Method of scrolling a display window

• US 20030043207A1
• Filed: 09/06/2001
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Danger Research
• Inventors: Duarte, Matias
• Granted Patent: US 6,907,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A scrollable selection highlighter for viewing and selecting an element in a list of elements on a data processing device display. A selection highlighter may be stationary near the middle of the display while the list of elements moves in response to user input if the first and last elements in the list are not at the top or bottom positions of the display. If the first element in the list is at the top of the display, the selection highlighter may move above the middle position while the list of elements remains stationary. If the last element in the list is at the bottom of the display, the selection highlighter may move below the middle position while the list of elements remains stationary.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a data processing device;

a display coupled to said data processing device;

a list of elements partially displayed on said display;

a highlighter on said display near the middle of said display when first and last elements of said list of elements are not located on said display

a highlighter on said display above said middle of said display when first element of said list of elements is the top element on said display; and

a highlighter on said display below said middle of said display when the last element of said list of elements is the bottom element on said display.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said list of elements moves while said highlighter remains stationary on said display.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said highlighter moves above a position near the middle of said display while said list of elements remains stationary.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said highlighter moves below a position near the middle of said display while said list of elements remains stationary.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said highlighter and said list of elements move relative to each other using an input device selected from a group comprising a computer mouse, keyboard keys, a touchdisplay, a touch pad, a stylus, a trackball, and a scroll bar.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said list of elements is selected from a group comprising computer files, web page elements, and computer icons.

7. A method comprising:

partially displaying a list of elements on a display;

receiving user input from a user through an input device;

moving a list of elements or a highlighter relative to each other according to said user input and the location of the first and last elements of said list of elements relative to the top and bottom position on said display comprising;

in response to said user input, moving said list of elements relative to a highlighter, said highlighter located near the middle of said display, when said first and last elements of said list of elements are not located on said display;

in response to said user input, moving said highlighter above a position near said middle of said display when said first element in said list of elements is at the top of said display; and

in response to said user input, moving said highlighter below a position near said middle of said display when said last element in said list of elements is at the bottom of said display.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising keeping said list of elements stationary while moving said highlighter above a position near the middle of said display.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising keeping said list of elements stationary while moving said highlighter below a position near the middle of said display.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said user input is received from an input device selected from a group comprising a computer mouse, keyboard keys, a touchdisplay, a touch pad, a stylus, a trackball, and a scroll bar.

11. A machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause said processor to perform operations comprising:

partially displaying a list of elements on a display;

receiving user input from a user through an input device;

moving a list of elements or a highlighter relative to each other according to said user input and the location of the first and last elements of said list of elements relative to the top and bottom of said display comprising;

in response to said user input, moving said list of elements relative to a highlighter, said highlighter located near the middle of said display, when said first and last elements of said list of elements are not located on said display;

in response to said user input, moving said highlighter above a position near said middle of said display when said first element in said list of elements is at the top of said display; and

in response to said user input, moving said highlighter below a position near said middle of said display when said last element in said list of elements is at the bottom of said display.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising keeping said list of elements stationary while moving said highlighter above a position near the middle of said display.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising keeping said list of elements stationary while moving said highlighter below a position near the middle of said display.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said user input is received from an input device selected from a group comprising a computer mouse, keyboard keys, a touchdisplay, a touch pad, a stylus, a trackball, and a scroll bar.

15. A system comprising:

a data processing device;

a machine readable medium coupled to said data processing device;

a processor coupled to said data processing device;

a display coupled to said data processing device;

moving a list of elements relative to a highlighter near the middle of said display when first and last elements of said list of elements are not located on said display;

moving said highlighter above a position near said middle of said display when said first element in said list of elements is at the top of said display; and

moving said highlighter below a position near said middle of said display when said last element in said list of elements is at the bottom of said display.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said highlighter and said list of elements are moved relative to each other using an input device selected from a group comprising a computer mouse, keyboard keys, a touchdisplay, a touch pad, a stylus, a trackball, and a scroll bar.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said list of elements is selected from a group comprising computer files, web page elements, and computer icons.

18. A graphical user interface (GUI″

) for selecting logical elements from a list comprising;

a selection region on a data processing device'"'"'s display; and

a selection highlighter moving from one element to the next within said selection region responsive to a user input,

wherein if said selection highlighter reaches boundaries that define the selection region, said selection highlighter ceases to move and elements within said list move through said selection highlighter, thereby becoming highlighted, and

wherein said selection region comprises a limited portion of said data processing device'"'"'s display such that one or more elements viewable on said display are outside of said boundaries of said selection region.

19. The GUI as in claim 18 wherein said list of logical elements comprises a single-column menu and said selection region boundaries comprise upper and lower bouondaries.

20. The GUI as in claim 18 wherein, when a first element in said list of elements is viewable at the top of said display, said selection highlighter moves outside of said selection region responsive to an upward-scrolling input, and when a last element in said list of elements is viewable at the bottom of said display, said s selection highlighter moves outside of said selection region responsive to a downward-scrolling input.

21. The GUI as in claim 18 wherein said list of elements is selected from a group comprising computer files, web page elements, and computer icons.

22. The GUI as in claim 18 wherein said elements in said list become underlined when selected by said selection highlighter.

23. The GUI as in claim 18 wherein text associated with said elements in said list become larger when selected by said selection highlighter.

24. The GUI as in claim 18 wherein graphical icons associated with said elements in said list become larger when selected by said selection highlighter.