Slide out interface bar
First Claim
1. A method for controlling a retractable window bar in a graphical user interface for a computer system having a display interface and a user controlled graphical selection device, the user controlled graphical selection device including a user actuated clicking mechanism for selecting from the retractable window bar a computer resource corresponding to a region of the window bar within which a pointing mechanism is positioned, said method comprising:
- (a) displaying upon the display interface a target image representing the retractable window bar in a retracted state wherein the target image includes a graphic that provides a visual cue of the direction in which the window bar unretracts;
(b) defining a target detection region associated with selecting the target image, the target detection region corresponding to a position in the display interface of the target image and having a boundary that extends beyond the periphery of the target image;
(c) detecting the positioning of the pointing mechanism within the boundary of the target detection region; and
(d) displaying an unretracted window bar image that includes controls for sizing a window, the unretracted window bar image replacing the display of the target image at the position in the display interface, and defining an extended detection region associated with the unretracted window bar image after said detecting the positioning of the pointing mechanism within the target detection region step and without actuating, by a user, the user actuated clicking mechanism, the extended detection region corresponding to the position in the display interface of the unretracted window bar image and having a boundary that extends beyond the periphery of the unretracted window bar image and includes the target detection region, so that the unretracted window bar image will be continuously displayed so long as the pointing mechanism is detected within the boundary of the extended detection region.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A computer system has an improved graphical user interface feature. The improved graphical user interface displays a target image representing a retracted slide out command bar containing a set of selectable computer resources. When the user moves a display pointer to a location near the target image, the target image is replaced by the slide out command bar. The slide out command bar remains visible and its computer resources accessible via the mouse-controlled display pointer until the user either clicks the mouse or moves the display pointer outside an extended detection region of the graphical user interface associated with the unretracted slide out command bar.
168 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A method for controlling a retractable window bar in a graphical user interface for a computer system having a display interface and a user controlled graphical selection device, the user controlled graphical selection device including a user actuated clicking mechanism for selecting from the retractable window bar a computer resource corresponding to a region of the window bar within which a pointing mechanism is positioned, said method comprising:
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(a) displaying upon the display interface a target image representing the retractable window bar in a retracted state wherein the target image includes a graphic that provides a visual cue of the direction in which the window bar unretracts; (b) defining a target detection region associated with selecting the target image, the target detection region corresponding to a position in the display interface of the target image and having a boundary that extends beyond the periphery of the target image; (c) detecting the positioning of the pointing mechanism within the boundary of the target detection region; and (d) displaying an unretracted window bar image that includes controls for sizing a window, the unretracted window bar image replacing the display of the target image at the position in the display interface, and defining an extended detection region associated with the unretracted window bar image after said detecting the positioning of the pointing mechanism within the target detection region step and without actuating, by a user, the user actuated clicking mechanism, the extended detection region corresponding to the position in the display interface of the unretracted window bar image and having a boundary that extends beyond the periphery of the unretracted window bar image and includes the target detection region, so that the unretracted window bar image will be continuously displayed so long as the pointing mechanism is detected within the boundary of the extended detection region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A retractable window bar in a graphical user interface for a computer system having a display interface and a user controlled graphical selection device, the retractable window bar including controls for sizing a window, the user controlled graphical selection device including a user actuated clicking mechanism for selecting from the retractable window bar one of the sizing controls in the window bar within which a pointing mechanism is positioned, said window bar comprising:
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(a) a target image representing the retractable window bar in a retracted state, said target image including a graphic that provides a visual cue of the direction in which the window bar unretracts; (b) a target detection region associated with selecting the target image, the target detection region corresponding to a position in the display interface of the target image and having a boundary that extends beyond the periphery of the target image; and (c) a graphical interface controller for detecting the pointing mechanism within the target detection region, and in response thereto and without actuating, by a user, the user actuated clicking mechanism, displaying an unretracted window bar image, the unretracted window bar image replacing the target image at the position in the display interface and defining an extended detection region associated with the unretracted window bar image, the extended detection region corresponding to the position in the display interface of the unretracted window bar image and having a boundary that extends beyond the periphery of the unretracted window bar image and includes the target detection region, so that the unretracted window bar image will be continuously displayed so long as the pointing mechanism is detected within the boundary of the extended detection region. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A computer-readable storage medium holding instructions for performing a method for controlling a retractable window bar in a graphical user interface for a computer system having a display interface and a user controlled graphical selection device, the user controlled graphical selection device including a user actuated clicking mechanism for selecting from the retractable window bar a computer resource corresponding to a region of the window bar within which a pointing mechanism is positioned, said method comprising:
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(a) displaying upon the display interface a target image representing the retractable window bar in a retracted state wherein the target image includes a graphic that provides a visual cue of the direction in which the window bar unretracts; (b) defining a target detection region associated with selecting the target image, the target detection region corresponding to a position in the display interface of the target image and having a boundary that extends beyond the periphery of the target image; (c) detecting the positioning of the pointing mechanism within the target detection region; and (d) displaying an unretracted window bar image that includes controls for sizing a window, the unretracted window bar image replacing the target image at the position in the display interface and defining an extended detection region associated with the unretracted window bar image after said detecting the positioning of the pointing mechanism within the target detection region step and without actuating, by a user, the user actuated clicking mechanism, the extended detection region corresponding to the position in the display interface of the unretracted window bar image and having a boundary that extends beyond the periphery of the unretracted window bar image and includes the target detection region, so that the unretracted window bar image will be continuously displayed so long as the pointing mechanism is detected within the boundary of the extended detection region. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. In a computer system having a display device and a mouse with buttons for positioning a mouse cursor on the display device, a method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:
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displaying an icon for a retractable graphical interface bar on the display device wherein said bar may unretract to be fully displayed, said icon representing the bar in a retracted state and providing a visual indication of a direction in which the retractable graphical interface bar unretracts; detecting that a user has positioned a mouse cursor in proximity to the icon and that the user has not activated any of the mouse buttons; and in response to the detecting, unretracting the graphical interface bar until the bar is fully displayed on the display device. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38)
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39. A method for controlling a retractable graphical interface bar in a graphical user interface for a computer system having a display interface and a user controlled graphical selection device, the user controlled graphical selection device including a user actuated clicking mechanism for selecting from the retractable graphical interface bar a computer resource corresponding to a region of the retractable graphical interface bar within which a pointing mechanism is positioned, said method comprising:
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(a) displaying upon the display interface a target image representing the retractable graphical interface bar in a retracted state; (b) defining a target detection region associated with selecting the target image, the target detection region corresponding to a position in the display interface of the target image and having a boundary that extends beyond the periphery of the target image; (c) detecting the positioning of the pointing mechanism within the boundary of the target detection region; and (d) displaying an unretracted graphical interface bar image and defining an extended detection region associated with the unretracted graphical interface bar image after said detecting the positioning of the pointing mechanism within the target detection region step and without actuating, by a user, the user actuated clicking mechanism, said displaying comprising displaying a time sequence of progressively partial images of the unretracted graphical interface bar image before displaying a full view of the unretracted graphical interface bar image, thereby creating a visual impression of the retractable graphical interface bar sliding out to an unretracted position, the extended detection region corresponding to the position in the display of the unretracted graphical interface bar image and having a boundary that extends beyond the periphery of the unretracted graphical interface bar image and includes the target detection region, so that the unretracted graphical interface bar image will be continuously displayed so long as the pointing mechanism is detected within the boundary of the extended detection region.
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40. A method of accessing a graphical interface bar in a computer system having a display and a user interface selection device, said method comprising:
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(a) displaying a target image that represents an interface bar, the target image being associated with a region of the display that corresponds to a position in the display for the target image, the region having a boundary that extends beyond the periphery of the target image; (b) detecting the positioning of a pointer within the region, the position of the pointer being controlled by the user interface selection device; (c) automatically replacing the target image at the position in the display with the interface bar when the pointer is detected within the region, the interface bar being associated with another region that corresponds to the position in the display and having a boundary that extends beyond the periphery of the interface bar and includes the region associated with the target image; and (d) automatically replacing the interface bar at the position in the display with the target image when the pointer is not detected within the other region, so that positioning the pointer within
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Specification