The present invention relates to the field of processing digital media content. In particular, this invention relates to improved user interfaces and media player functionality for enhancing user experience.
Due to recent advances in technology, computer users are now able to enjoy many features that provide an improved user experience when using various software applications on their personal or laptop computers. For example, most computers today run media player applications able to play media files such as those found on compact discs (CDs). This allows users to listen to their favorite musical artists while working on their computers. Many computers are also equipped with digital versatile disc (DVD) drives enabling users to watch movies.
A typical application provides an application user interface (UI) that allows the user to interact with the application. In general, UIs provide controls or buttons that the user engages to cause a predetermined result. A software application such as a media player may have several buttons, often referred to as transport controls, permits the user to play, pause, fast-forward, reverse, and control the volume of a particular piece of media being rendered by the player. In the past, UIs have been generally fixed insofar as their layout and functionality are concerned. One primary reason for this stems from the desire to impart standardization to various UIs. Yet, against the backdrop of standardized UIs, there is a desire to impart UIs with a more user friendly, aesthetically pleasing look and improved functionality.
For instance, the UI is often viewed as a window that includes various controls for interacting with the application or data (e.g., files) accessible via the application. Such applications windows generally have a default dimensions (i.e., height x width), which can be modified (i.e., resized) by the user. However, the ability to resize such windows can be both powerful and problematic. Resizing is powerful because it gives users the ability to tailor their viewing experience based on preferences and circumstances. For example, a user running a screen display size of 1600 pixels×1200 pixels may choose to view two windows side by side or maximize the windows and toggle between them. Another user might have a screen display size of 800×600 and find it impractical to have more than one window in view at a time. Yet another user might have multiple displays and choose to have several windows in view at once where each window is sized to best display the content it contains. This flexibility gives users the power to choose their own viewing experience, tailor windows sizes to best view the content they contain, as well as optimize for their computer configuration.
Unfortunately, this resize ability can be problematic because software designers and developers cannot always anticipate or design for the variables in user preferences or display configurations. It is common for windows to be resized down to such small sizes that their content becomes unusable. As windows become smaller, the content and surrounding controls usually get clipped or truncated. It is common for windows to be resized down to views that only contain scrollbars and toolbars. Such views are confusing, cluttered, and relatively unusable.
Accordingly, this invention arose out of concerns for providing improved systems and methods for interacting with application windows that provide an improved, rich, and robust user experience.
The invention meets the above needs and overcomes one or more deficiencies in the prior art by providing improved user experience when interacting with application windows in a user interface. In particular, aspects of the invention enhance a user's experience by selectively adding or removing control components or elements from the UI in response to size adjustments to the window being made by the user. In addition, the invention automatically toggles between optimum window sizes in response to a user adjusting the window below or above a certain size threshold. For example, the invention in at least one of its embodiments automatically resizes the window to one of a plurality of default sizes, including one having minimum height and/or width dimensions when the user adjusts a window dimension below a threshold value. Advantageously, the various features of the invention allow the user to interact with a minimized interface that is clean, simple, and usable. Thus, the software routines of the invention increase the attractiveness of the application interface to users. Moreover, the features of the present invention described herein are less laborious and easier to implement than currently available techniques as well as being economically feasible and commercially practical.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method for managing an application window being displayed via a user interface is provided. The application window has at least one dimension representative of size. The method includes receiving input data from a user defining a requested size for the application window being displayed via the user interface. The method also includes resizing the application window to a selected one of a plurality of default sizes as a function of the requested size. The application window containing one or more pre-defined user interface elements for optimizing the user interface at the selected default size.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display and a user interface selection device provides a method of modifying an application window on the display. The application window has a height and a width. The method includes receiving size data from a user via the user interface selection device. The size data is representative of a desired size of the application window being displayed via the graphical user interface, and specifies a desired height and width of the application window. The method also includes comparing the specified height and width of the application window to a threshold height and width, and resizing the application window to have the specified height and specified width when the specified height and width are greater than the threshold height and width, respectively. The method also includes resizing the application window to a predetermined minimum height and width when the specified height and width are less than the threshold height and width, respectively. The application window at the predetermined minimum height and width contains one or more pre-defined user interface elements for optimizing the user interface.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable components for managing an application window being displayed via a user interface is provided. The application window includes at least one dimension defining the size thereof. The components include a user interface component for receiving input data from a user, said input data defining a requested size for the application window being displayed via the user interface. A comparing component compares the requested size of the application window to a threshold size. A resizing component resizes the application window to a selected one of a plurality of default sizes as a function of the requested size. The application window contains one or more pre-defined user interface control elements for optimizing the user interface at the selected default size.
Computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for performing methods of managing application windows embody further aspects of the invention.
Alternatively, the invention may comprise various other methods and apparatuses.
Other features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
As an example, one way that people often work on computer screen is with a window 118. The window 118 is typically a rectangular area on the display 109 used to display information or receive commands or data from the user. The window 118 receives user input from the keyboard 112, mouse 114, or other input device, and displays graphical output upon which a user may interact. The display 109 thereby serves as the workspace for the computer 106. The computer application 104 is responsible for generating the window 118 and for responding to user interactions with the window 118. The window 118 may include the computer program's title bar across the top of the window 118, menus, sizing borders, and other objects. The window 118 may also contain additional discrete sub-elements such as push buttons, radio buttons, and checkboxes, and “child windows” which are simply smaller windows contained within the parent window. Child windows may take the form of control elements or components 119 (e.g., video display windows, web page windows, text document windows, text entry fields, list boxes, and scroll bars, and the like). These components 119 when displayed on the computer screen 109 may be pressed or clicked or scrolled. For example, a user sees a window as an object on the screen, and interacts directly with the object by clicking on control components 119, or scrolling a scroll bar, or tapping a handle displayed in the window 118.
The window 118 may be expanded or contracted to a variety of different sizes and shapes by pulling any side of the window 118 outward or by pushing a side of the dialog window inward. In one embodiment, when the mouse cursor 116 is positioned over a particular border of the window 118 the cursor 116 transforms into a double-headed arrow, as indicated in phantom at 120. By clicking and holding mouse 114 while the double arrow 120 is positioned over the particular border, the user can drag the border of window 118 inward or outward to make the window 118 smaller or larger as desired. For example, by clicking and holding mouse 114 when the double-headed arrow 120 is positioned over the top border or bottom border of window 118, the user can drag the top or bottom border up or down to decrease or increase, respectively, the height of the window 118. As another example, by clicking and holding mouse 114 when the double-headed arrow 120 is positioned over the right border or left border of window 118, the user can drag the right or left border inward or outward to decrease or increase, respectively, the height of window 118. To change both height and width at the same time, the mouse cursor 114 may be positioned over a corner of the window 118 and becomes a diagonal double-headed arrow, as indicated in phantom at reference character 122. It should be understood that the window 118 may be resized through other means, including resizing tabs and/or keyboard entries directed to the changing dimension of the dialog window.
