Display terminal with a cursor responsive virtual distributed menu
First Claim
1. In an interactive display terminal comprising a display screen having at least one window having lesser dimensions than said display screen and displaying subject matter different from that displayed on the remainder of the screen, the improvement wherein said display further comprisesa virtual menu comprising a plurality of items respectively distributed about the periphery of said window and not displayed in normal operations,cursor means on said screen,means for moving said cursor, andmeans responsive to the movement of said cursor across selected regions in said periphery for displaying selected menu items respectively associated with said regions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An interactive display terminal of the multiple overlapping window type is provided. Each of the windows is smaller in dimension than the overall display screen. One or more of the windows have an associated virtual distributed menu which is made up of a plurality of menu items respectively distributed about the periphery of the associated window but not displayed during normal operations. Cursor means and means for moving the cursor are also provided. The display terminal further includes apparatus which in response to the movement of the cursor across a selected region in a window periphery will effect the display of a selected menu item associated with the particular selected region. The overlapping windows are preferably rectangular in shape and the selected regions are adjacent to corners of the periphery. The menu items are distributed so as to be positioned adjacent to the respective region across which the cursor movement will result in the item display.
173 Citations
12 Claims
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1. In an interactive display terminal comprising a display screen having at least one window having lesser dimensions than said display screen and displaying subject matter different from that displayed on the remainder of the screen, the improvement wherein said display further comprises
a virtual menu comprising a plurality of items respectively distributed about the periphery of said window and not displayed in normal operations, cursor means on said screen, means for moving said cursor, and means responsive to the movement of said cursor across selected regions in said periphery for displaying selected menu items respectively associated with said regions.
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8. In an interactive display terminal comprising a display screen having formed thereon plurality of overlapping windows, each window having smaller dimensions than said screen and displaying subject matter different from that displayed on the remainder of the screen, the improvement wherein said display screen further comprises
at least one virtual menu comprising a plurality of items respectively distributed about the periphery of one of said windows and not displayed in normal operations, cursor means on said screen, means for moving said cursor, and means responsive to the movement of said cursor across selected regions in said periphery for displaying selected items respectively associated with said regions.
Specification