JP3082093B2 - Method and apparatus for controlling computer display using two-dimensional selection - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a two-dimensional selection of a plurality of portions of a computer display area and a two-dimensional selection of a portion of information to be displayed in one selected display area. With regard to choice. In particular, the field of the invention is that of an interactive computer display control device in which a selected portion of the available information can be seen in a selected portion of the display area.

[Problems to be solved by conventional technology and invention]

In information management systems, there is an ever increasing demand for physical resources available to present information to a user. At present, computer display management technology is
It has the ability to display data in a plurality of rectangular portions (commonly referred to as windows) of a display screen. The most precise technique the applicant knows is Apple Computer, Inc., Cupertino, Calif.
Apple Macintosh ^TM computer, Finde
r ^TM interface. Typically, a controller is provided to resize and move the window within the physical display boundaries. In addition, an auxiliary control is provided for shifting the observable part of the information within the window boundary limits defined above. Shifting the observable part of the information in this way is known as scrolling. Typically, one control is provided to scroll information horizontally and another is provided to scroll data vertically. The prior art does not provide means for simultaneously scrolling the observable portion of information in two dimensions without directly manipulating the display area. According to current scrolling methods, a user must position the cursor inside a window containing information and move the cursor to set the observable portion. In this way, problems may arise if the information window cannot be completely observed or if there is a large amount of information to be displayed. Further, according to the prior art, the current window definition capability without the capability of dynamic feedback while the observable portion of the data is being selected is based on the availability information available at that time. No means is provided for displaying the position and size of a part in another area of the display screen as it is in a two-dimensional graphic. Conventionally, it is usually not possible to define the size of the window beyond the physical boundary of the display area or to move the window. In order to operate the window with the devices available in the prior art,
Usually, windows must be visible and not hidden. These capabilities are important for efficient use of the limited display area. The present invention achieves such advance in display management.

[Means for solving the problem]

The present invention provides a method and means for selecting a portion of available information for display in a selected area of a display screen. The present invention provides a bus for connecting the components of the system to each other, a processor, a random access memory, a read-only memory, data storage means for storing data, a display device including a display screen, an alphanumeric input device. An interactive computer control display system including a cursor control device for interactively positioning a cursor on a display screen, and a signal generator. According to the present invention, the contents and the size of one window area ("first window area") are determined by the two-dimensional movement of the cursor and the operation of the signal generator to change the contents of another window area ("second window area").
And means for displaying the window area on the display screen as controlled within the "window area"). The second window area includes a plurality of predetermined areas associated with a plurality of different functions acting on the first window area. The cursor moves to one of those predefined areas
When positioned, the cursor symbol changes to indicate that the ability to resize or scroll the first window area is available. According to another implementation, when the cursor moves into a predetermined area, the display of the predetermined area may be changed instead of the cursor symbol to indicate that the function is available. . A predetermined area for moving or terminating the second window area is also provided. A function for zooming the first window area or the observable area to a full size, that is, a function for returning the shape of the pallet and the first window area to the shape before the last change; a pallet and the first window; Special functions such as a function of configuring the area in a default state (for example, arranging it in the upper left corner), and a function of setting and saving the shape of the pallet and the first window area to a shape setup at an earlier point in time. A predetermined area for activation can also be provided. When the window area is removed from the display device, the position and shape of the window area are saved in the data storage device, and when the window area is displayed again, the window area is restored to the saved shape. When the pallet is first activated based on the size and shape of the first window area, the shape and size of the pallet and its predetermined area can also be calculated. Further, control for pressing the movement of the cursor in either the horizontal direction or the vertical direction is also executed.

The present invention provides a method and means for overcoming the shortcomings of conventional display systems in that the display area cannot be managed in two dimensions simultaneously.

〔Example〕

The present invention relates to selecting and displaying two-dimensional portions of information in a portion of a display area available in a computer or information management system. The detailed description below
A two-dimensional (2D) scroll palette has been described as a means for managing the available display area.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention is implemented on an Apple Mecintosh ^™ computer system. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that other systems may be employed. In general, a system as shown in FIG. 11 includes a bus 100 for communicating information, a processor 101 for processing information in combination with the bus,
A random access memory 102 for storing information and instructions for the processor 101;
A read-only memory 103 for storing static information and instructions for the processor 101; a data storage device 104 such as a magnetic disk and a disk drive for storing information and instructions in connection with the bus 100; and a connection to the bus 100 Display device for displaying information to computer users
105, an alphanumeric input device 106 including an alphanumeric key and a function key coupled to the bus for communicating information and command selection to the processor 101; and coupled to the bus for information and command selection to the processor. It includes a cursor control device 107 for communicating to the bus 101 and a signal generator 108 coupled to the bus 100 for communicating command selections to the processor 101.

The display device 105 may be a liquid crystal device, a cathode ray tube, or any other suitable display device. The cursor control device 107 allows a computer user to dynamically generate a two-dimensional movement of a visible symbol on the display screen of the display device 105 by a signal. In the art, a number of implementations of cursor control devices are known, including special keys that can direct movement in a predetermined direction, for a trackball, mouse, joystick or alphanumeric input device 106. ing.

The 2D through roll palette adds and improves on these windowing and cursor systems with additional controls. Such features of the invention are described below. The manner in which windows or cursors are operated is well known to those skilled in the art, and the general operation of windows or cursors will only be described where necessary to fully understand the present invention.

Operation of the Invention A window area (window) is typically a portion of a rectangle on a computer display screen on which information is displayed to a user. The window area may take different shapes, including circular, trapezoidal or triangular. The information may be in the form of text data, numerical data or graphic data. A window may be used, for example, to represent one note card in a stack of cards. The data displayed inside the window represents the information written on the note card. One well-known system for displaying such note cards is Apple's
The Hypercard ^™ system sold by Computer, Inc. The window management system provides a control device that allows a user to select the size and position of the window within the physical boundaries of the display device. Window definition systems also provide controls for scrolling or selecting portions of the data that are visible in the window. In the present invention, additional control processing means for operating the 2D scroll pallet is provided. That is, the processing means generates and displays a window area functioning as a 2D scroll palette. Once activated, the 2D scroll palette allows the user to:
The display of the selected window and information can be operated.

