Information processing apparatus displaying multiple windows and distinguishing indicia

• US 5,091,866 A
• Filed: 03/02/1990
• Issued: 02/25/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Takagi, Shiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Application Number:
  US07/489,724
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 364/518, 364/521, 340/707, 340/710, 340/716, 340/721, 340/723, 382/44-48
• US Class Current: 715/803
• 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 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/08 Cursor circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A display unit displays data to be processed. The display unit is capable of displaying a plurality of windows for displaying the data therein. A controller outputs the control data to display the plurality of windows and an indicia on the display unit. An operating unit supplies the controller with a position signal to move the indicia to a desired location. An area unit checks whether the indicia is located a predetermined window area of the windows being displayed on the display unit, any data displayed in the predetermined window area being processed prior to the data displayed in any other window area. A specifying unit supplies signals to the controller, the signals specifying, in accordance with the check results made by said area check unit, a condition in which the indicia is displayed to demonstrate whether the indicia is being displayed in the predetermined window area or in the other window areas.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

means for displaying a plurality of window areas, each of which includes information to be processed and each of which has an associated one of a plurality of distinguishing indicia, wherein a window area at least partially overlapped and hidden by others of said plurality of windows defines a hidden window area;

means for determining a window area which is not a hidden window area; and

means for causing display, in the window area determined not to be hidden window area, of a distinguishing indicia associated with the window area determined not to be a hidden window area.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said distinguishing indicia has a predetermined shape.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said distinguishing indicia has a predetermined color.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said distinguishing indicia has a predetermined blinking state.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said distinguishing indicia has a predetermined cursor shape.

6. An information apparatus comprising:

means for displaying a plurality of window areas, each of which has an associated task, at least two of said plurality of window areas being displayed in an overlapping manner;

means for determining an uppermost window area and another window area of the plurality of window areas, wherein at least a portion of the other window area is covered by the uppermost window area; and

means for causing display of a distinguishing indicia in the uppermost window area and for displaying a standard indicia in the other window area.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said standard indicia has a different shape from a shape of said distinguishing indicia.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said standard indicia has a different color from a color of said distinguishing indicia.

9. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said standard indicia has a different blinking state from a blinking state of said distinguishing indicia.

10. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said standard indicia has a different cursor shape than a cursor shape of said distinguishing indicia.

11. An information processing apparatus comprising:

means for displaying a plurality of window areas and an indicia, wherein each of the window areas has an associated task and an associated distinguishing indicia, said displayed indicia being one of the distinguishing indicia, and wherein a window area not overlapped by others of said window areas defines a top window area;

means for moving the indicia displayed on said display means;

means for determining the top window area; and

means for changing said indicia to a distinguishing indicia corresponding to the top window area when said moving means moves the indicia into the top window area.