Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-25
2004-05-11
Cabeca, John (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
06734883
ABSTRACT:
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT STATEMENT
This invention was not developed in conjunction with any Federally sponsored contract.
MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not applicable.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The related application, docket number AUS000201US1, now application number 09/578,748, filed on May 25, 2000 by Cristi N. Ullmann, et al., is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, including drawings, and hereby are made a part of this application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the arts of graphical user interface controls provided on computer displays, and to related displays such as personal digital assistants (“PDA”) and wireless communications devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Graphical user displays on electronic devices such as computers, personal digital assistants, and wireless communications devices are common in the art. As these devices become more and more integral to activities in the daily lives of people such as web browsing, word processing, and even making telephone calls, the efficiency and ergonomics of these interfaces are extremely important. A user will quickly notice whether one user interface is easier and quicker to use than another based upon the number of operations required to perform a certain task. Further, the level of “intuitiveness” implemented in the user interface can greatly increase the usefulness and speed with which the user can operate the device.
Many graphical user interfaces follow the same conventions for navigation of and selection of controls on the users interface. Such common graphical user interfaces (“GUI”) include windows or frames-type displays in Microsoft's Windows operating system, Unix operating system, IBM's OS/2 and AIX operating systems, Microsofts Windows CE operating system, Apple Computer's operating system, and many “proprietary” windows-like GUI's on various devices such as PDA's, cell phones, electronic organizers, etc.
FIG. 1
shows the basic organization of many prior art computer systems and computer-based devices. The system (
10
) typically includes a microprocessor central unit (“CPU”) including computer memory, may also include interfaces to hard disks and removable disk media (
14
), and possibly interfaces (
17
) to computer or communications networks (
11
) such as a network interface card (“NIC”) or wireless communications interface. Commonly used NICs include EtherNet local area network (“LAN”) cards, dial-up modem cards, and wireless communications circuits. Some of these circuits may be provided integral to the device (
10
), such as the case with web-enabled cell phones, or these circuits may be available as option circuits such as PCI cards PCMCIA cards for personal computers.
Additional typical hardware provided in the system (
10
) includes a group of user input/output (“I/O”) devices (
13
), such as a display, keyboard, and/or pointing device, accompanied by common user I/O interface circuits to allow the CPU and system software to access and use the user I/O devices (
13
). Common display devices include VGA and LCD monitors for personal computers, and LCD panels for PDA and cell phones. Common pointing devices include “arrow keys”, “tab” keys, mouse and scroll-mouse, joystick, track balls, glide point touch sensitive pads, and touch sensitive displays with stylus pens. Some devices, such as certain PDA's, do not include an actual keyboard, but rather rely upon a touch-sensitive LCD display with virtual pointing device and stylus.
The software functionally of computer-based systems (
10
) can be divided into low-level device drivers and BIOS (
18
), an operating system (
103
), a portable interpreter (
19
), and applications programs. Low-level device drivers provide hardware-specific interface functions which allow the operating system and application programs to access the system hardware through common or generic application program interfaces (“API”). Some device drivers include necessary communications protocols and methods associated with a particular hardware device, such as a modem or wireless communications interface. Application programs can be further divided into portable applications, or applets (
101
), and non-portable, system-dependent applications (
102
). Such division of hardware and software functionally is well-understood in the art, and can be applied to large computer systems such as an IBM AS/400 equally as well to small computer systems such as PDA's running Windows CE.
On the system display is typically shown a conventional frame or “window” of information related to a specific system function or program, such as a word processor, spreadsheet, to-do list, address book, e-mail client, or web browser.
FIG. 2
shows a typical arrangement of a frame (
20
) including a title bar (
21
), tool bar (
24
), display area (
25
), and a pointer (
201
). The pointer (
201
) moves in response to the system pointing device and/or keyboard, such as typing on the arrow keys, movement of a mouse, track ball, or joystick. The title bar may include “buttons” for minimizing or restoring the frame (
23
), closing the program (
22
), as well as a display of the name of the function or program. The tool bar (
24
) typically includes a number of text and/or iconic options, such as “file” and “edit” drop-down lists.
The display area may be further navigable using vertical scroll (
27
) and horizontal scroll (
26
) bars, which are especially useful for system displays of information which cannot be shown completely within one frame on the display. “Clicking” on the right button (
29
) or left button (
28
), or “dragging” the horizontal position indicator (
27
) causes the information in the display area (
25
) to be panned or scrolled left or right. Likewise, using the up button (
29
), down button (
28
), or vertical position indicator (
200
) can cause panning or scrolling in a vertical motion. These types of scroll bars are common on word processors, spreadsheets, graphical design packages, and web browsers.
In typical operation of these types of GUI displays, the user moves the pointer (
201
) to a button or text option, and selects that option by clicking on it and/or dragging it. In some cases, keyboard-only navigation or selection is possible by using special combinations of keys, such as ALT-F to select the “file” drop-down menu.
A common type of GUI control is a selection list.
FIG. 3
shows one type of a selection list called a drop-down list (
30
). This format of a selection list includes a label (
31
) indicating what the type of choice is, and a dialog box (
32
) showing the currently selected item from a list. Often, there is a drop-down button (
33
) associated with the control, which when operated by the user, causes the full list of options to be displayed. In some cases, the user may “click” into the dialog box (
32
) directly, and type in his or her choice, and in other cases, the entered item is constrained to be one of the items from the list.
FIG. 4
shows the first step in the operation of these common selection lists, in which the user positions the pointer (
201
) over the drop-down button (
33
). In most cases, the system requires the user to activate the button, such as a mouse click, but in some cases, the drop-down list (
40
) will be automatically displayed when the pointer is simply positioned over the drop-down button. The drop-down list (
40
) contains some list of options available for the user to select and make the new selection. For example in a web browser, the label (
31
) may be “Location”, and the list (
40
) may include the last 20 universal resource locator (“URL”) addresses visited. Or, in another example in a word processor, the label may be “Open File:”, and the list may include the last 10 files opened and edited. In a further example on a PDA contact list function, the label may be “Contact info for:”, and the list may include the names for the 10 persons' card files last viewed or edited.
FIG. 5
shows how the user may select an ite
Brown Michael W.
Ullmann Cristi N.
Wynn Allen C.
Becker Shawn
Cabeca John
Frantz Robert H.
International Business Machines - Corporation
Mims Jr. David A.
LandOfFree
Spinlist graphical user interface control with preview and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Spinlist graphical user interface control with preview and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Spinlist graphical user interface control with preview and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3231502