FIG. 1 shows a menu for operating the process of the present invention. The menu is a window that presents a list of command options to the user. The user may use a mouse, joystick or other two-dimensional cursor control device to position the cursor symbol in the desired command line 11 or in the desired command line 12 in the desired command area to provide one option. Select After positioning the cursor, one or more function keys associated with the cursor control are operated to select a command.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,652, reissued to William Inkinson on March 29, 1988 as No. 32,632 and assigned to the assignee of the present application, describes a device suitable for use as a cursor control device. And means for realizing the above-described menu control. This command or function selection method is employed throughout the description of the invention. Numerous other command activation methods may be employed, such as entering a special code or sequence of commands from a keyboard or numeric keypad or selecting an icon.
Icons are small graphical symbols that are displayed to a user and, when selected, can be identified as performing a function. The present invention may be started by selecting an icon representing a 2D scroll palette. Also, the present invention may be activated via a software interface with a computer operating system software or other application software. Using this method, the 2D scroll palette can be activated independently of the user's direct operation.

The 2D scroll palette 1 is presented to the user on a display screen 2 as shown in FIG. 2 when active.
The palette represents a reduced copy of the available data area,
This may or may not correspond to the actual dimensions of the observable area. For example, the available data represented by a palette may consist of information contained in one note card that can be displayed entirely on a display screen. Also, the available data may consist of a complete document or graphic artwork that can only be displayed partially on the display screen at a time. The size of the available data is a known amount based on the maximum number of horizontal or vertical characters or pixels in the displayable information. This dimension is shown in FIG. The width of available data is indicated as iw (information width), and the height of available data is ih
(Information height). The way in which the 2D scroll palette is associated with the available information is described in the following sections.

The palette itself may be displayed as one window. The window can be moved to any area of the display using a control provided by the pallet itself. Pallets are typically displayed on top of nested windows that occupy the display screen when activated. When a pallet is displayed on the top layer, the pallet hides all information displayed on the same layer or a lower window layer.

The 2D scroll palette is designed to work in conjunction with the associated active window. Although many windows or data areas will be displayed on the display screen at one time, at least one or more windows are identified as active windows for operation using the 2D scroll palette. . The active window is used to display a portion of the data or information available for display to the user. Since the size of the window is variable, a portion of the information may not fit within the boundaries of the active window. That is, a part of the information available for display is not always displayed. The dimensions for the available information (iw, ih above) may not be the same as the dimensions of the active window. However, since the active window has existed before the start of the scroll palette function, the size of the active window is also a value that has been known from the beginning. Many window definition systems known in the prior art associate information available for display with a portion of the information currently, ie, actively, displayed in the active window. According to one way of associating the displayable information with the information currently visible in the active window, the position of the two corners of the observable information in the available information is calculated. This relationship is shown in FIG. The upper left position of the observable part of the information is defined by the offset (cx, cy). The lower right position of the observable part of the information is defined by the offset (dx, dy). The size and shape of the rectangle of the observable information defined by (cx, cy) and (dx, dy) are the same as the size and shape of the active window. Since the size of the available information and the size of the active window are values that are known from the beginning, the position of the observable portion of the information (c
(x, cy) and (dx, dy) are also known values.

The active window can be positioned in the window and operate the cursor function key, operate a special function key, identify the window using the window name or number,
Alternatively, the identification may be made by using other means such as signal generation means. One example of a cursor function key or signal generating means in this embodiment is a button located on the mouse and depressed to set the function key to an active state. The active window 3 is shown in FIG. It is not necessary to display an active window on the uppermost window layer in order to operate with the scroll palette. The active window may be hidden, displayed off screen, or not currently displayed, but still for scroll palette action purposes.
Pallets may be added to the active window so that the pallets move correspondingly by moving the active window.

The initial dimensions of the 2D scroll palette displayed on the display screen are calculated from the dimensions of the displayable information associated with the scroll palette. With this function, the shape of the pallet can be clarified as well as the size of the information represented by the pallet. The calculation of the initial pallet size is based on the larger size of the displayable information (iw shown in FIG.
Or iih) by testing. If the horizontal dimension (iw) of the displayable information is larger than the vertical dimension (ih) of the displayable information, the horizontal dimension (pw in FIG. 10) of the 2D scroll palette indicates the maximum size of the pallet It is set to a predetermined constant value. The vertical dimension of the palette (ph in Fig. 10) is set to a value equal to the value obtained by multiplying the predetermined constant value by the ratio of the vertical dimension of the displayable information divided by the horizontal dimension of the displayable information Is done. The calculation of the initial palette size for the displayable information area when the horizontal dimension is larger is represented by the following equation.

iw = horizontal dimension of displayable information ih = vertical dimension of displayable information c = constant value representing maximum dimension of pallet ph = c ^* (ih / iw) where: ph is vertical dimension of pallet calculation It is.

If the vertical dimension (ih) of the displayable information is larger than the horizontal dimension (iw) of the displayable information, the roles of the horizontal component and the vertical component of the above equation are exchanged. Once this calculation is complete, the dimensions of the pallet (pw and ph)
Is a known value that is maintained throughout the display of the scroll palette.

Although the scroll palette represents the available data area, the available data is not necessarily displayed inside the boundaries of the palette. The operation of the 2D scroll palette is independent of whether there is any portion of available data in the palette. This embodiment of the invention is described as a palette that does not include an available display area. That is, as shown in FIG.
Does not include any data displayed in the active window 3. However, other embodiments are also conceivable.
The palette may be displayed along with a reduced copy of the observable data displayed in the palette. Methods for generating reduced data are already well known in the prior art. Appl
The Hypercard ^™ system available from e Computer, Inc. includes the ability to generate a window that displays a reduced copy of the information that can be displayed in full size in a separate window. It would not be too difficult to incorporate this technique into the present invention.

