Method and apparatus for incorporating expandable and collapsible options in a graphical user interface

Claim 1

A graphical user interface ("GUI") operating in a computer system, the GUI having a plurality of controls, the computer system including a display device coupled to a memory, and executing a program, the GUI interacting with a program, the GUI comprising: a display region within a window of the GUI that includes one or more subpanels, each subpanel having a presentation control bearing a name of its associated subpanel and one or more GUI objects appearing thereon when expanded and having only the presentation control with the name of the associated subpanel appearing thereon when collapsed; a program interacting with the GUI and implemented in the memory to collapse a selected subpanel of the one or more subpanels when the presentation control of the selected subpanel is activated and when the selected subpanel is expanded, and to expand the selected subpanel when the presentation control of the selected subpanel is activated and when the selected subpanel is collapsed, and to further maintain the length and width of the display region substantially unchanged and without scroll bars and a position of the presentation control substantially unchanged when any of the one or more subpanels are expanded or collapsed; and a scrolling mechanism for scrolling said one or more panels in said display region in a particular direction by dragging an inactive portion of said display region other than a scroll bar in said particular direction when a cursor is over the inactive portion of said display region.

Claim 4

A method of providing a graphical user interface ("GUI") in a computer system comprising the steps of: displaying multiple GUI objects as part of a GUI, in which the GUI objects are grouped into subpanels, and in which the subpanels are grouped into a region of a window of the GUI that displays information in the computer system; providing each subpanel with a presentation control bearing a name of its associated subpanel, wherein the display region has a background field from which each presentation control appears to visually extend; expanding a subpanel within said region when the corresponding presentation control of the subpanel is activated and the subpanel is collapsed; in response to expanding said subpanel within said region, displaying GUI objects that are grouped into said subpanel so that the GUI objects appear to be built into the background field of said display region; collapsing a subpanel when the corresponding presentation control of the subpanel is activated and the subpanel is expanded and displaying only the presentation control and name when the subpanel is collapsed; maintaining the region substantially constant in size and free of scrollbars and a position of the presentation control substantially unchanged when expanding and collapsing the subpanels; and scrolling said one or more panels in said display region in a particular direction by dragging an inactive portion of said display region other than a scroll bar in said particular direction when a cursor is over the inactive portion of said display region.

Claim 5

A method of providing a graphical user interface ("GUI") in a computer system comprising the steps of: displaying multiple GUI objects as part of a GUI, in which the GUI objects are grouped into subpanels, and in which the subpanels are grouped into a region of a window of the GUI that displays information in the computer system; providing each subpanel with a presentation control bearing a name of its associated subpanel, wherein the display region has a background field from which each presentation control appears to visually extend; expanding a subpanel within said region when the corresponding presentation control of the subpanel is activated and the subpanel is collapsed; in response to expanding said subpanel within said region, displaying GUI objects that are grouped into said subpanel so that the GUI objects appear to be built into the background field of said display region; collapsing a subpanel when the corresponding presentation control of the subpanel is activated and the subpanel is expanded and displaying only the presentation control and name when the subpanel is collapsed; maintaining the region substantially constant in size and free of scrollbars and a position of the presentation control substantially unchanged when expanding and collapsing the subpanels; and scrolling said one or more panels in said display region in a particular direction by dragging an inactive portion of said display region other than a scroll bar in said particular direction when a cursor is over the inactive portion of said display region.

Claim 7

A method of displaying three dimensional model parameter values in a computer system, the computer system executing a three dimensional modeling application and including a three dimensional model, the method comprising: accessing the three dimensional model, the three dimensional model including a master object and a plurality of modifier objects, such that when a display of the three dimensional model is generated, the plurality of modifier objects modify the appearance of the master object; displaying a command panel for modifying the three dimensional model; displaying a first user interface object in the command panel, the first user interface object having a first control object and a first set of parameter modification objects, the first set of parameter modification objects for modifying and redisplaying parameters of the master object; displaying a second user interface object in the command panel, the second user interface object having a second control object and a second set of parameter modification objects, the second set of parameter modification objects for displaying parameters of a first modifier object of the plurality of modifier objects; wherein each of the first control object and the second control object is in either a collapsed state or an expanded state, and wherein a control object in the expanded state comprises a presentation control bearing a name of the control object and parameter setting objects that modify a set of parameters associated with that user interface object, and wherein a control object in the collapsed state comprises only the presentation control bearing the name of the control object; maintaining the region substantially constant in size and free of scrollbars and a position of the presentation control substantially unchanged when expanding and collapsing the subpanels; and wherein the first user interface object and the second user interface object are scrollable within the command panel in a particular direction by dragging an inactive portion of said display region other than a scroll bar in said particular direction when a cursor is over the inactive portion of said display region.

Claim 8

A method of displaying three dimensional model parameter values in a computer system, the computer system executing a three dimensional modeling application and including a three dimensional model, the method comprising: accessing the three dimensional model, the three dimensional model including a master object and a plurality of modifier objects, such that when a display of the three dimensional model is generated, the plurality of modifier objects modify the appearance of the master object; displaying a command panel for modifying the three dimensional model; displaying a first user interface object in the command panel, the first user interface object having a first control object and a first set of parameter modification objects, the first set of parameter modification objects for modifying and redisplaying parameters of the master object; displaying a second user interface object in the command panel, the second user interface object having a second control object and a second set of parameter modification objects, the second set of parameter modification objects for displaying parameters of a first modifier object of the plurality of modifier objects; wherein each of the first control object and the second control object is in either a collapsed state or an expanded state, and wherein a control object in the expanded state comprises a presentation control bearing a name of the control object and parameter setting objects that modify a set of parameters associated with that user interface object, and wherein a control object in the collapsed state comprises only the presentation control bearing the name of the control object; maintaining the region substantially constant in size and free of scrollbars and a position of the presentation control substantially unchanged when expanding and collapsing the subpanels; and wherein the first user interface object and the second user interface object are scrollable within the command panel in a particular direction by dragging an inactive portion of said display region other than a scroll bar in said particular direction when a cursor is over the inactive portion of said display region.