System and method for providing an icon overlay to indicate that processing is occurring
US7228506B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 25, 2003 |
| Grant date | Jun 5, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 17, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F3/04817
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An icon overlay for indicating that processing is occurring. When a user makes a selection to expand a node (e.g., a node in a tree view), the processing of the enumeration may take some time. To provide an indication to a user that processing is occurring, an icon overlay is animated over the expanding node's icon. In one embodiment, the overlay is a magnifying glass that is animated to move between three different positions that are changed on a timer. Once the processing is complete, the icon overlay is removed, and the sub-items for the node are inserted into the tree. By using an overlay, the view of the expanding node's icon is preserved as an important part of identifying its type, e.g., network domain, network computer, file system folder, etc. Multiple icon overlays may be provided for multiple expanding nodes at the same time.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.