The 2D scroll pallet is composed of several different predetermined areas within the pallet boundary as shown in FIGS. Dark area 5 at the top of the palette
Is used to activate the function of moving the palette as described below. Similarly, a control device for terminating the 2D scroll palette function is provided. The palette itself provides the means to terminate the function.
A small area 4 at the upper left of the pallet is provided for this purpose.

A function for zooming the first window area or the observable area to a full size, that is, a function for reverting the shape of the pallet and the first window area to the shape before the last change, a function for the pallet and the first window area, Default shape (for example, placed in the upper left corner)
The predetermined area 10 may be provided to activate a function such as a function for setting the shape of the pallet and the first window area to a shape set-up and saving the shape at an earlier time. These special predefined areas 10 are the third in the 2D scroll palette.
They are arranged as shown in the figure.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the palette working area 6,
Two other areas for function activation, an observation area 7 used to resize the active window, and a scrolling area 8 used to scroll the observable information in the active window.
Or is prescribed. These areas are both predetermined areas. The observation area is always included in the work area. The viewing area may be resized to a size smaller than or equal to the working area. Upon initial activation, the viewing area is sized by default to the same reduced size as the active window, as shown in FIG. The size (pw, ph) of the work area represents the reduced size of the entire set of displayable information calculated as described above. Observation area dimensions (defined by corners (ax, ay) and (bx, by))
Represents the reduced size of the active window. Therefore, initially, the observation area is sized to a size corresponding to the current size of the active window (defined by the corners (cx, cy) and (dx, dy)). As mentioned above, the dimensions of the available information (iw, ih), the dimensions of the active window (defined by the corners (cx, cy) and (dx, dy)) and the dimensions of the palette work area are known values, ie This is a calculated value. The dimensions (ax, ay) and (bx, by) of the observation area are
It is calculated using the formula shown below and shown in FIG.

ax = pw ^* (cx / iw) ay = ph ^* (cy / ih) bx = pw ^* (d / iw) by = ph ^* (dy / ih) If the above calculation is completed, the size of the observation area is Recognize. Thus, the boundary of the observation area, that is, the outline can be displayed in the work area of the pallet. In the initial activation of the 2D scroll pallet, the outline of the observation area may overlap the boundary of the work area as shown in FIG. 2 and may not be visible. As the viewing area is reduced, the active window shrinks in the same way, and the outline of the viewing area becomes visible as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The outline overlaps with the boundary of the observation area. When the palette is completed, the position and size of the observation area and the size of the palette are saved in the computer memory.
When changing the position and size of the observation area even while the palette is closed, that is, hidden, save the parameters so that the saved parameters always represent the actual position and size of the observation area. The current position and size are updated. When the pallet is subsequently activated again, the pallet and observation area will be in the saved position,
It is displayed in the saved size. At the time of reactivation, the size and shape of the pallet can be calculated from the size and shape of the active window, as described above.

The scrolling area 8 is always included in the observation area. The size of the scrolling area is defined by the size of the viewing area minus the length scaled in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions. Part of the viewing area is always visible around all four of its boundaries. As the viewing area is resized, the scrolling area is resized by the same amount. The viewing area must not be reduced to such a small size that the scrolling area disappears. Initially, the scrolling area is sized to the size of the working area minus the similarly scaled length in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions. Since no outline is displayed for the scrolling area, neither the hatched area nor the boundary of the scrolling area is actually displayed in FIG.

In the observation region, there are also four corner regions 9 which are also predetermined regions. These regions are located within the viewing region but outside the scrolling region. Two adjacent boundaries of the corner region are defined by the boundaries of the observation region. The remaining two adjacent borders of the corner area are defined by extending the border of the scroll ring area until it meets the border of the viewing area. It is also possible to define the size and shape of the corner region as a fixed-sized, ie scaled, rectangular region around the corner of the scrolling region. Thus, even if the scrolling area is reduced to a small size, the corner area can be kept to a size that can be used sufficiently. After the activation of the 2D scroll palette, the functions provided by the palette become responsive to the movement of the cursor inside the palette and to the operation of the cursor function keys, ie the signal generating means. The function performed depends on the position of the cursor at the time the cursor function key is operated. The selected function remains active regardless of where the cursor is moving on the display screen until the cursor function key is turned off. In another embodiment, the selection of the selected function is automatically canceled when the cursor is moved outside the palette. In this way, the user may block the ability to obstruct the arrangement of information on the screen. This is particularly useful in embodiments where the selected function is not actually performed until the cursor function key is turned off.

Various cursor symbols are provided to identify which functions are selectable. When the cursor is outside the 2D scroll palette and the cursor function keys are not operated within the palette, the displayed cursor symbol is defined by the operating system or other application software. In this situation, control of the cursor is not the teaching of the present invention. If the cursor function key is operated in the palette, the displayed cursor symbol is determined by the selected function and controlled by the scroll palette as long as the cursor function key is active. This is true even if the cursor is at a position outside the palette after the function has been activated.

Within the boundaries of the 2D scroll palette, the displayed cursor symbol can be controlled by the present invention. When the cursor is in the pallet end area 4 or the pallet movement area 5, the cursor symbol is converted to the cursor symbol 1 without having to send another signal to the display system. This symbol is represented in the present invention as shown in Table 1. The cursor symbol 1 indicates that the cursor is in the palette work area 6.
Used when it is located in all areas of the 2D scroll palette except inside. In some situations, as described below, cursor symbols may also be used within the work area.

