Mobile client computer programmed to display drop down scrolling indicator

• US 5,923,861 A
• Filed: 03/07/1997
• Issued: 07/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bertram, Randal Lee, Champion, David Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US08/813,527
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 345/341, 345/340, 345/326, 345/339, 345/342, 345/353, 345/145, 345/150
• US Class Current: 715/786
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A display generating system, such as a mobile client computer system, in which a scroll bar is selectively deployed from a less active or "stored" position to a fully active or "extended" position. Deployment of the scroll bar may be by an animated process resembling an unrolling. By deploying the scroll bar only as required and requested by a user, the scroll bar may be enlarged for use and additional functions supported.

Claims

1. A computer, comprising:

a housing;

a processor mounted within the housing and processing digital data;

memory mounted within the housing for storing digital data and coupled to the processor;

a display coupled to the processor and the memory to display information derived from digital data processed by the processor; and

a control program stored in the memory and accessible by the processor to direct the processing of digital data by the processor;

the control program and the processor cooperating, when the control program is executing on the processor, for displaying a configured and a sized scroll bar used in document navigation and selectively shifting the configured and sized scroll bar between a stored display location to display the given configuration of the scroll bar at a first size and a deployed display location to display the given configuration of the scroll bar at a size different than the first size.

2. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the scroll bar when stored occupies a minor area located near a corner of a window of the display.

3. The computer according to claim 2, wherein the scroll bar when stored is located near the upper right hand corner of the window of the display.

4. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the scroll bar when deployed occupies an elongated area adjacent an edge of a window of the display.

5. The computer according to claim 4, wherein the scroll bar when deployed occupies an elongated area adjacent a right hand edge of the window of the display.

6. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the scroll bar unrolls with animation maintaining the given configuration and increasing in size when shifting from the stored display location to the deployed display location.

7. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the scroll bar rolls with animation maintaining the given configuration and decreasing in size when shifting from the deployed display location to the stored display location.

8. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays indicia identifying a function of scrolling in a direction perpendicular to the scroll bar.

9. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays indicia identifying a function of scrolling in either one of two directions, each perpendicular to the scroll bar.

10. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays indicia identifying landmarks within a document, a portion of which document is currently displayed in a window of the display.

11. The computer according to claim 10, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays an enlarged slider indicative of the location within the document in the window of the display.

12. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays an enlarged slider indicative of a location within a document in a window of the display.

14. The mobile client computer according to claim 3, wherein the scroll bar when stored occupies a minor area located near a corner of a displayed window.

15. The mobile client computer according to claim 14, wherein the scroll bar when stored is located near the upper right hand corner of the displayed window.

13. A mobile client computer, comprising:

a housing sized to be held in and manipulated by the hand of a user;

a processor mounted within the housing and processing digital data;

memory mounted within the housing for storing digital data and coupled to the processor;

a display mounted in the housing and coupled to the processor and the memory to display information derived from digital data processed by the processor;

an input digitizer mounted in the housing and overlaying the display, the digitizer being coupled to the processor and enabling input of digital data by a user; and

a control program stored in the memory and accessible by the processor to direct the processing of digital data by the processor;

the control program and the processor cooperating, when the control program is executing on the processor, for displaying a configured and a sized scroll bar used in document navigation and selectively shifting the configured and the sized scroll bar between a stored display location to display a given configuration of the scroll bar at a first size and a deployed display location to display the given configuration of the scroll bar at a size different than the first size.

16. The mobile client computer according to claim 13, wherein the scroll bar when deployed occupies an elongated area adjacent an edge of a window of the display.

17. The mobile client computer according to claim 16, wherein the scroll bar when deployed occupies an elongated area adjacent a right hand edge of a window of the display.

18. The mobile client computer according to claim 13, wherein the scroll bar unrolls with animation maintaining the given configuration and increasing in size when shifting from the stored display location to the deployed display location.

19. The mobile client computer according to claim 13, wherein the scroll bar rolls with animation maintaining the given configuration and decreasing in size when shifting from the deployed display location to the stored display location.

20. The mobile client computer according to claim 13, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays indicia identifying a function of scrolling in a direction perpendicular to the scroll bar.

21. The mobile client computer according to claim 13, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays indicia identifying a function of scrolling in either one of two directions, each perpendicular to the scroll bar.

22. The mobile client computer according to claim 13, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays indicia identifying landmarks within a document, a portion of which document is currently displayed in a window of the display.

23. The mobile client computer according to claim 22, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays an enlarged slider indicative of the location within the document in the window of the display.

24. The mobile client computer according to claim 13, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays an enlarged slider indicative of a location within a document in a window of the display.

