# US 7,610,561 B2 · Fine-grained control of z-order elements in a presentation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,610,561 B2 - Document ID: US7610561B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/421,375 - Filed: 2006-05-31 - Published: 2006-11-30 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2005-05-31 - Assignees: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Inventors: Jacob Benjamin Blaukopf; Nicholas Carl Brook; Stefan Geoffrey Butlin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7610561B2 ## CPC - G06F 8/38: for implementing user interfaces - G06F 9/451: Execution arrangements for user interfaces - G06F 40/106: Display of layout of documents; Previewing - G06F 40/14: Tree-structured documents (parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Described are various methods and apparatuses for fine grained control of z-order elements in a presentation. A structure is defined containing user interface elements and an order is defined for rendering such user interface elements. It is desired that some elements may need to be rendered out of the defined order, therefore a raise user interface element is defined allowing for one or more user interface elements to be defined to be rendered out of the normally defined order. User interface elements may something to be presented on a display and may also include program code for defining behaviors. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of rendering user interface elements of a presentation, the method comprising: receiving a plurality of user interface elements having a predetermined z-order, wherein the plurality of user interface elements comprises a first raised user interface element and a plurality of non-raised user interface elements; rendering each of the plurality of non-raised user interface elements at a display according to the predetermined z-order while skipping the first raised user interface element; rendering the first raised user interface element, after the non-raised user interface elements; and wherein the first raised user interface element is assigned to a first raisedcontainer element, a second raised user interface element is assigned to a second raisedcontainer element, and wherein either the first raisedcontainer element or the second raisedcontainer element is a raised, raisedcontainer element. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, the method further comprises: rendering the first raised user interface element and the second raised user interface element according to the predetermined z-order, after the non-raised user interface elements. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: rendering a user interface element within a raisedcontainer element; and rendering another user interface element within a raised, raisedcontainer element after the user interface element within the raisedcontainer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a modification to the first raised user interface element; and refreshing the first raised user interface element without refreshing the non-raised user interface elements. ### Claim 5 A mobile device, comprising: means for receiving a plurality of user interface elements having a predetermined z-order, wherein the plurality of user interface elements comprises a first raised user interface element and a plurality of non-raised user interface elements; means for rendering each of the plurality of non-raised user interface elements at a display according to the predetermined z-order while skipping the first raised user interface element; and means for rendering the first raised user interface element, after the non-raised user interface elements; and wherein the first raised user interlace element is assigned to a first raisedcontainer element, a second raised user interface element is assigned to a second raisedcontainer element, and wherein either the first raisedcontainer element or the second raisedcontainer element is a raised, raisedcontainer element. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The device of claim 5, the device further comprises: means for rendering the first raised user interface element and the second raised user interface element according to the predetermined z-order, after the non-raised user interface elements. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The device of claim 6, further comprising: rendering a user interface element within a raisedcontainer element; and rendering another user interface element within a raised, raisedcontainer element after the user interface element within the raisedcontainer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The device of claim 5, further comprising: means for receiving a modification to the first raised user interface element; and means for refreshing the first raised user interface element without refreshing the non-raised user interface elements. ### Claim 9 A mobile device, comprising: a memory; a display; and a processor, wherein the processor is operable to: receive from the memory a plurality of user interface elements having a predetermined z-order, wherein the plurality of user interface elements comprises a first raised user interface element and a plurality of non-raised user interface elements; render at the display each of the plurality of non-raised user interface elements at a display according to the predetermined z-order while skipping the first raised user interface element; render at the display the first raised user interface element, after the non-raised user interface elements; and wherein the first raised user interface element is assigned to a first raisedcontainer element, a second raised user interface element is assigned to a second raisedcontainer element, and wherein either the first raisedcontainer element or the second raisedcontainer element is a raised, raisedcontainer element. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The device of claim 9, the processor is further operable to: render at the display the first raised user interface element and the second raised user interface element according to the predetermined z-order, after the non-raised user interface elements. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further operable to: render at the display a user interface element within a raisedcontainer element; and render at the display another user interface element within a raised, raisedcontainer element after the user interface element within the raisedcontainer. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further operable to: receive from the memory a modification to the first raised user interface element; and refresh at the display the first raised user interface element without refreshing the non-raised user interface elements at the display. ### Claim 13 A computer program product, comprising: a computer-readable storage medium, comprising: at least one instruction for receiving a plurality of user interface elements having a predetermined z-order, wherein the plurality of user interface elements comprises a first raised user interface element and a plurality of non-raised user interface elements; at least one instruction for rendering each of the plurality of non-raised user interface elements at a display according to the predetermined z-order while skipping the first raised user interface element; at least one instruction for rendering the first raised user interface element, after the non-raised user interface elements; and wherein the first raised user interface element is assigned to a first raisedcontainer element, a second raised user interface element is assigned to a second raisedcontainer element, and wherein either the first raisedcontainer element or the second raisedcontainer element is a raised, raisedcontainer element. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13, the computer-readable storage medium further comprises: at least one instruction for rendering the first raised user interface element and the second raised user interface element according to the predetermined z-order, after the non-raised user interface elements. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer-readable storage medium further comprises: at least one instruction for rendering a user interface element within a raisedcontainer element; and at least one instruction tbr rendering another user interface element within a raised, raisedcontainer element after the user interface element within the raisedcontainer. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer-readable storage medium further comprises: at least one instruction for receiving a modification to the first raised user interface element; and at least one instruction for refreshing the first raised user interface element without refreshing the non-raised user interface elements.