Position control apparatus for displaying a window's effective image area

• US 5,903,268 A
• Filed: 02/06/1992
• Issued: 05/11/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirayama, Tomoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): FETTING, ANTON W
• Application Number:
  US07/831,953
• Time in Patent Office: 2,651 Days
• Field of Search: 395/157, 395/159, 345/121, 345/118, 345/179, 345/340-345
• 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

The effective display area of a window, in a window display apparatus, is corrected to prevent it from protruding beyond the visible area of the display. A coordinate data input device selects an icon and moves the icon to the display area to display a window image. Depending upon the location to which the icon is moved, correction of the resulting image may be necessary to ensure that the effective display area is shown. Once a window has been displayed, no correction is performed if the window is subsequently moved.

Claims

1. A display apparatus for displaying a window image thereon, the window image having an image area, the display apparatus comprising:

(a) a display for displaying the window image at a selected position of the display, the display having a visible area;

(b) a coordinate data input device for choosing the selected position by pointing to a window display area so as to display the window image on the display;

(c) a memory for storing the window image;

(d) a controller for supply ing the window image from said memory to said display; and

(e) correction means for automatically correcting the selected position of a window image which protrudes from the visible area, wherein said correction means corrects the position of the window image so that the window image is displayed wholly within the visible area.

2. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said window image is generated from an icon when pointed to by the coordinate data input device.

3. A display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the coordinate data input device includes a pen for pointing to a coordinate position and a tablet pointed to by said pen for detecting coordinate data.

4. A display apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the window image is generated at the selected position when a user touches a portion of the display corresponding to the icon with the pen and drags the pen on the tablet to the selected position and lifts the pen up from the tablet.

5. A display apparatus for displaying a window image comprising:

(a) a display for displaying the window image;

(b) a coordinate data input device for pointing to a window display area so as to display the window image on the display;

(c) a memory for storing the window image;

(d) a controller for supplying the window image from the memory to the display;

(e) correction means for automatically correcting a display position of a window image which protrudes from a visible area of the display; and

(f) detecting means for detecting the protrusion of the window image, wherein in response to such detection the correction means corrects the position of the window image so that the window image is displayed wholly within the visible area.

6. A display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the window image is generated from an icon when pointed to by the coordinate data input device.

7. A display apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the coordinate data input device includes a pen for pointing to a coordinate position and a tablet pointed to by the pen for detecting coordinate data.

8. A display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the window image is generated at the display position when a user touches a portion of the display corresponding to the icon with the pen and drags the pen on the tablet to a desired position and lifts up the pen.

9. A display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the detecting means detects the protrusion when the pen drags the icon from an icon area to an operating area on the tablet, thereby forming the protrusion.