Computer system with precise control of the mouse pointer

• US 6,181,325 B1
• Filed: 02/11/1998
• Issued: 01/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Kyung-Sup
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US09/022,029
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/145, 345/167, 345/130, 345/156, 345/157, 345/160, 345/163, 395/800
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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

Abstract

A portable computer system enables locating the mouse pointer precisely on the monitor screen. The computer system includes a pointing device such as a touch pad mounted at top surface of the main body with two mouse buttons. A button is provided at left sides of the touch pad. This button is similar to the mouse button and used when fine adjustment of the mouse pointer is needed. The operation of the fine adjustment mode performed in the computer are as follows: determining whether a fine adjustment mode selection key is pressed; zooming in a predetermined screen area including current location of the pointer based on the corresponding video driver and operating system; locating the pointer at the desired position within the zoom in screen; checking if the fine adjustment mode has canceled; and restoring the zoom in screen to original picture if the fine adjustment mode is canceled. The cancellation of the fine adjustment mode is performed by detecting the signal fed from one of the mouse buttons.

Claims

1. In a computer system comprising:

a graphic display apparatus for visually displaying variable images representing graphic data in a predetermined graphic mode while providing a variable visual display of symbols and images in a variable visual graphic display;

a pointing device for moving a position of a pointer within said graphic display in response to a physical manipulation of a pointing device; and

a central processing unit to which said graphic display apparatus and said pointing device and operatively coupled;

the improvement comprising;

a function key responding to manual manipulation by selecting and deselecting a pointer fine adjustment mode of said graphic display apparatus by presenting a representation formed by superimposition of said pointer upon said graphic display with said pointer being superimposed upon an enlargement of each region of said graphic display within a vicinity of the pointer as said pointer travels around said graphic display;

a microcontroller responding to said function key to generate an output signal representing that said pointer fine adjustment mode is being selected and deselected; and

a means for causing said central processing unit to respond to said output signal by generating a command driving said graphic display apparatus to visually display said representation.

2. The computer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pointing device is a touch pad.

3. The computer system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the function key is mounted to one side of the pointing device.

4. The computer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the size of the pointer in the enlarged screen remains unchanged.

10. The computer system of claim 1, comprised of said pointer appearing with substantially identical size in both said graphic display and in said representation.

11. The computer system of claim 1, comprised of any of said symbols and images within said vicinity appearing with substantially different sizes in said graphic display and in said representation.

5. In a method of locating a mouse pointer precisely on a display screen, said method comprising the steps of:

(1) determining whether a fine adjustment mode selection key is pressed;

(2) zooming in a predetermined screen area in the vicinity of a current location of the pointer based on the corresponding video driver and operating system and enlarging all images and symbols located within said predetermined screen area;

(3) locating the pointer at the desired position within the zoom in screen;

(4) checking if the fine adjustment mode has canceled; and

(5) restoring the zoom in screen to original picture if the fine adjustment mode is canceled.

6. The method of claim 5, the cancellation of the fine adjustment mode being performed by detecting the signal fed from a mouse button.

7. A method of precisely locating a mouse pointer on a display screen, said method comprising the steps of:

(1) selecting fine adjustment mode by determining whether a first button has been pressed;

(2) automatically zooming in on an area of the display screen in the vicinity of the mouse pointer;

(3) positioning the pointer to a desired location within said zoomed in area;

(4) determining whether a second or a third mouse button has been pressed;

(5) restoring the original display to the display screen when either of said second or said third button has been depressed; and

(6) performing an operation corresponding to a selected function when either said second or said third mouse button has been depressed.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining whether said first button has been depressed when said second or said third button has not been depressed; and

restoring the original display on the display screen when said first button has been depressed.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

positioning the pointer to a desired location within said zoomed in area when neither said first button or said second or said third button have been depressed.