CURSOR LOCATOR

• US 20090113353A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: O'Connell, Brian Marshall, Walker, Keith Raymond, Snitzer, Brian James, Bansal, Ravi Prakash
• Application Number:
  US11/931,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20090113353A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/856
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04801 Cursor retrieval aid, i.e. visual aspect modification, blinking, colour changes, enlargement or other visual cues, for helping user do find the cursor in graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects

Abstract

Illustrative embodiments provide a computer implemented method, data processing system and a computer program product for indicating the location of a cursor within an application to a user. In one illustrative embodiment the computer implemented method comprises initiating a monitoring service to generate collected information regarding the location of the cursor within the application and comparing the collected information with a set of respective predetermined values to create a set of compared values. Responsive to a determination based on the set of compared values, presenting a visual cue indicating the location of the cursor to the user.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for indicating the location of a cursor within an application, the computer implemented method comprising:

monitoring the application to generate a set of collected values regarding the location of the cursor;

comparing the set of collected values with a set of respective predetermined values to create a set of compared values; and

presenting a visual cue indicating the location of the cursor on a display, responsive to a determination based on the set of compared values.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the monitoring the application further comprises:

a tracker capable of creating the set of collected values indicating a location of the cursor within the application, and a viewable display, and also a time the application is in focus.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein comparing the set of collected values further comprises:

comparing the location of the cursor to a corresponding one of the set of respective predetermined values;

comparing a notification setting to a corresponding one of the set of respective predetermined values;

comparing an application out of focus time to a corresponding one of the set of respective predetermined values;

comparing an application type to a corresponding one of the set of respective predetermined values, wherein the set of respective predetermined values is obtained from a corresponding set of configuration data.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein presenting a visual cue further comprises:

providing the visual cue comprising prompting for a user input selecting an action, including obtaining help, regarding the cursor location.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the determination based on the set of compared values further comprises:

responsive to determining that a user is lost, jumping to the cursor location; and

responsive to jumping to the cursor location, providing a visual cue at the cursor location.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the application is cursor sensitive application.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein presenting a visual cue further includes a visual cue including a capability for selectively jumping, directly, to the cursor location.

8. A data processing system for indicating the location of a cursor within an application, the data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a memory connected to the bus, wherein the memory contains computer usable program code;

a persistent storage;

a display;

a communications unit; and

a processor unit connected to the bus and the memory, where in the processor unit executes the computer usable program code to;

create a monitor capable of generating a set of collected values regarding the location of the cursor;

create a comparator capable of comparing the set of collected values with a set of respective predetermined values to create a set of compared values; and

create a cue function capable of presenting a visual cue indicating the location of the cursor on the display, responsive to a determination based on the set of compared values.

9. The data processing system of claim 8 wherein the monitor capable of generating a set of collected values further comprises:

a tracker capable of creating the set of collected values indicating a location of the cursor within the application, and within a viewable display, and also a time the application is in focus.

10. The data processing system of claim 8 wherein the comparator capable of comparing the set of collected values further comprises:

a comparator capable of comparing the location of the cursor to a corresponding one of the set of respective predetermined values;

a comparator capable of comparing a notification setting to a corresponding one of the set of respective predetermined values;

a comparator capable of comparing an application out of focus time to a corresponding one of the set of respective predetermined values;

a comparator capable of comparing an application type to a corresponding one of the set of respective predetermined values, wherein the set of respective predetermined values is obtained from a corresponding set of configuration data.

11. The data processing system of claim 8 wherein the cue function further comprises:

a capability of providing the visual cue comprising prompting for a user input selecting an action, including obtaining help, regarding the cursor location.

12. The data processing system of claim 8 wherein the cue function further comprises:

a capability of, responsive to determining that a user is lost, jumping to the cursor location; and

responsive to jumping to the cursor location, providing a visual cue at the cursor location.

13. The data processing system of claim 8 wherein the application is of a cursor sensitive type.

14. The data processing system of claim 8 wherein the cue function capable of presenting a visual cue further comprises:

the visual cue including a capability for selectively jumping, directly, to the cursor location.

15. A computer program product for indicating the location of a cursor within an application, the computer program product comprising computer usable program code tangibly embodied on a computer usable recordable type medium, the computer usable program code comprising:

computer usable program code for creating a monitor capable of monitoring the application to generate a set of collected values regarding the location of the cursor;

computer usable program code for creating a comparator capable of comparing the set of collected values with a set of respective predetermined values to create a set of compared values; and

computer usable program code for creating a cue function capable of presenting a visual cue indicating the location of the cursor on a display, responsive to a determination based on the set of compared values.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the computer usable program code for creating a monitor further comprises:

computer usable program code for a tracker capable of creating the set of collected values indicating a location of the cursor within the application, and within a viewable display, and also a time the application is in focus.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein computer usable program code for comparing the set of collected values further comprises:

computer usable program code for comparing the location of the cursor to a corresponding one of the set of respective predetermined values;

computer usable program code for comparing a notification setting to a corresponding one of the set of respective predetermined values;

computer usable program code for comparing an application out of focus time to a corresponding one of the set of respective predetermined values;

computer usable program code for comparing an application type to a corresponding one of the set of respective predetermined values; and

wherein the set of respective predetermined values is obtained from a corresponding set of predetermined configuration data.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the computer usable program code for presenting a visual cue further comprises:

computer usable program code for prompting for a user input selecting an action, including obtaining help, regarding the cursor location.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein computer usable program code for the determination based on the set of compared values further comprises:

computer usable program code responsive to determining that a user is lost, for jumping to the cursor location; and

responsive to jumping to the cursor location, providing a visual cue at the cursor location.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein computer usable program code for creating a cue function capable of presenting a visual cue further comprises:

computer usable program code for a visual cue including a capability for selectively jumping, directly, to the cursor location.