Display apparatus for tossing windows

• US 5,793,370 A
• Filed: 04/07/1997
• Issued: 08/11/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, Cary Lee, Ryan, Jeffrey Michael, Burris, Edwin Ernest
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John E.
• Application Number:
  US08/834,972
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326-358
• US Class Current: 715/799
• 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

Abstract

A display apparatus and method that provides a windowing interface that gives the user the capability to toss a window on a display screen by selecting a window by engaging the pointing device, moving the window by moving the pointing device and tossing the window by disengaging the pointing device, whereby the window continues to move after the user has disengaged the pointing device. A portion of the window is optionally kept on the screen so that the window is not tossed completely off of the screen.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture for moving a window on a screen using a pointing device, comprising:

storage;

displaying means, recorded on the storage, for displaying a window on the screen;

moving means, recorded on the storage, for moving the window in response to a user engaging and moving the pointing device; and

tossing means, recorded on the storage, for continuing to move the window after the user has disengaged the pointing device.

2. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the tossing means moves the window by erasing and redisplaying the window at a plurality of locations on the screen.

3. The article of manufacture of claim 2, wherein the tossing means further comprises friction means for slowing movement rate of the window until the window has stopped moving.

4. The article of manufacture of claim 2, wherein the tossing means further comprises stopping means for stopping movement of the window when the window reaches a predetermined percent remaining on the screen.

5. The article of manufacture of claim 4, wherein the predetermined percent is determined by the user.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the moving means further comprises means for generating a stream of move events corresponding to positions of the window as the window is moved by the user via the pointing device.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 3 wherein the screen has a horizontal and a vertical axis and the friction means further comprises both a horizontal and vertical component corresponding to the horizontal and the vertical axis.