Method and apparatus for producing, controlling and displaying menus

• US 20040095395A1
• Filed: 07/03/2003
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Silicon Graphics Incorporated (Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kurtenbach, Gordon P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,832,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A system that combines a radial marking menu portion with a linear menu portion in a single menu display. Item selection in the linear portion is performed by location selection using a pointing device. Item selection in the marker portion is determined by the pattern of a stroke made by the pointing device with the system ignoring linear menu items across which the stroke completely passes.

Claims

1. A menu selection system, comprising:

a display displaying a menu comprising a radial marker menu portion and a linear menu portion;

a pointing device for indicating a type of selection by one of making a stroke and designating a location; and

a computer connected to said display and said pointing device, and determining the type and determining a menu item selection from the one of the stroke and the location.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the menu includes at least nine selectable menu items.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the menu includes at least one menu item selected based on the designating of only a location.

4. A display process, comprising:

displaying a menu comprising a radial marker menu portion and a linear location menu portion;

determining whether a stroke by a pointing device has an end point in a linear location selection region indicating selection of a linear location menu item corresponding to the linear selection location region; and

determining a corresponding pattern selection region when the stroke end point is not in the linear location selection region and indicating selection of a radial marker menu item associated with the pattern selection region.

5. A process as recited in claim 4, wherein the menu includes at least one selectable linear location menu item.

6. A display process, comprising:

determining whether a menu is being displayed;

determining a menu selection responsive to a stroke direction if the menu is not being displayed;

determining whether the stroke has an end point in a menu item label when the menu is displayed indicating selection of a menu item corresponding to the menu item label;

determining a corresponding pattern selection region when the stroke end point is not in the menu item label and when the menu is displayed, and indicating selection of a radial marker menu item corresponding to the pattern selection region.

7. A menu selection system, comprising:

a display;

a pointing device for making a stroke with an end point; and

a computer connected to said display and said pointing device, determining a menu item selection responsive to whether a menu is displayed on said display and on the end point of the stroke if the stroke end point resides in a menu label.

8. A display, comprising:

a menu pattern selection portion comprising regions where a pattern of a stroke made by a pointing device indicates a selected menu item; and

a menu location selection portion spatially associated with and simultaneously displayed with the pattern selection portion and where a location indicated by the pointing device indicates a selected menu item.

9. A display as recited in claim 8, wherein a stroke pattern that crosses completely over a location selection region selects only a menu item that is selected by the pattern of the stroke.

10. A display as recited in claim 8, wherein said pattern selection portion comprises a radial spatial layout of the regions and said location selection portion comprises a linear spatial layout of locations.

11. A display as recited in claim 8, wherein said menu pattern selection portion includes eight menu items and said menu location selection portion includes at least one menu item.