Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-24
2002-07-23
Cabeca, John (Department: 2173)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S215000, C345S950000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06424359
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a screen scroll control method and a recording medium, and more particularly a screen scroll control method for scrolling a screen, by clicking icons disposed at both ends of a scroll bar and a recording medium.
An example of the conventional screen scroll control method is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 7-182135. As will later be described more in detail, this conventional screen scroll control method is characterized by that a cursor is moved onto a scroll up arrow, by the operation of a pointing device such as a mouse or the like, and when the same is selected, a copy of a scroll down arrow is dynamically created, in a vertical scroll bar adjacent to the scroll up arrow to facilitate the scroll direction change operation.
However, this conventional technique had the following drawback. That is, though the operation amount could be made small as for vertical scroll direction change or horizontal scroll direction change, still a large operation of the pointing device has been required for the vertical to horizontal scroll direction change or the horizontal to vertical scroll direction change.
This reason is because the copy of scroll arrow dynamically created next to the selected scroll arrow is created only for the scroll arrow in opposition in the direction of the selected scroll arrow.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to minimize the movement of a pointing device such as a mouse to scroll a screen vertically or horizontally, and to scroll the screen effectively.
Other objects of the present invention will become clear as the description proceeds.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a screen scroll control method for scrolling a screen vertically or horizontally by putting a cursor on a scroll icon using a pointing device and clicking, comprising the steps of displaying a first icon for indicating the screen upward scroll on one end of the vertical scroll bar, displaying a second icon for indicating the screen downward scroll on the other end, displaying a third icon for indicating the screen scroll to the left on one end of the horizontal scroll bar, and displaying a first fourth for indicating the screen scroll to the right on the other end of the horizontal scroll bar; placing the cursor on the predetermined one of the first to fourth icons by means of the pointing device, and replacing cyclically one of the first to fourth icons on which the cursor is placed with the first to fourth icons, each time when a predetermined first button of said pointing device is operated; and scrolling the screen in a direction corresponding to the one of the first to fourth icons on which the cursor is placed, each time when a predetermined second button of the pointing device is operated.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a screen scroll control method for scrolling a screen vertically or horizontally by putting a cursor on a scroll icon using a pointing device and then clicking, comprising the steps of displaying a first icon for indicating the screen upward scroll on one end of the vertical scroll bar, displaying a second icon for indicating the screen downward scroll on the other end, displaying a third icon for indicating the screen scroll to the left on one end of the horizontal scroll bar, and displaying a first fourth for indicating the screen scroll to the right on the other end of the horizontal scroll bar; placing the cursor on the predetermined one of the first to fourth icons by means of the pointing device, and displaying the first to fourth icons in a popup menu, when a predetermined first button of said pointing device is operated; replacing one of the first to fourth icons on which the cursor is placed with the one selected in the popup menu, when any one of the first to fourth icons displayed in the popup menu is selected; and scrolling the screen in a direction corresponding to the one of the first to fourth icons on which the cursor is placed, when the predetermined second button of the pointing device is operated.
More, the first icon may be composed of an upward arrow, the second icon composed of a downward arrow, the third icon composed of a left-hand arrow and the fourth icon composed of a right-hand arrow.
Further, the pointing device may be a mouse.
Furthermore the first icon may be composed of an upward arrow, the second icon composed of a downward arrow, the third icon composed of a left-hand arrow and the fourth icon composed of a right-hand arrow, and the arrow direction of the first to fourth icons may be made to change cyclically upward, downward, to the left and to the right each time when the cursor is placed on the predetermined one of the first to fourth icons by means of the pointing device, and the predetermined first button of the pointing device is clicked.
Besides, when the predetermined one of the first to fourth icons is displayed replaced by the other one, if the first or second button of the pointing device is clicked, the predetermined one of the first to fourth icons displayed by being replaced with the other one may be made to return to the previous display state.
Moreover, when the predetermined one of the first to fourth icons is displayed replaced by the other one, if a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the predetermined one of the first to fourth icons displayed by being replaced with the other one may be made to return to the previous display state.
The recording medium of the present invention is characterized by that a program for executing the screen scroll control method mentioned above is stored.
In the screen scroll control method and the recording medium according to the present invention, a first icon for indicating the screen upward scroll and a second icon for indicating the screen downward scroll are displayed on the both ends of a vertical scroll bar, a third icon for indicating the screen scroll to the left and a first fourth for indicating the screen scroll to the right are displayed on the both ends of the horizontal scroll bar; a cursor is placed on the predetermined one of the first to fourth icons by means of the pointing device, and one of the first to fourth icons on which the cursor is placed is replaced cyclically with the first to fourth icons; and the screen is scrolled in a direction corresponding to the one of the first to fourth icons on which the cursor is placed, each time when a predetermined second button of the pointing device is clicked.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5896132 (1999-04-01), Berstis et al.
patent: 5952995 (1999-09-01), Barnes
patent: 6020887 (2000-02-01), Loring et al.
Bautista X. L.
Cabeca John
Foley & Lardner
NEC Corporation
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