U.S. patent application number 12/196112 was filed with the patent office on 2008-12-11 for highlighting related user interface controls.
This patent application is currently assigned to INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Gregory Richard Hintermeister, Michael D. Rahn.
Application Number | 20080307358 12/196112 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38535087 |
Filed Date | 2008-12-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080307358 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hintermeister; Gregory Richard ;
et al. |
December 11, 2008 |
HIGHLIGHTING RELATED USER INTERFACE CONTROLS
Abstract
Highlighting related user interface controls to selected items
improves the ease of use and the intuitiveness of a graphical user
interface. In preferred embodiments, user interface controls that
are related to a selected object in the display are uniquely
highlighted when an object is selected to show the user what user
interface options are related to or available to perform some
action on the selected object. The preferred embodiments of related
highlighted controls can be used in conjunction with prior art
highlighted controls that show what actions are available to the
user for the current environment or cursor location.
Inventors: |
Hintermeister; Gregory Richard;
(Rochester, MN) ; Rahn; Michael D.; (Rochester,
MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MARTIN & ASSOCIATES, LLC
P.O. BOX 548
CARTHAGE
MO
64836-0548
US
|
Assignee: |
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES
CORPORATION
Armonk
NY
|
Family ID: |
38535087 |
Appl. No.: |
12/196112 |
Filed: |
August 21, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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11388014 |
Mar 23, 2006 |
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12196112 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/821 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/048 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/821 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/048 20060101
G06F003/048 |
Claims
1. A computer apparatus comprising: at least one processor; a
memory coupled to the at least one processor; a graphical user
interface in the memory and executed by the at least one processor
comprising: a plurality of user interface controls; at least one
object on a display screen that can be selected by a user; wherein
the graphical user interface, in response to the user selecting an
object, uniquely highlights a user interface control button based
on the selected object and independent of other user interface
controls that may be highlighted to show availability of the user
interface control button to perform some action on the selected
object based on the context of the graphical user interface; and
wherein the user interface control button is chosen from the
following: a menu button, a drop down menu button, a toolbar
button, a windows toolbar button, an input field in an internet
page displayed on a browser, and a button in an internet page
displayed on a browser.
2. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein the graphical user
interface highlights the user interface control based on a single
aspect of the selected object.
3. The computer apparatus of claim 2 wherein the single aspect of
the selected object is a file extension corresponding to the
object.
4. (canceled)
5. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein different highlighting
methods are used to emphasize different criteria for the related
controls to indicated to the user different types of controls
available to use for the selected object.
6. The computer apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a subsetted
tab feature wherein navigation through a menu by keyboard control
is limited to uniquely highlighted menu controls.
7. A program product comprising: a graphical user interface
comprising: a plurality of user interface controls; at least one
object on a display screen that can be selected by a user; and
wherein the graphical user interface, in response to the user
selecting an object, uniquely highlights a user interface control
button based on the selected object and independent of other user
interface controls that may be highlighted to show availability of
the user interface control button to perform some action on the
selected object based on the context of the graphical user
interface, wherein the user interface control button is chosen from
the following: a menu button, a drop down menu button, a toolbar
button, a windows toolbar button, an input field in an internet
page displayed on a browser, and a button in an internet page
displayed on a browser; and recordable media bearing the graphical
user interface.
8. The program product of claim 7 wherein the graphical user
interface highlights the user interface control based on a single
aspect of the selected object.
9. The program product of claim 8 wherein the single aspect of the
selected object is a file extension corresponding to the
object.
10. (canceled)
11. The program product of claim 7 wherein different highlighting
methods are used to emphasize different criteria for the related
controls to indicated to the user different types of controls
available to use for the selected object.
12. The program product of claim 7 further comprising a subsetted
tab feature wherein navigation through a menu by keyboard control
is limited to uniquely highlighted menu controls.
13. The program product of claim 7 wherein a drop down menu button
is highlighted when a menu option in the drop down menu that is not
displayed is available to perform some action on the selected
object.
