigation area in comparison with the information area, arranged outside the information area, wherein the navigation area in each case comprises a miniaturized representation of the desktop with all parts allocated to the relevant terminal and with the widgets arranged thereon, and wherein the navigation area and the information area are coupled by a selection indicator, which is movable in the navigation area, such that a selection area of the desktop represented in a miniaturized manner, said selection area being determined in the navigation area by the selection indicator, corresponds to the section of the desktop that is represented in the information area.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the navigation part-areas are generated such that widgets represented in a miniaturized manner are movable by the user from one of the navigation part-areas into another of the navigation part-areas, and that the navigation part-areas and the information area are coupled such that a positioning of a widget represented in a miniaturized manner on the miniaturized representation of one of navigation part-area brings about a corresponding positioning of the relevant widget on the relevant navigation part-area in the terminals to which the relevant navigation part-area is assigned.

4. The method of claim 2 , comprising providing a first navigation part-area as preparation area for defining a production configuration of a printing production system or printed-product further processing system, providing a second navigation part-area as production area for monitoring and control of production or further processing of printed products in the printing production system or printed-product further processing system, respectively, and providing a third navigation part-area as distribution area for defining the delivery of the printed products of the printing production system or printed-product further processing system, respectively.

5. The method of claim 1 , comprising receiving configuration instructions for defining the navigation part-areas and a navigation part-area is in each case definable as coupled or decoupled for the terminals, wherein a navigation part-area that is defined as coupled is generated such that it replicates changes in the relevant part in the other terminals to which the relevant navigation part-area is assigned, and wherein a navigation part-area defined as decoupled is generated such that it does not replicate changes in the relevant navigation part-area in the other terminals.

6. The method claim 2 , wherein the graphical user interface further comprises a copying function, wherein the copying function is designed to create a copy of the widget in a user-set copying mode upon the movement of a widget represented in a miniaturized manner from the navigation area into the information area and to arrange said copy on a navigation part-area in those terminals to which the relevant navigation part-area is assigned.

7. The method of claim 2 , comprising receiving configuration instructions for allocating rapid-access elements to the terminals, in that the graphical user interface for a terminal is generated in each case with allocated rapid-access elements which upon actuation by the user have the effect that a defined area of the desktop that is assigned to the relevant rapid-access element and of the widgets arranged thereon is represented in the information area and in that the selection indicator discloses in the navigation area the corresponding selection area of the desktop represented in a miniaturized manner and of the corresponding widgets represented in a miniaturized manner that are arranged thereon.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the graphical user interface further comprises with a login area, wherein the login area, the information area and the navigation area are coupled such that the widgets are arranged on the desktop and represented in the information area and navigation area according to at least one from the following list: user-specifically according to stored user settings, group-specifically according to stored group settings and generically according to stored basic settings.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the graphical user interface for a terminal is in each case generated with a widget inventory, wherein the widget inventory comprises a representation of available, but currently exclusively inactive, widgets not arranged on the parts of the desktop that are assigned to the relevant terminal, and wherein the desktop and the widget inventory are coupled such that an active widget is movable by the user from the parts of the desktop that are assigned to the relevant terminal into the widget inventory and during this process becomes inactive, and that an inactive widget is movable by the user from the widget inventory onto a part of the desktop that is assigned to the relevant terminal, and during this process becomes active.

10. A computerized device, comprising:
a processor in communication with a computer readable medium storing software modules including instructions that are executable by the processor, the software modules including at least:
a configuration module for configuring a graphical user interface for various terminals, the configuration module configured to:
represent a graphical configuration interface comprising a miniaturized representation of a desktop for the graphical user interface;
receive configuration instructions for selecting widgets and for arranging the widgets in the desktop by positioning miniaturized representations of the widgets in the desktop represented in a miniaturized manner, wherein a plurality of navigation part-areas of a navigation area of the graphical user interface are represented, which in each case represent a miniaturized part of the desktop assigned thereto and the widgets arranged thereon;
receive configuration instructions for selective assignment to t

Assignees

• Möckli Jürg
• Groth Uwe
• Ferag Ag

Inventors

• Möckli Jürg
• Groth Uwe

Classifications

• G06F3/0486

  Drag-and-drop · CPC title

• G06F3/04886

  by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus · CPC title

• G06F3/0485 Primary

  Scrolling or panning · CPC title

• G06F3/0484 Primary

  for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range · CPC title

• G06F3/048 Primary

  Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] · CPC title