The cursor symbol displayed when the cursor moves into the work area 6 depends on whether the cursor is in the observation area 7 or the scrolling area 8. If the cursor is in the working area but not in one of the viewing area or the scrolling area, the cursor symbol 1 is displayed again. In this case, the cursor symbol 1 indicates that the resizing function or the scrolling function cannot be used. These functions are described below. When the cursor is located in the observation area and the scrolling area, a cursor symbol 2 indicating that scrolling can be selected is displayed.

If the cursor is located in the viewing area but not in the scrolling area, then depending on how close the cursor is to the boundaries and corners of the viewing area,
One of the eight cursor symbols is displayed to indicate the resize function. The proximity area is defined by the same scaling length used to define the size of the scrolling area relative to the observation area, as shown in FIG. As the cursor enters the proximity area for one or two boundaries, the displayed cursor symbol changes as described below. It is not possible for the cursor to enter the proximity area at the same time for all three or all four boundaries.

When the cursor is located near the upper boundary of the observation area but not near the left or right boundary, the cursor symbol 3
Is displayed. The cursor is near the upper boundary of the observation area,
When the cursor is located near the left boundary, the cursor is in one of the corner regions 9. In this case, the cursor symbol 9 is displayed. Similarly, when the cursor is in the corresponding area, the appropriate cursor symbol is displayed as shown in Table 1 at the end of this specification. Each of the cursor symbols 2 to 10 displays the symbol and 1
It represents different functions performed when the user operates one or more cursor function keys.
In practice, no function is performed until the user operates the function key. The cursor symbol allows the user to visually see which functions are available at any one time.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the cursor symbol does not change while the cursor moves into different areas of the scroll palette. In another equivalent embodiment, rather than changing the cursor symbol, the display of the predetermined area where the cursor is located is changed. Changes in a given area can be accomplished by backlighting the area, applying a reverse video to the area, changing the color of the area, blinking the area, or other means of identifying the area as selectable. Will be obtained. However, these embodiments do not reduce the functionality of the pallet. Regardless of the displayed cursor symbol or the means for indicating the selectable area, the function selected depends on the signal generating means, ie the position of the cursor at the time the cursor function key is operated.

Once the 2D scroll pallet is active and the cursor is positioned on the appropriate function, one of several functions can be selected. As previously mentioned, positioning the cursor in the dark area 5 above the palette allows the user to select the function of moving the palette through the display screen. The pallet movement function is selected by moving the cursor into the pallet movement area and operating the cursor function key. Therefore, the pallet follows the movement of the cursor while the cursor function key is on. In this way, the pallet can be moved to any location in the display area. Again, the method of selecting a function may take many forms, such as entering a special code or command sequence from a keyboard or numeric keypad, selecting a menu or selecting an icon.
When the cursor is positioned over the pallet end area 4 in the upper left corner, the pallet end function can be selected. If this area is selected by operating the function key while the cursor is over the end area, the palette is removed from the display area and the 2D scroll function ends. The active window is not affected by the end of the palette. If the active window is resized or scrolled using the palette, the active window will remain at the selected size and scroll position even after the palette has ended. While the pallet is about to end, some parameters relating to the pallet's state are retrieved and saved in computer memory or other data storage means in case the pallet is later reactivated. These parameters include the XY pixel position of the pallet on the display screen, the position of the viewing area, the size of the viewing area, and other configurable palette parameters. When the position and size of the observation area are changed, save the parameters so that the saved parameters always represent the actual position and size of the observation area even while the palette is closed, that is, hidden. The position and size are updated in the memory. After this, when the pallet is reactivated, the saved parameters are used to generate the pallet in the proper configuration. When the pallet is first activated, the pallet's shape and size and its predetermined area may be calculated based on the size and shape of the active window. This is 2
This is the preferred method when using one 2D scroll palette to control more than one window. It is possible to calculate the position, size and shape of the 2D scroll palette using the saved parameters in combination with the dimensions of the active window.

Similarly, when the cursor is positioned in the work area 6, a function used to resize the active window and a function used to scroll information in the active window can be selected. If the cursor is located in the working area, but not in the viewing or scrolling area and the cursor symbol 1 is displayed, the only function available is the window expansion, ie the function of zooming. It is. This function is selected by operating the special cursor function key while the cursor is in the work area, as described above, or by operating the cursor function key twice in rapid succession. You. Operating the cursor function key twice in succession is known as double clicking. When a double click occurs in the work area,
The active window is immediately resized to the full display area, that is, zoomed out. At the same time, the viewing area is extended to occupy the entire palette working area. The zoom function implements a method to quickly reset the active window so that all available data that can be displayed in the active window is displayed when there is a physical restriction on the size of the display screen. Is what you do. This typically fills the entire screen with data, but active windows of smaller dimensions may be used.

Another special function may be provided when the cursor is located in the working area, but not in the viewing area or scrolling area and the cursor symbol 1 is displayed. Each of these special functions has an associated predetermined area 10 provided for activating the function. Special features include zooming, or expanding, the active window or viewable area to full size, reverting the pallet and active window configuration to that prior to the last change, and changing the pallet and active window configuration to the default state. (For example, arranged at the upper left corner) or a function of setting and saving the configuration of the pallet and the first window area to the configuration setup at an earlier point in time. Other functions may be provided in this area of the 2D scroll palette.

When the cursor is in both the observation area 7 and the scrolling area 8, the scrolling function can be selected. This function is selected by operating the cursor function key prior to moving the cursor control. When this selection is made, the observation area follows the two-dimensional movement of the cursor in the work area as shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the cursor has been positioned by the user at the location indicated by 50 and the cursor function key has been operated. When the cursor is moved to the position indicated by 51 while the cursor function key is active, the outline of the observation area 52 is displayed again at a new position corresponding to the new position of the cursor. The dimensions of the observation area are unchanged. At the same time, the new part of the information displayed in the active window 53 is dynamically scrolled two-dimensionally so as to correspond to the new position of the observation area. Set of available data before scrolling
The old position of the display data portion in 54 is indicated by 55. As the cursor is moved around in the palette's work area, the portion of the information displayed in the active window shifts accordingly. If you try to move the cursor over the edge of the palette's work area, the cursor can move across the palette boundary,
The boundaries of the viewing area stop at the edges of the pallet working area. When you turn off the cursor function key,
The observation area stops following the cursor, and the information displayed in the active window does not shift. The observation area remains displayed at the new position. The new part of the information remains displayed in the active window.