14. A program product comprising: a graphical user interface
comprising: a plurality of user interface controls in an
application program; at least one object on a display screen that
can be selected by a user; and wherein the graphical user
interface, in response to the user selecting an object, uniquely
highlights a user interface control button in the application
program based on the selected object and independent of other user
interface controls that may be highlighted to show availability of
the user interface control button to perform some action on the
selected object based on the context of the graphical user
interface; and recordable media bearing the graphical user
interface.
15. The program product of claim 13 wherein the graphical user
interface highlights the user interface control based on a single
aspect of the selected object.
16. The program product of claim 14 wherein the single aspect of
the selected object is a file extension corresponding to the
object.
17. The program product of claim 13 wherein different highlighting
methods are used to emphasize different criteria for the related
controls to indicated to the user different types of controls
available to use for the selected object.
18. The program product of claim 13 further comprising a subsetted
tab feature wherein navigation through a menu by keyboard control
is limited to uniquely highlighted menu controls.
19. The program product of claim 13 wherein a drop down menu button
is highlighted when a menu option in the drop down menu that is not
displayed is available to perform some action on the selected
object.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO PARENT APPLICATION
[0001] This patent application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.
11/388,014 filed on Mar. 23, 2006, which is incorporated herein by
reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] This invention generally relates to computer displays and
graphical user interfaces and more specifically relates to
highlighting related user interface controls on a graphical user
interface.
[0004] 2. Background Art
[0005] Computer systems use a variety of user interface methods to
display information and to prompt input from a computer user. These
interface methods are often referred to as a user interface. An
important aspect of all computer systems is the ease of use and the
intuitiveness of the user interface. Most popular computer systems
today use a graphical user interface (GUI) on a computer display
screen to interact with the computer's user. Many GUI's employ one
or more windows that can be opened on the computer's display. A
window is a division of a computer display screen, which can be
opened, closed, and moved around on the screen by the computer
user. A window often includes a menu bar that contains one or more
selections available to the user and drop down menus that are
activated when an item on the menu bar is selected.
[0006] In many GUI's for computer programs, there is a great deal
of information, including menus, icons, buttons, and selection
boxes displayed in the GUI window. In these complex computer
programs, users are increasingly confronted with extremely
sophisticated sequences of possible steps that can be selected.
Thus, it becomes confusing for the user to readily understand what
actions are appropriate at any given time. And even in less complex
situations, it is advantageous for the new user to be shown what
options are available to make using the software intuitive. Some
GUI's change the appearance of tool bars and menu buttons depending
on the state of the current operation, the location of the cursor,
and the items selected. However, when a computer user selects an
item in a computer window in prior art GUIs, it is not readily
apparent to the user what actions or user interface options are
related to the selected object or available to perform some action
on the selected object. Further, when controls are highlighted in
the prior art depending on the selected object, they have the same
highlighting as other controls that are currently available.
[0007] It would be advantageous for a GUI to give more guidance to
the user on what options are related to a selected object or will
affect a selected object. Without a simpler and more intuitive way
to assist computer users to navigate through a user interface, the
computer industry will continue to unnecessarily burden the
computer users with the complexity of choices available in computer
software user interfaces.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] According to the preferred embodiments, an apparatus and
method is described for highlighting related user interface
controls to selected items in order to improve the ease of use and
the intuitiveness of a graphical user interface. In preferred
embodiments, user interface controls that are specifically related
to a selected object in the display are uniquely highlighted when
an object is selected to show the user what user interface options
are related to or available to perform some action on the selected
object. The preferred embodiments of related highlighted controls
can be used in conjunction with prior art highlighted controls that
show what actions are available to the user for the current
environment or cursor location.
[0009] While the preferred embodiments described herein are
directed to user interfaces on a windows computer operating system
and computer applications, the claimed embodiments herein expressly
include other computer user interface applications and operating
systems that employ a user interface, including those user
interfaces that are used on handheld computers, phones, audio
players, and personal digital assistants.
