Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-15
2002-05-14
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, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06388686
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to altering user interface display of items within a group of display items and in particular to a user interface control altering a current display item within a group of display items. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a user interface control changing a current display item progressively through a sequence of display items forming a loop.
2. Description of the Related Art
Frequently in data processing system user interfaces, the need arises for a control which allows the user to switch between display items among a group of display items. Usually, but not always, the switch between display items corresponds to some change in the operation of an application for which the user control is implemented. A simple example is font selection in a graphical word processing system, where a current font may be displayed in a “tool” bar and switching the display to show a different font changes the active font.
The most common user control for shifting a display item among a plurality of display items is a drop-down box containing a list of available display items. However, the drop-down box may obscure the display of information to be altered. Additionally, the user may not know which display item produces the desired effect, requiring the user to successively try a number of display items within the list of possible items until the desired item is identified. An example is a user seeking a particular clipart image within a library of clipart images, and unable to identify the correct image by name.
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide mechanism for selectively controlling which display item within a group of display items is displayed in a user interface. It would further be advantageous if the mechanism permitted the user to edit or otherwise manipulate the contents of a current display item.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved method, system and computer program product for altering user interface display of items within a group of display items.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved method, system and computer program product for implementing a user interface control altering a current display item within a group of display items.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method, system and computer program product for implementing a user interface control changing a current display item progressively through a sequence of display items forming a loop.
The foregoing objects are achieved as is now described. A rotate user control is provided to selectively change the current display item within a group of display items. Each actuation of the rotate control changes the current display item from one item to a next item within an internally nonrepeating, ordered sequence loop of all candidate display items. Each display item within the group is therefore displayed in turn, and a user may quickly review all available display items for a desired display item. An indicator provides a visual cue to the user of which display item is currently selected for display. With small groups of display items, such as a multi-field text string object having separate fields each containing a different representation of a text string, the rotate control provides faster switching between views than conventional display change controls such as drop-down boxes. The rotate control also provides a fixed view of the newly selected display field, unlike flyover pop-up box displays.
The above as well as additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5600779 (1997-02-01), Palmer
patent: 5758285 (1998-05-01), Ahlberg
patent: 5812964 (1998-09-01), Finger
patent: 5815148 (1998-09-01), Tanaka
patent: 6028600 (2000-02-01), Rosin
Hetherington David James
Kumhyr David Bruce
Yates Stanford Louis
Bayerl Raymond J.
International Business Machines corporation
Marilyn Smith Dawkins Bracewell & Patterson, L.L.P.
Nguyen Thomas T.
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