Graphical user interface for detail-in-context presentations

• US 20020180801A1
• Filed: 05/03/2002
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accessify, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: IDELIX Software Inc. (Lat49 Media Inc.)
• Inventors: Doyle, Michael, Ostler, Collette, Shoemaker, Garth, Rupp, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,197,719 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• 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

Abstract

A method for displaying a region of interest within visual information on a display screen of a computer, the region of interest including a focal region and a base region. The method includes the steps of: providing means for selecting at least one parameter for transforming at least one of the region of interest, the focal region, and the base region; selecting the parameter using the means for selecting; transforming the visual information in accordance with a predetermined distortion function and the parameter to produce transformed visual information; and, displaying the transformed visual information on the display screen.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a region of interest within visual information on a display screen of a computer, said region of interest including a focal region and a base region, said method comprising the steps of:

providing means for selecting at least one parameter for transforming at least one of said region of interest, said focal region, and said base region, using said means for selecting to select said parameter;

transforming said visual information in accordance with a predetermined distortion function and said parameter to produce transformed visual information; and

,

displaying said transformed visual information on said display screen.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said parameter includes a magnification for said region of interest, a size for said focal region, a size for said base region, a shape for said focal region, a shape for said base region, a location for said base region within said visual information, and a location for said focal region relative to said base region.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said means for selecting includes a bounding rectangle, handle, crosshairs, and slide bar.

4. A method for manipulating a presentation of a region of interest within visual information displayed on a computer controlled display system having a computer, a display screen and a mouse, comprising the steps of:

a) selecting said displayed region of interest by using said mouse to position a cursor over said region of interest and pressing a button on said mouse;

b) displaying a representation of a bounding rectangle when said region of interest is selected, said bounding rectangle having at least two active areas which specify respective available transformation types;

c) defining a transformation of a type predefined by one of said active areas by using said mouse to position said cursor over an active area, pressing said button on said mouse, and, while said cursor is over said active area, repositioning said cursor with said mouse; and

d) re-displaying said region of interest and said bounding rectangle in accordance with said defined transformation.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said available transformation types includes resizing and folding.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein one of said active areas is a corner-handle icon positioned over a corner of said bounding rectangle.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein one of said active areas is a middle-handle icon positioned over said bounding rectangle between corners of said bounding rectangle.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein one of said active areas is a fold area positioned over said bounding rectangle between said corner-handle and said middle-handle icons.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein said cursor changes shape when positioned over one of said active areas.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said cursor changes said shape to a resize icon when positioned over said corner-handle icon or said middle-handle icon.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said cursor changes said shape to a fold icon when positioned over said fold area.

12. The method of claim 4 wherein said region of interest includes a focal region and a base region.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said bounding rectangle surrounds said focal region.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said bounding rectangle surrounds said base region.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein said bounding rectangle includes a first bounding rectangle surrounding said focal region and a second bounding rectangle surrounding said base region.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said fold area is positioned over said first bounding rectangle surrounding said focal region.

17. The method of claim 5 wherein if the predefined movement type is resizing then the resizing of said displayed region of interest and said bounding rectangle is performed by determining a ratio of a position of said cursor versus an origin of said bounding rectangle when said cursor was positioned over said handle and said mouse button was pressed and a current position of said cursor versus said origin of said bounding rectangle and multiplying said ratio with a resizing transform to create a new resizing transform and wherein re-displaying said displayed region of interest and said bounding rectangle on said display screen is in accordance with said new resizing transform.

18. The method of claim 5 wherein if said predefined movement type is folding then said folding of said displayed region of interest and said bounding rectangle is performed by determining a difference in presentation space between a position of said cursor when said cursor was positioned over said fold area and said mouse button was pressed and a current position of said cursor, and adding said difference to a folding transform to create a new folding transform, and wherein re-displaying said bounding rectangle and said region of interest on said display screen is in accordance with said new folding transform.

19. A method for manipulating a detail-in-context lens presentation displayed on a computer controlled display system having a computer, a display screen and a mouse, comprising the steps of:

a) selecting said lens by using said mouse to position a cursor over said lens and pressing a button on said mouse;

b) displaying a representation of a bounding rectangle when said lens is selected, said bounding rectangle having at least two active areas which specify respective available transformation types;

c) defining a transformation of a type predefined by one of said active areas by using said mouse to position said cursor over an active area, pressing said button on said mouse, and, while said cursor is over said active area, repositioning said cursor with said mouse; and

d) re-displaying said lens and said bounding rectangle in accordance with said defined transformation.

