Modifying only selected icons on an interactive display screen crowed with icons by rendering the non-selected icons unmodifiable
First Claim
1. In a computer controlled user interactive display system, a display interface implementation for enabling an interactive user to modify selected items on a display screen crowded with normally modifiable items comprising:
- means for modifying said normally modifiable items;
means for rendering a set of said items unmodifiable; and
means for enabling the modifying of a selected item in said set of unmodifiable items.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Items such as icons are modified in high icon density environments on the display screen. An implementation combines rendering a set of said items unmodifiable, and then enabling the modifying of a selected item in said set of unmodifiable items. In effect, all of the icons in the high icon density region or sector of the display screen are “frozen” so as to be unmodifiable, and then only a selected or “target” icon is made modifiable or “hot” while the other icons in the sector remain unmodifiable. The rendering of the target icon to be modifiable may involve a simple point and click cursor movement which still is not an easy task in a crowded icon environment. However, once this is accomplished, then the rest of the icon modification is simplified in that the adjacent icons remain frozen in the unmodifiable state. According to an aspect of the invention, the rendering of the set of a cluster of icons unmodifiable includes circumscribing said cluster of icons, preferably using the cursor.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. In a computer controlled user interactive display system, a display interface implementation for enabling an interactive user to modify selected items on a display screen crowded with normally modifiable items comprising:
- means for modifying said normally modifiable items;
means for rendering a set of said items unmodifiable; and
means for enabling the modifying of a selected item in said set of unmodifiable items. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- means for modifying said normally modifiable items;
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10. A method for enabling an interactive user to modify selected items on a display screen crowded with normally modifiable items in a computer controlled user interactive display system comprising:
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means for rendering a set of said items unmodifiable; and
means for enabling the modifying of a selected item in said set of unmodifiable items. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A computer program having program code included on a computer readable medium for enabling an interactive user to modify selected items on a display screen crowded with normally modifiable items in a computer controlled user interactive display systems comprising:
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means for modifying said normally modifiable items;
means for rendering a set of said items unmodifiable; and
means for enabling the modifying of a selected item in said set of unmodifiable items. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification