Scroll indicating cursor

• US 5,952,995 A
• Filed: 02/10/1997
• Issued: 09/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Barnes, Stacey Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US08/797,905
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 345/157, 345/145, 345/160, 345/121, 345/123, 345/163, 395/333, 395/334, 395/341, 395/342, 395/326, 395/357, 395/973, 364/236.8
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038

Abstract

Conventional scroll bars in a graphical user interface are replaced by a scroll indicating cursor. A customary cursor is augmented with indicators that appear to the sides of the cursor in the directions in which scrolling will allow additional information to be displayed. Scrolling is actuated by moving a cursor to an edge of the display in the direction of a visible indicator until the indicator is at least partially beyond the edge of the display. Less display area is required than with scroll bars and the nature of the scrolling indicator is more intuitive.

Claims

1. A method of providing a display control mechanism in a data processing system, comprising:

displaying information in a display area on a display in said data processing system;

displaying a cursor on said display;

determining a direction in which said display area may be scrolled to view additional information on said display;

displaying an indicator adjacent to said cursor indicating said direction; and

moving said indicator in tandem with said cursor, wherein an intuitive scrolling indicator is provided for a graphical user interface to said data processing system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of displaying an indicator adjacent to said cursor in said direction further comprises displaying a graphical image representative of a mechanism for scrolling said display area in said direction.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said step of determining a direction in which said display area may be scrolled to view additional information on said display further comprises determining each direction in which said display area may be scrolled to view additional information; and

said step of displaying an indicator adjacent to said cursor further comprises displaying a plurality of indicators, one indicator within said plurality of indicators adjacent to said cursor in each direction in which said display area may be scrolled to view additional information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a user moving an input device controlling said cursor, determining a location of said cursor within said display area;

determining whether said indicator extends beyond an edge of said display area; and

responsive to determining that said indicator extends beyond an edge of said display area, scrolling said display area in said direction.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

subsequent to said step of scrolling said display area in said direction, determining whether additional information may be viewed by additional scrolling of said display area in said direction; and

responsive to determining that no additional information may be viewed by additional scrolling of said display area in said direction, removing said indicator from said display.

6. An apparatus for providing a display control mechanism in a data processing system, comprising:

first display means for displaying information in a display area on a display in said data processing system;

second display means for displaying a cursor on said display;

determination means for determining a direction in which said display area may be scrolled to view additional information on said display;

third display means for displaying an indicator adjacent to said cursor in said direction; and

movement control means for moving said indicator in tandem with said cursor, wherein an intuitive scrolling indicator is provided for a graphical user interface to said data processing system.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said third display means further comprises means for displaying a graphical image representative of a mechanism for scrolling said display area in said direction.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein:

said determination means further comprises means for determining each direction in which said display area may be scrolled to view additional information; and

said third display means further comprises means for displaying a plurality of indicators, one indicator within said plurality of indicators adjacent to said cursor in each direction in which said display area may be scrolled to view additional information.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

second determination means, responsive to a user moving an input device controlling said cursor, for determining a location of said cursor within said display area;

third determination means for determining whether said indicator extends beyond an edge of said display area; and

scrolling means, responsive to determining that said indicator extends beyond an edge of said display area, for scrolling said display area in said direction.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

fourth determination means for determining, after a scrolling of said display area in said direction, whether additional information may be viewed by additional scrolling of said display area in said direction; and

fourth display means, responsive to determining that no additional information may be viewed by additional scrolling of said display area in said direction, for removing said indicator from said display.

11. A graphical user interface for a data processing system, comprising:

a display area displaying a portion of information contained within a memory in said data processing system; and

a cursor displayed in said display area and moved within said display area by a pointing device; and

an indicator displayed in said display area adjacent to said cursor in a direction in which said display area may be scrolled to view additional information contained within said memory, said indicator moving in tandem with said cursor and representative of a mechanism for scrolling said display area in said direction, wherein said display area contains a scrolling indicating cursor.

12. The graphical user interface of claim 11, further comprising:

a plurality of indicators displayed in said display area, one indicator within said plurality of indicators adjacent to said cursor in each direction in which said display area may be scrolled to view additional information contained within said memory, said plurality of indicators moving in tandem with said cursor.

13. The graphical user interface of claim 11, wherein movement of said cursor to a region of said display area where said indicator extends beyond an edge of said display area actuates said mechanism for scrolling said display area in said direction.

14. A computer program product for use with a data processing system, comprising:

a computer usable medium;

first instructions on said computer usable medium, for each direction in which a display area displaying information contained in a memory in said data processing system may be scrolled to view additional information in said display area, for displaying an indicator adjacent to a cursor in said direction, said indicator representative of a mechanism for scrolling said display area in said direction;

second instructions on said computer usable medium, responsive to a user manipulating an input device to move said cursor, for moving said indicator in tandem with said cursor;

third instructions on said computer usable medium, responsive to the user moving said cursor to a position in which said indicator extends beyond an edge of said display area, for scrolling said display area in said direction; and

fourth instructions on said computer usable medium, responsive to a determination, after scrolling said display area in said direction, that no additional information may be viewed in said display area by addition scrolling of said display area in said direction, for removing said indicator from said display.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer computer usable medium is a hard disk drive.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer computer usable medium is a floppy disk.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer computer usable medium is a CD-ROM.