Method of making cursor form for linking parts of a displayed image with corresponding entries in a table

• US 5,978,816 A
• Filed: 10/11/1996
• Issued: 11/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sakaguchi, Toshiaki, Okuda, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phu K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Cliff N.
• Application Number:
  US08/729,438
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 345/145, 364/419.2, 434/150, 434/153, 395/335, 395/336, 395/338, 395/348, 395/340, 707/501
• US Class Current: 715/207
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects

Abstract

A cursor form is created for linking parts of a displayed image with corresponding entries of a table. When setting a link by designating a cursor on the display screen, a cursor for designating the location where a link is to be set surely and quickly is provided. Table data of the table (for example, a residents information table) consisting of image data (for example, a map) and a plurality of entries for setting links to this image data are displayed on the output device, and a mark which is the same as that of a predetermined item in the entry selected to set a link from the display table is designated by the cursor on a display image. When obtaining the location information on said designated image having the same mark, the data of a predetermined item among the entry data selected from the table is converted to image data, and the cursor form data is constituted. Thereafter, a cursor having this form is displayed on the display image, and a user sets a link between the image data and table data using this cursor.

Claims

1. A method for making cursor form by using a processor to which an input device, output device, and storage are connected, and relating entries of image data displayed on said output device and of table data stored in said storage to each other, comprising the steps of:

a) displaying said table data including said image data and a plurality of entries for setting links to said image data in said output device;

b) reading the data of the entry which is selected from said table data by said input device from said storage;

c) converting the character string of data of a predetermined item included in said read entry data to image data and constituting cursor form data;

d) obtaining location information for a part on said image data including a same mark as that of said character string which is designated by said cursor form data displayed on said output device; and

e) storing said selected entry data into said storage corresponding to said obtained location information respectively so as to set links.

2. A method of making cursor form according to claim 1, wherein the step of converting the character string of the data further comprises the substeps of:

c1) picking up characters of a predetermined number from the beginning of the character string of a predetermined item among said read entry data;

c2) comparing said picked-up character string with character strings of the data of the predetermined item of other entries in said table one by one;

c3) converting said picked-up character string to image data when the same character string is not found and constituting cursor form data; and

c4) picking up character strings of a number which is more than the predetermined number of characters by one from the beginning of said picked-up character string when same character strings exist until the same character strings are exhausted, converting the character strings which are obtained by repeating Step c2) to image data, and constituting cursor form data.

3. A method of making cursor form according to claim 1, wherein the step of converting the character string of the data further comprises the substeps of:

c5) deciding whether a link is already set to said selected entry or not; and

c6) changing said cursor display status to be displayed on said output device depending on whether a link is set or not.

4. A method of making cursor form according to claim 1, wherein the step of converting the character string of the data further comprises the substep of:

c7) converting, when an instruction for changing an item of the entry to another item is inputted from said input device, the character string of the data of the item designated by said change instruction among said entry data to image data and constituting cursor form data.

5. A method for making cursor form according to claim 1, wherein said image data is map data and said table data is residents information.

6. A method for making cursor form by using a processor to which an output device is coupled and designating a part of image data displayed on said output device, comprising the steps of:

a) converting a character string selected from information to be related to said image data which is displayed on said output device to character image data and constituting cursor form data; and

b) obtaining location information for a part on said image data corresponding to said character string which is designated on said image data by using said cursor form data displayed on said output device.

7. A method for making cursor form, by using a processor coupled with a display device, for designating an image displayed on said display device, said method comprising the steps of:

a) generating said cursor form by converting a character string to a character image; and

b) obtaining location information for a part of said image corresponding to said character string in said character image by designating the part on said image with said cursor form displayed on said display device, said part on said image being linked to said character string.

8. A method for making cursor form, by using a processor coupled with a display device, for designating an image displayed on said display device, said method comprising the steps of:

a) generating said cursor form by converting a character string obtained from information to be related to said image to a character image;

b) obtaining location information for a part of said image corresponding to said character string in said character image by designating the part of said image with said cursor form displayed on said display device; and

c) setting a link between said information and said image based on said obtained location information.