In equivalent embodiments of the present invention, new portions of information selected for display in the active window need not be dynamically displayed. This is especially true for computer systems with small memory or processing power. In such systems, the new portion of information is typically displayed in the active window when the cursor function key is turned off, but is not dynamically updated when the cursor function key is active. In this embodiment, scrolling of the active window may be abandoned by moving the cursor outside the work area 6 before turning off the cursor function key. Under this situation, the observation area returns to the position it had before the cursor function key was operated,
The active window remains unchanged.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the 2D scroll palette can be automatically terminated when the cursor function key is turned off. In this embodiment, the automatic end of the palette occurs as if the end area 4 was explicitly selected by the user. The automatic end function omits extra steps by implicitly terminating the palette when the cursor function key is turned off.
Automatic termination may be enabled or disabled when a 2D scroll palette is constructed.

While the cursor is in the scrolling area,
A movement constraint (constraint) function can also be used. With the restriction function, the scrolling movement of the observation area in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction can be restricted. This feature
The selection is made by operating the special function key (shift key in this embodiment) simultaneously with the operation of the cursor function key in the scrolling area.
After these key operations, the cursor is moved in a desired direction. If the initial movement of the cursor in the X direction is greater than or equal to the initial movement in the Y direction, then the movement of the cursor and viewing area is limited to horizontal movement only. Similarly, the initial movement of the cursor in the X direction is Y
If less than the original movement in the direction, the subsequent movement of the cursor and the viewing area is limited to movement only in the vertical direction. The limited scrolling movement continues as long as the cursor function key is active.

The function of resizing the active window by resizing the palette viewing area is accessed by positioning the cursor within the viewing area near one of the boundaries or one of the corners of the viewing area. When the cursor is correctly positioned, the cursor symbol changes as described above, as shown in Table 1. When the cursor is positioned and the symbol changes, the resize function can be selected by operating the cursor function key.
FIG. 6 shows the resizing function. In FIG. 6, the cursor is positioned at the location indicated by 60 by the user, and the cursor function key has been operated. While the cursor function key is active, move the cursor
Move to the position indicated by 61.

As the cursor moves, the active window 63 is outlined to show the boundaries of the new sized window. While the cursor function key is active, the viewing area and the outline of the active window expand or contract according to the formula in FIG. 10 as their size follows the two-dimensional movement of the cursor. If only one boundary of the observation area is selected, both end points of the boundary follow the movement of the cursor. The end point of the selected boundary moves two-dimensionally as the cursor moves. The endpoints of the other boundaries are adjusted in the orthogonal direction to close the area. The selected boundary is the only boundary whose length does not change. When one corner of the observation area is selected as shown in FIG. 6, two boundaries having a common end point move two-dimensionally with the cursor.
The three end points follow the cursor. The endpoints of the boundaries that have not been selected are adjusted in the orthogonal direction to close the region. Again, only the selected boundaries remain at the scaled length. If an attempt is made to move the cursor beyond the edge of the pallet's working area, the cursor can move beyond the pallet's border, but the viewing area's border stops moving at the pallet's working area. If the cursor moves out of the pallet while the resizing of the viewing area is active, the opposing border exiting the cursor location will be moved in the opposite direction of the cursor until the boundaries of the viewing area reach the boundaries of the pallet working area. . On the other hand, the boundary of the outline of the active window is not restricted by the edge of the display area. Thus, the palette may represent a virtual display area that is larger than the actual display area.

As long as the cursor function key is active,
The boundary of the observation area 62 and the boundary of the active window outline 63 move together with the cursor. When the cursor function key is turned off, the outline of the observation area and the active window is fixed at the new cursor position. At this point, the active window itself is resized to the dimensions of the outline of the active window, and the resized active window displays a new portion 64 of information and the outline disappears from the display. The process is similar when selecting any of the four boundaries or four corners of the viewing area.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the active window is dynamically resized as the cursor is activated and the cursor is moved. In those embodiments, the new portion 64 of information is also typically updated dynamically. This embodiment requires a more powerful processor or more memory, but the operation of the pallet is the same.

Processing Logic of the Present Invention The present invention includes computer program logic for operating a 2D scroll palette. This logic is shown in FIGS. 7-9, the contents of which are described below. In addition to the computer resources described above, the present invention relies on the availability of an operating system and the ability to display windows, information in windows, characters and cursor symbols on a display device. . A system function for interfacing with a cursor control device and a cursor function key is also required. These resources are standard processing elements known in the computer arts.

When the processor of the present invention is first powered up, the operating system logic performs control and reads / writes.
Initialize system components such as a writing memory, a display device, a cursor control device, a cursor function key, and a keyboard. The computer memory area for saving the scroll palette parameters described above is also initialized to the default parameter values. The operating system displays a menu similar to the menu of FIG. 1 at the end of its initialization cycle or in response to a user command. The 2D scroll palette program logic initiates control when an appropriate menu selection has been made from a menu as shown in FIG.
As described above, other means may be used to operate the 2D scroll palette.