20. A method for manipulating a presentation of a region of interest within visual information displayed on a computer controlled display system, said computer controlled display system having a computer, a display screen and a mouse, said region of interest having a focal region and a base region, comprising the steps of:

a) selecting said displayed region of interest by using said mouse to position a cursor over said region of interest and pressing a button on said mouse;

b) displaying a representation of a first bounding rectangle surrounding said focal region when said region of interest is selected, said first bounding rectangle having at least two active areas which specify respective available transformation types;

c) displaying a representation of a second bounding rectangle surrounding said base region when said region of interest is selected, said second bounding rectangle having at least two active areas which specify respective available transformation types;

d) displaying a representation of a base outline when said region of interest is selected, said base outline positioned within said second bounding rectangle, said base outline outlining said base region;

e) displaying a representation of a pickup icon when said region of interest is selected, said pickup icon positioned centrally in said region of interest, said pickup icon having at least one active area which specifies an available transformation type;

f) displaying a representation of a slide bar icon when said region of interest is selected, said slide bar icon positioned adjacent to said second bounding rectangle and outside of said region of interest, said slide bar icon having at least one active area which specifies an available transformation type;

g) providing a move area within said region of interest when said region of interest is selected, said move area having at least one active area which specifies an available transformation type, said move area located within said region of interest, said move area excluding said first bounding rectangle, said second bounding rectangle, and said pickup icon;

h) defining a transformation of a type predefined by one of said active areas by using said mouse to position said cursor over an active area, pressing said button on said mouse, and, while said cursor is over said active area, repositioning said cursor with said mouse; and

i) re-displaying said region of interest, said first and second bounding rectangles, said base outline, said pickup icon, and said slide bar in accordance with said defined transformation.

21. A method for manipulating a presentation of a region of interest within visual information displayed on a computer controlled display system, said computer controlled display system having a computer, a display screen and a mouse, said region of interest having a focal region and a base region, comprising the steps of:

a) selecting said displayed region of interest by using said mouse to position a cursor over said region of interest and pressing a button on said mouse;

b) displaying a graphical user interface when said region of interest is selected, said graphical user interface having at least two active areas which specify respective available transformation types;

c) defining a transformation of a type predefined by one of said active areas by using said mouse to position said cursor over an active area, pressing said button on said mouse, and, while said cursor is over said active area, repositioning said cursor with said mouse; and

d) re-displaying said region of interest and said graphical user interface in accordance with said defined transformation.

22. A method for manipulating a presentation of a region of interest within visual information displayed on a computer controlled display system having a computer, a display screen and a mouse, comprising the steps of:

a) selecting said displayed region of interest by using said mouse to position a cursor over said region of interest and pressing a button on said mouse;

b) displaying a graphical user interface when said region of interest is selected, said graphical user interface having at least two active areas which specify respective available transformation types;

c) defining a transformation of a type predefined by one of said active areas by using said mouse to position said cursor over an active area, pressing said button on said mouse, and, while said cursor is over said active area, repositioning said cursor with said mouse; and

d) re-displaying said region of interest and said graphical user interface in accordance with said defined transformation.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said region of interest includes a focal region and a base region.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said graphical user interface includes:

a) a representation of a first bounding rectangle surrounding said focal region, said first bounding rectangle having at least two of said active areas;

b) a representation of a second bounding rectangle surrounding said base region, said second bounding rectangle having at least two of said active areas;

c) a representation of a base outline, said base outline positioned within said second bounding rectangle, said base outline outlining said base region;

d) a representation of a pickup icon, said pickup icon positioned centrally in said region of interest, said pickup icon having at least one active area which specifies an available transformation type;

e) a representation of a slide bar icon, said slide bar icon positioned adjacent to said second bounding rectangle and outside of said region of interest, said slide bar icon having at least one active area which specifies an available transformation type; and

,

f) a move area within said region of interest, said move area having at least one active area which specifies an available transformation type, said move area located within said region of interest, said move area excluding said first bounding rectangle, said second bounding rectangle, and said pickup icon.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein said available transformation types include focal region resizing, base resizing, folding, translation, and magnification.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein one of said active areas is a corner-handle icon positioned over a corner of said first bounding rectangle.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein one of said active areas is a middle-handle icon positioned over said first bounding rectangle between corners of said first bounding rectangle.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein one of said active areas is a corner-handle icon positioned over a corner of said second bounding rectangle.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein one of said active areas is a middle-handle icon positioned over said second bounding rectangle between corners of said second bounding rectangle.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein one of said active areas is a fold area positioned over said first bounding rectangle between said corner-handle and said middle-handle icons.

31. The method of claim 24 wherein one of said active areas is said pickup icon.

32. The method of claim 24 wherein one of said active areas is a bar icon positioned over said slide bar icon.

33. The method of claim 24 wherein said cursor changes shape when positioned over one of said active areas.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein said cursor changes said shape to a resize icon when positioned over said corner-handle icon or said middle-handle icon.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein said cursor changes said shape to a fold icon when positioned over said fold area.

