Method of generating an operating button for computer processing, method of retrieving data with the operating button and method of displaying the operating button

• US 5,821,926 A
• Filed: 02/29/1996
• Issued: 10/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NSK Corporation (NSK Limited)
• Original Assignee: NSK Corporation (NSK Limited)
• Inventors: Arita, Hidehiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matthew M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US08/604,946
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 395/333, 395/334, 395/349, 395/335, 395/339, 395/352, 395/353, 395/354, 395/356, 395/348, 345/349, 345/333, 345/335, 345/339, 345/352, 345/353, 345/354, 345/356, 345/348
• US Class Current: 715/744
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

The present invention is directed to automatic generation of an operating button for instructing a processing to be executed by a computer on the basis of latest data and display thereof on a display unit, and comprises setting a button class corresponding to an arbitrary field of a plurality of data composed of a plurality of fields and stored in a memory, setting a button group that groups data values classified by the button classes and stored in the memory and individual buttons that correspond to the respective data values and displaying the button group and the individual buttons as an operating button on a display unit. The present invention not only enables the user to implement selection and direction by means of an operating button readily within a short time without the need of operation-related processing software for a menu, buttons, etc. but also facilitates maintenance.

Claims

1. A method of generating operating buttons for computer processing, which comprises:

providing a plurality of data stored in memory, each of the plurality of data composed of a plurality of fields, each of the plurality of fields containing data values;

setting in a parallel arrangement a plurality of button classes, each button class corresponding to a field of the plurality of data;

setting button groups and individual buttons for each of the button classes, each button group grouping the data values contained in the field corresponding to said each button class, each individual button corresponding to one of the data values, and

displaying on a display unit operating buttons composed of a combination of the button classes, the button groups and the individual buttons, wherein;

said operating buttons are arranged in parallel lines;

the number of parallel lines of operating buttons correspond to the number of button classes;

when there is no correlation between at least two of the button classes, setting the button groups and the individual buttons for each of the button classes includes setting each button group according to its button class; and

when there is correlation between at least two of the button classes, setting the button groups and the individual buttons for each of the button classes includes forming a hierarchical correlation between the at least two button classes, whereby the selection of a button in one of the at least two button classes selects in another of the at least two button classes as a function of the hierarchical correlation therebetween one of an individual button and a button group.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

each field is one of a character field and a numeric field on the basis of the data values contained therein;

the character fields are automatically identified as categorical fields; and

the button classes corresponding to the character fields are automatically set.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

each individual button is set on the basis of the data value corresponding thereto; and

the data values contained in each of the fields corresponding to the button classes displayed in the parallel arrangement are automatically set as designations of the individual buttons.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

displaying the individual buttons of a button class other than the button class to which an individual button selected with the use of an input unit belongs, wherein;

the displayed individual buttons of the button class correlate with the data values within a field of the data;

data corresponding to the data values in the field of data corresponding to the selected individual buttons are retrieved; and

the individual buttons of other button classes corresponding to other fields of the retrieved data and the data values thereof are retrieved and displayed.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

hierarchization is conducted among the plurality of button classes displayed in parallel; and

individual buttons of the other button class are extracted according to the hierarchical sequence and displayed.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

a new individual button is included in one of the button classes;

the new individual button summarizes a selection of a plurality of individual buttons out of the individual buttons belonging to one of the button classes; and

selecting the new individual button causes the state of selection of the individual buttons summarized by the new individual button to be automatically emulated.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of individual buttons of the individual buttons belonging to a common button class are summarized into a new individual button on the basis of at least one of (i) the frequency of individual button selection conducted with the use of an input unit;

(ii) the data values corresponding to the individual buttons; and

(iii) user selection; and

the individual buttons summarized by the new individual button are omitted from the display.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

selecting an individual button from each button class displayed on the display unit;

forming a button selection pattern corresponding to the selected individual buttons;

storing the button selection pattern in a link table in the memory;

identifying appropriate data on the basis of the button selection patterns in the link table and the position of display of one of a plurality of individual buttons selected by means of an input unit among the individual buttons of each of the button classes displayed on the display unit; and

fetching the appropriate data stored in the memory.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

storing in a button manipulation history table set in the memory an operation history of a series of states of previously conducted individual button selection occurring in at least two button classes; and

in response to selecting an individual button of at least one button class, an individual button of another button class is displayed in its previously selected state on the basis of the operation history stored in the button manipulation history table and the state of selection of the selected individual button.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

a displayed sequence of individual buttons belonging to each of the plurality of button classes displayed in parallel is varied on the basis of at least one of;

the frequency of individual button selections conducted with the use of an input unit;

data values corresponding to the individual buttons; and

user selection.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

displayed sizes of individual buttons belonging to each of the plurality of button classes displayed in parallel are varied on the basis of one of (i) the frequency of individual button selections conducted with the use of an input unit, and (ii) data values corresponding to the individual buttons.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of displayed position and displayed size of individual buttons in different button classes is varied on the basis of one of (i) the cumulative frequency of all individual button selections within each button class, and (ii) user selection.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

multimedia information corresponding to individual buttons belonging to at least one button class is stored in a memory;

the individual buttons are correlated with the multimedia information corresponding thereto by an individual button multimedia information button table by button groups set in the memory;

display specifications regarding the type of multimedia information at display on the individual buttons and the action at button selection are defined in the individual button multimedia information button table by button groups; and

when the individual buttons are at least one of (i) displayed on the display unit, and (ii) selected with the use of an input unit, the multimedia information corresponding to the selected individual buttons is displayed on the top of the individual buttons in accordance with the defined display specifications.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

a button class multimedia information button table is set in the memory; and

a common specification regarding multimedia information of the individual buttons is defined in the button class multimedia information button table for every button class.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

values of numeric fields of data are stored in the memory;

each stored numeric field value is summarized by an individual button belonging to a button class;

the summarized numeric field values are self-diagnosed by means of a data monitoring reference table including a conditional expression providing a monitoring reference; and

on the display unit, a display specification of at least one of the individual buttons is changed from that of the other individual buttons as a function of the summarized numeric field value for the at least one of the individual buttons satisfying the conditional expression.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

a value of at least one numeric field of data stored in the memory is summarized by an individual button belonging to a button class;

the summarized numeric field value is self-diagnosed by means of a data monitoring reference table including a conditional expression providing a monitoring reference; and

on the display unit, a display specification of the individual button is changed from that of other individual buttons displayed on the display unit as a function of the summarized numeric field value of the individual button satisfying the conditional expression.