After the 2D scroll palette program logic is activated, the process flow begins at step 701 labeled "Start 2D scroll palette function" as shown in FIG. First, the scroll palette is calculated from the dimensions of the active window and the available information,
Display on the display device in the position and form defined by the palette parameters (step 702) previously saved in the memory or initialized in the memory (step 70).
3). This calculation was described earlier and is shown in FIG. Next, the pallet program enters a loop starting at A in FIG. This initiates the process of looking for cursor control movement. The cursor position may be obtained via a call to a system function (step 80).
1). The pallet program may be notified of the movement of the cursor in the pallet by the operating system via a message transmitted to the pallet program. If the cursor is outside the 2D scroll palette (step 802), control transfers to the logic beginning at F in FIG. The logic of F looks for a function key or menu selection requesting the end of the 2D scroll palette (step 707). If termination of the palette is not required (step 716), the selection of the special function is checked (step 718). As described above, the special function positions the cursor inside one of the special predetermined areas and is selected by operating the cursor function key. If a special function is selected (step 719), the function is processed (step 721) and control returns to A. If no special function is selected (step 720), control transfers directly to A. The processing loop is completed for palettes that are not terminated.
If pallet end is requested (step 717),
As described above, the palette parameters are saved in the memory storage area (step 708). Then, after the pallet has been removed from the display (step 709), control returns to the operating system.

Returning to the lower program logic of FIG. 8A, if the cursor is inside the boundary of the 2D scroll palette (step 802), whether the cursor is in the viewing area or scrolling area. Two more tests are required to determine If it is not in the observation area (step 803), the cursor symbol 1 is displayed (step 806) because the resizing function and the scrolling function cannot be used in that case, and the control returns to E. If the cursor is in the observation area but not in the scrolling area (step 804), control is passed to B in FIG.
Move to window resizing logic starting with. The logic flow starting from B will be described later. If the cursor is within the scrolling area and the scrolling area is smaller than full size (step 805), after the cursor symbol 2 is displayed (step 807), the window scrolling logic in FIG. Be executed. If the scrolling area is full size (step 805), no scrolling is necessary because all available data has already been displayed. In this case, cursor symbol 1 is displayed (step 806) and control returns to E. If the size of the available data is larger than the active window, scrolling is always available.

The window scrolling logic of FIG. 8C initiates a loop that continues while the cursor function key is active. First, the cursor function key is checked. If this key is not active, scrolling is not selected (step 808). Then, the control returns to E in FIG. If the cursor function key is active, the state of the restricted function is checked (step 809). First, if scrolling is restricted in either the horizontal or vertical direction by operating the special function key described above, the horizontal restriction component (step 811) or the vertical The position of the scrolling region 8 is adjusted by replacing the constraint component (step 812) with the original scrolling region position component. In this way, scrolling of the active window 3 is limited to horizontal or vertical movement. The outline of the observation area 7 moves to the new cursor position (step 813), which determines the new position of the scrolling area 8. The new position of the observation area 7 is
The angles (ax, ay) and (bx, by) of the observation area as shown in Fig. 10
Defines a new value for.

After the new position of the observation area 7 is determined, the position of the observation area 7 with respect to the entire work area of the pallet can be known in both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. The position of the observation area 7 is defined by corners (ax, ay) and (bx, by). Their angular positions and the known dimensions of the palette working area 6 (p
w, ph) to recalculate the portion of information displayed in the active window. This calculation is the reverse of the calculation described above for the original display of the palette. In this case, the value to be obtained is the position of the corner of the observable information in the available data (iw, ih) as shown in FIG.
y), (dx, dy)). The equation representing this calculation is defined as follows.

cx = iw ^* (ax / pw) cy = ih ^* (ay / ph) dx = iw ^* (bx / pw) dy = ih ^* (by / ph) In the first equation, the horizontal of the upper left corner of the observation area 7 The directional position (ax) is divided by the horizontal dimension of the work area 6 of the pallet. This value represents a scaling factor for multiplying the horizontal dimension (iw) of the available information. The result shows the horizontal position of the upper left corner of the observable part of the available information
cx. The next three equations perform similar calculations to generate the location of the observable portion of the available information. The vertical position (cy) of the upper left corner, the horizontal position (dx) of the lower right corner, and the vertical position (dy) of the lower right corner are each calculated as described above for cx. Thus, the position of the observable part of the information in the information buffer (defined by the corners (cx, cy) and (dx, dy)) is determined by the observation area 7 in the palette work area 6 (pw, ph). Position ((ax,
ay) and (bx, by)). This position in the information buffer is the new origin of the information displayed in the active window. Well-known methods (eg, system calls performed by the window manager of the operating system)
To re-center the active window at the new data origin (step 814). This re-centering causes a new portion of the information to be displayed in the active window. Control transfers to A, where the loop begins for a new cursor position.

The window resizing logic starting at B in FIG. 9 is executed when the cursor is positioned near the boundary or corner of the viewing area. The cursor is near a boundary or corner when in the proximity region described above. The logic of B tests the cursor position against adjacent regions at the boundaries or corners of the viewing area (steps 901-907) to determine which cursor symbol is appropriate for display (steps 908-915). ). If the resize operation is selected through the operation of the cursor function key (steps 916-9)
23), the observation area and the active window are resized as follows (steps 924-931). First, an outline is displayed around the active window. Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the movement of the cursor is applied to the end point of the boundary of the selected observation region and the end point of the boundary of the outline of the active window. For both the viewing area and the outline of the active window, the endpoints of the unselected boundaries are adjusted in the orthogonal direction to close the area. The boundaries for both the viewing area and the active window are adjusted so that the equation shown in FIG. 10 is always true.

