Grid entry user interface extensions
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsKarl E. Tolgu, Michael K. Forney
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A computer-readable medium has computer-executable instructions for generating a user interface on a display device, the user interface includes a grid having a plurality of cells. The user interface also includes a visual affordance presented on the grid and visually connected to one of the plurality of cells, the visual affordance exposing properties of the one of the plurality of cells to which it is visually connected.
Claims19
A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for generating a user interface on a display device, using a computer, having a processor, that executes the computer-executable instructions, the user interface comprising:
- a grid, displayed using the processor, having a plurality of cells arranged in a plurality of aligned rows and columns, the cells in each of the plurality of rows in the grid being aligned with one another horizontally and the cells in each of the plurality of columns being aligned with one another vertically, each cell in the grid having a visual border that distinguishes it, visually, from the other cells in the grid;
- and
- a visual affordance presented on the grid, using the processor, and visually connected to a selected one of the plurality of cells, the visual affordance exposing properties of the selected one of the plurality of cells to which it is visually connected, the visual affordance having a border that is only displayed when the selected one of the cells is selected, the border having a cell portion that coincides with part of the visual border of the selected one of the plurality of cells and an extension portion that extends around a remainder of the visual affordance to visually indicate that the selected one of the plurality of cells is part of the visual affordance, the visual affordance being different from, and displayed over, a plurality of cells in the grid, other than the selected one of the plurality of cells.
A computer-implemented method of displaying information using a computer with a processor, the method comprising:
- displaying, with the processor, a two-dimensional grid of cells organized in aligned rows and columns, each cell in the grid having a visual border that visually distinguishes it from other cells in the grid;
- receiving, with the processor, a cell selecting user input;
- selecting a first cell in the grid of cells based upon the cell selecting user input;
- and
- displaying a visual extension of the first cell on the grid, the visual extension having a border that is only displayed when the first cell is selected, the border having a cell portion that coincides with part of the visual border of the first cell and an extension portion that extends around the remainder of the visual extension to visually indicate that the first cell is part of the visual extension, the visual extension being different from, and displayed over, a plurality of cells in the grid, other than the first cell.
A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for generating with a computer having a processor, a user interface on a display device, the user interface comprising:
- a grid, displayed by the processor on the display device, having a plurality of cells;
- a cell extension visually connected to a first cell of the plurality of cells, the cell extension having a visual border that is displayed by the processor on the display device only when the first cell is selected;
- the visual border surrounding the first cell and the cell extension and having a portion thereof overlying a portion of a visual border of the first cell to indicate that the first cell is a part of the cell extension, the cell extension being displayed over, and covering, other cells in the grid;
- data displayed in the first cell;
- and
- information, related to the data displayed in the first cell, displayed in the cell extension.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.