Dynamic document updating application interface and corresponding control functions

Inventors

Ledet, David Gerard

Assignees

Philips North America LLC

Abstract

A user interface configuration may permit a user to make selections while the interface is dynamically adjusting and reconfiguring its layout and appearance for optimized user satisfaction. One example method of operation may include receiving an input command on a first menu displayed on a touch receptive surface of a user device, selecting a menu item responsive to the received at least one input command and receiving an additional input command that is different from the first input command type. The method may also provide identifying the additional input command as a multiple item gesture command, and storing the multiple item gesture command in memory.

Core Innovation

The invention provides a dynamic context menu on a touch receptive surface, where a first input command selects a first menu item representing a first data editing function in a target application. After selection, at least one additional input command is received via the target application, and in response, a predefined action of the first data editing function is temporarily held while simultaneously preventing the predefined action from being applied. An icon is displayed identifying the data editing function of the first menu item that is being temporarily held.

While the predefined action is temporarily held, the menu is permitted to be further traversed for selecting at least one additional menu item, thereby maintaining the temporarily held predefined action within the target application. The temporarily held predefined action of the first data editing function is then automatically applied in response to text content from an external application being pasted into a window of the target application.

The disclosed workflow also supports selecting or managing additional menu items through previously stored menu items and through an application state workflow referred to as “Set State.” In this workflow, the user navigates away to another application to capture data, then returns to copy/paste into the target application so that stored menu functionality is applied at paste time, including formatting based on the temporarily held menu-selected data editing functions.

Claims Coverage

The document includes three independent claims (method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) that share the same core inventive workflow. Each independent claim includes inventive features that select and temporarily hold a data editing function from a target application menu, prevent applying the predefined action while traversal continues, display an icon identifying the temporarily held function, and automatically apply the temporarily held action when text content from an external application is pasted.

Across the independent claims, the invention centers on temporarily holding a selected data editing function’s predefined action while preventing its application, showing an icon for the temporarily held function, allowing menu traversal to continue selection, and automatically applying the held action when external-app text is pasted into the target application.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications

No documented applications found