There are a variety of services offered over the Internet. For instance, e-mail services, calendar services, contacts services, task services are all currently offered over the Internet. These services are often combined into a single personal information management service. Such personal information management service integrates all of the functions. For instance, a calendar invitation may be sent via e-mail, and if accepted may automatically be added to the calendar. As another example, contacts may be selected to populate the address fields of an e-mail.
Collaborative services are also offered over the Internet. Such collaborative software allows for collaborative authoring of documents. Collaborative services also allow multiple viewers of a document, with perhaps a controller supplementing the view of the document to perform a presentation of the document.
Cloud based services, such as applications and/or data storage are also examples of network services. Here, the client may be relieved of the processing requirements of the offloaded application, and instead, a mere visual interface is provided to the client, with most of the processing occurring external to the client (i.e., in the cloud). Similarly, there might be a music storage service that stores music for the client, and which provides the music data to the client as the music is to be rendered. There are thus a wide-variety of network services offered over the Internet.
At least one embodiment described herein relates to the formulation of a user interface that is used to access multiple network services. The user interface includes a common interface portion that is common amongst multiple network services. For instance, the common interface portion may be the header and/or footer of the user interface. The user interface also includes a service-specific content portion that is specific at least one, but not all, of the network services. In one or more embodiments, the common interface may include navigation control(s) for navigating the service-specific content portion between network services while the common interface portion remains the same. Thus, the user interface may be used to present multiple network services while retaining a portion that has a common look.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages and features can be obtained, a more particular description of various embodiments will be rendered by reference to the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only sample embodiments and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of the scope of the invention, the embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
In accordance with embodiments described herein, the formulation of a user interface that is used to access multiple network services is described. The user interface includes a common interface portion that is common amongst multiple network services. The user interface also includes a service-specific content portion that is specific at least one, but not all, of the network services. In one or more embodiments, the common interface may include navigation control(s) for navigating the service-specific content portion between network services while the common interface portion remains the same. Thus, the user interface may be used to present multiple network services while retaining a portion that has a common look. First, some introductory discussion regarding computing systems will be described with respect to
First, introductory discussion regarding computing systems is described with respect to
In the description that follows, embodiments are described with reference to acts that are performed by one or more computing systems. If such acts are implemented in software, one or more processors of the associated computing system that performs the act direct the operation of the computing system in response to having executed computer-executable instructions. An example of such an operation involves the manipulation of data. The computer-executable instructions (and the manipulated data) may be stored in the memory 104 of the computing system 100. Computing system 100 may also contain communication channels 108 that allow the computing system 100 to communicate with other message processors over, for example, network 110. The computing system may also include a display 112 that may display one or more user interfaces that a user of the computing system may interface with.
Embodiments described herein may comprise or utilize a special purpose or general-purpose computer including computer hardware, such as, for example, one or more processors and system memory, as discussed in greater detail below. Embodiments described herein also include physical and other computer-readable media for carrying or storing computer-executable instructions and/or data structures. Such computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer system. Computer-readable media that store computer-executable instructions are physical storage media. Computer-readable media that carry computer-executable instructions are transmission media. Thus, by way of example, and not limitation, embodiments of the invention can comprise at least two distinctly different kinds of computer-readable media: computer storage media and transmission media.
Computer storage media includes RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store desired program code means in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.
A “network” is defined as one or more data links that enable the transport of electronic data between computer systems and/or modules and/or other electronic devices. When information is transferred or provided over a network or another communications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless) to a computer, the computer properly views the connection as a transmission medium. Transmissions media can include a network and/or data links which can be used to carry desired program code means in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.
Further, upon reaching various computer system components, program code means in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures can be transferred automatically from transmission media to computer storage media (or vice versa). For example, computer-executable instructions or data structures received over a network or data link can be buffered in RAM within a network interface module (e.g., a “NIC”), and then eventually transferred to computer system RAM and/or to less volatile computer storage media at a computer system. Thus, it should be understood that computer storage media can be included in computer system components that also (or even primarily) utilize transmission media.
Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions and data which, when executed at a processor, cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. The computer executable instructions may be, for example, binaries, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, or even source code. Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the described features or acts described above. Rather, the described features and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced in network computing environments with many types of computer system configurations, including, personal computers, desktop computers, laptop computers, message processors, hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, mobile telephones, PDAs, pagers, routers, switches, and the like. The invention may also be practiced in distributed system environments where local and remote computer systems, which are linked (either by hardwired data links, wireless data links, or by a combination of hardwired and wireless data links) through a network, both perform tasks. In a distributed system environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
Although the rendering component 200 may be implemented in hardware, the rendering component 200 may also be implemented in computer memory in response to a computer (such as computer 100 of
The placement of the common interface portion 301 and the service-specific interface portion 302 within the user interface 300 of
The common interface portion 301 includes at least one navigation control 311 that may be used to navigate the user interface to from one network service to another such that the service-specific interface portion 302 changes from one service to another. In a more specific example that follows with respect to
The broader concepts described with respect to
By selecting the corresponding navigation control 611, 612 and 613, the service-specific content is populated in the common interface portion 601A. For instance, in
The common interface portion may include a number of features that allow the look and feel of the common interface portion to remain consistent across multiple services. For instance, the common interface portion may include a style that is specific to a user, a provider of the service, or to a retailer of the service. For instance, the style may be a text font or size of the text within the common interface portion, a background feature such as color or texture, a logo (such as logo 614), a layout or the like. Such style information may be made available to the rendering component 200 when constructing the common interface portion 301.
By using the principles described herein, the user may more easily navigate from one service to another by interfacing with more familiar interface controls that are part of a common interface portion that is common across multiple (and perhaps all) of the network services offered through the user interface. The user (or the service provider or service retailer) may additionally customize that common user interface. Thus, the user has a more familiar and more easily navigatable experience when navigating multiple services.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.