Method of communication using sized icons, text, and audio

• US 5,742,779 A
• Filed: 04/03/1996
• Issued: 04/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tolfa Corporation
• Original Assignee: Tolfa Corporation
• Inventors: Leifer, Larry J., Steele, Richard D., Gonsalves, Robert F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John E.
• Application Number:
  US08/627,051
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 395/326-358, 395/139, 395/119-127, 345/117-120, 345/121, 345/131, 345/127-130, 345/146, 345/157, 434/112, 434/116, 434/118, 434/169, 434/307 R, 273/454, 341/21, 341/28
• US Class Current: 715/839
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/978 Audio interaction as part of an operator interface

Abstract

Language oriented information is communicated to and from a user by the use of a computer with a dynamic graphics display, having a pointing device for visually indicating a position through a cursor on the display. Various embodiments of the method include calling an icon to attention when the cursor is positioned on the icon, auto projecting an icon when it is activated, changing the icon image to denote its terminal node status, varying the play back speed of the audio/visual aspect of an icon, moving among different layers of a hierarchical database, and text searching and matching with icons.

Claims

1. A method of communicating to a user of a computer with a display means and a pointing device for visually indicating a position, through a cursor means, on the display means, said method comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of icons, each icon being actively manipulatable by the user;

displaying the plurality of icons on the display means;

moving the cursor means on the display means by the user through the pointing device to a desired one of said plurality of icons, said desired one icon, having a first size, and a first spatial orientation of an image, is displayed at a desired location on said display means;

actively manipulating said desired one icon;

displaying a first representation of said desired one icon in place of said desired one icon, said first representation of said desired one icon having a second size larger than said first size of said desired icon, and having said first spatial orientation of said image, and then

resuming the display of the plurality of icons, excluding said desired one icon, with a second representation of said desired one icon, having a third size which is smaller than said second size and larger than said first size, replacing said first representation of said desired one icon, on the display means.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a first representatoin of said desired one icon is displayed in a rectangle.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the plurality of images are displayed at said desired location.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said first representation of said desired one icon is displayed in a rectangle.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said resuming step displays the plurality of icons after a period of pre-determined delay.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said resuming step displays the plurality of icons immediately after the user activates the pointing device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the additional step of:

displaying said second representation of said desired one icon after said active manipulation step.

8. A method of communicating language oriented information to and from a user, by a computer with a display having a pointing device for visually indicating a position, through a cursor means, on the display, said method comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of icons by the computer, each of said plurality of icons is a graphical representation of different language information;

displaying said plurality of icons generated on the display;

moving the cursor means on the display by the user, through the pointing device to a desired one of said plurality of icons, said desired one icon, having a first size and a first spatial orientation of a first image, and is displayed on the display at a desired location;

actively manipulating said desired one icon by the user;

displaying a second image, representing language information of said desired one icon, in response to the selection of said desired one icon, said second image having a second size, larger than said first size of said desired one icon, and being of said first spatial orientation of said first image;

resuming the display of the plurality of icons, excluding said desired one icon, with a representation of said desired one icon having a third size, smaller than said second size and larger than said first size, displayed at the desired location, on the display; and

then

outputting said language information of said desired one icon.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said resuming step displays the plurality of icons after a period of pre-determined delay.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said resuming step displays the plurality of icons immediately after the user activates the pointing device.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said image is displayed in a rectangle.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein said outputting step comprises:

audibly outputting the language information which is represented by said desired one icon.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein said outputting step comprises:

displaying the language information which is represented by said desired one icon.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein a plurality of images are displayed.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the plurality of images are displayed in the desired location.

16. A method of communicating language oriented information to a user by a computer with a display having a pointing device for visually indicating a position, through a cursor means, on the display, said method comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of icons, each icon having at least one image, representing language information of said icon, associated therewith, said one image being larger in size than each of its associated icon;

generating a plurality of text words each word associated with one icon;

displaying the plurality of icons and words; and

displaying an activatable control icon having a selectable range between two ends, wherein at one end, activation of said control icon causes a display of all the images associated with each icon and an audio output of each of the text words associated with each icon, and at other end, activation of said control icon causes an audio output of each of the text words associated with each icon, with a display of each of the images associated with each icon being truncated.

17. A method of communicating to a user of a computer with a display means and a pointing device for visually indicating a position, through a cursor means, on the display means, said method comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of icons, each icon being actively manipulatable by the user;

displaying the plurality of icons on the display means;

moving the cursor means on the display means by the user through the pointing device to a desired one of said plurality of icons, said desired one icon, having a first size and a frame with a first thickness, is displayed at a desired location on said display means;

actively manipulating said desired one icon;

displaying a first representation of said desired one icon in place of said desired one icon, said first representation of said desired one icon having a second size larger than said first size of said desired icon, and then

resuming the display of the plurality of icons, excluding said desired one icon, with a second representation of said desired one icon, having a third size smaller than said second size and a frame with a second thickness thicker than said first thickness, replacing said first representation of said desired one icon, on the display means.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the additional step of:

displaying said second representation of said desired one icon after said active manipulation step.

19. A method of communicating to a user of a computer with a display means and a pointing device for visually indicating a position, through a cursor means, on the display means, said method comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of icons, each icon being actively manipulatable by the user;

displaying the plurality of icons on the display means;

moving the cursor means on the display means by the user through the pointing device to a desired one of said plurality of icons, said desired one icon, having a first size, is displayed at a desired location on said display means;

actively manipulating said desired one icon;

displaying a first representation of said desired one icon in place of said desired one icon, said first representation of said desired one icon having a second size and a frame with a first thickness, then

resuming the display of the plurality of icons, excluding said desired one icon, with a second representation of said desired one icon, having a third size smaller than said second size and a frame with a second thickness thicker than said first thickness, replacing said first representation of said desired one icon, on the display means.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the additional step of:

displaying said second representation of said desired one icon after said active manipulation step.