Graphical user interface inline scroll control

• US 6,181,316 B1
• Filed: 06/04/1998
• Issued: 01/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Little, Alex Dudley, Martinez, Anthony Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUNNINGHAM, GREGORY F
• Application Number:
  US09/090,687
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 345/341, 345/342, 345/123, 345/125, 345/352-354, 345/146, 345/356-357, 345/121, 345/973-974, 345/112, 345/124, 395/973
• US Class Current: 345/686
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/973 Scroll tool, e.g. window scroll bar

Abstract

A method and apparatus for inline scrolling of related objects in a computer desktop environment. This scrolling is accomplished by utilizing a pointing device to activate an indicator actually imbedded into the relational information for the data being presented. The inline scrolling is designed to reduce the amount of space required on a display device to convey information to the user.

Claims

1. A method for scrolling a display of a collection of entities suitable for display in an ordered manner on a display device, wherein an ordered display of the collection of entities has at least two extreme ends, the method comprising:

displaying a portion of the collection of entities in an ordered sequence;

conditionally displaying a scroll control indicator inline with the display of the portion of the collection of entities and at at least one end of the display of the portion of the collection of entities if the end of the display of the portion of the collection of entities is not an extreme end of the ordered display of the collection of entities;

accepting user input to select the scroll control indicator; and

scrolling the displayed portion of the ordered display of the collection of entities upon selection of the scroll control indicator.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said indicator is a bidirectional indicator displayed inline at one end of the display.

4. A method as in claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying a status bar associated with said indicator.

5. A method as in claim 4 wherein control functions are associated with said status bar.

2. A method for scrolling a display of a collection of entities suitable for display in an ordered manner on a display device, wherein an ordered display of the collection of entities has at least two extreme ends, the method comprising:

displaying a portion of the collection of entities in an ordered sequence;

conditionally displaying a scroll control indicator inline with the display of the portion of the collection of entities and at at least one end of the display of the portion of the collection of entities if the end of the display of the portion of the collection of entities is not an extreme end of the ordered display of the collection of entities;

accepting user input to select the scroll control indicator; and

scrolling the displayed portion of the ordered display of the collection of entities upon selection of the scroll control indicator; and

wherein the scroll control indicator indicates a direction in the ordered display of the collection of entities in which entities in the collection of entities remain undisplayed, and wherein the scroll control indicator is sized proportionally to the amount of information remaining undisplayed in the indicated direction.

6. A system for scrolling a display of a collection of entities suitable for display in an ordered manner on a display device, wherein an ordered display of the collection of entities has at least two extreme ends, comprising:

means for displaying a portion of the collection of entities in an ordered sequence;

means for conditionally displaying a scroll control indicator inline with the display of the portion of the collection of entities and at at least one end of the display of the portion of the collection of entities if the end of the display of the portion of the collection of entities is not an extreme end of the ordered display of the collection of entities;

means for accepting user input to select the scroll control indicator; and

means for scrolling the displayed portion of the ordered display of the collection of entities upon selection of the scroll control indicator.

8. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein said indicator is a bidirectional indicator displayed inline at one end of the display.

9. A system according to claim 6, further comprising a status bar associated with said indicator.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9 also having control means associated with said status bar.

7. A system for scrolling a display of a collection of entities suitable for display in an ordered manner on a display device, wherein an ordered display of the collection of entities has at least two extreme ends, comprising:

means for displaying a portion of the collection of entities in an ordered sequence;

means for conditionally displaying a scroll control indicator inline with the display of the portion of the collection of entities and at at least one end of the display of the portion of the collection of entities if the end of the display of the portion of the collection of entities is not an extreme end of the ordered display of the collection of entities;

means for accepting user input to select the scroll control indicator; and

means for scrolling the displayed portion of the ordered display of the collection of entities upon selection of the scroll control indicator; and

wherein the means for displaying a scroll control indicator comprises means for displaying a scroll control tat indicates a direction in the ordered display of the collection of entities in which entities in the collection of entities remain undisplayed, and wherein the scroll control indicator is sized proportionally to the amount of information remaining undisplayed in the indicated direction.

11. A computer program product for scrolling a display of a collection of entities suitable for display in an ordered manner on a display device, wherein an ordered display of the collection of entities has at least two extreme ends, comprising:

computer readable program code embodied in a computer readable medium, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code which displays a portion of the collection of entities in an ordered sequence;

computer readable program code which conditionally displays a scroll control indicator inline with the display of the portion of the collection of entities and at at least one end of the display of the portion of the collection of entities if the end of the display of the portion of the collection of entities is not an extreme end of the ordered display of the collection of entities;

computer readable program code which accepts user input to select the scroll control indicator; and

computer readable program code which scrolls the displayed portion of the ordered display of the collection of entities upon selection of the scroll control indicator.

13. A computer program product according to claim 11, wherein said indicator is a bidirectional indicator displayed inline at one end of the display.

14. A computer program product according to claim 11, further comprising computer readable program code which displays a status bar associated with said indicator.

15. Computer program code as in claim 14 also having computer program control means associated with said status bar.

12. A computer program product for scrolling a display of a collection of entities suitable for display in an ordered manner on a display device, wherein an ordered display of the collection of entities has at least two extreme ends, comprising:

computer readable program code embodied in a computer readable medium, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code which displays a portion of the collection of entities in an ordered sequence;

computer readable program code which conditionally displays a scroll control indicator inline with the display of the portion of the collection of entities and at at least one end of the display of the portion of the collection of entities if the end of the display of the portion of the collection of entities is not an extreme end of the ordered display of the collection of entities;

computer readable program code which accepts user input to select the scroll control indicator; and

computer readable program code which scrolls the displayed portion of the ordered display of the collection of entities upon selection of the scroll control indicator; and

wherein the computer readable program code which displays a scroll control indicator comprises computer readable program code which displays a scroll control that indicates a direction in the ordered display of the collection of entities in which entities in the collection of entities remain undisplayed, and wherein the scroll control indicator is sized proportionally to the amount of information remaining undisplayed in the indicated direction.

16. A graphic user interface for displaying a collection of entities which may be displayed in an ordered sequence on a display device, the graphic user interface comprising:

a display area for displaying a portion of the collection of entities in the ordered sequence; and

an inline scroll control conditionally displayed in the display area and at an end of the displayed portion of the collection of entities in the ordered sequence if additional entities in the ordered sequence remain undisplayed, wherein activation of a portion of the inline scroll control causes the portion of the collection of entities displayed in the display area to scroll.

17. A graphic user interface according to claim 16, wherein the inline scroll control comprises two opposing arrowheads indicating the direction of scroll if the arrowheads are selected.

18. A graphic user interface according to claim 17, wherein the inline scroll control further comprises a scroll bar which indicates the relative position in the collection of entities of the portion of the collection of entities displayed in the display area.

20. A graphic user interface according to claim 16, where in an inline scroll control is displayed in the display area at both ends of the displayed portion of the collection of items.

19. A graphic user interface for displaying a collection of entities which may be displayed in an ordered sequence on a display device, the graphic user interface comprising:

a display area for displaying a portion of the collection of entities in the ordered sequence; and

an inline scroll control displayed in the display area and at an end of the displayed portion of the collection of entities in the ordered sequence, wherein activation of a portion of the inline scroll control causes the portion of the collection of entities displayed in the display area to scroll, wherein the inline scroll control comprises two opposing arrowheads indicating the direction of scroll if the arrowheads are selected and wherein a size of the arrowheads indicates the relative amount of the collection of entities which are undisplayed in the direction of scroll associated with the arrowhead.