Method and system for facilitating the selection of icons

• US 5,852,440 A
• Filed: 09/18/1996
• Issued: 12/22/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McLean, James Gordon, Pickover, Clifford A., Winarski, Daniel James, Schwartz, Michael Stephen, Grossman, Bertrand M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Application Number:
  US08/718,155
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 395/348, 395/349, 395/352, 395/353, 395/356, 345/326, 345/334, 345/339, 345/348, 345/349, 345/350, 345/351, 345/352, 345/353, 345/354
• US Class Current: 715/811
• 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: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/977 Dynamic icon, e.g. animated or live action

Abstract

A method and system for facilitating the selection of icons. Those icons which are next likely to be used are selected and automatically moved towards a cursor thereby facilitating selection of the icons. Additionally, those icons likely to be used or other icons selected by a user may track the cursor such that those icons are always close to the cursor and capable of being easily selected. Further, in order to facilitate selection of icons, icons are provided with the capability of announcing themselves when a cursor comes close to the icon. In addition, it is possible to reduce the amount of clutter on a computer display so that icons may be easily selected. In order to clean up a computer display, icons which are least likely to be used are faded, eliminated or shrunk to a smaller size. In another embodiment, icons that are not used very often may disappear into a master icon and further, icons which have a conceptual relationship between them may be linked by a visual graphical representation.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning up a computer display having a plurality of icons, said method comprising the steps of:

associating a predefined amount of time to one or more of said plurality of icons;

automatically determining for one or more of said plurality of icons the likeliness that said one or more icons will be used within said predefined amount of time; and

gradually changing the appearance of said one or more icons determined not likely to be used, said gradually changing commencing within said predefined amount time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the speed at which said gradual changing takes place is capable of being varied.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising closing a particular icon determined not likely to be used for a predefined extended amount of time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining which, if any, of said plurality of icons are not to be gradually changed.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising enhancing said appearance associated with an icon having a changed appearance when said icon is selected.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said appearance comprises a color intensity associated with each of said one or more icons.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said appearance comprises a shape associated with each of said one or more icons, said shape being altered during the gradually changing step.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said gradually changing step comprises moving said one or more icons off the edge of the computer display.

9. A system for cleaning up a computer display having a plurality of icons, said system comprising:

means for associating a predefined amount of time to one or more of said plurality of icons;

means for automatically determining for one or more of said plurality of icons the likeliness that said one or more icons will be used within said predefined amount of time; and

means for gradually changing the appearance of said one or more icons determined not likely to be used, said gradually changing commencing within said predefined amount of time.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the speed at which said gradual changing takes place is capable of being varied.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising means for closing a particular icon determined not likely to be used for a predefined extended amount of time.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising means for determining which, if any, of said plurality of icons are not to be gradually changed.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising means for enhancing said appearance associated with an icon having a changed appearance when said icon is selected.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein said appearance comprises a color intensity associated with each of said one or more icons.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein said appearance comprises a shape associated with each of said one or more icons, said shape being altered by the gradually changing means.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein said gradually changing means comprises moving said one or more icons off the edge of the computer display.