Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-24
2002-01-15
Bayerl, Raymond J. (Department: 2173)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06339439
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a GUI (Graphical User Interface) with a display plane displayed on a display part, and more particularly to a user interface at the time of generating a derivative display plane.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A technique is generalized in which a plurality of logical display planes (hereinafter referred to as sheets) are superimposed or arranged side by side on a display part and a cursor is positioned on a component depicted in the sheets by a pointing device such as a mouse or a track ball, at which position a button of the mouse or the like is clicked so that information processing proceeds. The technique is called GUI (Graphical User Interface), and is used in the XWindow system in the UNIX and the Windows of Microsoft.
In the GUI system described above, all event outputs and operations are carried out through a display sheet. Hence, when the process proceeds while transitions of the procedure for information processing takes place, it is necessary to create derivative sheets for operation corresponding to the contents of changed works and display the derivative sheets. There are many cases where the derivative sheet after a transition has a display pattern common to that included in the derivative sheet before the transition takes place. Hence, the derivative sheet after a transition is generally created by copying the derivative sheet before the transition takes place, and arranging the copied derivative sheet so that a component in the copied derivative sheet is modified or a new component is added thereto and that the execution procedures defined in the components are modified.
FIG. 1
is a diagram of a computer system. A basic sheet
101
and a derivative sheet
201
obtained by copying the basic sheet
101
are displayed on a display part
60
connected to a computer main body
100
so that the basic sheet
101
and the derivative sheet
201
are arranged side by side. The basic sheet
101
and the derivative sheet
201
have common components (a telephone mark
111
, a character train “telephone”
121
, a telephone mark
211
and a character train “telephone”
221
). By manipulating a mouse
10
, a cursor
10
K on the display part
60
is moved to, for example, the telephone mark
211
in the derivative sheet
201
. Then, the click operation on the mouse
10
is carried out. Hence, a predetermined procedure (event) is initiated, and a remote party is called or rings a bell.
FIG. 2
is a diagram of conventional display operations and display states, and shows a sequence in which the derivative sheet
203
is created from the basic sheet
101
on the display part
60
.
Referring to
FIG. 2
, the basic sheets (
101
,
102
) and the derivative sheets (
201
-
203
) are defined by sheet configuration data stored in corresponding display plane memories (
1001
-
2003
), and are displayed or executed by a structure shown in
FIG. 3
, which will be described later. The corresponding display plane memories denote memory areas allocated in a memory built in the computer main body
100
or a memory externally connected thereto.
On the display part
60
, two components are set in the basic sheet shown in the upper left portion in
FIG. 2
in which display positions and a display frame are defined. The first component is the telephone mark, which is displayed in the determined position in which the telephone mark
111
is set. When the not shown cursor of the mouse
10
is positioned on the telephone mark
111
and the click operation is carried out, the already defined procedure (event) is executed. For example, the bell is ringed. When the procedure of dialing a destination is predetermined, the destination is called. The second component is a character train, which is displayed, with given size fonts, in the position to which “telephone”
121
is set.
The derivative sheet
201
shown in the upper right portion in
FIG. 2
is created by copying the contents of the basic sheet
101
stored in the display plane memory
1001
to the display plane memory
2001
. Then, the contents of the display plane memories
1001
and
2001
are modified or components are added thereto. That is, the basic sheet
101
shown in the upper left portion in
FIG. 2
is modified so that the telephone mark
111
is changed to a mail mark
112
and the procedure is changed from ringing or dialing to voice (for example, “a mail has arrived”). Further, the character train “telephone”
121
is changed to a character train “mail”
122
. Thus, the basic sheet
102
shown in the lower left portion in
FIG. 2
is created.
A note symbol
311
is added to the derivative sheet
201
shown in the upper right portion in FIG.
2
. Further, the derivative sheet
202
shown in the lower left portion in
FIG. 2
is created, which define a procedure of, for example, outputting a melody. In this case, it is necessary to reflect, on the derivative sheet
202
shown in the right center portion, the modified portion of the basic sheet
102
shown in the lower left portion. That is, the derivative sheet
203
shown in the lower right portion in
FIG. 2
is created as follows. The telephone mark
212
and its procedure “bell ringing or dialing” in the derivative sheet are changed to the postal code and a voice message “mail has arrived”. Further, the character train “telephone”
222
is changed to a character train “mail”. As described above, the work of creating the derivative sheet
203
shown in the lower right portion of
FIG. 2
is additionally required.
FIG. 3
is a diagram showing a structure of a sheet processing means for executing the above-mentioned display plane work. The sheet processing means is implemented by the computer main body
100
. A signal indicating the coordinates of the cursor
10
K on the display part
60
is input to a coordinates detecting part
11
by clicking a not-shown button of the mouse
10
. A click signal depending on the clicking way (single click, double click, drag and drop) is input to a signal discriminating part
12
.
A sheet creation executing part
13
supplied with the output signals of the coordinates detecting part
11
and the signal discriminating part
12
accesses a memory
41
through a read/write control part
14
. Then, the sheet creation executing part
13
retrieves a sheet registration area
42
formed in the memory
41
, and searches for a sheet on which the cursor
10
k
is displayed at present. If a plurality of sheets are displayed in an overlap formation, the sheet having priority over the other sheets (which is, for example, the sheet displayed in the forefront of the overlap formation) is selected as the first sheet.
The sheet processing means can selectively execute a take-over mode, a modify mode and an execution mode indicated by a mode signal input to the sheet creation executing part
13
by an operation on the mouse
10
or an operation on a data input means such as a keyboard.
[When the Take-over Mode is Set by the Mode Signal]
A new sheet creation is selected from a menu that is not shown, and a display plane memory for storing information concerning parts which should be set in the newly created sheet (derivative sheet
201
) is obtained in the memory
41
. When such a display plane memory is obtained in the sheet registration area
42
, the derivative sheet
201
is drawn in a predetermined position on the display part
60
so as to have a given frame width. The mouse
10
is manipulated so as to move the cursor
10
K to a predetermined position of, for example, a tool bar of the basic sheet
101
. In this position, the button of the mouse
10
is dragged. Thereafter, the cursor
10
K is moved to the derivative sheet
201
to which the dragged contents should be copied, and is then dropped.
The sheet creation executing part
13
accesses the memory
41
via the read/write control part
14
in response to the drag and drop signals from the mouse
10
, and reads the components of the basic sheet
101
(for example, the first sheet) and the information thereo
Takahashi Yoshio
Uramoto Takamasa
Bautista X. L.
Bayerl Raymond J.
Staas & Halsey
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