Method and apparatus for providing feedback while scrolling

• US 6,061,063 A
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 05/09/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Wagner, Annette, Tishkova, Osana, Mufti, Fazeel, Berlin, Richard, Arent, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US09/108,067
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 345/121, 345/123, 345/334, 345/341, 345/346, 345/967, 345/973, 345/974
• US Class Current: 715/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/973 Scroll tool, e.g. window scroll bar

Abstract

The present invention comprises a method for providing feedback to the user of a graphical user interface using visual and operational clues. In an embodiment of the invention, the user is provided visual clues that inform the user in what direction the display area can be scrolled. The display area may contain a list, a text box, a pop-up menu or any kind of data. Operational clues help the user determine what actions move the list and what actions do not move the list. The invention can be implemented in the form of a list. A list is comprised of one or more fields. At the top of the list and at the bottom of the list is a blank space that functions as one of the visual clues. The purpose of the blank space is to inform the user they are at the top of the list and cannot scroll any further up or that they are at the bottom of the list and cannot scroll any further down. Another form of visual clue is provided through the use of partially visible fields. Partially visible fields help the user know in which direction the list can be scrolled by indicating to the user that additional fields are present beyond the partially visible one.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising

a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for configuring a computer, said computer program product comprising:

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to define a display region having a height h×

m where h is a height and m is an integer;

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to define a first blank region at a first end of said display region where said blank region is a distance h/k from said first end of said display region, where k is a positive number less than h;

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to display a first field of a list of n fields, where n is an integer and each field has a height h, at said blank region, such that m-1 fields are fully displayed, a region having a height h/k is displayed at first end of said display region, and a region having a height less than h is displayed at a second end of said display region.

2. The computer product of claim 1 wherein k is equal to 2.

3. The computer product of claim 1 wherein n is greater than m.

4. The computer product of claim 1 further including computer readable code configured to cause a computer to move said display area such that said field is moved a distance h in a first direction when a first button is clicked and a distance h in a second direction when a second button is clicked.

5. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for configuring a computer, said computer program product comprising;

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to define a display region having a height h×

m where h is a height and m is an integer,

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to display at least one field of a list of n fields, where n is an integer and each field has a height h, such that m-1 fields are fully displayed in said display region;

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to display a first blank region having a height h/k at a first end of said display region when the first field of said list of n fields is displayed within said display region, where k is a positive number less than h.

6. The computer product of claim 5 further including computer readable code configured to cause a computer to displace said m-1 fields within said display region a distance h in a first direction when a first button is clicked.

7. The computer product of claim 6, further including computer readable code configured to cause a computer to displace said m-1 fields within said display region a distance h in a second direction when a second button is clicked.

8. The computer product of claim 6, wherein said first direction is towards said first end of said display region.

9. The computer product of claim 7, wherein said second direction is towards said second end of said display region.

10. The computer product of claim 9, wherein said first direction is diametrically opposed to said second direction.

11. The computer product of claim 5 further comprising a computer readable code configured to cause a computer to define a second blank region having a height less than h at a second end of said display region, when the last field of said list of n fields is displayed within said display region.

12. The computer product of claim 11, wherein said second blank region has a height equal to h-h/k.

13. The computer product of claim 6, wherein said first button is disabled when said first field of said list of n fields is displayed within said display region.

14. The computer product of claim 7, wherein said second button is disabled when said last field of said list of n fields is displayed within said display region.

15. The computer product of claim 12, wherein a field comprises one or more text characters.

16. The computer product of claim 15, wherein said one or more text characters are wrapped onto one or more new lines if said text characters do not fit on a line within said field.

17. A computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for configuring a computer, said computer program product comprising:

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to define a display region having a height h×

m where h is a height and m is an integer;

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to display at least one field of a list of n fields, where n is an integer and each field has a height h, such that m-1 fields are fully displayed;

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to display a first blank region having a height h/k at a first end of said display region when the first field of said list of n fields is displayed within said display region, where k is a positive number less than h;

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to display a second blank region having a height h-h/k at a first end of said display region when the last field of said list of n fields is displayed within said display region;

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to displace said m-1 fields within said display region a distance h in a first direction when a first button is clicked, and a distance h in the opposite direction when a second button is clicked;

a computer readable code configured to cause a computer to disable said first button when said first field of said list of n fields is displayed within said display region;

a computer readable code configured to cause a computer to disable said second button when said last field of said list of n fields is displayed within said display region.

18. The computer product of claim 17, further comprising a computer readable code configured to cause a computer to display said first button within said first blank region.

19. The computer product of claim 17, further comprising a computer readable code configured to cause a computer to display said second button within said second blank region.

20. The computer product of claim 17, wherein the display region is comprised of a text box having editable text fields.

21. The computer product of claim 17, wherein the display region is comprised of a popup-menu having selectable choice fields.