Voice controlled cursor movement

• US 5,818,423 A
• Filed: 08/18/1997
• Issued: 10/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dragon Systems, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Pugliese, Patri J., Gould, Joel M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US08/912,751
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/159, 345/145, 704/200, 704/246, 704/251, 704/275
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L

Abstract

An element (e.g., a location pointer in a windowed graphical user interface) shown on a computer display is moved toward a target position. A user'"'"'s input is recognized which identifies a subregion of the display in which the target position is located. The element is moved discontinuously to a location within the identified subregion. Then a next user'"'"'s input is recognized which identifies a sub-subregion of the subregion of the display in which the target position is located. The element is moved discontinuously to a location within the identified sub-subregion. In another aspect, an element is dragged between two locations on a computer display. User commands are accepted which indicate the two locations. Then the element is dragged between them. The user commands identify a sequence of discontinuous jumps for moving the element to the indicated location.

Claims

1. A method of moving an element shown on a computer display toward a target position, comprising

a. displaying a first visual element that defines subregions of the display,

b. recognizing a user'"'"'s input identifying a subregion of the display in which the target position is located,

c. moving the element discontinuously to a location within the identified subregion without changing a position on the display at which the identified subregion is displayed, and displaying a second visual element that defines sub-subregions of the identified subregion,

d. recognizing a next user'"'"'s input identifying a sub-subregion of the subregion of the display in which the target position is located, and

e. moving the element discontinuously to a location within the identified sub-subregion without changing a position on the display at which the identified sub-subregion is displayed.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the subregion is one of a grid of possible subregions which can be identified by the user.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the grid comprises rows and columns of subregions.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein there are three rows and three columns of subregions in the grid.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the first visual element comprises the grid.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the grid is overlaid on other displayed features.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the grid is formed of windows.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein the grid spans the entire display.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the grid spans a user selected portion of the display.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the selected portion comprises a window.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the subregion is rectangular.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the sub-subregion is one of a subgrid of possible sub-subregions which can be identified by the user.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the sub-subregion is rectangular.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the subgrid comprises rows and columns of subregions.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein there are three rows and three columns of sub-subregions in the subgrid.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the second visual element comprises the subgrid.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the first visual element is not displayed when the subgrid is being displayed.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising iterating steps d and e until the user indicates that the method should be ended.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein each subregion is associated with an index.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the index of each subregion is displayed.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein each sub-subregion is associated with an index.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the index of each sub-subregion is displayed.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the user'"'"'s input is entered by voice commands.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the subregions are marked with arbitrary labels and the user designates a subregion by saying one of the labels.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the labels comprises letters of the alphabet.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the labels are ABC/DEF/GHI or.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein the voice commands include numbers used to indicate the subregion and the sub-subregion.

28. The method of claim 1 further comprising

recognizing a user'"'"'s input specifying a distance for moving the element, and

moving the element the specified distance.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein the element comprises a location pointer in a windowed graphical user interface.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein the element is moved to the center of the identified subregion.

31. The method of claim 1 further comprising

after step e, recognizing a user'"'"'s input indicating that the previous step should be undone, and

in response, returning to step a.

32. The method of claim 1 further comprising

using steps a through e to mark a location from which or to which dragging is to occur, and

causing dragging from or to the marked location.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the first visual element comprises a grid that divides the display into subregions.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the second visual element comprises a grid that divides the identified subregion into sub-subregions.

35. A method of moving an element shown on a computer display toward a target position, comprising

recognizing a user'"'"'s voiced input identifying an index of a rectangular subregion of the display in which the target position is located, the subregion being one of a grid of nine possible subregions which are displayed to and may be identified by the user,

b. moving the element discontinuously to a location within the identified subregion without changing a position on the display at which the identified subregion is displayed, and displaying a subgrid that defines nine rectangular sub-subregions of the identified subregion,

c. recognizing a next user'"'"'s voiced input identifying an index of a rectangular sub-subregion of the subregion of the display in which the target position is located, the sub-subregion being from the subgrid of nine possible sub-subregions which are displayed to and can be identified by a user,

d. moving the element discontinuously to a location within the identified sub-subregion without changing a position on the display at which the identified sub-subregion is displayed.

36. Apparatus for moving an element shown on a computer display toward a target position, comprising

a recognition device which recognizes a user'"'"'s input identifying a subregion of the display in which the target position is located and a next user'"'"'s input identifying a sub-subregion of the subregion of the display in which the target position is located,

a display controller which moves the element discontinuously to a location within the identified subregion without changing a position on the display at which the identified subregion is displayed, displays a visual element that defines sub-subregions of the subregion, and moves the element discontinuously to a location within the identified sub-subregion without changing a position on the display at which the identified sub-subregion is displayed.