The system 102 allows improved management of an application window 118 of a UI 108 when a user resizes the window 118 being displayed on the display 109. More specifically, the present invention selectively adds or removes control components from the window, and/or selectively resizes the window to preset height and/or width dimensions during a resize operation being performed by the user.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Columns C1 and C2 corresponds to the requested and resulting heights/widths, respectively, for the window. Each of the rows (R1-R5) corresponds to a particular requested height/width and a corresponding resulting height/width. For a requested height/width of 800 pixels high by 600 pixels wide (i.e., see cell located at R1 and C1 in Table 1; hereinafter referred to as R1C2), the resulting height/width of the window is of 800 pixels high by 600 pixels wide (See R1C2). In this case, since the requested window height of 800 pixels is greater than the predetermined snapping height of 400 pixels, and the requested width of 600 is greater than the predetermined snapping width of 450 pixels, the resulting dimensions are equal to the requested dimensions. For a requested height/width of 380 pixels high by 400 pixels wide (See R4C1), the resulting height/width of the window is of 200 pixels high by 300 pixels wide (See R4C2). In this instance, since the requested window height of 380 pixels is less than the predetermined snapping height of 400 pixels, and the requested width of 300 is less than the predetermined snapping width of 450 pixels, the resulting dimensions are equal to the minimum height and width values stored in the memory 404 (e.g., 200 pixels high by 300 pixels wide). As another example, a requested height/width of 380 pixels high by 451 pixels wide (See R5C1), the resulting height/width of the window is of 200 pixels high by 451 pixels wide (See R4C2). In this example, since the requested window height of 380 pixels is less than the predetermined snapping height of 400 pixels and the requested window width of 451 is greater than the predetermined snapping width of 450 pixels, the resulting height/width of the window is of 200 pixels high by 451 pixels wide (See R5C2). In this manner, embodiments of the invention define one or more default window sizes.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the application 400 is responsive to the resize request to execute layout component 408 to change the layout of UI 108 components displayed in the window based on the dimensions specified by the resize request. For example, the layout component 408 includes instructions for removing control components based on an importance property value assigned to each of the displayed control components and the height or width dimensions specified by the resize request. In one embodiment, the importance property value is assigned to a control component 208 heuristically based on an anticipated level of importance the control component 208 to the user using the application 400. For example, the importance value assigned to an open button may be greater than the importance value assigned to a cancel button to indicate that viewing the open button is likely more important to the user than viewing the cancel button. Similarly, the importance value assigned to the playback control may indicate that viewing the playback control is more important than viewing the open button. In this embodiment, the layout component 408 removes the control components assigned the lowest importance values or control components assigned importance values within a predetermined range, when the height or width dimensions specified by the resize request are less than a specified set of minimum height or width values stored in memory. As the user continues to decrease the size of the window 118, the layout component 408 removes the next control component, or control components, from the remaining controls components in the window 118 having the lowest importance value. When the user increases the sizes of the window 118, the layout component 408 adds control components to the window 118 in the reverse order in which they were removed.
In another embodiment, the layout component 408 changes the layout of control components by changing the relative positions of the control components displayed in the window 118. For example, the layout component 408 may change the positioning of Open and Cancel buttons to an over-under configuration as opposed to side-by-side configuration, when the height or width dimensions specified by the resize request are less than specified minimum height or width values.
Referring now to
The default size of the resized minimum window 504 corresponds to an absolute minimum size at which the window 118 will be displayed when the height and/or width of the window 118 is decreased below a threshold height and/or width. In other words, after the size of window 118 is decreased below threshold dimensions, the window is displayed as resized minimum window 504 (see
Notably, although the control tabs and/or other components may be removed from the window 118, the user does not loose functionality associated with control components removed from the window because the functions performed by the removed control tabs (e.g., Now Playing, Library, Rip, Burn, and Sync) may be accessed by clicking the mouse while the cursor is positioned over the resized minimum window 504 to display a drop down menu 522 such as show in
Referring now to
The computer 130 typically has at least some form of computer readable media. Computer readable media, which include both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media, may be any available medium that may be accessed by computer 130. By way of example and not limitation, computer readable media comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. For example, computer storage media include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to store the desired information and that may be accessed by computer 130. Communication media typically embody computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and include any information delivery media. Those skilled in the art are familiar with the modulated data signal, which has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. Wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media, such as acoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media, are examples of communication media. Combinations of any of the above are also included within the scope of computer readable media.
