Icon relocation system and method thereof

• US 5,673,405 A
• Filed: 02/23/1996
• Issued: 09/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Seimitsu Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Seimitsu Company Limited
• Inventors: Tange, Kouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, RUAY L
• Application Number:
  US08/606,445
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 395/326, 395/348, 395/349, 395/350, 395/351, 395/352, 395/353, 395/354, 395/355, 395/356, 395/357
• US Class Current: 715/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34

Abstract

An icon relocation system and a method relocating method applied to a three-dimensional coordinates measuring machine having measurement programs for performing various measurements and measuring based on a specified measurement program. The icon menu table indicating the various measurements is divided into groups from a first group to last group and is read out from an external storage medium. The respective icons of the selected icon menu are displayed on a display in a row by selecting one group from the read-out icon menu table, and further, the measurement program is selected by selecting an icon from among an icon group displayed on the display. The utilization frequency of each icon is counted based on the icon selection, and the icon menu table is edited so as to locate an icon with a high utilization frequency in a high group. And, the edited icon menu table is memorized in the storage media.

Claims

1. An icon relocation system applied to a three-dimensional coordinates measuring machine having measurement programs for performing various measurements and measuring based on a specified measurement program, comprising:

an external storage medium for memorizing an icon menu table divided into a first group of icons, second group of icons . . . last group of icons;

a read-out means for reading out the icon menu table from said storage medium;

a group selection means for selecting an icon menu in one of the groups from the first group to the last group of the icon menu table;

a display means for displaying respective icons of the selected icon menu based on the icon menu in the selected group;

a icon selection means for selecting an icon from a group of the icons displayed on said display means so as to select a measurement program;

counters for counting respective icon utilization frequency, in which a counter corresponding to a selected icon is counted up whenever the icon is selected by said icon selection means;

an editing means for editing said icon menu table so as to relocate icons from group to group on the basis of icon utilization with icons with high utilization frequency being located in a high group and icons of lower utilization frequency being located in a lower icon group based on respective counter values of said counters; and

,

an entry means for memorizing the edited icon menu table into said storage medium.

2. The icon relocation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein, said display means displays the icon menu of the first group in said icon menu table in a row when said three-dimensional coordinates measuring machine is started, and further displays the icon menus of the groups in an arrangement going from a higher group to a successive lower group whenever said group selection means is operated.

3. The icon relocation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein,

a counter corresponding to an icon which has not been used is counted down and said editing means uses a value from which a predetermined value is subtracted as a counter value of said counter.

4. The icon relocation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein,

said editing means edits at an end of all measurements in said three-dimensional coordinates measuring machine.

5. The icon relocation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein,

said editing means edits after a predetermined measurement time in said three-dimensional coordinates measuring machine.

6. The icon relocation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein, said editing means edits whenever a total of the utilization frequency of the icons reaches a predetermined value.

7. An icon relocation method applied to a three-dimensional coordinates measuring machine having measurement programs for performing various measurements and measuring based on a specified measurement program, comprising:

reading out an icon menu table indicating said various measurements and divided into a first group to a last group from an external storage medium;

displaying respective icons of selected icon menu on a display means by selecting one group from the icon menu table which is read out;

selecting a measurement program by selecting an icon among from a group of the icons displayed on said display means;

counting up a counter corresponding to a selected icon whenever the icon is selected;

editing said icon menu table so as to relocate icons from group to group on the basis of icon utilization with icons with high utilization frequency being located in a high group and with icons with lower utilization being located in a lower group based on respective counter values of said counters;

memorizing said icon menu table which has been edited in said storage medium.

8. The icon relocation method as set forth in claim 7, wherein, said editing is performed at an end of all measurements in said three-dimensional coordinates measuring machine.

9. The icon relocation method as set forth in claim 7, wherein,

said editing is performed after a predetermined measurement time in said three-dimensional coordinates measuring machine.

10. The icon relocation method as set forth in claim 7, wherein, said editing is performed whenever a total of the utilization frequency of the icons reaches a predetermined value.