Array of displayed graphic images for enabling selection of a selectable graphic image

• US 5,977,975 A
• Filed: 01/13/1998
• Issued: 11/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sciammarella, Eduardo, Mugura, Kazuto, Kravitz, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai, Cuong T.
• Application Number:
  US09/006,472
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 345/341, 345/123, 345/352, 345/339, 345/156, 379/457, 379/170, 379/433, 379/428, 379/355, 379/354
• US Class Current: 715/822
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display

Abstract

An instrument includes a display screen which includes a bitmap graphical user interface including an on-screen menu, and a control element which enables movement of the on-screen menu corresponding to movement of the control element, enables the user to manipulate and select graphic images for executing selected instrument functions. The instrument is adapted to enable display of an array of graphic images on the display screen, such that the user is able to view the array and focus on and select a selectable graphic image from the array.

Claims

1. A system for enabling an array of multiple graphic images out of a plurality of graphic images to be displayed on a compact display screen mounted in an instrument adapted to be held by the user in one hand, to enable a user to view, focus on and select a selectable graphic image from the array of graphic images in the display screen, and to locate another graphic image in the array of graphic images to be moved into position as the selectable graphic image, wherein the plurality of graphic images are each movable into and out of a position as the selectable graphic image, and each of the plurality of graphic images represents an accessible function of the system, the system comprising:

a compact display screen mounted in an instrument adapted to be held by the user in one hand;

means for presenting the array of multiple graphic images in the display screen, wherein each graphic image is different from the other graphic images and the multiple graphic images are each movable into and out of a position as the selectable graphic image, comprising a graphical user interface;

means for enabling a graphic image to be a selectable graphic image, which graphic image is movable into the selectable position in the presenting means;

means for enabling the user to view the array of multiple graphic images in the display screen, and to differentiate between the graphic image positioned as the selectable graphic image and the graphic images other than the selectable graphic image in the display screen other than by the differences between the graphic images or the accessible functions represented by the graphic images; and

means for enabling movement of the multiple graphic images into and out of the position as the selectable graphic image, and for enabling selection of the selectable graphic image in the display;

wherein each of the plurality of graphic images is comprised of a plurality of characters, and the plurality of characters in each of the plurality of graphic images are comprised of a font size, and the font size of the plurality of characters in a graphic image upon movement into position in the display screen as a selectable graphic image is greater than the font sizes of the plurality of characters in the plurality of graphic images other than the selectable graphic image, and the font size of the plurality of characters in each of the plurality of graphic images in the display screen other than the selectable graphic image increases upon movement into position closer to the selectable graphic image and decreases upon movement into position further from the selectable graphic image.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the font size comprises the height of the font, and the differentiating means comprise the height of the fonts of the graphic images other than the selectable graphic image which decrease with increasing distance from the selectable graphic image.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple graphic images in the array displayed in the display screen comprise at least three graphic images.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the multiple graphic images in the array displayed in the display screen comprises seven graphic images.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the display screen comprises a bitmap screen.

6. A method of enabling an array of multiple graphic images out of a plurality of graphic images to be displayed on a compact display screen mounted in an instrument adapted to be held by the user in one hand, to enable a user to view, focus on and select a selectable graphic image from the array of graphic images in the display screen, and to locate another graphic image in the array of graphic images to be moved into position as the selectable graphic image, wherein the plurality of graphic images are each movable into and out of a position as the selectable graphic image, and each of the plurality of graphic images represents an accessible function of the system, in a system which comprises a compact display screen mounted in an instrument adapted to be held by the user in one hand, means for presenting the array of the multiple graphic images in the display screen, wherein each graphic image is different from the other graphic images and the multiple graphic images are each movable into and out of a position as the selectable graphic image, comprising a graphical user interface, means for enabling a graphic image to be a selectable graphic image, which graphic image is movable into the selectable position in the presenting means, means for enabling the user to view the array of multiple graphic images in the display screen, and to differentiate between the graphic image positioned as the selectable graphic image and the graphic images other than the selectable graphic image in the display screen other than by the differences between the graphic images or the accessible functions represented by the graphic images, and means for enabling movement of the multiple graphic images into and out of the position as the selectable graphic image, and for enabling selection of the selectable graphic image in the display, the method comprising:

activating the instrument;

presenting the array of graphic images in the display screen, comprising presenting the font size of the plurality of characters in a graphic image upon movement into position as a selectable graphic image as greater than the font sizes of the plurality of characters in the plurality of graphic images other than the selectable graphic image, and presenting the font size of the plurality of characters in each of the plurality of graphic images in the display screen other than the selectable graphic image as increased upon movement into position closer to the selectable graphic image and decreased upon movement rate position further from the selectable graphic image;

moving the movement enabling means to move a graphic image into and out of position as the selectable graphic image, wherein movement of a graphic image into position as the selectable graphic image enables the user to differentiate between the plurality of graphic images other than by the differences between the graphic images or the accessible functions represented by the graphic images and to select the selectable graphic image; and

activating the movement enabling means to select the selectable graphic image in the display;

wherein each of the plurality of graphic images is comprised of a plurality of characters, and the plurality of characters in each of the plurality of graphic images are comprised of a font size, and the font size of the plurality of characters in a graphic image upon movement into position in the display screen as a selectable graphic image is greater than the font sizes of the plurality of characters in the plurality of graphic images other than the selectable graphic image, and the font size of the plurality of characters in each of the plurality of graphic images in the display screen other than the selectable graphic image increases upon movement into position closer to the selectable graphic image and decreases upon movement into position further from the selectable graphic image.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the font size comprises the height of the font, and the differentiating means comprise the height of the fonts of the graphic images other than the selectable graphic image which decrease with increasing distance from the selectable graphic image, and the step of presenting the array comprises presenting the array of graphic images in the display screen such that the height of the fonts of the graphic images other than the selectable graphic image decrease with increasing distance from the selectable graphic image.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the multiple graphic images in the array displayed in the display screen comprise at least three graphic images, and the step of presenting the array comprises presenting at least three graphic images in the display screen.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the multiple graphic images in the array displayed in the display screen comprises seven graphic images, and the step of presenting the array comprises presenting the seven graphic images in the display screen.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the display screen comprises a bitmap screen, and the step of presenting the array comprises presenting the array of graphic images in the bitmap screen.