Attribute-enhanced scroll bar system and method

• US 5,479,600 A
• Filed: 08/01/1994
• Issued: 12/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Stovokor Technology LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation
• Inventors: McCandless, Timothy P., Hill, William C., Wroblewski, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Breene, John E.
• Application Number:
  US08/283,453
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 395/155-161, 345/117-120, 345/123-125
• US Class Current: 715/787
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154

Abstract

An attribute-enhanced scroll bar is presented. A selected portion of a stored data file, for example a document, is displayed in a window, and a scroll bar field including a scroll bar is used to indicate the position of the displayed portion relative to the entire data file. In addition, maps of significant task-specific attributes of the data file, for example particular character strings within a document, are displayed in the scroll bar field of the display along with the scroll bar. The attribute maps indicate the location of the significant attributes within the data file. In addition, the attributes are highlighted within the portion of the data file that is displayed in the window.

Claims

1. A computer display system comprising:

a central processing unit;

a memory accessed by the central processing unit;

a display screen which receives data from the central processing unit;

means for displaying a data field in a first region of said display screen;

means for displaying in said data field a portion of a data file stored in said memory;

means for displaying a scroll bar field in a second region of said display screen separate from said first region;

means for displaying in said scroll bar field a shaft representing a length of said data file;

means for displaying a car within said shaft representing a position of said portion relative to said length; and

means for displaying an attribute map within said shaft comprising indicia representing a position of each occurrence of selected information in said data file relative to said length, said attribute map being visually distinguishable from said car.

2. In a computer system including a display screen providing a data field and a scroll bar field in separate regions, a method of visually presenting an attribute-enhanced scroll bar comprising the steps of:

displaying within said data field a portion of a data file; and

displaying within said scroll bar field;

(i) a shaft representing a length of said data file;

(ii) a car within said shaft wherein a spatial relationship between said car and said shaft visually indicates a relative position of said displayed portion of said data file with respect to said length of said data file; and

(iii) an attribute map within said shaft visually distinguishable from said car wherein a spatial relationship between said attribute map and said shaft visually indicates a relative position of each occurrence of selected information in said data file with respect to said length of said data file.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said shaft is rectangularly-shaped and positioned lengthwise between a vertical edge of said display screen and a vertical edge of said data field, and said shaft represents an entire vertical length of said data file.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said shaft is rectangularly-shaped and positioned lengthwise between a horizontal edge of said display screen and a horizontal edge of said data field, and said shaft represents an entire horizontal length of said data file.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said displayed portion of said data file is less than all of said data file.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said length of said data file exceeds said displayed portion of said data file.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein said attribute map indicates authorship.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein said attribute map indicates editing.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein said attribute map indicates time of character input.

10. The method of claim 2 wherein said attribute map indicates a character string.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein any instances of said character string in said data field are simultaneously highlighted.

12. The method of claim 2 wherein said attribute map consists of a plurality separate spaced indicia aligned along a lengthwise region of said shaft, said indicia having constant width with respect to a width of said shaft.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said indicia have identical colors, sizes, shapes, and shades.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein at least two of said indicia have different shapes, sizes, colors, shades, or combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 2 wherein said car visually indicates a relative size of said displayed portion of said data file with respect to said length of said data file.

16. The method of claim 2 wherein said attribute map visually indicates a relative size of each occurence of said selected information in said data file with respect to said length of said data file.

17. The method of claim 2 wherein a user interactively selects said selected information as said displayed portion of said data file is displayed to said user.

21. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying in said scroll bar field:

(iv) a second shaft representing a second length of said data file, said shaft and said second shaft occupying separate regions in said scroll bar field;

(v) a second car within said second shaft wherein the spatial relationship between said second car and said second shaft visually indicates a relative position of said displayed portion of said data file with respect to said second length of said data file; and

(vi) a second attribute map within said second shaft visually distinguishable from said second car wherein a spatial relationship between said second attribute map and said second shaft visually indicates a position of each occurrence of second selected information in said data file with respect to said second length of said data file.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said shaft represents an entire vertical length of said data file, said second shaft represents an entire horizontal length of said data file, and said shaft and second shaft are positioned orthogonally to one another.

18. The method of 2, further comprising a second attribute map within said shaft visually distinguishable from said attribute map and said car wherein a spatial relationship between said second attribute map and said shaft visually indicates to said user a relative position of each occurrence of a second selected information in said data file with respect to said length of said data file, wherein said selected information is distinct from said second selected information, and said attribute map is displayed simultaneously with said second attribute map.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said attribute map and said second attribute map are visually distinguishable by being positioned in separate spaced lengthwise regions of said shaft.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein said attribute map and said second attribute map are visually distinguishable by having different shapes, sizes, colors, shades, or combinations thereof.