Mouse cursor display

• US 20060036971A1
• Filed: 08/24/2004
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mendel, Gili, Schaller, Rebecca J., Winchester, Joseph Robert, Walker, Peter Allen
• Application Number:
  US10/924,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20060036971A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/856
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

The present invention provides a method, data processing apparatus and computer program product which displays status information with the mouse symbol, the status information relating to an operation being performed with a mouse cursor. For example, the status information may provides position co-ordinates relating to the cursor symbol.

Claims

1. A data processing method for displaying status information relating to a mouse operation with a mouse cursor, the method comprising:

receiving an event which indicates that the mouse cursor has moved;

creating a cursor symbol comprising;

an image which provides a visual indication of an operation which can be performed with the cursor at the cursor position; and

a status area which provides additional status information pertaining to the operation; and

causing the cursor symbol to be displayed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating the cursor symbol selects the relative positions of the image and status area according to the current position of the cursor.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the status information comprises information which describes the position of the cursor.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the status information comprises information which describes the position of the cursor.

4. A data processing apparatus comprising:

an element which receives an event which indicates that a mouse cursor has moved;

an element which creates a cursor symbol comprising;

an image which provides a visual indication of an operation which can be performed with the cursor at the cursor position; and

a status area which provides additional status information pertaining to the operation; and

an element for causing the cursor symbol to be displayed.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the element which creates the cursor symbol selects the relative positions of the image and status area according to the current position of the cursor.

7. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on a data processing host, cause said host to carry out a method comprising the steps of:

receiving an event which indicates that the mouse cursor has moved;

creating a cursor symbol comprising;

an image which provides a visual indication of an operation which can be performed with the cursor at the cursor position; and

a status area which provides additional status information pertaining to the operation; and

causing the cursor symbol to be displayed.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the step of creating the cursor symbol selects the relative positions of the image and status area according to the current position of the cursor.

9. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the status information comprises information which describes the position of the cursor.