[0010] The foregoing and other features and advantages of the
invention will be apparent from the following more particular
description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)
[0011] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will
hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings,
where like designations denote like elements, and:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer apparatus in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 represents a windows application with a graphical
user interface to illustrate an example according to the prior
art;
[0014] FIG. 3 represents a windows application with a graphical
user interface to illustrate an example according to the prior
art;
[0015] FIG. 4 represents a windows application with a graphical
user interface to illustrate an example according to the prior
art;
[0016] FIG. 5 represents a windows application with a graphical
user interface illustrating highlighted menu items that contain
drop down menu actions that can be activated for the selected item
according to preferred embodiments;
[0017] FIG. 6 represents the windows application in the example
shown in FIG. 5 with a drop down menu showing highlighted actions
that can be activated for the selected item according to preferred
embodiments;
[0018] FIG. 7 represents a drawing editor application with a
graphical user interface illustrating an example according to
preferred embodiments;
[0019] FIG. 8 represents the drawing editor application in the
example shown in FIG. 7 with highlighted tool bar and tool box
buttons that can be used with the selected item according to
preferred embodiments.
[0020] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a browser application with
a graphical user interface according to the prior art;
[0021] FIG. 10 illustrates the browser application in the example
shown in FIG. 9 with highlighted fields that are related to the
selected item according to preferred embodiments;
[0022] FIG. 11 again illustrates the browser application in the
example shown in FIG. 9 with a highlighted button to show the user
how to continue with the selected item;
[0023] FIG. 12 illustrates another example of a browser application
with a graphical user interface according to the prior art;
[0024] FIG. 13 illustrates the browser application in the example
shown in FIG. 12 with highlighted fields that are related to the
selected item according to preferred embodiments;
[0025] FIG. 14 illustrates a method for highlighting related user
interface controls according to preferred embodiments; and
[0026] FIG. 15 illustrates represents a windows application with a
graphical user interface to illustrate a subsetted tab feature
according to preferred embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0027] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for
highlighting related user interface controls to selected items. In
preferred embodiments, user interface controls that are related to
a selected object in the display are uniquely highlighted when an
object is selected to show the user what user interface options are
specifically related to or available to perform some action on the
selected object. This brief description of window displays and
prior art GUIs provides background information that will help the
reader to understand the present invention.
1. Prior Art Example of a Windows Type Graphical User Interface
[0028] FIG. 2 shows a windows screen 200 for a generic application
program such as a document manager as it would be observed by a
computer user on a video display (display 165 in FIG. 1). The
window screen incorporates a graphical user interface (GUI)
according to the prior art. The GUI in the window screen 200
includes title bar 212 and a menu bar 214, each with a standard set
of commands. The GUI 210 also includes a toolbar 216. A tool bar
may have various tools to control objects (e.g., text, charts and
graphics) within the window or to control the window. Toolbars can
be provided as rows or columns, and have several buttons comprising
textual icons, non-textual (graphic) icons, or icons having both
graphic and textual elements. The depicted toolbar 216 includes,
for example, common buttons to move back to the previous display,
the next display, move up one folder level, search, etc. FIG. 2
also includes a windows tool bar 218. This tool bar has drop down
menus for various window functions as indicated by the arrow circle
220. Each of these menus and buttons can be selected using the
graphical pointer or cursor 222 controlled by a pointing device
such as a mouse (not shown).
[0029] FIGS. 2-4 illustrate how a typical prior art GUI gives clues
to the user about what tools or buttons can be used or are active
as described in the background above. FIG. 2 shows the cursor 220
placed over an object 224 on the GUI 210. When the mouse button is
pressed (represented by the "Click!" text 226 in FIG. 2), the text
230 below the object 224 is highlighted as shown in FIG. 3. When
the user then selects the "Edit" menu item 228 as shown in FIG. 3,
the window screen 210 would then appear as shown in FIG. 4. The
edit menu item 228 is now shown highlighted to indicate the state
of the menu as shown in FIG. 4. In addition, the "Edit" drop down
menu 232 is displayed in response to the selection of the "Edit"
menu item 228. The drop down menu 232 shows a number of menu
choices that is typical in the prior art. Some of the menu items
appear in dark type and other appear in a shadow or ghost type. The
menu items that appear in a shadow type are those that are not
currently available. In this way, the prior art GUI is able to show
the user what features are available and what features are not
available. Menu highlighting in the prior art shows the
availability of all the features. The availability depends on the
state of the window in general and on what object or objects 224
are currently selected. The menu highlighting does not indicate to
the user what menu items are only usable with the selected
object(s).
