Display device with a focus buoy facility

• US 20020080185A1
• Filed: 04/24/2001
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boeuf, Patrick Gaston Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 7,007,241 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Data processing system comprising at least a processing unit executing simultaneously a number of application programs, a memory for storing the application programs, a display subsystem for displaying on a screen a plurality of windows associated respectively with a plurality of application programs, each window being able to overlay partially or totally one or several windows already displayed on the screen, and a mouse for moving a cursor to a selected location of the screen. The display subsystem comprises first displaying means for displaying a focus buoy associated with each window at the same time the window is displayed, a table in the memory for storing for each window the coordinates of the location at which is displayed the buoy associated with the window, and second displaying means for displaying a buoy at each location defined in the table in response to simply shaking of the mouse.

Claims

1. Data processing system comprising at least a processing unit capable of executing simultaneously a number of application programs, a memory for storing said application programs, a display subsystem for displaying on a screen a plurality of windows associated respectively with a plurality of application programs, each window being able to overlay partially or totally one or several windows already displayed on said screen, and a mouse for moving a cursor to a selected location of said screen;

said system being characterized in that the display subsystem comprises;

first displaying means for displaying on said screen a focus buoy associated with each window, at the same time said window is displayed on said screen,

a table in said memory for storing for each window the coordinates of the location at which is displayed said buoy associated with said window,

second displaying means for displaying a buoy at each location defined in said table in response to simply shaking of said mouse,

whereby the user of said system may click any one of the displayed buoys in order to get the focus of the associated window.

2. Data processing system according to claim 1, wherein said table includes for each of said windows displayed on said screen the identification of said associated application program, a pointer to the corresponding window and the location of the focus buoy associated with said window.

3. Data processing system according to claim 2, wherein said table further includes for each of said windows an alternative location for said focus buoy used to display said focus buoy if the main location is the same as the location of a focus buoy associated with a window being already displayed on said screen.

4. Data processing system according to claim 1, wherein a small window including the title of the window is also displayed with the focus buoy associated with each window when the focus buoys defined in said table are displayed on said screen in response to simply shaking of said mouse.

5. Data processing system according to claim 2, wherein a small window including the title of the window is also displayed with the focus buoy associated with each window when the focus buoys defined in said table are displayed on said screen in response to simply shaking of said mouse.

6. Data processing system according to claim 1, wherein said display subsystem further comprise third displaying means for displaying the window associated with a focus buoy being displayed in response to simply shaking of said mouse after said focus buoy has been selected and clicked by using said mouse.

7. Data processing system according to claim 5, wherein said display subsystem further comprise third displaying means for displaying the window associated with a focus buoy being displayed in response to simply shaking of said mouse after said focus buoy has been selected and clicked by using said mouse.

8. Data processing system according to claim 1 wherein said second displaying means remove said focus buoys being displayed on said screen in response to simply shaking of said mouse a second time after said focus buoys have been displayed in response to simply shaking of said mouse.

9. Data processing system according to claim 4 wherein said second displaying means remove said focus buoys being displayed on said screen in response to simply shaking of said mouse a second time after said focus buoys have been displayed in response to simply shaking of said mouse.

10. Data processing system according to claim 1, wherein said windows are removed from said screen when said focus buoys are displayed on said screen after said mouse has been shaken.