Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-02
2001-05-22
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, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06236400
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer software, and more specifically to user interface components of a computer system displaying hierarchical information.
2. Background Art
Computer operating systems store information in files on a storage medium that is accessible via a file system. A file system organizes the contents of a storage device such that a user can determine the contents of the storage device. To organize files, a file hierarchy is adopted by some operating systems' file systems. Existing operating systems are inefficient in the manner in which the file hierarchy is displayed for review. For example, existing operating systems continue to display information that is no longer relevant to the user.
Microsoft DOS, Windows and the Macintosh OS are examples of operating systems whose file systems organize files in a hierarchy into directories. The file hierarchy begins with a root directory. Directories can contain files or other directories.
The hierarchical approach in a file system allows a user to categorize or group files.
FIG. 1
provides an example of a hierarchical file structure
102
that groups files into directories. Root
104
includes documents directory
106
, applications directory
107
, system directory
108
and root-level files
105
. Applications directory
107
and system directory
108
contain application directories and files
109
and system directories and files
110
, respectively. Documents directory
106
is a child directory (or subdirectory) of root directory
104
and includes word processing directory
111
, spreadsheet directory
112
and graphics directory
113
. Word processing directory
111
, spreadsheet directory
112
and graphics directory
113
that contain word processing documents
114
, spreadsheet documents
115
and graphics documents
116
(respectively).
A user can direct the operating system to traverse through hierarchical file structure
102
to locate a file or directory in the file system. The route to directories or files in hierarchical file structure
102
is referred to as a path. For example, a path exists between root directory
104
and graphics documents
116
through documents directory
106
and graphics directory
113
.
An operating system provides a mechanism for displaying the file hierarchy. One example of such a display mechanism is the Windows tree display illustrated in FIG.
2
.
Display
202
includes a folder display section
204
and a contents display section
206
. Folder display section
204
depicts the hierarchical structure that includes a storage medium, desktop icon
208
, entry
212
designated by the drive icon and the letter “C:”. Entry
212
represents the root directory for the storage medium. There are multiple child directories of the root directory (e.g., entries
214
,
220
and
222
) each of which can be the parent of one or more hierarchical elements (e.g., a directory). For example, entry
214
is a directory that contains other directories represented in entries
224
. The hierarchical structure contained within a parent entry can be displayed by “opening” the parent entry. Entries
224
are displayed when entry
214
is opened, for example. An entry that contains subentries (e.g., a subdirectory) includes a box icon that either contains a “−” if the parent entry is open or a “+” character if the parent entry is closed.
Contents display section
206
displays the contents of the selected entry in folder display section
204
. When the user selects an entry in folder display section
204
, the entry is opened and the contents of the entry are displayed in contents display area
206
. For example, when entry
218
(i.e., the “Resource” directory) is opened, the contents of the directory (i.e., contents
228
) are displayed in contents display area
206
.
The Windows tree wastes display area by displaying expanded details that the user no longer needs or is interested in. For example, to select entry
218
, the user opens entries
210
,
212
,
214
, and
216
which represent the directories along the path between the root directory and entry
218
. When they are opened, their contents are displayed in folder display area
204
including those other entries that are no longer or were never relevant to the user. There is no need to use space in folder display section
204
to display these entries.
As more branches of the Windows tree are opened (or expanded), the tree expands. To manage the size of the tree, the user must periodically go through the tree and re-select an expanded entry to close the entry. An entry is selected by selecting one of the icons associated with the entry. For example, to close entry
216
, the user must select either the folder icon or the icon containing a “−” symbol. These icons are small and difficult to select.
Space is also wasted in contents display area
206
. As can be seen in
FIG. 2
, contents display area
206
must be the same size as the folders display area
204
. There is no mechanism for vertically sizing folders display area
204
independent of contents display area
206
. It is not uncommon for the information displayed in contents display area
206
(e.g., contents
224
) to use less space than the information displayed in folder display area
204
. Thus, it is not uncommon for there to be wasted vertical space in contents display area
206
.
Another example of a hierarchical display mechanism used in the NeXTStep's windowing environment is referred to herein as a multicolumn browser.
FIG. 3
provides an example of a multicolumn browser used in the NeXTStep windowing environment.
File viewer
302
includes browser
310
that includes columns
304
-
307
. to display levels in the file system hierarchy. The user selects a column entry that represents an element (e.g., a directory or folder) in the file system hierarchy. If the element is a directory, the contents of the selected folder or directory is displayed in the next column. For the sake of the example, the same file system hierarchy used in
FIG. 2
is used here. To illustrate, column
304
represents the hierarchical level below entry
214
of
FIG. 2
(i.e., entries
224
and
216
).
When entry
314
is selected, its contents are displayed in column
305
. That is, column
305
displays the hierarchical level below entry
216
of FIG.
2
. When the user selects entry
316
(that corresponds to entry
216
of FIG.
2
), its contents are displayed in column
306
. The “Resource” directory contains only files (i.e., there are no directories within the Resource directory). Thus, column
307
does not contain any entries.
Like the Windows tree structure, the multicolumn browser uses display space inefficiently. Levels of the file system hierarchy are displayed even after the user has navigated through them. For example, columns
304
-
305
are displayed even though the user has navigated through these levels to reach the entries in column
306
. Further, the columns are all one size regardless of the display area actually needed to display a level's contents.
File viewer
302
includes icon path display area
318
that displays an icon that represents the directory shown in the column displayed under the icon. For example, icon
320
represents the “Pipeplus” directory whose contents are displayed in column
304
. Similarly, icons
322
and
324
represent the “Pmail” and “Resource” directories shown in columns
304
and
305
, respectively. Icon
326
represents the selection “rquotes.r” of column
306
.
When a file is selected in browser
310
, file viewer
302
displays an icon (e.g., icon
326
) in icon path display area
318
above a blank column (e.g., column
307
). While this technique can be used to identify that entry
318
is a file, it also wastes the space used to display column
307
.
File viewer
302
consumes a large portion of the total display area available on a computer system's display. An alternative to the multicolumn display shown in file viewer
302
is referred
Bayerl Raymond J.
Joseph Thomas J
Sun Microsystems Inc.
The Hecker Law Group
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