2. Detailed Description
[0030] An apparatus and method is described herein for highlighting
GUI controls and buttons to give the user clues how to proceed with
input. In preferred embodiments, GUI controls are highlighted based
specifically on the selected object as described further below. GUI
controls that are highlighted in response to the selected object
include menu items, tool bar and tool box buttons, browser page
objects and browser page buttons,
[0031] Referring to FIG. 1, a computer system 100 is one suitable
implementation of an apparatus in accordance with the preferred
embodiments of the invention. Computer system 100 is an IBM eServer
iSeries computer system. However, those skilled in the art will
appreciate that the mechanisms and apparatus of the present
invention apply equally to any computer system, regardless of
whether the computer system is a complicated multi-user computing
apparatus, a single user workstation, or an embedded control
system. As shown in FIG. 1, computer system 100 comprises a
processor 110, a main memory 120, a mass storage interface 130, a
display interface 140, and a network interface 150. These system
components are interconnected through the use of a system bus 160.
Mass storage interface 130 is used to connect mass storage devices,
such as a direct access storage device 155, to computer system 100.
One specific type of direct access storage device 155 is a readable
and writable CD-RW drive, which may store data to and read data
from a CD-RW 195.
[0032] Main memory 120 in accordance with the preferred embodiments
contains data 121, an operating system 122, an application program
123, and a graphical user interface 124. Data 121 represents any
data that serves as input to or output from any program in computer
system 100. Operating system 122 is a multitasking operating system
known in the industry as i5/OS; however, those skilled in the art
will appreciate that the spirit and scope of the present invention
is not limited to any one operating system. The application 123 can
be any software application. The graphical user interface 124 can
be part of the operating system 122 or part of the application
program 123. In preferred embodiments, the graphical user interface
includes a related user interface control highlighting mechanism
125 as described further below.
[0033] Computer system 100 utilizes well known virtual addressing
mechanisms that allow the programs of computer system 100 to behave
as if they only have access to a large, single storage entity
instead of access to multiple, smaller storage entities such as
main memory 120 and DASD device 155. Therefore, while data 121,
operating system 122, application 123, and the graphical user
interface 124 are shown to reside in main memory 120, those skilled
in the art will recognize that these items are not necessarily all
completely contained in main memory 120 at the same time. It should
also be noted that the term "memory" is used herein to generically
refer to the entire virtual memory of computer system 100, and may
include the virtual memory of other computer systems coupled to
computer system 100.
[0034] Processor 110 may be constructed from one or more
microprocessors and/or integrated circuits. Processor 110 executes
program instructions stored in main memory 120. Main memory 120
stores programs and data that processor 110 may access. When
computer system 100 starts up, processor 110 initially executes the
program instructions that make up operating system 122. Operating
system 122 is a sophisticated program that manages the resources of
computer system 100. Some of these resources are processor 110,
main memory 120, mass storage interface 130, display interface 140,
network interface 150, and system bus 160.
[0035] Although computer system 100 is shown to contain only a
single processor and a single system bus, those skilled in the art
will appreciate that the present invention may be practiced using a
computer system that has multiple processors and/or multiple buses.
In addition, the interfaces that are used in the preferred
embodiment each include separate, fully programmed microprocessors
that are used to off-load compute-intensive processing from
processor 110. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate
that the present invention applies equally to computer systems that
simply use I/O adapters to perform similar functions.
[0036] Display interface 140 is used to directly connect one or
more displays 165 to computer system 100. These displays 165, which
may be non-intelligent (i.e., dumb) terminals or fully programmable
workstations, are used to allow system administrators and users to
communicate with computer system 100. Note, however, that while
display interface 140 is provided to support communication with one
or more displays 165, computer system 100 does not necessarily
require a display 165, because all needed interaction with users
and other processes may occur via network interface 150.
[0037] Network interface 150 is used to connect other computer
systems and/or workstations (e.g., 175 in FIG. 1) to computer
system 100 across a network 170. The present invention applies
equally no matter how computer system 100 may be connected to other
computer systems and/or workstations, regardless of whether the
network connection 170 is made using present-day analog and/or
digital techniques or via some networking mechanism of the future.
