Method and system for scrolling through data

• US 5,838,320 A
• Filed: 05/02/1997
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Matthews, Joseph Howard III, Gallant, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayrel, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US08/848,856
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 345/341, 345/346, 345/340, 345/326, 345/327, 345/328, 345/329, 345/336, 345/339, 345/342, 345/343, 345/344, 345/347, 345/348, 345/352, 345/356, 345/357
• US Class Current: 715/786
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/213 Read-only discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

An improved method and system for scrolling through data are provided. An image viewer is used in conjunction with a scroll bar to allow a user to preview which image will be displayed next on a display device. The scroll bar includes a scroll box which may occupy any of several positions within the scroll bar. When a user grabs the scroll box using a mouse, or other pointer-positioning device, the image viewer displays an image corresponding to the position of the scroll box within the scroll bar. As the user drags the scroll box to different positions within the scroll bar, different images are displayed within the image viewer. When the user drops the scroll box, the final image displayed in the image viewer is displayed on the display device.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for controlling the display of a sequence of images on an image area of a display device, the method comprising:

simultaneously with displaying the sequence of images on the image area, displaying a scroll bar with a scroll box on the display device, the relative position of the scroll box within the scroll bar corresponding to the relative position of the currently displayed image within the sequence of images;

in response to a user dragging the scroll box, suspending the display of the sequence of images on the image area of the display device and sequentially displaying reduced-sized images having a relative position within the sequence of images corresponding to the position of the scroll box within the scroll bar; and

when the user stops dragging the scroll box, resuming display of the sequence of images on the image area of the display device starting with the image having a relative position within the sequence of images corresponding to the position of the scroll box within the scroll bar.

2. A method in a computer system for selecting one of a plurality of images to be displayed within an image area of a display device, the method comprising:

displaying a scroll bar with a scroll box on the display device;

in response to a user dragging the scroll box, sequentially displaying a subset of the plurality of images within an image viewer on the display device, wherein the image viewer shows a representation of the same images that are able to be displayed in the image area; and

when the user stops dragging the scroll box, displaying within the image area of the display device the image currently being displayed within the image viewer, wherein the image area is separate from the image viewer,

whereby the user can view a plurality of images that are displayed within the image viewer for previewing images before being displayed in the image area.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of displaying an image viewer includes displaying the image viewer in such a way that the image viewer does not substantially block the display of an image on the image device.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the scroll bar further includes a previous button and wherein the step of displaying an image viewer includes displaying the image viewer in response to user activation of the previous button.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the scroll bar further includes a next button and wherein the step of displaying an image viewer includes displaying the image viewer in response to user activation of the next button.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the computer system has a user-controllable pointer positioning device with signal generating means, the user-controllable pointer positioning device controlling the position of a pointer displayed on the display device, and wherein the step of displaying an image viewer includes displaying the image viewer within the portion of the display area in response to actuation of the signal generating means while the pointer is positioned over the scroll bar.

7. A computer system for displaying to a user a sequence of images on a display device, the system displaying the sequence of images such that the user may skip forward or backward over a number of images from the currently displayed image in order to resume display of the sequence of images at a different image within the sequence of images, the computer system comprising:

a scroll bar for manipulating the display of the sequence of images on the display device, the scroll bar including a scroll box, the scroll box initially occupying a first position within the scroll bar corresponding to the first image of the sequence of images, each successive position within the scroll bar corresponding to each successive image of the sequence of images, the display device displaying the image of the sequence of images corresponding to the position of the scroll box within the scroll bar when the scroll box is not selected by the user; and

an image viewer that displays a reduced-scale image from the sequence of images, the image viewer displayed over a portion of an image displayed on the display device, the reduced-scale image displayed by the image viewer corresponding to the image of the sequence of images indicated by the position of the scroll box within the scroll bar, the image viewer displaying successive images in a forward or backward direction through the sequence of images after a user first selects the scroll box within the scroll bar and then moves the scroll box.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the image viewer is displayed when the user starts dragging the scroll box.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the image viewer is removed from display device when the user stops dragging the scroll box.

10. The computer system according to claim 7 wherein the image viewer is positioned in such a way that the image viewer does not substantially block the display of the image displayed by the display device.

11. The computer system according to claim 7 wherein the scroll bar further includes a previous button and wherein the image viewer is displayed in response to user activation of the previous button.

12. The computer system according to claim 7 wherein the scroll bar further includes a next button and wherein the image viewer is displayed in response to user activation of the next button.

13. The computer system according to claim 7 wherein the user may cease display of the image viewer.

14. The computer system according to claim 7 wherein the scroll bar is displayed on the display device.

15. The computer system according to claim 7 further comprising a user-controllable pointer positioning device with signal generating means for controlling the position of a pointer displayed on the display device, and wherein the image viewer is displayed within the portion of the display area in response to actuation of the signal generating means while the pointer is positioned over the scroll box.

16. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for causing a computer system to select one of a plurality of images to be displayed within an image area of a display device, the method comprising:

in response to a user indicating to scroll, sequentially displaying a subset of the plurality of images within an image viewer on the display device, wherein the image viewer shows a representation of the same images that are able to be displayed in the image area; and

when the user stops indicating to scroll, displaying within the image area of the display device the image currently being displayed within the image viewer, wherein the image area is separate from the image viewer,

whereby the user can view a plurality of images that are displayed within the image viewer for previewing images before being displayed in the image area.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the image viewer is displayed when the user starts indicating to scroll.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the image viewer is removed from display device when the user stops indicating to scroll.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the image viewer overlays a portion of the image area.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein each image that is displayed in the image viewer overlays the image that was previously displayed in the image viewer.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein each image that is displayed in the image area overlays the image that was previously displayed in the image area.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the step of displaying an image viewer includes displaying the image viewer in such a way that the image viewer does not substantially block the display of an image on the image device.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the step of displaying an image viewer includes displaying the image viewer in response to user activation of a previous button.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the step of displaying an image viewer includes displaying the image viewer in response to user activation of a next button.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the computer system has a user-controllable pointer positioning device with signal generating means, the user-controllable pointer positioning device controlling the position of a pointer displayed on the display device, and wherein the step of displaying an image viewer includes displaying the image viewer within the portion of the display area in response to actuation of the signal generating means while the pointer is positioned over a scroll box.