Method and apparatus for single scroll bars in graphical windows user interface
First Claim
1. A graphical windows user interface for a computer having an operating system, said interface comprising:
- a visual display having an operative display area with display boundaries;
means for concurrently presenting at least two windows in said operative display area, each of said at least two windows being smaller in size than said operative display area, each of said at least two windows being positionable spaced from any of said display boundaries and each of said at least two windows having respective work objects displayed therein, each of said at least two windows being smaller than said work object displayed therein;
scrolling means disposed along at least one of said display boundaries for providing a scroll function to control whichever one of said respective work objects is viewable in an active one of said at least two windows; and
,scroll transfer means disposed along at least one of said display boundaries for changing the active one of said at least two windows.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A scroll transfer control button is provided so that a single set of scroll controls can be used to alternately control scrolling in a plurality of separate windows which may be concurrently presented on a display device. Each time a scroll transfer control button is activated, active scroll control switches so that scroll control can be transferred from a work object contained in a first displayed window to another displayed window. Active scroll control can be returned to the first displayed window by toggling the scroll control button until the active scroll control returns. The single set of scroll controls is preferably provided at the edge of the edge of the available area for displaying windows containing work objects. The single set of scroll controls can be trivially thin in appearance or may be transparent due to their consistent presentation at an extreme edge of a display area.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A graphical windows user interface for a computer having an operating system, said interface comprising:
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a visual display having an operative display area with display boundaries; means for concurrently presenting at least two windows in said operative display area, each of said at least two windows being smaller in size than said operative display area, each of said at least two windows being positionable spaced from any of said display boundaries and each of said at least two windows having respective work objects displayed therein, each of said at least two windows being smaller than said work object displayed therein; scrolling means disposed along at least one of said display boundaries for providing a scroll function to control whichever one of said respective work objects is viewable in an active one of said at least two windows; and
,scroll transfer means disposed along at least one of said display boundaries for changing the active one of said at least two windows. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for controlling a graphical windows user interface for a computer having an operating system, said method comprising the steps of:
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generating an operative display area with display boundaries; concurrently presenting at least two windows in said operative display area, each of said at least two windows being smaller in size than said operative display area, each of said at least two windows being positionable spaced from any of said display boundaries; presenting within in each of said at least two windows respective work objects, each of said at least two windows being smaller than the respective work object displayed therein; providing a scroll control disposed along at least one of said display boundaries for providing a scroll function to control whichever one of said respective work objects is viewable in an active one of said at least two windows; and
,providing a scroll transfer means for changing the active one of said at least two windows. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A computer programmed with a routine of instructions stored in a physical medium for manipulating images on an operative display area, said computer comprising:
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means for concurrently displaying a plurality of window areas without scroll bars in said operative display area, each of said plurality of windows being smaller in size than said operative display area and being positionable spaced from any of said display boundaries, and means for displaying a plurality of work objects therein, each of said plurality of windows, being smaller than said work object displayed therein; scroll transfer means for disposed along at least one of said operative display area boundaries for changing the active one of said plurality of windows; and scrolling means disposed along at least one of said display boundaries for providing a scroll function to control whichever one of said plurality of work objects is viewable in an active one of said plurality of windows.
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Specification