# US 10,503,369 B2 · Displaying nodes visually offset from associated components

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- Number: US 10,503,369 B2
- Document ID: US10503369B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/355,650
- Filed: 2019-03-15
- Published: 2019-07-11
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2009-04-24
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Yoshiroh Kamiyama; Kotaro Shima
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10503369B2

## CPC

- G06F 3/0481: based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
- G06F 3/04815: Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional [3D], e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
- G06F 3/0482: Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
- G06F 3/0483: Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
- G06F 8/34: Graphical or visual programming
- G06T 11/60: Creating or editing images; Combining images with text
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

[Object] To facilitate user's operations. [Solution] An editing apparatus is provided including: a component output unit for outputting a display screen on which a plurality of components are displayed; a node output unit for outputting a plurality of nodes respectively corresponding to the plurality of components on the display screen so that the nodes are displayed along with the plurality of components so as to overlap the display of the plurality of components; and a setting unit for setting, in response to a user's instruction of association between two or more of the nodes, an association between two or more of the components corresponding to the two or more of the nodes.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer-implemented method, comprising:
outputting, to a display screen, a plurality of concurrently-displayed software components;
outputting, to the display screen, two nodes respectively associated with two of the plurality of software components; and
outputting, to the display screen and responsive to a selection of the two nodes, a link connecting the two nodes, wherein
a first of the two nodes is graphically linked to the software component to which the first node is associated, and
the first node is configured to enable a selection, from among a plurality of properties, of a property of the software component to which the first node is associated.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein
the first node is graphically linked to the software component with a three-dimensional shape, and
the three-dimensional shape includes
the one node as one portion and
the associated software component as a second portion.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein
the one node is an upper face of the three-dimensional shape,
the associated software component is a lower face of the three-dimensional shape.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein
the three-dimensional shape is a truncated pyramid.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein
the link is based upon the property.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein
a second of the two nodes is associated with a tab of one of a plurality of windows.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein
each of the plurality of concurrently-displayed software components are a window with which an application program executed by the computer is associated.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein
each of the plurality of concurrently-displayed software components respectively create a display on the display screen.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein
each of the plurality of concurrently-displayed software components are a window with which an application program executed by the computer is associated.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein
each of the plurality of concurrently-displayed software components respectively create a display on the display screen.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein
the link directly connects the two nodes together.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein
the first and second nodes are each user-selectable graphical elements.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein
each of the first and second nodes are distinct from and not part of the software components to which these nodes are respectively associated.