The system memory 134 includes computer storage media in the form of removable and/or non-removable, volatile and/or nonvolatile memory. In the illustrated embodiment, system memory 134 includes read only memory (ROM) 138 and random access memory (RAM) 140. A basic input/output system 142 (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between components within computer 130, such as during start-up, is typically stored in ROM 138. RAM 140 typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit 132. By way of example, and not limitation,
The computer 130 may also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. For example,
The drives or other mass storage devices and their associated computer storage media discussed above and illustrated in
A user may enter commands and information into computer 130 through input devices or user interface selection devices such as a keyboard 180 and a pointing device 182 (e.g., a mouse, trackball, pen, or touch pad). Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are connected to processing unit 132 through a user input interface 184 that is coupled to system bus 136, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port, or a Universal Serial Bus (USB). A monitor 188 or other type of display device is also connected to system bus 136 via an interface, such as a video interface 190. In addition to the monitor 188, computers often include other peripheral output devices (not shown) such as a printer and speakers, which may be connected through an output peripheral interface (not shown).
The computer 130 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer 194. The remote computer 194 may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the components described above relative to computer 130. The logical connections depicted in
When used in a local area networking environment, computer 130 is connected to the LAN 196 through a network interface or adapter 186. When used in a wide area networking environment, computer 130 typically includes a modem 178 or other means for establishing communications over the WAN 198, such as the Internet. The modem 178, which may be internal or external, is connected to system bus 136 via the user input interface 184, or other appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to computer 130, or portions thereof, may be stored in a remote memory storage device (not shown). By way of example, and not limitation,
Generally, the data processors of computer 130 are programmed by means of instructions stored at different times in the various computer-readable storage media of the computer. Programs and operating systems are typically distributed, for example, on floppy disks or CD-ROMs. From there, they are installed or loaded into the secondary memory of a computer. At execution, they are loaded at least partially into the computer's primary electronic memory. The invention described herein includes these and other various types of computer-readable storage media when such media contain instructions or programs for implementing the steps described below in conjunction with a microprocessor or other data processor. The invention also includes the computer itself when programmed according to the methods and techniques described herein.
For purposes of illustration, programs and other executable program components, such as the operating system, are illustrated herein as discrete blocks. It is recognized, however, that such programs and components reside at various times in different storage components of the computer, and are executed by the data processor(s) of the computer.
Although described in connection with an exemplary computing system environment, including computer 130, the invention is operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. The computing system environment is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention. Moreover, the computing system environment should not be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated in the exemplary operating environment. Examples of well known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the invention include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, mobile telephones, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
The invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include, but are not limited to, routines, programs, objects, components, and data structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.
An interface in the context of a software architecture includes a software module, component, code portion, or other sequence of computer-executable instructions. The interface includes, for example, a first module accessing a second module to perform computing tasks on behalf of the first module. The first and second modules include, in one example, application programming interfaces (APIs) such as provided by operating systems, component object model (COM) interfaces (e.g., for peer-to-peer application communication), and extensible markup language metadata interchange format (XMI) interfaces (e.g., for communication between web services).
The interface may be a tightly coupled, synchronous implementation such as in Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition (J2EE), COM, or distributed COM (DCOM) examples. Alternatively or in addition, the interface may be a loosely coupled, asynchronous implementation such as in a web service (e.g., using the simple object access protocol). In general, the interface includes any combination of the following characteristics: tightly coupled, loosely coupled, synchronous, and asynchronous. Further, the interface may conform to a standard protocol, a proprietary protocol, or any combination of standard and proprietary protocols.
The interfaces described herein may all be part of a single interface or may be implemented as separate interfaces or any combination therein. The interfaces may execute locally or remotely to provide functionality. Further, the interfaces may include additional or less functionality than illustrated or described herein.
In operation, computer 130 executes computer-executable instructions such as those illustrated in
The order of execution or performance of the methods illustrated and described herein is not essential, unless otherwise specified. That is, components of the methods may be performed in any order, unless otherwise specified, and that the methods may include more or less components than those disclosed herein. For example, it is contemplated that executing or performing a particular component before, contemporaneously with, or after another component is within the scope of the invention.
When introducing components of the present invention or the embodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the components. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional components other than the listed components.
In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.
As various changes could be made in the above constructions and methods without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.