In addition, many different network protocols can be used to
implement a network. These protocols are specialized computer
programs that allow computers to communicate across network 170.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is an
example of a suitable network protocol.
[0038] At this point, it is important to note that while the
present invention has been and will continue to be described in the
context of a fully functional computer system, those skilled in the
art will appreciate that the present invention is capable of being
distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that
the present invention applies equally regardless of the particular
type of computer-readable media used to actually carry out the
distribution. Examples of suitable computer-readable media include:
recordable type media such as floppy disks and CD RW (e.g., 195 of
FIG. 1). Note that the preferred signal bearing media is
tangible.
[0039] Embodiments of the present invention may also be delivered
as part of a service engagement with a client corporation,
nonprofit organization, government entity, internal organizational
structure, or the like. Aspects of these embodiments may include
configuring a computer system to perform, and deploying software,
hardware, and web services that implement, some or all of the
methods described herein. Aspects of these embodiments may also
include analyzing the client's operations, creating recommendations
responsive to the analysis, building systems that implement
portions of the recommendations, integrating the systems into
existing processes and infrastructure, metering use of the systems,
allocating expenses to users of the systems, and billing for use of
the systems.
[0040] It is also important to point out that the presence of
network interface 150 within computer system 100 means that
computer system 100 may engage in cooperative processing with one
or more other computer systems or workstations on network 170. Of
course, this in turn means that the programs and data shown in main
memory 120 need not necessarily all reside on computer system 100.
For example, one or more portions shown in main memory 120 may
reside on another system and engage in cooperative processing with
one or more objects or programs that reside on computer system 100.
This cooperative processing could be accomplished through use of
one of the well known client-server mechanisms such as remote
procedure call (RPC).
[0041] FIG. 5 illustrates a windows screen 500 of a document
manager program according to a preferred embodiment. The window
screen 500 includes a graphical user interface (GUI) that
highlights related user interface controls based on the object that
is currently selected by means of a related user interface control
highlighting mechanism 125 (FIG. 1). In the illustrated example of
FIG. 5, the object selected is a picture file 522 stored in a
computer resource such as a computer disk drive or network disk
drive and represented on the screen by an icon. When the icon of
object 522 is selected the icon is highlighted to reflect that it
is a selected object on the screen. Window screen 500 illustrates
how the window screen would appear after the picture file 222 is
selected as described above with reference to FIG. 2. Thus, window
screen 500 represents the state of window screen shown in the prior
art of FIG. 3, and window screen 500 according to preferred
embodiments can be compared to the prior art screen shown in FIG.
3. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the menu bar 514 has highlighted
controls 530, 532. The "file" button 530, and the "edit" button 532
are uniquely highlighted by bold text in FIG. 5 to indicate to the
user that the underlying drop down menus contain related user
interface controls to the selected object 522 on the screen
according to preferred embodiments herein. The user interface
controls are uniquely highlighted, meaning they are highlighted in
a manner that distinguishes interface controls that are
specifically related to the selected object(s) from those interface
controls that are available depending on the context.
[0042] Again referring to FIG. 5, another embodiment is also
illustrated. In the window task bar 518 the "Picture Tasks" button
533 is highlighted to show that the picture tasks button 533 has
one or more menu items that are related to the selected object 522.
In this embodiment, the type of the object is important in the
determination of the relationship between the object and the
highlighted GUI control. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the selected
object 522 is a graphic file indicated by the .jpg file extension.
Thus the related widows tasks are those that operate on graphic
files, so the picture tasks button 518 is highlighted. In this
embodiment a single aspect of the selected object, the file
extension, is used to identify a specific class of user interface
controls, those that are related to the file extension of the
selected object.
[0043] FIG. 6 illustrates another view of windows screen 500 of the
document manager program shown in FIG. 5 according to another
preferred embodiment. In FIG. 6, window screen 500 illustrates how
the window screen would appear after the "edit" button 532 in FIG.