36. The method of claim 33 wherein said cursor changes said shape to a move icon when positioned over said move area.

37. The method of claim 24 wherein said pickup icon is crosshairs shaped.

38. The method of claim 25 wherein if the predefined movement type is focal region resizing then the resizing of said displayed region of interest and said graphical user interface is performed by determining a ratio of a position of said cursor versus an origin of said first bounding rectangle when said cursor was positioned over said handle and said mouse button was pressed and a current position of said cursor versus said origin of said first bounding rectangle and multiplying said ratio with a focal region resizing transform to create a new focal region resizing transform and wherein re-displaying said displayed region of interest and said graphical user interface on said display screen is in accordance with said new focal region resizing transform.

39. The method of claim 25 wherein if the predefined movement type is base region resizing then the resizing of said displayed region of interest and said graphical user interface is performed by determining a ratio of a position of said cursor versus an origin of said second bounding rectangle when said cursor was positioned over said handle and said mouse button was pressed and a current position of said cursor versus said origin of said second bounding rectangle and multiplying said ratio with a base resizing transform to create a new base resizing transform and wherein re-displaying said displayed region of interest and said graphical user interface on said display screen is in accordance with said new base resizing transform.

40. The method of claim 25 wherein if said predefined movement type is folding then said folding of said displayed region of interest and said graphical user interface is performed by determining a difference in presentation space between a position of said cursor when said cursor was positioned over said fold area and said mouse button was pressed and a current position of said cursor, and adding said difference to a folding transform to create a new folding transform, and wherein re-displaying said region of interest and said graphical user interface on said display screen is in accordance with said new folding transform.

41. The method of claim 25 wherein if said predefined movement type is translation then said translation of said displayed region of interest and said graphical user interface is performed by determining a difference in presentation space between a position of said cursor when said cursor was positioned over said move area and said mouse button was pressed and a current position of said cursor, and adding said difference to a translation transform to create a new translation transform, and wherein redisplaying said region of interest and said graphical user interface on said display screen is in accordance with said new translation transform.

42. The method of claim 25 wherein if the predefined movement type is magnification then said magnification of said displayed region of interest and said graphical user interface is performed by determining a ratio of a position of said cursor versus an origin of said slide bar icon when said cursor was positioned over said bar icon and said mouse button was pressed and a current position of said cursor versus said origin of said slide bar icon and multiplying said ratio with a magnification transform to create a new magnification transform and wherein re-displaying said displayed region of interest and said graphical user interface on said display screen is in accordance with said new magnification transform.

43. A graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) for manipulating a presentation of a region of interest within visual information displayed on a computer display system, said computer display system having a computer, a display screen and a mouse, said GUI comprising;

a) a representation of a first bounding rectangle surrounding said focal region, said first bounding rectangle having at least two of said active areas, said first bounding rectangle for resizing said focal region;

b) a representation of a second bounding rectangle surrounding said base region, said second bounding rectangle having at least two of said active areas, said second bounding rectangle for resizing said base region;

c) a representation of a base outline, said base outline positioned within said second bounding rectangle, said base outline outlining said base region;

d) a representation of a pickup icon, said pickup icon positioned centrally in said region of interest, said pickup icon having at least one active area which specifies an available transformation type, said pickup icon for moving said region of interest;

e) a representation of a slide bar icon, said slide bar icon positioned adjacent to said second bounding rectangle and outside of said region of interest, said slide bar icon having at least one active area which specifies an available transformation type, said slide bar icon for magnifying said region of interst; and

,

f) a move area within said region of interest, said move area having at least one active area which specifies an available transformation type, said move area located within said region of interest, said move area excluding said first bounding rectangle, said second bounding rectangle, and said pickup icon, said move area for moving said region of interest.

44. The GUI of claim 43 wherein one of said active areas is a corner-handle icon positioned over a corner of said first bounding rectangle.

45. The GUI of claim 43 wherein one of said active areas is a middle-handle icon positioned over said first bounding rectangle between corners of said first bounding rectangle.

46. The GUI of claim 43 wherein one of said active areas is a corner-handle icon positioned over a corner of said second bounding rectangle.

47. The GUI of claim 43 wherein one of said active areas is a middle-handle icon positioned over said second bounding rectangle between corners of said second bounding rectangle.

48. The GUI of claim 43 wherein one of said active areas is a fold area positioned over said first bounding rectangle between said corner-handle and said middle-handle icons.

49. The GUI of claim 43 wherein one of said active areas is said pickup icon.

50. The GUI of claim 43 wherein one of said active areas is a bar icon positioned over said slide bar icon.

51. The GUI of claim 43 wherein said cursor changes shape when positioned over one of said active areas.

52. The GUI of claim 51 wherein said cursor changes said shape to a resize icon when positioned over said corner-handle icon or said middle-handle icon.

53. The GUI of claim 51 wherein said cursor changes said shape to a fold icon when positioned over said fold area.

54. The GUI of claim 51 wherein said cursor changes said shape to a move icon when positioned over said move area.

55. The GUI of claim 43 wherein said pickup icon is crosshairs shaped.

56. The GUI of claim 43 said GUI being applied to a personal digital assistant (PDA).

57. The GUI of claim 43 said GUI being applied to map display system.