25. A display generating system, comprising:

a housing;

a processor mounted within the housing processing digital data;

memory mounted within the housing for storing digital data and coupled to the processor;

the processor and the memory cooperating in supplying digital data driving a display of visual images; and

a control program stored in the memory and accessible by the processor to direct the processing of digital data by the processor;

the control program and the processor cooperating, when the control program is executing on the processor, for displaying a configured and a sized scroll bar used in document navigation and selectively shifting the configured and the sized scroll bar between a stored display location to display a given configuration of the scroll bar at a first size and a deployed display location to display the given configuration of the scroll bar at a size different than the first size.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein the scroll bar when stored occupies a minor area located near a corner of a displayed window.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein the scroll bar when stored is located near the upper right hand corner of the displayed window.

28. The system computer according to claim 25, wherein the scroll bar when deployed occupies an elongate area adjacent an edge of a displayed window.

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein the scroll bar when deployed occupies an elongate area adjacent a right hand edge of the displayed window.

30. The system according to claim 25, wherein the scroll bar unrolls with animation maintaining the given configuration and increasing in size when shifting from the stored display location to the deployed display location.

31. The system according to claim 25, wherein the scroll bar rolls with animation maintaining the given configuration and decreasing in size when shifting from the deployed display location to the stored display location.

32. The system according to claim 25, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays indicia identifying a function of scrolling in a direction perpendicular to the scroll bar.

33. The system according to claim 25, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays indicia identifying a function of scrolling in either one of two directions, each perpendicular to the scroll bar.

34. The system according to claim 25, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays indicia identifying landmarks within a document, a portion of which document is currently displayed in a window of the display.

35. The system according to claim 34, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays an enlarged slider indicative of the location within the document in the window of the display.

36. The system according to claim 25, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays an enlarged slider indicative of a location within a document in a window of the display.

37. A computer, comprising:

a housing;

a processor mounted within the housing and processing digital data;

memory mounted within the housing for storing digital data and coupled to the processor;

a display coupled to the processor and the memory to display in a display window information within a document derived from digital data processed by the processor; and

a control program stored in the memory and accessible by the processor to direct the processing of the digital data by the processor;

the control program and the processor cooperating to display a scroll bar used in document navigation at a stored scroll bar display location having a configuration providing a graphical indicator indicative of the location of the information displayed in the display window within the document and selectively shifting the configured scroll bar between the stored scroll bar display location to a deployed scroll bar display location to display the scroll bar in an extension of the configuration displaying within the extended scroll bar the location of the information in the document.

38. The computer, as defined in claim 37, wherein the graphical indicator indicative of the location of the information within the document is a scroll roll wherein the relative diameter of the scroll roll is an approximate measure of the location of the information displayed in the window within the document.

39. The computer, as defined in claim 37, wherein the graphical indicator indicative of the location of the information within the document is a scroll roll wherein the relative diameter of the scroll roll is an indication of how far the information displayed in the window is from the beginning of the information and the end of the information within the document.

40. The computer according to claim 37, wherein the scroll bar when stored occupies a minor area located near a corner of a displayed window.

41. The computer according to claim 40, wherein the scroll bar when stored is located near the upper right hand corner of the displayed window.

42. The computer according to claim 37, wherein the scroll bar when deployed occupies an elongate area adjacent an edge of a displayed window.

43. The computer according to claim 42, wherein the scroll bar when deployed occupies an elongate area adjacent a right hand edge of a displayed window.

44. The computer according to claim 38, wherein the scroll roll of the scroll bar unrolls with animation when shifting from stored display to deployed display.

45. The computer according to claim 38, wherein the scroll roll of the scroll bar rolls up with animation when shifting from deployed display to stored display.

46. The computer according to claim 37, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays indicia identifying a function of scrolling in a direction perpendicular to the scroll bar.

47. The computer according to claim 37, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays indicia identifying a function of scrolling in either one of two directions, each perpendicular to the scroll bar.

48. The computer according to claim 37, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays indicia identifying landmarks within a document, a portion of which is currently displayed.

49. The computer according to claim 48, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays an enlarged slider indicative of the location within a document of the displayed window.

50. The computer according to claim 37, wherein the scroll bar when deployed displays an enlarged slider indicative of the location within a document of the displayed window.

51. The computer according to claim 37, further including a second scroll bar feature, comprising, a vertically extending bar disposed remotely within the window of the display from the digital data displayed in the window wherein the bar includes a slider movable up and down the bar to change the digital data displayed in the window of the display.

52. The computer according to claim 51, wherein the second scroll bar includes six buttons which buttons function to provide for viewing of the displayed digital data at the top of document, at the next page up, at the next line up, at the next line down, at the next page down, and at the bottom of the document.