METHOD AND SYSTEM THAT DISPLAYS A TOOLTIP

• US 20110314376A1
• Filed: 06/17/2011
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Libera Inc
• Original Assignee: Libera Inc
• Inventors: Cecchini, Albert, Dearman, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/163,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20110314376A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/711
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

When zooming in on (or magnifying) a field of a user interface (UI) it would be advantageous to be able to dynamically view a label of the field and input into an input element of the field without having to scroll a magnified or zoomed UI. By providing a tooltip adjacent to, abutting, or overlapping the input element, it is possible to view the tooltip and enter into the input element without scrolling the UI. The tooltip is activated upon the occurrence of a monitored, and the tooltip when activated displays information pertinent to other user interface elements at the location of a cursor or its equivalent. Furthermore, the size and the location of the tooltip may be controlled with respect to the other user interface elements so that the information pertinent to the other user interface elements are within view of a user at various degrees of screen magnification.

Claims

1. A method implemented by an event handler, comprising:

monitoring for at least one event occurring with respect to a cursor of a user interface;

activating a tooltip upon the monitored event occurring, where the tooltip when activated displays information pertinent to other user interface elements at a location of the cursor; and

controlling size and a location of the tooltip with respect to the other user interface elements so that the information pertinent to the other user interface elements are within view of a user at various degrees of screen magnification.

2. The method of claim 1, where the method occurs within an active application window and the information pertinent to the other user interface elements is within view without having to scroll the application window.

3. The method of claim 2, where the tooltip enters at least one of the pertinent user interface elements.

4. The method of claim 1, where the monitored event is selected from a group of events including:

key presses on a keyboard, mouse movements, mouse button presses, mouseovers, touch screen tactile interacts, voice commands, cursor alias movement, color changes, menu selections, and any combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, where the cursor is selected from a group comprising a real cursor, a cursor alias, a mouse cursor, and any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, where the pertinent user interface elements are selected from a group including text, graphics, audio, form elements, such as headers, labels, lists, and user input elements, such as a text fields, checkboxes, radio-buttons, data grids, links and buttons, and any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, where the information displayed in the tooltip is selected from a group including graphical and textual elements, such as buttons, multimedia, lists, grids, text narratives, text labels, and blurbs, and any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, where the tooltip is positioned within close proximity to at least one of the other user interface elements.

9. The method of claim 1, where the tooltip is abutting at least one of the other user interface elements.

10. The method of claim 1, where the tooltip is overlapping at least one of the other user interface elements.

11. The method of claim 1, where a tooltip controller facilitates controlling attributes of the tooltip, the attributes controlled including at least one of:

overall size of the tooltip and elements of the tooltip;

specific elements of the tooltip to hide;

specific elements of the tooltip to display;

volume of audio output and muting audio output;

colors of the tooltip;

manual positioning of the tooltip;

automated positioning of the tooltip;

default positioning of the tooltip;

speed of the tooltip positioning and appearing;

speed of the tooltip hiding;

flashing of the tooltip and elements of the tooltip;

content of the tooltip and elements of the tooltip; and

administrative rights of the tooltip.

12. The method of claim 1, where activation and deactivation of the tooltip is automatic, so that the tooltip appears and disappears based on an occurrence of a particular user event from another source selected from a group including operating system messages, application messages, hardware messages, network communications, embedded algorithm communications, and timer communications.

13. The method of claim 1, where deactivation of the tooltip results from a particular user event so that the tooltip appears indefinitely until an occurrence of the particular user event.

14. A method implemented by an event handler, comprising:

monitoring for at least one event at a first user interface element and at a second user interface element, where the first user interface element is an indicator of position having a location and where the second user interface element is at the location of the indicator of position;

activating a tooltip upon occurrence of the monitored event, where the tooltip when activated displays information associated with the second user interface element; and

controlling a size and a location of the tooltip with respect to the first and second user interface elements so at least the first and second user interface elements and the tooltip are within view of a user at various degrees of screen magnification.

15. The method of claim 14, where

the method occurs within an active application window and the first and second user interface elements and the tooltip are within view without having to scroll the application window;

and

the active application window comprises the first user interface element, which is a cursor, and the event comprises the cursor entering the second user interface element.

16. The method of claim 14, where the event is selected from a group of events including:

key presses on a keyboard, mouse movements, mouse button presses, mouseovers, touch screen tactile interacts, voice commands, cursor alias movement, color changes, menu selections, and any combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 14, where:

the first user interface element is selected from a group of position indicators including a real cursor, a cursor alias, a mouse cursor, and any combination thereof; and

the second user interface element is selected from a group including text, graphics, audio, form elements, such as headers, labels, lists, and user input elements, such as a text fields, checkboxes, radio-buttons, data grids, links and buttons, and any combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 14, where the location of the tooltip is selected from a group including being within close proximity to the second user interface element, abutting the second user interface element, and overlapping the second user interface element.

19. A user interface display system including:

a processor; and

a memory that stores instructions for execution by said processor, said instructions implementing an event handler, said event handler comprising;

means for monitoring for at least one event occurring with respect to a cursor of a user interface;

means for activating a tooltip upon the monitored event occurring, where the tooltip when activated displays information pertinent to other user interface elements at the location of the cursor; and

means for controlling the size and the location of the tooltip with respect to the other user interface elements so that the information pertinent to the other user interface elements are within view of a user at various degrees of screen magnification.

20. A computer readable storage medium that stores computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to implement a method comprising the steps of:

monitoring for at least one event occurring with respect to a cursor of a user interface;

activating a tooltip upon the monitored event occurring, where the tooltip when activated displays information pertinent to other user interface elements at the location of the cursor; and

controlling the size and the location of the tooltip with respect to the other user interface elements so that the information pertinent to the other user interface elements are within view of a user at various degrees of screen magnification.