After the new size of the observation area 7 is determined, the dimensions of the observation area 7 with respect to the entire work area of the pallet are known in both the horizontal and vertical directions. Those new observation areas 7
Are defined by the corners (ax, ay) and (bx, by).
Using those corner positions and the known dimensions (pw, ph) of the palette working area 6, the portion of information displayed in the active window is calculated again. This calculation is similar to the calculation described above for the movement of the observation region.
The values required to resize the observation area 7 are the same as those generated for the movement of the observation area 7. These values are based on the available data (i
w, ih) ((cx, cy), (dx, d
y)) indicates the position of the corner. The equation representing this calculation is defined as follows.

cx = iw ^* (ax / pw) cy = ih ^* (ay / ph) dx = iw ^* (bx / pw) dy = ih ^* (by / ph) These equations are available information as described earlier. Performs a calculation similar to the calculation for generating the position of the observable part of. The horizontal position of the upper left corner (cx), the vertical position of the upper left corner (cy), the horizontal position of the lower right corner (dx), and the vertical position of the lower right corner (dy) must be Calculated as described. In this way, the positions (corners (cx, cy) and (dx, dy)) of the observable portion of the information in the information buffer (iw, ih) can be observed in the palette work area 6 (pw, ph). The dimensions of area 7 ((ax, a
y) and (bx, by)).
This observable area in the information buffer is the new origin of the information displayed in the active window. The active window is resized to the previously calculated new dimensions using well-known methods (eg, system calls performed by the operating system window manager). Due to this resizing,
A new part of the information will be displayed in the active window. Control transfers to A, where the loop begins for a new cursor position.

This resizing process continues as long as the cursor function key is selected. When the cursor function key is released or the resizing operation is deselected by interruption of another function, the active window itself is resized to the dimensions of the active window outline, and the active window outline disappears from the display. Control returns to A, where processing begins again for the new cursor position. In embodiments where the active window is dynamically resized, the active window itself is resized as the cursor moves while the cursor function key is selected. In this case, the outline of the active window is unnecessary.

Although the invention has been described with respect to one particular embodiment, the invention is not to be considered as limited thereto. Rather, the invention is limited only by the claims.

Cursor symbol 1 When the cursor is outside the observation area and scrolling area Cursor symbol 2 When the cursor is outside the scrolling area Cursor symbol 3 When the cursor is near the upper boundary in the observation area Cursor symbol 4 When the cursor is near the right boundary in the observation area Cursor symbol 5 When the cursor is near the upper and right boundaries in the observation area Cursor symbol 6 When the cursor is in the lower boundary in the observation area Cursor symbol 7 when the cursor is near the lower boundary and right boundary in the observation area Cursor symbol 8 when the cursor is near the left boundary in the observation area Cursor symbol 9 When the cursor is in the observation area When the cursor is near the upper and left boundaries, the cursor symbol 10 is the lower and left boundary in the observation area When in the vicinity of

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a means for activating a two-dimensional scroll pallet using a menu; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display screen after the scroll pallet is activated; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a two-dimensional pallet in an initial configuration before the region is resized; FIG. 4 is a diagram of a pallet showing an observation region and a scrolling region after the observation region is resized, and a corner region; FIG. 5 is a view showing a pallet during a two-dimensional scrolling operation, FIG. 6 is a view showing a pallet during a two-dimensional resize operation, and FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 realize this method. FIG. 10 shows the size of the observation area inside the pallet in relation to the size and position of the active window inside the available data buffer. Pallet and figures Akuteibu window showing the calculation of the To position, FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a Akitekichiya of-computer system. 1 2D scroll palette 2 Display screen 3 Active window 4 Pallet end area 5 Pallet movement area 6 Pallet work area 7 Observation area 8 ... scrolling area, 9 ...
... corner area, 10 ... special function area.

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor William James Fernandez United States 94555 Fremont Arlington Place, Calif., United States 2781 (56) References JP-A-1-250129 (JP, A) JP-A-63-187331 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G09G 5/14 G06F 3/14 G09G 5/08