5 is selected to display the drop down menu 534. Thus, window
screen 500 in FIG. 6 according to preferred embodiments can be
compared to the prior art screen 200 shown in FIG. 4. In contrast
to the prior art shown in FIG. 4, the drop down menu 534 in FIG. 6
has highlighted controls 536, 538. The "cut" and "copy" buttons
536, and the "copy to folder" and "move to folder" buttons 538 are
highlighted to indicate to the user that these menu items are
directly related user interface controls to the selected object 522
on the screen. The other buttons on the drop down menu 534 may be
displayed in bold or in shadow to show which menu items are
available or not available respectively as is known in the prior
art. In this embodiment, related user interface controls means that
the highlighted controls will activate menu selections that perform
a task using the selected object 522 or act on the selected object
522.
[0044] FIG. 7 shows a windows screen 700 of a drawing editor
program to illustrate an example of another preferred embodiment.
The window screen 700 provides a graphical user interface (GUI)
that highlights related user interface controls in a tool box 710
based on the object that is currently selected in a sub-window 712
of the windows screen 700. In the illustrated example of FIG. 7,
the sub-window screen 712 includes two drawing objects, a circle
714 and a rectangle 716. FIG. 8 illustrates another view of windows
screen 500 of the drawing editor program shown in FIG. 6 according
to a preferred embodiment. FIG. 8 illustrates how the window screen
700 would appear after the rectangle 716 in FIG. 7 is selected. In
FIG. 8, the tool box 710 has highlighted controls 718 and 720. The
"fill" button 718, and the "eraser" button 720 are highlighted to
indicate to the user that these menu items are related user
interface controls to the selected object 716 (rectangle) on the
sub-menu screen 712. The highlighted menu items indicated to the
user that these user interface controls are related to the selected
object to assist the user to quickly see what options are available
in conjunction with the selected objects or that will act upon the
selected objects.
[0045] FIG. 9 shows a windows screen 900 of a browser program to
illustrate an example of another preferred embodiment. The window
screen 900 provides a graphical user interface (GUI) that
highlights related user interface controls in a browser window
screen 900 or browser web page 910 based on the object that is
currently selected in the web page 910. In the illustrated example
of FIG. 9, the web page 910 includes a user input box 912 with
several fields 914, 916, 918, 920 and 922 to input user
information, and a "Go" button 924 to initiate a registration
process using the user information in the user input box 912. The
changes that occur to FIG. 9 according to a preferred embodiment
are described with reference to FIG. 10.
[0046] FIG. 10 illustrates another view of windows screen 900 of
the browser program shown in FIG. 9 according to a preferred
embodiment. FIG. 10 illustrates how the window screen 900 would
appear while the user is in the process of filling in requested
information in the user input box 912. In FIG. 10, the user has
already input "John Doe" in the name field 914 and the address
"1010 Anywhere" in the address field 916. The cursor underline
character after the text (1010 Anywhere_) in the address field 916
indicates that the cursor is in the address field and the address
field is "selected", meaning it is the current active field in the
display. According to a preferred embodiment, the related user
interface controls in the browser window 910 are highlighted based
on the object that is currently selected in the browser window. In
this example, the selected object is the address field 916, and the
highlighted user interface controls are the city field 918, the
state field 920 and the zip code field 922.
[0047] FIG. 11 illustrates another view of windows screen 900 of
the browser program shown in FIG. 9 according to another preferred
embodiment. FIG. 11 illustrates how the window screen 900 would
appear when the user completes the process of filling in requested
information in the user input box 912. In FIG. 11, the user has
just completed input to each of the fields in the user input box
912. The cursor underline character after the text (64386_) in the
zip code field 922 indicates that the cursor is in the zip code
field 922. Since the zip code field is the last field in the user
input box 912, the user can now be prompted what user interface
controls are available or will act on the selected and completed
input box 912. According to a preferred embodiment, the related
user interface controls in the browser window 900 are highlighted
based on the currently selected object in the browser window being
a completed input field. In this example, the selected object is
the zip code 922 of the user input box 912 and the highlighted
interface control is the "Go" button 924.
[0048] FIG. 12 shows another windows screen 1200 of a browser
program to illustrate an example of another preferred embodiment.
