Modal control scrolling of display area

Details Modal control scrolling of display area Modal control scrolling of display area

1999-06-30

2001-11-06

Jankus, Almis R. (Department: 2672)

Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system

Computer graphics processing

Graphic manipulation

Reexamination Certificate

active

06313849

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display area scrolling method capable of two-dimensionally scrolling (moving) a display area displayed on a window.
2. Related Art
In a conventional window system (FIG.
6
), when a display object becomes larger than the display area on a window, the display area is displayed on a window having scroll bars for moving the display area.
In order to display, within the display range
22
, a display object portion
23
located outside of the display range
22
of the window
21
as shown in, for example,
FIG. 6
, the display object portion
23
was moved within the display range
22
by dragging a scroll bar
25
or
26
using a pointing device, for example, a cursor
24
of a mouse to scroll the display area, or the display object portion
23
was dragged using a mouse equipped with a special-purpose mechanism for scrolling to move the display area.
Of the conventional scrolling methods, however, the former method is capable of dragging only either a vertical bar
25
or a horizontal bar
26
of the scroll bars, and therefore, the display area could not be moved in any arbitrary direction other than the vertical direction or the horizontal direction by one operation. Also, in order to perform an operation within the display range
22
after moving the display area, it was necessary to move the mouse cursor
24
which has been located at the scroll bar
25
or
26
, to a predetermined position within the display range
22
.
In the latter method, it is necessary to use a mouse having a special-purpose mechanism for scrolling, and the mouse cursor
26
also moves with the movement of the display area.
More specifically, according to the conventional scrolling method, a desired display object portion
23
appears within the display range
22
, and the mouse cursor
24
is at a position apart from the display object portion
23
at the termination of the movement of the display area, and in order to perform an operation by designating the display object portion
23
, the mouse cursor
24
had to be moved again.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A display area scrolling method according to the present invention is to move the display object portion within the display range by moving the display area in an arbitrary direction by one operation without the aid of any special mouse or the like, and to render the display object portion capable of being designated immediately after the movement.
As means for solving the above-described problems, a display area scrolling method according to the present invention is to cause a scrollable mode to enter in which scrolling using a pointing device can be performed by depressing a specified key in the keyboard, and to scroll, in the scrollable mode, the display area in a direction corresponding to the moving direction of a cursor which is operated by the pointing device.
A display area scrolling method according to the present invention is to cause the movement of the cursor to be stopped in a state in which the display area is being scrolled.
Also, a display area scrolling method according to the present invention is to cause, when the cursor is going to be moved in a next direction again from its stopped state, the display area to be scrolled in a direction corresponding to the next moving direction.
Also, a display area scrolling method according to the present invention is to render the display area capable of being scrolled only in a direction in which a pointer operated by the pointing device moved first and in a direction opposite thereto in the scrollable mode.
Also, a display area scrolling method according to the present invention is to cause the scrollable mode to be released by any of the following operations:
(1) when the depression of the specified key is suspended.
(2) when any key other than the scroll key in the keyboard is depressed.
(3) when the button of the pointing device is depressed.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4868785 (1989-09-01), Jordan et al.
patent: 5633657 (1997-05-01), Falcon
patent: 5659333 (1997-08-01), Okishima
patent: 5956031 (1999-09-01), Berteig et al.

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