Method for improving the viewing of small icons and small text on high resolution displays

• US 20050052475A1
• Filed: 08/18/2003
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Millman, Steven E., Schleupen, Kai R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,313,290 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/690
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

When run on high pixel density monitors, software applications, which are written to be legible at all resolutions benefit greatly from the high pixel density. Other applications, especially those containing resources whose dimensions and placement are described in terms of numbers of pixels (e.g., a bitmap, text), may have reduced legibility. A method is described which facilitates legibility of both classes of software applications when run on high pixel density monitors.

Claims

1. A method for improving the legibility of an application written for a lower pixel density monitor and displayed on a higher pixel density monitor, wherein the screen resolution of the higher pixel density monitor is set to a native resolution, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first input signal from a user; and

programmatically changing the screen resolution in one atomic step from the native resolution to a lower resolution in response to the first input signal;

wherein the native resolution is at least 33% greater in pixel density than the lower resolution.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a second input signal from a user; and

programmatically changing the screen resolution in one atomic step from the lower resolution to the native resolution in response to the second input signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a first input signal from a user comprises monitoring a keyboard input queue.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein monitoring a keyboard input queue comprises:

determining whether the keyboard input queue contains the first input signal; and

removing the first input signal from the keyboard input queue in response to the first input signal.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving a second input signal from a user comprises the step of monitoring a keyboard input queue.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein monitoring a keyboard input queue comprises:

determining whether the keyboard input queue contains the second input signal; and

removing the first input signal from the keyboard input queue in response to the second input signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a first input signal from a user comprises receiving a hot key sequence.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving a second input signal from a user comprises receiving a hot key sequence.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

moving a foreground window to a screen origin in response to the first signal; and

saving original coordinates of the foreground window in response to the first signal.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

moving the foreground window to the position specified by the original coordinates in response to the second signal; and

discarding the original coordinates.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

moving a foreground window to a screen origin in response to the first signal;

saving original coordinates of the foreground window in response to the first signal; and

storing a unique identifier of the foreground window.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

moving the foreground window identified by the unique identifier to the position specified by the original coordinates in response to the second signal; and

discarding the original coordinates and the unique identifier.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein programmatically changing the screen resolution in one atomic step from the native resolution to a lower resolution in response to the first input signal comprises:

determining if the native resolution is a first resolution; and

if the native resolution is the first resolution, changing the screen resolution in one atomic step from the native resolution to the lower resolution in response to the first input signal.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determine a first difference between the native resolution and the first resolution;

determine a second difference between the native resolution and the lower resolution;

if the first difference is greater than the second difference, changing the screen resolution in one atomic step from the native resolution to the first resolution; and

if the second difference is greater than the first different, changing the screen resolution in one atomic step from the native resolution to the lower resolution.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein programmatically changing the screen resolution in one atomic step from the lower resolution to the native resolution in response to the second input signal comprises:

determining if the lower resolution is a second resolution; and

if the lower resolution is the second resolution, changing the screen resolution in one atomic step from the lower resolution to the native resolution in response to the second input signal.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining a first difference between the lower resolution and the second resolution;

determine a second difference between the lower resolution and the native resolution;

if the first difference is greater than the second difference, changing the screen resolution in one atomic step from the lower resolution to the second resolution; and

if the second difference is greater than the first difference, changing the screen resolution in one atomic step from the lower resolution to the native resolution.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein programmatically changing the screen resolution in one atomic step from the native resolution to a lower resolution in response to the first input signal comprises programmatically changing the screen resolution without interleaving access by another process from the native resolution to a lower resolution in response to the first input signal.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein programmatically changing the screen resolution in one atomic step from the native resolution to a lower resolution in response to the first input signal comprises programmatically changing the screen resolution without further user intervention from the native resolution to a lower resolution in response to the first input signal.

17. A system for improving the legibility of an application written for a lower pixel density monitor and displayed on a higher pixel density monitor, wherein the screen resolution of the higher pixel density monitor is set to a native resolution, comprising:

means for receiving a first input signal from a user; and

means for programmatically changing the screen resolution in one atomic step from the native resolution to a lower resolution in response to the first input signal;

wherein the native resolution is at least 33% greater in pixel density than the lower resolution.

18. A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor to perform a method for improving the legibility of an application written for a lower pixel density monitor and displayed on a higher pixel density monitor, wherein the screen resolution of the higher pixel density monitor is set to a native resolution, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first input signal from a user; and

programmatically changing the screen resolution in one atomic step from the native resolution to a lower resolution in response to the first input signal;

wherein the native resolution is at least 33% greater in pixel density than the lower resolution.