US 8,799,808 B2Granted

Adaptive multi-line view user interface

AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation

InventorsJesse Clay Satterfield, Richard Hank Leukart, Martijn E. Van Tilburg, Jensen M. Harris, William A. Avery, Bruce D. Wiedemann

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

patentgrep

Loading patent…

Abstract

An adaptive multi-line view user interface is provided that varies the manner in which data is displayed as the size of the user interface is changed. As the available horizontal space in the user interface becomes too small to display the text or data on a given display line, the data is rearranged to fit the available space. Text or data that will be truncated as the width of the user interface is decreased is moved to a separate display line beneath the line in which the truncated text or data was previously displayed. A maximum number of lines may be specified for displaying text or data. After the maximum number of lines is reached, additional text or data truncated by narrowing the width of the user interface is not displayed. The displayed lines of text or data may be displayed according to a progressively lighter font from line to line so that lines at or near the top of a given displayed text or data record are darker and more readily draw the attention of a reader.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method of displaying information in a variable size user interface, the method comprising:

disposing a first field in a first line of at least one information record of a plurality of displayed information records;
disposing a second field in the first line of the at least one information record, the second field conveying at least one of:
a time and a date associated with the at least one information record in a best fit format, the best fit format being dependent on an age of the at least one information record, wherein disposing the second field further comprises:
displaying the best fit format to specify an hour and minute representation of the time associated with the at least one information record when the at least one information record is no more than one day old,
displaying the best fit format to specify a day of the week along with the hour and minute representation of the time associated with the at least one information record when the at least one information record was received earlier in a current week,
displaying the best fit format to specify the day of the week along with a month and a day associated with the at least one information record when the at least one information record was received in a previous week, and
displaying the best fit format to specify the month, the day, and a year associated with the at least one information record when the at least one information record was received in a previous month;
grouping information-records of the plurality of displayed information records having a same best fit format;
displaying the grouped information-records with the same best fit format under a header that conveys the age of the at least one information record;
truncating the data of the at least one information record as a size of the user interfaces decreases, wherein truncating the data of the at least one information record comprises truncating an entire data field;
displaying at least one additional line for the at least one information record;
and
displaying, within the at least one additional line, the truncated data field.

10 more elements

A system for displaying information in a variable size user interface, the system comprising:

a memory storage;
and
a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to:
dispose a first field in a first line of at least one information record of a plurality of displayed information records;
dispose a second field in the first line of the at least one information record, the second field conveying at least one of:
a time and a date associated with the at least one information record in a best fit format, the best fit format being dependent on an age of the at least one information record, wherein the processing unit being operative to dispose the second field further comprises the processing unit being operative to;
display the best fit format to specify an hour and minute representation of the time associated with the at least one information record when the at least one information record is no more than one day old,
display the best fit format to specify a day of the week along with the hour and minute representation of the time associated with the at least one information record when the at least one information record was received earlier in a current week,
display the best fit format to specify the day of the week along with a month and a day associated with the at least one information record when the at least one information record was received in a previous week, and
display the best fit format to specify the month, the day, and a year associated with the at least one information record when the at least one information record was received in a previous month;
group information-records of the plurality of displayed information records having a same best fit format;
display the grouped information-records with the same best fit format under a header that conveys the age of the at least one information record;
truncate the data of the at least one information record as a size of the user interfaces decreases, wherein the processing unit being operative to truncate the data of the at least one information record comprises the processing unit being operative to truncate an entire data field;
display at least one additional line for the at least one information record;
and
display, within the at least one additional line, the truncated data field.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.