NOTCHED SLIDER CONTROL FOR A GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE

• US 20100005420A1
• Filed: 07/07/2008
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maplebear Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: SCHNEIDER, SCOTT E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,552,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/833
• 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 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A slide track of a notched slider control can include a continuous path extending between two end points. A slider can be a graphical element able to move along the slide track. The end points can correspond to upper and lower extremes of a value range. Positions between the end points can represent values within the value range. The slide track can include at least one notch that is visually represented within the slide control as a deviation from a straight line segment having the two end points. The notch corresponds to a value within the value range. The notch can causes the slider to become fixed at a point along the slide track whenever a pointing device controlling the slider is moved in a direction of the deviation.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface (GUI) slider control comprising:

a slide track comprising a continuous path extending between two end points, wherein said slide track is visually presented within a user interface; and

a slider configured as a user selectable graphical element able to move along a slide track, wherein a lower one of the two end points corresponds to a lower extreme of a value range, wherein an upper one of the two end point corresponds to an upper extreme of the value range, wherein positions between the lower point and the upper point represent values within the value range, wherein said slide track comprises at least one notch, wherein said notch is visually represented within the slide control as a deviation from a straight line segment having the two end points, wherein said notch corresponds to a value within the value range, wherein the slide point causes the slider to become fixed at the slide point whenever a pointing device controlling the slider is moved in a direction of the deviation.

2. The GUI slide control of claim 1, further comprising:

an interactive GUI element configured to accept user input, where said user input is able to effect a change in at least one of a placement and existence of at least one notch along the slide track.

3. The GUI slide control of claim 2, wherein the interactive GUI element is configured to permit a user to add a notch to the slide track that corresponds to a user designated value within the value range.

4. The GUI slide control of claim 1, wherein the interactive GUI element is configured to permit a user to remove a user selected notch from the slide track.

5. The GUI slide control of claim 1, further comprising:

a value indicator configured to visually present a current value based upon the slider position, wherein the value presented within the value indicator is configured to dynamically adjust as the slider is moved.

6. The GUI slide control of claim 1, further comprising:

a visual value indicator proximate to each notch, wherein said visual value indicator visually shows a value associated with said notch.

7. The GUI slide control of claim 1, wherein said notch impedes a straight motion in a direction of the line segment of the slider along the slide track.

8. The GUI slide control of claim 1, wherein said at least one notch comprises a plurality of notches, wherein at least two of said plurality of notches are positioned on opposing sides of the line segment.

9. The GUI slide control of claim 1, wherein said track comprises two continuous lines that are approximately parallel to each other that form a groove along which the slider moves, wherein said approximately parallel positioning of the two continuous lines selectively deviates from each other at positions corresponding to the notch.

10. The GUI slide control of claim 1, wherein said slide track is configured to permit movement of the slider responsive to approximately straight line movement of a pointing device along a reference direction from one of the two end points to the other that is unaffected by the notch, wherein motions of the slider, wherein said slide track is configured to impede motion of the slider responsive to approximately straight line movement of the pointing device that deviates from the reference direction, where the impeding of motion corresponds to a position of the slider at the notch.

11. A method for preventing value overshooting for a slider control comprising:

visually presenting a notched slider control within a user interface, wherein said notched slider control comprises a slide track having at least one visible notch and a slider configured to move along the slide track based upon directional input from a pointing device, wherein said slide track comprises two end points, each endpoint representing an extreme of a value range;

receiving directional input from the pointing device; and

impeding movement of the slider responsive to the received directional input at the visible notch to facilitate a selection of the value along the value range that corresponds to the notch.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the notch is visually presented as a deviation from a straight line connecting the two endpoints of the slide track, wherein directional input corresponding to a straight line motion in a direction corresponding to the slide track endpoints is configured to halt the slider at the notch.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

visually presenting an indicator of the value corresponding to the notch within the user interface to apprise a user of a value achieved when the slider is positioned at the notch.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said at least one notch comprises a plurality of notches, wherein at least two of said plurality of notches are positioned on opposing sides of the slide track.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing an interactive GUI element configured to accept user input, where said user input is able to effect a change in at least one of a placement and existence of at least one notch along the slide track.

16. A computer program product for preventing value overshooting for a slider control:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code configured to visually present a notched slider control within a user interface, wherein said notched slider control comprises a slide track having at least one visible notch and a slider configured to move along the slide track based upon directional input from a pointing device, wherein said slide track comprises two end points, each endpoint representing an extreme of a value range;

computer usable program code configured to receive directional input from the pointing device; and

computer usable program code configured to impede movement of the slider responsive to the received directional input at the visible notch to facilitate a selection of the value along the value range that corresponds to the notch.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the notch is visually presented as a deviation from a straight line connecting the two endpoints of the slide track, wherein directional input corresponding to a straight line motion in a direction corresponding to the slide track endpoints is configured to halt the slider at the notch.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to visually present an indicator of the value corresponding to the notch within the user interface to apprise a user of a value achieved when the slider is positioned at the notch.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein said at least one notch comprises a plurality of notches, wherein at least two of said plurality of notches are positioned on opposing sides of the slide track.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to provide an interactive GUI element configured to accept user input, where said user input is able to effect a change in at least one of a placement and existence of at least one notch along the slide track.