Screen building to facilitate later selection of portions thereof

• US 4,788,659 A
• Filed: 10/31/1984
• Issued: 11/29/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ruiz, Thomas M., Berry, Richard E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kemen, Emanuel S. H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lynt, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US06/666,846
• Time in Patent Office: 1,490 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200, 364/300, 364/900 MS File, 364/518
• US Class Current: 715/817
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects

Abstract

A method of, and system for, building a screen and retrieving related portions of the screen through single button depression. The order with which various portions are built in building a screen is used upon recall of the screen and selection of one portion for controlling selection of related portions. Consider a wheel which is built by building a hub, spokes, rim, and tire in order. Later recall of the wheel and selection of the spokes will permit selection of either the hub or rim upon single button depression.

Claims

1. In a device controlled display computer system including a device with a selection button, a method of selecting one of a plurality of closely-spaced portions of an object displayed on a display screen, said portions having an ordered relationship which corresponds to an order in which said portions were generated, said method comprising the steps of:

a. positioning a selector coincident with a one of said plurality of portions of said object;

b. causing, upon a first activation of said selection button, said one of said plurality of portions to be displayed in a more prominent manner on said screen relative to the remaining portions of said object; and

c. causing, upon a second activation of said selection button, an adjacent portion of said plurality of portions to be displayed on said screen in a more prominent manner relative to the remaining portions including said one of said portions based on said ordered relationship between said portions without moving said selector.

2. A method according to claim 1 further includes the step of activating said selection button until a desired one of said plurality of portions is displayed more prominently than the remaining portions.

3. A method according to claim 2 further includes the step of editing said desired one of said plurality of portions.

4. A method according to claim 1 further includes the steps of:

determining whether a last portion of said object based on said ordered relationship is presently being displayed more prominently than the remaining portions; and

displaying all portions of said object in said prominent manner in response to the activation of the selection button during the display of said last portion.

5. In a device controlled display computer system including a device with a selection button, a method of generating a display screen having portions of an object displayed thereon such that a selective one of said portions may subsequently be selected and displayed in a prominent manner, said method comprises the steps of:

generating in a sequential order said portions which define said object;

storing said sequential order in which said portions are generated in said system;

positioning a selector coincident with a one of said plurality of portions of said object;

causing, upon a first activation of said selection button, said one of said plurality of portions to be displayed in a more prominent manner on said screen relative to the remaining portions of said object; and

causing, upon a second activation of said selection button, an adjacent portion of said plurality of portions to be displayed on said screen in a more prominent manner relative to the remaining portions including said one of said portions based on said order between said portions without moving said selector.

6. A method according to claim 5 further includes the step of activating said selection button until a desired one of said plurality of portions is displayed more prominently than the remaining portions.

7. A method according to claim 6 further includes the step of editing said adjacent portion of said plurality of portions.

8. A method according to claim 7 further includes the steps of:

determining whether a last portion of said object based on said ordered relationship is presently being displayed more prominent than the remaining portions; and

displaying all portions of said object in said prominent manner in response to the activation of the selection button during the display of said last portion.