Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-05
2002-01-15
Shankar, Vijay (Department: 2673)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S160000, C345S162000, C345S215000, C345S157000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06339440
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to cursors or other pointer features used to point to a particular location on a display such as a display associated with a computer system. More particularly, the invention relates to a method, apparatus, and program product for rapidly moving a cursor to a prior location on a display.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A graphical user interface or GUI for a computer system provides a graphical representation or display on a display device associated with the computer system. The graphical representation allows a user to interact with one or more programs loaded on the computer system. For example, a GUI for a word processing program may provide a graphical representation of a work space on which text may be positioned, and may also provide one or more toolbars. Each toolbar comprises a graphical representation of a series of the buttons or other devices which may be used to invoke various functions of the word processing program. A GUI for a computer-aided design program, for example, may also include one or more work areas and one or more toolbars or other graphical representations through which various program functions may be invoked. As yet another example, an operating system GUI may provide a desktop representation containing a number of icons along with one or more toolbars. Each icon comprises a graphical element which may represent a program, file, or group of files or programs.
When using a GUI to interact with a program or computer system, a user moves a graphical pointing element or cursor to various positions on the display which comprises the GUI. Once the user has positioned the cursor at a desired location on the display, a location containing a toolbar button for example, the user provides an input to invoke the function controlled through the toolbar button. The input may be produced through the cursor positioning device or a separate device such as a keyboard associated with the computer system. A number of different devices have been developed to allow a user to move the cursor on a display. For example, a mouse, trackball, press pad, or joystick, may be used to position a cursor on a display associated with a computer system. In each case, the cursor positioning device commonly includes one more buttons or keys which may be depressed or otherwise activated by the user to provide various inputs. For example, a mouse commonly includes at least two buttons which may be depressed to provide inputs to the computer system. Also, many cursor positioning devices commonly include additional buttons or keys which may each be programmed to provide a desired input.
Although cursor positioning devices allow a user to move the cursor to various locations on a display, positioning the cursor is still predominantly a manual operation. The user must take care to move the cursor to the desired location on the display even if it is a location to which the user returns repeatedly, such as a location containing a frequently used toolbar button. As with any manual operation, manually positioning a cursor on a display is time consuming. Positioning the cursor is even more time consuming in an operating system or program which allows a number of separate windows to be displayed concurrently. The user must first move the cursor to a position on the display to restore the desired window to the display, and then move the cursor to the desired location within the restored window.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of invention to provide a method and apparatus for quickly returning a cursor to one or more previous positions on one or more displays. Another object of invention is to provide a program product for enabling a computer system to rapidly return a cursor to one or more previous positions on one or more displays associated with the computer system.
The cursor positioning process according to the invention stores display location data in response to a store signal provided by the user. The display location data defines the location of a cursor on a display at the time of the store signal. Once the display location data is stored, the user may move the cursor to any other position on the display. The user may then provide a jump signal through a suitable user input arrangement. In response to the jump signal, the cursor positioning process according to the invention includes the step of reading the stored display location data and then repositioning the cursor back to the location which is defined by the stored display location data. Thus, the user may store a particular location and then immediately return the cursor to the stored location with a single key stroke rather than having to manually reposition the cursor.
In one preferred form of the invention data for several display locations may be stored in an array. Each element in the array comprises a set of display location data which has been stored in response to a store signal provided by the user. Each set of display location data defines the location of the cursor at the time of the respective store signal. A pointer may be associated with the array to selectively point to the various elements in the array. Each jump input provided by the user manipulates the pointer to select a particular set of previously stored display location data corresponding to a prior cursor location on the display. The process then continues with the steps of reading the selected display location data and then repositioning the cursor to the location on the display which is defined by the particular display location data.
In an alternate form of the invention, a window identifier is included in each set of display location data. The window identifier identifies or defines a GUI window in which the cursor is located at the time of the respective store signal. In this alternate form of the invention, a jump signal also causes the system to restore the window identified by the particular previously stored display location data. Thus, in this alternate form of the invention, a single key stroke or other input (producing a jump signal) repositions the cursor to a particular location on the display within the desired window.
The invention is implemented through computer software code operating on a suitable processor. Under software control, the processor functions as location storing means for storing the desired display location data in a suitable storage device associated with the processor. Also, the processor functions as repositioning means for reading previously stored location data from the storage device in response to a jump signal, and repositioning the cursor to the location on the display defined by the previously stored display location data.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, considered along with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4881064 (1989-11-01), Nishino
patent: 5635954 (1997-06-01), Yamada
patent: 5642131 (1997-06-01), Pekelney et al.
patent: 5798752 (1998-08-01), Burton
patent: 5917486 (1999-06-01), Rylander
patent: 6088031 (2000-07-01), Lee et al.
Becker Craig H.
Glass Dave W.
Pickover Clifford A.
Culbertson, Esq. Russell D.
Mims, Jr., Esq. David A.
Said Mansour M.
Shaffer & Culbertson LLP
Shankar Vijay
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