Input manager for a computer application with display icons mapped to a user selectable set of standard keyboard keys

• US 6,199,125 B1
• Filed: 05/26/1998
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bentley Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bentley Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Cortesi, Gino
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEYTON, TAMMARA R
• Application Number:
  US09/084,570
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 709/100, 710/67, 395/333, 395/352, 345/172, 345/173, 345/156
• US Class Current: 710/67
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224

Abstract

An input manager operating on a computer system is disclosed. The computer system includes a processor, a display, an application running on the processor and being displayed on the display and a multi-key input device for inputting information to the application. The input manager manages the inputting of at least a portion of the information to the application, and runs on the processor in conjunction with the application and is displayed on the display in conjunction with the application as an input manager display. The input manager display has a command grid having a plurality of grid boxes, where each grid box represents an input choice at any one point in time and potentially several input choices over a period of time. Each grid box is mapped to a pre-determined key on the input device regardless of which input choice such grid box currently represents. Accordingly, activation of the pre-determined key selects the input choice currently represented by the grid box.

Claims

1. In a computer system including a processor, a display, an application running on the processor and being displayed on the display, and a multi-key input device for inputting information to the application, an input manager for managing the inputting of at least a portion of the information to the application, the input manager running on the processor in conjunction with the application and being displayed on the display in conjunction with the application as an input manager display, the input manager display comprising a command grid having a plurality of grid boxes, each grid box representing an input choice at any one point in time and potentially several input choices over a period of time, each grid box being mapped to a pre-determined key on the multi-key input device regardless of which input choice such grid box currently represents such that activation of the pre-determined key selects the input choice currently represented by the grid box, the pre-determined key being included in a user-selectable default set of pre-determined keys.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the multi-key input device is a standard computer keyboard.

3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the input choices are organized into a multi-level hierarchy such that a selection of an input choice from among a first set of input choices associated with the grid boxes results in the first set of input choices being dis-associated from the grid boxes and a second set of input choices being associated with the grid boxes, the second set of input choices being logically related to the selected input choice from the first set of input choices.

4. The computer system of claim 3 wherein the input choices are organized into a plurality of such multi-level hierarchies, and wherein the input manager display further comprises a hierarchy selection portion for selecting from among the plurality of such multi-level hierarchies.

5. The computer system of claim 4 wherein the hierarchy selection portion comprises a hierarchy grid having a plurality of hierarchy grid boxes, each hierarchy grid box representing one of the plurality of multi-level hierarchies, each hierarchy grid box being mapped to a pre-determined key on the input device such that activation of such pre-determined key selects the hierarchy represented by the hierarchy grid box.

6. The computer system of claim 5 wherein each grid box and each hierarchy grid box is positioned in the input manager display according to a position of its corresponding pre-determined key on the multi-key input device.

7. The computer system of claim 5 wherein the pre-determined key for each grid box or each hierarchy grid box is determined according to a position of the corresponding grid box or corresponding hierarchy grid box, respectively, in the input manager display.

8. The computer system of claim 3 wherein the input manager display further comprises a location portion displaying a current location within the multi-level hierarchy.

9. The computer system of claim 3 wherein the multi-level hierarchy is navigated to select a command to be executed in connection with the application, wherein the input manager returns to a user-selectable home location within the multi-level hierarchy after a command is selected, and wherein the input manager display further comprises a home location portion displaying the home location.

10. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the input manager display further comprises an active command portion displaying a command to be executed when such command is selected.

11. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the input choices include commands to be selected for execution in connection with the application, and wherein the input manager display further comprises a command settings portion displaying available command settings in connection with a selected command.

12. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the command grid has grid boxes extending in a first dimension.

13. The computer system of claim 12 wherein the command grid has grid boxes extending in a second dimension orthogonal to the first dimension.

14. The computer system of claim 1 wherein each grid box is positioned in the command grid according to a position of its corresponding pre-determined key on the multi-key input device.

15. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the pre-determined key for each grid box is determined according to a position of the corresponding grid box in the command grid.

16. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the pre-determined keys are organized into first and second user-selectable default sets, the first set being generally located toward a first side of the multi-key input device and the second set being generally located toward a second, opposing side of the multi-key input device.

31. The computer system of claim 1 further including a pointing device for inputting information to the application to perform designing on the display, simultaneously with the selecting of the input choice represented by the grid box by activation of the pre-determined key on the multi-key input device.

32. The computer system of claim 31 wherein the pointing device is one of a mouse, a trackball, a joystick, a touchpad and a light pen.

17. In a computer system including a processor, a display, an application running on the processor and being displayed on the display, and a multi-key input device for inputting information to the application, a method for managing the inputting of at least a portion of the information to the application, the method comprising the steps of:

running an input manager on the processor in conjunction with the application and displaying the input manager on the display in conjunction with the application as an input manager display, the input manager display comprising a command grid having a plurality of grid boxes, each grid box representing an input choice at any one point in time and potentially several input choices over a period of time;

mapping each grid box to a pre-determined key on the multi-key input device regardless of which input choice such grid box currently represents, the pre-determined key being included in a user-selectable default set of pre-determined keys; and

activating one of the pre-determined keys in the default set to select the input choice currently represented by the corresponding grid box.

18. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

organizing the input choices into a multi-level hierarchy;

associating the grid boxes with a first set of input choices from the multi-level hierarchy;

selecting an input choice from among the first set of input choices associated with the grid boxes;

dis-associating the grid boxes from the first set of input choices from the multi-level hierarchy and thereafter associating the grid boxes with a second set of input choices from the multi-level hierarchy, the second set of input choices being logically related to the selected input choice from the first set of input choices.

19. The computer system of claim 18 further comprising the steps of:

organizing the input choices into a plurality of such multi-level hierarchies; and

selecting from among the plurality of such multi-level hierarchies.

20. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the input manager display further comprises a hierarchy selection portion having a hierarchy grid with a plurality of hierarchy grid boxes, each hierarchy grid box representing one of the plurality of multi-level hierarchies, the method further comprising the steps of:

mapping each hierarchy grid box to a pre-determined key on the input device; and

activating one of such pre-determined keys to select the hierarchy represented by the corresponding hierarchy grid box.

21. The computer system of claim 20 wherein the method further comprises the step of positioning each grid box and each hierarchy grid box in the input manager display according to a position of its corresponding pre-determined key on the multi-key input device.

22. The computer system of claim 20 wherein the method further comprises the step of assigning the pre-determined key for each grid box or each hierarchy grid box according to a position of the corresponding grid box or corresponding hierarchy grid box, respectively, in the input manager display.

23. The computer system of claim 18 wherein the method further comprises the step of displaying a current location within the multi-level hierarchy in a location portion in the input manager display.

24. The computer system of claim 18 wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

navigating the multi-level hierarchy to select a command to be executed in connection with the application;

selecting a command;

returning to a user-selectable home location within the multi-level hierarchy after the command is selected.

25. The computer system of claim 24 wherein the method further comprises the step of displaying the home location in a home location portion in the input manager display.

26. The computer system of claim 24 wherein the method further comprises the step of displaying a command to be executed when such command is selected in an active command portion in the input manager display.

27. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the input choices include commands to be selected for execution in connection with the application, and wherein the method further comprises the step of displaying available command settings in connection with a selected command in a command settings portion in the input manager display.

28. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the method further comprises the step of positioning each grid box in the input manager display according to a position of its corresponding pre-determined key on the multi-key input device.

29. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the method further comprises the step of assigning the pre-determined key for each grid box according to a position of the corresponding grid box in the input manager display.

30. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the method further comprises the step of organizing the pre-determined keys into first and second user-selectable default sets, the first set being generally located toward a first side of the multi-key input device and the second set being generally located toward a second, opposing side of the multi-key input device.

33. The computer system of claim 17 further including a pointing device and a step of performing designing on the display using the pointing device simultaneously with the selecting of the input choice represented by the grid box by activation of the pre-determined key on the multi-key input device.

34. The computer system of claim 33 wherein the pointing device is one of a mouse, a trackball, a joystick, a touchpad and a light pen.