VALUE SPECIFICATION IN A RESPONSIVE INTERFACE CONTROL

• US 20130326394A1
• Filed: 05/31/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Isensee, Scott H., Lentz, James L., Proulx, Andree
• Granted Patent: US 9,201,562 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• 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 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

A method for value specification in a responsive interface control, the method including: displaying the interface control in a section of a user interface on a display device, wherein the interface control is an interactive interface element configured to set an interface value; and detecting a size of the section of the user interface; and automatically setting an interface control mode by selecting one of a plurality of predetermined interface control modes to specify an appearance of the interface control and a function of the interface control based on the size of the section of the user interface.

Claims

1. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium to store a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when executed by a processor within a computer, causes the computer to perform operations for value specification in a responsive interface control, the operations comprising;

displaying the interface control in a section of a user interface on a display device, wherein the interface control is an interactive interface element configured to set an interface value;

detecting a size of the section of the user interface; and

automatically setting an interface control mode by selecting one of a plurality of predetermined interface control modes to specify an appearance of the interface control and a function of the interface control based on the size of the section of the user interface.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the predetermined interface control modes comprise a slider mode, a spin mode, and a spin-slider mode.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein automatically setting the interface control mode further comprises setting the interface control to a spin mode in response to determining that the size of the section of the user interface is smaller than a spin threshold.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein automatically setting the interface control mode further comprises setting the interface control to a slider mode in response to determining that the size of the section of the user interface is greater than a slider threshold.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein automatically setting the interface control mode further comprises setting the interface control to a spin-slider mode in response to determining that the size of the section of the user interface is between the slider threshold and the spin threshold.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the interface control is configured to perform a slider function and a spin function to alter the interface value in the spin-slider mode.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein automatically setting the interface control mode further comprises increasing a gain for a user action on the interface control in response to a decrease in the size of the section of the user interface and decreasing the gain in response to an increase in the size of the section of the user interface.

8-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A responsive interface control system, comprising:

a display device configured to display an interface control in a section of a user interface on the display device, wherein the interface control is an interactive interface element configured to set an interface value; and

a control modification engine configured to;

detect a size of the section of the user interface; and

automatically set an interface control mode by selecting one of a plurality of predetermined interface control modes to specify an appearance of the interface control and a function of the interface control based on the size of the section of the user interface.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the predetermined interface control modes comprise a slider mode, a spin mode, and a spin-slider mode.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the control modification engine is further configured to set the interface control mode of the interface control to a spin mode in response to determining that the size of the section of the user interface is smaller than a spin threshold.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the control modification engine is further configured to setting the interface control mode of the interface control to a slider mode in response to determining that the size of the section of the user interface is greater than a slider threshold.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the control modification engine is further configured to set the interface control mode of the interface control to a spin-slider mode in response to determining that the size of the section of the user interface is between the slider threshold and the spin threshold.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the interface control is configured to perform a slider function and a spin function to alter the interface value in the spin-slider mode.