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A processor, means for accessing display information of a predetermined size, a data display screen coupled to the processor for displaying the display information, and a cursor coupled to the processor for displaying data on the data display screen. An interactive computer controlled display system having a cursor control device for interactively positioning a data display screen, wherein the method comprises the steps of interactively selecting a portion of data to be displayed in an area of the data display screen, comprising: A first window area in which a first display portion of the display information is displayed within the boundary;
Generating and displaying the non-display portion of the display information on the data display screen so that the non-display portion of the display information is not displayed on the data display screen. A second window area that can be displayed simultaneously, having a boundary corresponding to the predetermined size of the display information, and having a third
Generating and displaying on a data display screen a second window area including a first window area of said display information, said third window area having a boundary corresponding to a first display portion of said display information; The third window area is moved two-dimensionally within the second window area on the data display screen at a position different from the first window area, and the display information is displayed. The third window area, in which a second display area different from the first display area is selectively displayed within the boundary of the first window area without scaling, A method characterized by comprising a step of moving in a dimension. 2. A processor, means for accessing display information of a predetermined size, a data display screen coupled to the processor for displaying the display information, and a cursor coupled to the processor for displaying data on the data display screen. An interactive computer controlled display system having a cursor control device for interactively positioning a data display screen, wherein the method comprises the steps of interactively selecting a portion of data to be displayed in an area of the data display screen, comprising: A first window area in which a first display portion of the display information is displayed within the boundary;
Generating and displaying the non-display portion of the display information on the data display screen so that the non-display portion of the display information is not displayed on the data display screen. A second window area that can be displayed simultaneously, having a boundary corresponding to the predetermined size of the display information, and having a third
Generating a second window area including a first window area and displaying a data display screen, wherein the third window area has a boundary corresponding to a first display portion of the display information, The third window area is resized two-dimensionally in the second window area on the data display screen at a position different from the first window area. The third window area, in which a second display area different from the first display area is selectively displayed within the boundary of the first window area without scaling, A method comprising the step of resizing in a dimension. 3. A processor, means for accessing display information of a predetermined size, a data display screen coupled to the processor for displaying the display information, and a cursor on the data display screen coupled to the processor. An interactive computer controlled display system having a cursor control device for interactively positioning a data display screen, wherein a portion of data to be displayed in one area of said data display screen is interactively selected and said data display is performed. A method for interactively controlling a window area displayed on a screen, comprising: a first window area having a boundary, wherein a first display portion of the display information is displayed within the boundary.
Generating and displaying the non-display portion of the display information on the data display screen so that the non-display portion of the display information is not displayed on the data display screen. A second window area that can be displayed simultaneously, having a boundary corresponding to the predetermined size of the display information, and having a third
Generating and displaying on a data display screen a second window area including a first window area of said display information, said third window area having a boundary corresponding to a first display portion of said display information; The third window area is moved two-dimensionally within the second window area on the data display screen at a position different from the first window area, and the display information is displayed. The third window area, in which a second display area different from the first display area is selectively displayed within the boundary of the first window area without scaling, A step of moving the third window area two-dimensionally in the second window area to move the first window area of the display information. The different second display portion the radical 113 minutes, optionally,
A step of two-dimensionally resizing the third window area so as to be displayed within the boundary of the first window area; and performing a two-dimensional movement of the second window area on the third window area. Providing a step of performing within the data display screen with a corresponding two-dimensional movement of the window area, and terminating and removing the second window area from the data display screen at a corresponding end of the third window area. And removing from the data display screen. 4. A processor, a display for accessing display information of a predetermined size, a data display screen coupled to the processor to display the display information, and a cursor coupled to the processor to display a cursor on the data display screen. An interactive computer controlled display system having a cursor control device for interactively positioning a data display screen, wherein the method comprises the steps of interactively selecting a portion of data to be displayed in an area of the data display screen, comprising: A first window area in which a first display portion of the display information is displayed within the boundary;
Generating and displaying the non-display portion of the display information on the data display screen so that the non-display portion of the display information is not displayed on the data display screen. A second window area that can be displayed simultaneously, having a boundary corresponding to the predetermined size of the display information, and having a third
Generating and displaying on a data display screen a second window area including a first window area of said display information, said third window area having a boundary corresponding to a first display portion of said display information; The third window area is extended two-dimensionally in the second window area on the data display screen at a position different from the first window area, so that the display information is displayed. Extending the third window area two-dimensionally so that everything is displayed within the boundary of the first window area without scaling. . A data display screen coupled to said processor for displaying said display information; a data display screen coupled to said processor for displaying said display information; and a data display screen coupled to said processor for displaying said display information. A first window area having a boundary, wherein a first display portion of the display information is displayed within the boundary.
Means for generating and displaying a non-display part of the display information on the data display screen, and displaying the non-display part of the display information on the data display screen. A second window area that can be displayed simultaneously, having a boundary corresponding to the predetermined size of the display information, and having a third
Means for generating and displaying on a data display screen a second window area including the following window area, wherein the third window area has a boundary corresponding to a first display portion of the display information, The third window area is moved two-dimensionally within the second window area on the data display screen at a position different from the first window area, and the display information is displayed. The third window area, in which a second display area different from the first display area is selectively displayed within the boundary of the first window area without scaling, An interactive computer-controlled display system, characterized by comprising means for moving in a three-dimensional manner. 6. A data display screen, comprising: a processor, means for accessing display information of a predetermined size; a data display screen coupled to the processor for displaying the display information; and a data display screen coupled to the processor, for displaying the display information. A first window area having a boundary, wherein a first display portion of the display information is displayed within the boundary.
Means for generating and displaying a non-display part of the display information on the data display screen, and displaying the non-display part of the display information on the data display screen. A second window area that can be displayed simultaneously, having a boundary corresponding to the predetermined size of the display information, and having a third
Means for generating and displaying on a data display screen a second window area including the following window area, wherein the third window area has a boundary corresponding to a first display portion of the display information, The third window area is resized two-dimensionally in the second window area on the data display screen at a position different from the first window area. The third window area, in which a second display area different from the first display area is selectively displayed within the boundary of the first window area without scaling, An interactive computer controlled display system, characterized by comprising means for resizing dimensionally. 7. A data display screen, comprising: a processor, means for accessing display information of a predetermined size; a data display screen coupled to the processor to display the display information; A first window area having a boundary, wherein a first display portion of the display information is displayed within the boundary.
Means for generating and displaying a non-display part of the display information on the data display screen, and displaying the non-display part of the display information on the data display screen. A second window area that can be displayed simultaneously, having a boundary corresponding to the predetermined size of the display information, and having a third
Means for generating and displaying on a data display screen a second window area including the following window area, wherein the third window area has a boundary corresponding to a first display portion of the display information, The third window area is moved two-dimensionally within the second window area on the data display screen at a position different from the first window area, and the display information is displayed. The third window area, in which a second display area different from the first display area is selectively displayed within the boundary of the first window area without scaling, Means for moving the third window area two-dimensionally within the second window area, and Resizing the third window area two-dimensionally so that a second display area different from the display area is selectively displayed within the boundary of the first window area without scaling. Means for causing the two-dimensional movement of the second window area together with the corresponding two-dimensional movement of the third window area in the data display screen. Means for causing termination and removal from said data display screen along with a corresponding termination of said third window area and removal from said data display screen. A data display screen coupled to said processor for displaying said display information; a data display screen coupled to said processor for displaying said display information; and a data display screen coupled to said processor for displaying said display information. A first window area having a boundary, wherein a first display portion of the display information is displayed within the boundary.
Means for generating and displaying a non-display part of the display information on the data display screen, and displaying the non-display part of the display information on the data display screen. A second window area that can be displayed simultaneously, having a boundary corresponding to the predetermined size of the display information, and having a third
Means for generating and displaying on a data display screen a second window area including the following window area, wherein the third window area has a boundary corresponding to a first display portion of the display information, The third window area is extended two-dimensionally in the second window area on the data display screen at a position different from the first window area, so that the display information is displayed. Means for expanding the third window area two-dimensionally so as to display all within the boundary of the first window area without scaling. Interactive computer controlled display system.