Resolution compensating scroll bar valuator

• US 5,418,549 A
• Filed: 06/14/1993
• Issued: 05/23/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Info Enterprises, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wodarz, Dennis, Anderson, Howard C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery A.
• Application Number:
  US08/075,980
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 345/121, 345/123-125, 345/145, 345/146, 395/155, 395/156
• US Class Current: 715/786
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/973 Scroll tool, e.g. window scroll bar
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/974 Slider control as on-screen object in operator interface

Abstract

A method is provided for using a scroll bar to select and view exact pages of a document without downloading unwanted pages of the document. Instead of displaying all the pages before a particular page is selected via scroll bar, the method does not display any of the incremental or unwanted pages before the actual selected page is selected, retrieved and displayed.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computer as part of computer program, the computer having a monitor capable of displaying one or more pages from a document stored by the computer, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a scroll bar on the monitor;

(b) obtaining user selection of a pixel position along the scroll bar representing a relative location of one of the pages within the document;

(c) determining whether a number of pages in the document is greater than a number of selectable pixel positions along the scroll bar;

(d) displaying a page corresponding to the user selection when it is not determined in step (c) that the number of pages in the document is greater than the number of selectable pixel positions along the scroll bar;

(e) performing, when it is determined in step (c) that the number of pages in the document is greater than the number of selectable pixel positions along the scroll bar, the steps of

(e1) activating a page display button,

(e2) displaying a page number of the page corresponding to the user selection,

(e3) obtaining additional user input to adjust the user selection until the desired page number is displayed, and

(e4) displaying the desired page only upon user selection of the page display button.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein

step (a) comprises displaying the scroll bar with a slider button moveable therealong and with a page decrementing button at one end and a page incrementing button at the other end, and

step (e3) comprises obtaining user selection of the page decrementing button to decrement the page number or the page incrementing button to increment the page number until the desired page number is displayed.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises displaying the page number of the selected page continually while obtaining the user selection of the pixel position along the scroll bar.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein step (b) comprises displaying the page number obtained as the result of dividing the number of pages by the number of pixels and rounding to the nearest integer.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein step (b) comprises displaying a total number of pages in the document alongside the page number of the selected page.

6. A method performed by a computer as part of computer program, the computer being connected to a database and having a monitor capable of displaying one or more pages from a document stored by the database, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a scroll bar on the monitor;

(b) obtaining user selection of a pixel position along the scroll bar representing a relative location of one of the pages within the document;

(c) determining whether a number of pages in the document is greater than a number of selectable pixel positions along the scroll bar;

(d) retrieving from the database and displaying a page corresponding to the user selection when it is not determined in step (c) that the number of pages in the document is greater than the number of selectable pixel positions along the scroll bar;

(e) performing, when it is determined in step (c) that the number of pages in the document is greater than the number of selectable pixel positions along the scroll bar, the steps of

(e1) activating a page display button,

(e2) displaying a page number of the page corresponding to the user selection,

(e3) obtaining additional user input to adjust the user selection until the desired page number is displayed, and

(e4) retrieving from the database and displaying the desired page only upon user selection of the page display button.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein

step (a) comprises displaying the scroll bar with a slider button moveable therealong and with a page decrementing button at one end and a page incrementing button at the other end, and

step (e3) comprises obtaining user selection of the page decrementing button to decrement the page number or the page incrementing button to increment the page number until the desired page number is displayed.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein step (b) comprises displaying the page number of the selected page continually while obtaining the user selection of the pixel position along the scroll bar.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein step (b) comprises displaying the page number obtained as the result of dividing the number of pages by the number of pixels and rounding to the nearest integer.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein step (b) comprises displaying a total number of pages in the document alongside the page number of the selected page.

11. A method performed by a computer as part of computer program, the computer being connected to a server over a network and having a monitor capable of displaying one or more pages from a document stored by the server, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a scroll bar on the monitor;

(b) obtaining user selection of a pixel position along the scroll bar representing a relative location of one of the pages within the document;

(c) determining whether a number of pages in the document is greater than a number of selectable pixel positions along the scroll bar;

(d) retrieving from the server over the network and displaying a page corresponding to the user selection when it is not determined in step (c) that the number of pages in the document is greater than the number of selectable pixel positions along the scroll bar;

(e) performing, when it is determined in step (c) that the number of pages in the document is greater than the number of selectable pixel positions along the scroll bar, the steps of

(e1) activating a page display button,

(e2) displaying a page number of the page corresponding to the user selection,

(e3) obtaining additional user input to adjust the user selection until the desired page number is displayed, and

(e4) retrieving from the database and displaying the desired page only upon user selection of the page display button.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein

step (a) comprises displaying the scroll bar with a slider button moveable therealong and with a page decrementing button at one end and a page incrementing button at the other end, and

step (e3) comprises obtaining user selection of the page decrementing button to decrement the page number or the page incrementing button to increment the page number until the desired page number is displayed.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein step (b) comprises displaying the page number of the selected page continually while obtaining the user selection of the pixel position along the scroll bar.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein step (b) comprises displaying the page number obtained as the result of dividing the number of pages by the number of pixels and rounding to the nearest integer.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein step (b) comprises displaying a total number of pages in the document alongside the page number of the selected page.