In the illustrated example of FIG. 12, the web page 1210 includes a
"shopping cart" type web page that is in common use on the
internet. The shopping cart allows a user to select items from a
vendor's web pages for purchase. In the example of FIG. 12, the
user has selected two items for purchase 1212, and 1214. The cursor
1216 with the "Click" text 1216 indicates that the user is
selecting the item 1214. FIG. 13 illustrates the changes that occur
to FIG. 12 when the user selects item 1214 according to a preferred
embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, selected status of item 1214 is
indicated by highlighting the item 1214 in a manner know in the
prior art. According to a preferred embodiment, the related user
interface controls in the browser window 1212 are highlighted based
on the object that is currently selected in the browser window. In
this example, the selected object is the item 1214, and the
highlighted user interface controls are the remove item button 1216
and the item details button 1218.
[0049] In the above described embodiments, the related control was
"highlighted" by showing the control darkened on the screen. Other
embodiments herein include how the highlighting could be visually
represented on the screen. The highlighting could include any other
appropriate representation such as using different colors,
blinking, border treatment, reverse video etc. In addition,
different highlighting could be used for different purposes. For
example, a red color could be used for destructive actions such as
delete or cut, and a green color could be used for less destructive
actions such as copy and paste. In another embodiment, the color
could be used to indicate what role a person must be enrolled to
use the action, such as red for a security officer, and green for
an administrator. In this way the different highlighting can
emphasize different criteria for the related controls or different
characteristics of the related controls. The different criteria of
the related controls offers information to the user about the
different types of controls available to use with the selected
object or operate on the selected object.
[0050] Referring now to FIG. 14 a method 1400 is shown according to
preferred embodiments herein. Method 1400 illustrates the steps
performed by the related user interface control highlighting
mechanism 125 shown in FIG. 1 that highlights related user
interface controls based on a selected item according to preferred
embodiments. The method first identifies a selected object and the
type of selected object (step 1410). Then the interface controls
that are related to the selected object and/or the type of selected
object are identified (step 1430). The interface controls that are
related to the selected object are then highlighted in some manner
(step 1430) and the method is done.
[0051] It is known in the prior art to navigate GUI controls such
as a menu bar or browser page menu controls with the keyboard. This
is sometimes referred to as tab setting, because it is common to
use the tab key along with the arrow keys to move between menu
commands. Using the tab key is particularly common when moving
between user interface controls within a browser page. In many
software applications, this feature is available after pressing a
control key to move the cursor to the menu bar. The arrow keys can
then be used to sequentially move the cursor through the menu bar
options.
[0052] In contrast, in preferred embodiments, a subsetted tab order
is used to navigate only the GUI menu elements that are uniquely
highlighted as described above. In preferred embodiments, a
subsetted tab order is activated with a special key stroke such
that the keyboard can navigate the user interface controls as
described above but the navigation is limited to the subset of
uniquely highlighted controls. The special key stroke to activate
the subsetted tab order could be the combination of "ctrl" and
"Alt" and "tab." FIG. 15 shows an example of subsetted tab order
according to preferred embodiments with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6
represents the screen after the user activates the subsetted tab
order with a special key stroke and moves the cursor to the "Edit"
menu option. When the user then presses the down arrow key, the
cursor will move to the "cut" menu option 1520 and will skip the
"undo" menu option 1522 because the "undo" menu option 1522 it is
not uniquely highlighted. Similarly, using the arrow keys will
navigate through the menu to only those items that are uniquely
highlighted. For example, again pressing the down arrow would move
the cursor (not shown) to the "copy to Folder" menu option 1524 and
then to the "move to folder" menu option 1526.
[0053] An apparatus and method has been described for highlighting
related user interface controls to objects that are currently
selected on the display screen to show the user what actions or
menu options are available to perform some action on the selected
object or related to the selected object. The described embodiments
improve the ease of use and the intuitiveness of a graphical user
interface by reducing the complexity of choices available and
assisting a computer user to efficiently navigate through the
GUI.
[0054] One skilled in the art will appreciate that many variations
are possible within the scope of the present invention. Thus, while
the invention has been particularly shown and described with
reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood
by those skilled in the art that these and other changes in form
and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention.
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