Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-31
2002-01-08
Bayerl, Raymond J. (Department: 2773)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S662000, C345S157000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06337703
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the manipulation of objects displayed on a display screen, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for positioning objects using direct manipulation.
2. Background Art
FIG. 1
shows an example of two objects, object A
100
and object B
105
, displayed on a display device such as a computer display screen. The objects may, for example, be objects created with a graphics editing program. Objects such as object A
100
and object B
105
that are displayed on a display screen may be referred to as “screen objects.” The screen objects shown in
FIG. 1
are simple rectangles. However, screen objects can have any size and shape. Further, a screen object may consist of a group of different objects. For example, a screen object may comprise a bit-mapped image combined with a vector-based drawing object. A screen object may also represent other objects or data, such as, for example, a sound clip or video data.
A user often desires to manipulate screen objects such that they are precisely located or precisely dimensioned with respect to other objects on the screen. For example, a user may desire to position an object such that one or more of its edges coincide with one or more edges of another object, as shown in
FIG. 2
, or such that one or more of its edges are positioned close to but spaced apart from another object, as shown in
FIG. 3. A
user may also wish to resize an object such that the object has the same height and/or width as another object, as shown in FIG.
4
.
A number of approaches to the precision location and precision sizing of screen objects have been developed in the prior art.
One approach, used in drawing programs such as MacDraw (™) and Claris Works (™), is to provide precision-location and precision-sizing commands. To use these commands, a user must first select the objects in question, for example by positioning a cursor over each object and clicking a mouse button. Next, the user must invoke the desired command, for example by hitting an appropriate hot key or key combination on a keyboard or by selecting the command using pull-down menus. Finally, the user must enter information regarding the manner in which the user wants to position or resize the object into a dialog box that opens after the command is activated.
FIG. 5
shows an example dialog box for the “align” menu command from MacDraw(™).
Although using precision location and precision sizing commands allows the user to position or size objects, the multiple steps required to use these commands are inconvenient.
A second approach uses a technique sometimes referred to as “gravity.” In this approach an object, around its edges, is provided with a “region of influence” that exerts a pull on other objects that come into the region.
FIGS. 6-9
illustrate the operation of the prior art gravity technique. In
FIG. 6
, a dotted rectangle
600
indicates the region of influence for the left edge of object B
105
.
FIG. 6
also shows a mouse cursor
605
positioned over object A
100
. A user may move object A
100
by selecting and “dragging” object A
100
with a mouse.
In the gravity approach, when a first object (such as object A
100
) is dragged so that one of its edges enters the region of influence of an edge of a second object (such as object B
105
), the first object is automatically “snapped” to the second object such that the edges of the two objects meet.
FIG. 7
shows object A
100
after it has been moved horizontally to the right such that its right edge enters region of influence
600
of object B
105
. Once the right edge of object A
100
enters region of influence
600
, object A
100
is snapped to the right such that its right edge is aligned with the left edge of object B
105
, as shown in FIG.
8
. In this prior art example, if mouse cursor
605
is dragged far enough further to the right, object A
100
once again becomes “unstuck” from object B
105
, as shown in FIG.
9
.
Although the gravity technique of the prior art is useful when a user wants to align objects such that their edges coincide, it prevents the user from arbitrarily positioning objects close to one another. As soon as an edge of a first object enters a second object's region of influence, the first object is snapped into alignment with the second object. Prior art gravity systems thus provide for easy aligrunent, but at the cost of preventing arbitrary positioning of objects close to one another.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a method and apparatus for manipulating screen objects utilizing multiband regions of influence. Positioning a reference datum of an object within a particular band invokes a particular functionality or operation related to that band and to that datum.
In one embodiment, three types of functionality are provided. Moving a reference point or datum (for example, a line representing an edge or a user-defined reference point) of an object A into a first band of an object B places object A under the influence of object B's gravity, causing object A to be pulled into precise alignment with object B. Moving the reference point of object A from the first band into a second band turns off object B's gravity, allowing object A to be freely moved to any arbitrary position near the object B. Moving the reference point of the object A to a position outside all bands causes object B's gravity function to be turned back on. By providing multiple bands of functionality, this embodiment allows a user to conveniently select among precise positioning (or sizing) provided by gravity and arbitrary positioning (or sizing) allowed by an absence of gravity, simply by dragging an object's reference point into an appropriate band. No menu commands are required.
In other embodiments, the bands of the invention provide other kinds of functionalities or operations. For example, one embodiment comprises bands that provide different types of precise positioning. In one embodiment, multiple bands are provided, each one causing objects to be positioned so as to be spaced apart by one of several precise, predetermined distances.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4698625 (1987-10-01), McCaskill et al.
patent: 5463722 (1995-10-01), Venolia
patent: 5490241 (1996-02-01), Mallgren et al.
patent: 5801699 (1998-09-01), Hocker et al.
patent: 6088027 (2000-07-01), Konar et al.
patent: 6232983 (2001-05-01), Felser et al.
Konar Murat N.
Rosen Josh
Bayerl Raymond J.
Luu Sy D.
Macromedia, Inc.
The Hecker Law Group
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