Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-29
2002-10-22
Huynh, Ba (Department: 2773)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06469722
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a method of operating a GUI (Graphical User Interface) screen of an information processing apparatus and more particularly, to a function selecting method which allows a user to easily indicate execution of different functions.
2. Prior Art
In a software having a conventional GUI, a single icon is assigned a single function and an assigned function is executed by clicking an icon with a mouse.
Thus, as the number of the kinds of functions required for a software increases, the number of icons on the screen increases correspondingly leading to a problem that an area is occupied by the icons while an area for the essential function of a software (main window) is narrowed.
If the size of an icon is reduced in order to solve this problem, the graphic presentation of an icon becomes scanty and makes the content of the function discernible to a user. As a result, a problem is induced in that adoption of many functions leads to deterioration of the operability of an application.
In a system to solve such problems, icons of resembling functions are grouped and displayed on a sub-window (tool pallet), and the tool pallet itself is switched between display and non-display by using a tag as disclosed in PUPA 8-55001 (U.S. Pat No. 5,546,528).
However, because each of a plurality of icons existing on a single tool pallet has a single function assigned in respective icon area, the size of an icon is limited when the number of the kinds of functions increases and it was sometimes difficult to intuitively judge in which tag a desired icon exists.
As a prior art to this invention, there are PUPA5-258037 and PUPA7-200243. In PUPA5-258037, by providing 3 areas on a tool (icon) and selecting and moving an area, the tool may be simply moved and a graphic image may be erased in a broad width or a narrow width.
However, the display (external appearance) of a tool is modified only after an area is selected in this technology so that a problem was accompanied in that the operator was not able to see what function was assigned to each area before the function was executed.
On the other hand, PUPA7-200243 discloses a composite icon which is capable of executing different functions and changing the size. However, because the external appearance is not changed in this technology, this technology was not able to solve a problem that the graphic expression to describe the function became scanty as the number of the kinds of functions required for a software increased.
It is an object of this invention to provide a GUI environment of improved operability which allows each function to be described by a rich graphic expression even when the number of the kinds of functions required for a software increases.
It is another object of this invention to improve the user operability of a software by grouping a plurality of functions intimately related to a user in an icon area which is expressed by a single appearance image.
It is a further object of this invention to enlarge an area occupied by a main window by allocating a plurality of functions to a single icon to reduce the number of icons on the screen.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a GUI environment which is capable of preventing an erroneous operation by a user beforehand by changing the entire appearance (or a part of appearance) of an icon depending on the position of a mouse pointer on the icon and explicitly notifying the operator of a function which is to be executed when clicked in that position before the function is executed.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a GUI environment of a high operability which allows an operator to freely set an appearance corresponding to each function area to a size which is identifiable to the operator by enabling the operator to enlarge or reduce an icon area.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a GUI environment which allows an operator to dynamically select a function group which the operator desires.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a GUI environment which allows an operator to dynamically select a function of a kind which is related to an icon area.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide an image processing system which is intuitively understandable to an operator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A plurality of function areas are defined in an area of a composite icon of this invention. Each function area is associated with an appearance image which is displayed as an appearance image of the composite icon when a mouse pointer comes across a function area. In addition, each function area is associated with respective function which is executed when a mouse is clicked in a function area. In a mode of this invention, setting of the function area may be changed by changing the size of the composite icon, by an operation to switch a group of functions or by selecting an object to be operated upon.
In one mode of this invention, on a display of an information processing apparatus which is provided with a display and a pointing device, a method is provided for selecting a function using a pointer of said pointing device in an icon area comprising a first function area which is correlated to a first function and a first appearance image and a second function area which is correlated to a second function and a second appearance image, the method comprising the steps of;
(a) checking whether or not said pointer is on said first function area,
(b) displaying said first appearance image in an area which is at least a part of said icon area including said first function area and said second function area when said pointer is on said first function area,
(c) checking whether or not said pointer is on said second function area,
(d) displaying said second appearance image in an area which is at least a part of said icon area including said first function area and said second function area when said pointer is on said second function area,
(e) determining whether or not an operation to select said second function area has been performed by an operator, and
(f) executing said second function when the operation to select said second function area has been performed by the operator
In the claims of this invention, the term “pointing device” is a concept including a touch panel in which a finger corresponds to the pointer. Incidentally, the pointer is described as an object to be operated upon in the claims of this invention and is not a component of this invention. Also, the phrase “operation to select a function area” as used in the claims of this invention is a concept including not only “mouse clicking on a function area” but also every operations in which a user selects a function area such as a selection by a tab key, a direction key and an enter key, etc.
In another mode of this invention, on a display of an information processing apparatus which is provided with a display and a pointing device, a method is provided for selecting a function using a pointer of said pointing device in an icon area comprising a first function area which is correlated to a first function and a first appearance image and a second function area which is correlated to a second function and a second appearance image, the method comprising the steps of;
(a) checking whether or not said pointer is on said first function area,
(b) displaying said first appearance image in an area which is at least a part of said icon area including said first function area and said second function area when said pointer is on said first function area,
(c) checking whether or not said pointer is on said second function area,
(d) displaying said second appearance image in an area which is at least a part of said icon area including said first function area and said second function area when said pointer is on said second function area,
(e) determining whether or not an operation to change the size of said icon area has been performed by an operator,
(f) changing the size of said first function area, said second
Kinoe Yohsuke
Matsuda Minako
Muranaka Naofumi
Okamoto Kohsuke
Takemura Tsukasa
Huynh Ba
International Business Machines - Corporation
Jennings, Esq Derek S.
Scully Scott Murphy & Presser
Vu Kieu D.
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