Visually aging scroll bar

• US 5,532,715 A
• Filed: 10/09/1992
• Issued: 07/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, Cary L., Kiel, Harvey G., Ryan, Jeffrey M., Blades, Jerry A., Romon, Raymond F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weldon, Ulysses
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Application Number:
  US07/959,315
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 340/703, 340/724, 340/726, 340/753, 395/131, 395/155, 395/137, 395/155, 395/157, 395/161, 345/157, 345/160-167, 345/121, 345/123, 382/240, 382/242
• US Class Current: 345/684
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

A visually aging scroll bar is associated with a window or viewport on a computer display as part of a computer system, and contains a slider to indicate relative positioning in the window of a document, such as a data file, image file, audio file, text file, or spreadsheet. The current position of the scroll bar slider is monitored by the computer system. After a first predetermined sampling period has elapsed, a first region matching the current position of the scroll bar slider is created. The visual appearance of the region is determined by a predetermined region heating rate. For example, a newly created region starts at "cold", which can be indicated by a violet-indigo color. After a second sampling period has elapsed, the computer system again checks the current position of the scroll bar slider. If the current position still matches the first region, the visual appearance of the first region symbolically "warms up" as indicated by the region heating rate. This incrementally changing visual appearance (for example, from violet to indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and finally a deep red) continues for as long as the current slider position matches the first region, up until a maximum region symbolic "temperature" is reached.

Claims

1. A computer system having a display and a scroll bar, comprising:

means for determining that a slider is located at a first position, said slider being located within said scroll bar;

means for retrieving a first clock time from said computer system;

means for storing said first clock time;

means for detecting that said slider has moved to a second position;

means for retrieving a second clock time from said computer system;

means for creating a first region in said scroll bar, said first region having an upper boundary and a lower boundary and including said first position; and

first means for changing the visual appearance of said first region in said scroll bar based on the length of time between said second clock time and said first clock time;

means for storing said second clock time; and

means for displaying said slider at said second location.

2. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for detecting that said slider has moved to a third position;

means for retrieving a third clock time from said computer system;

means for creating a second region in said scroll bar, said second region having an upper boundary and a lower boundary and including said second position;

second means for changing the visual appearance of said first region in said scroll bar based on the length of time between said third clock time and said second clock time;

means for changing the visual appearance of said second region in said scroll bar based on the length of time between said third clock time and said second clock time;

means for storing said third clock time; and

means for displaying said slider at said third location.

3. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for determining that said first region has exceeded a maximum symbolic temperature; and

means for controlling said means for changing the visual appearance of said first region in said scroll bar such that said maximum symbolic temperature is not exceeded.

4. The computer system of claim 2, further comprising:

means for determining that said first region has dropped below a symbolic minimum temperature; and

means for controlling said means for changing the visual appearance of said first region in said scroll bar such that the visual appearance of said first region in said scroll bar is the same as the visual appearance of said scroll bar.

5. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising:

a heating factor; and

said first means for changing the visual appearance of said first region in said scroll bar further comprising means for multiplying said heating factor by the difference of said second clock time and said first clock time.

6. The computer system of claim 5, further comprising:

a cooling factor; and

said second means for changing the visual appearance of said first region in said scroll bar further comprising means for multiplying said cooling factor by the difference of said second clock time and said first clock time.

7. A computer system having a display displaying a first window and a second window, said first window having a scroll bar, said first window being an active window, said second window being an inactive window, said computer system comprising:

means for determining that a slider is located at a first position, said slider being located within said scroll bar;

means for retrieving a first clock time from said computer system;

means for storing said first clock time;

means for detecting that said second window has been activated;

means for retrieving a second clock time from said computer system;

means for creating a first region in said scroll bar, said first region having an upper boundary and a lower boundary and including said first position;

means for changing the visual appearance of said first region in said scroll bar based on the length of time between said second clock time and said first clock time;

means for storing said second clock time; and

means for deactivating said first window.

8. The computer system of claim 7, further comprising:

means for detecting that said first window has been activated;

means for retrieving a third clock time from said computer system;

means for changing the visual appearance of said first region in said scroll bar based on the length of time between said third clock time and said second clock time;

means for storing said third clock time; and

means for deactivating said second window.

9. A method for creating a visually aging scroll bar displayed on a computer display connected to a computer system, said method comprising the machine executed steps of:

determining that a slider is located at a first position, said slider being located within said scroll bar;

retrieving a first clock time from said computer system;

storing said first clock time;

detecting that said slider has moved to a second position;

retrieving a second clock time from said computer system;

creating a first region in said scroll bar, said first region having an upper boundary and a lower boundary and including said first position;

changing the visual appearance of said first region in said scroll bar based on the length of time between said second clock time and said first clock time;

storing said second clock time; and

displaying said slider at said second location.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

detecting that said slider has moved to a third position;

retrieving a third clock time from said computer system;

creating a second region in said scroll bar, said second region having an upper boundary and a lower boundary and including said second position;

changing the visual appearance of said first region in said scroll bar based on the length of time between said third clock time and said second clock time;

changing the visual appearance of said second region in said scroll bar based on the length of time between said third clock time and said second clock time;

storing said third clock time; and

displaying said slider at said third location.

11. A computer system, said computer system comprising:

a processor;

a computer system display;

memory; and

a scroll bar mechanism that is stored in said memory for execution by said processor, said scroll bar mechanism being used to display a scroll bar on said computer system display, said scroll bar containing a slider, said scroll bar mechanism receiving events that contain information about where said slider is positioned on said scroll bar, said events being used by said scroll bar mechanism to create regions on said slider, said scroll bar mechanism causing said regions to change appearance based on a length of time between said events.

12. A program product, said program product comprising:

a recordable media; and

a scroll bar mechanism recorded on said recordable media, said scroll bar mechanism being used to display a scroll bar on said computer system display, said scroll bar containing a slider, said scroll bar mechanism receiving events that contain information about where said slider is positioned on said scroll bar, said events being used by said scroll bar mechanism to create regions on said slider, said scroll bar mechanism causing said regions to change appearance based on a length of time between said events.

13. A method for transmitting a program product from a first computer system to a second computer system, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection between said first computer system and said second computer system; and

transmitting a program product from said first computer system to said second computer system using said connection, said program product being a scroll bar mechanism, said scroll bar mechanism being used to display a scroll bar on said computer system display, said scroll bar containing a slider, said scroll bar mechanism receiving events that contain information about where said slider is positioned on said scroll bar, said events being used by said scroll bar mechanism to create regions on said slider, said scroll bar mechanism causing said regions to change appearance based on a length of time between said events.