Data set user interface control for use in accessing information in a computer

• US 6,204,846 B1
• Filed: 02/16/1999
• Issued: 03/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rahn, Michael David, Martinez, Anthony Edward, Little, Alex Dudley
• Primary Examiner(s): dela Torre, Crescelle N.
• Application Number:
  US09/250,448
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 345/341, 345/339, 345/347, 345/348, 345/973, 345/974, 345/975, 345/123, 345/124, 345/125, 345/336, 345/338, 345/335, 707/1, 709/203, 709/217
• US Class Current: 715/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/973 Scroll tool, e.g. window scroll bar
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/974 Slider control as on-screen object in operator interface

Abstract

An apparatus, program product, user interface control and method indicate, on a data set user interface control, the size of a subset of data relative to an overall data set accessible by the control. The data set user interface control may be implemented in much the same manner as a scroll bar, including a slider control that can be manipulated along a scroll region of the scroll bar to adjust the parameters of the subset of data accessible through the window. Further, the length of the slider may be set relative to that of the scroll region to represent the size of the current subset relative to the overall data set. The length of the slider may also be manipulated by a user to adjust the size of the current subset. While a data set user interface control may be implemented in a wide variety of additional environments, one particularly suitable use is in a client-server environment where a data set is retrieved in the form of subsets from an external information source accessible via a server computer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of accessing information, the method comprising:

(a) transmitting a request from a client computer to a server computer to determine a data set that matches the request;

(b) receiving, from the server computer, a subset of data from the data set in response to the request;

(c) displaying, within a window on a computer display coupled to the client computer, at least a portion of the subset of data, wherein the subset of data represents that segment of the data set that is allocated to the window; and

(d) displaying a data set user interface control on the computer display, the data set user interface control indicating a size of the subset of data relative to an overall size of the data set.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) receiving data from a second subset of data from the data set;

(b) updating the window to display at least a portion of the second subset of data; and

(c) updating the data set user interface control to indicate the size of the second subset of data relative to the overall size of the data set.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating retrieval of data from a second subset of data in the data set from the server computer in response to user input directed to the data set user interface control.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data set user interface control includes a scroll bar display element with a slider display element, wherein the slider display element has a length, relative to that of a scroll region defined on the scroll bar display element, that indicates the size of the subset of data relative to the overall size of the data set.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the subset of data has lower and upper bounds, and wherein the slider display element has first and second edges positioned respectively along the scroll bar display element to indicate the relative positions of the lower and upper bounds of the subset of data in the data set.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

(a) adjusting both the lower bound of the subset of data and the size of the subset of data in response to user input directed to a first slider resize control disposed proximate the first edge of the slider display element; and

(b) adjusting both the upper bound of the subset of data and the size of the subset of data in response to user input directed to a second slider resize control disposed proximate the second edge of the slider display element.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising adjusting the lower and upper bounds of the subset of data while maintaining the size of the subset of data in response to a user dragging the slider display element along the length of the scroll bar display element.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising retrieving a second subset of data adjacent to the first subset of data in the data set in response to user input directed to the scroll bar display element.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein retrieving the second subset of data from the data set includes retrieving as the second subset of data an amount of data equivalent in size to the first subset of data.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the data set user interface control includes at least one button, and wherein retrieving the second subset of data is performed in response to user input directed to the button.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the data set user interface control includes a scroll region, and wherein retrieving the second subset of data is performed in response to user input directed to the scroll region.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the data set user interface control includes at least one button, the method further comprising retrieving a second subset of data offset from the first subset of data in the data set in response to user input directed to the button.

13. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

(a) displaying a second user interface control on the computer display, the second user interface control including a second scroll bar display element and a second slider display element, the second slider display element indicating a relative position of the portion of the subset of data that is displayed in the window; and

(b) displaying a second portion of the subset of data in the window in response to user input directed to the second user interface control.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying the first and second scroll bar display elements alongside one another along an edge of the window.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data set user interface control includes a bracket display element that visually brackets the second scroll bar display element.

16. A computer-implemented method of accessing information, the method comprising:

(a) displaying within a window on a computer display at least a portion of a subset of data from a data set, wherein the subset of data represents that segment of the data set that is allocated to the window;

(b) displaying a data set user interface control on the computer display, the data set user interface control indicating a size of the subset of data relative to an overall size of the data set; and

(c) displaying at least one parameter of the subset of data in response to user input directed to the data set user interface control.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein displaying at least one parameter includes displaying a popup window in response to user input during positioning of a pointer over the slider display element.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein displaying at least one parameter includes displaying in the popup window a numerical indication of at least one of the lower bound of the subset of data, the upper bound of the subset of data, the size of the subset of data, and the overall size of the data set.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the data set includes a plurality of records, the subset of data includes a subset of the plurality of records, and the lower and upper bounds respectively define starting and ending records in the subset of the plurality of records, and wherein displaying at least one parameter includes displaying numerical indications of the starting and ending records in the subset of the plurality of records, and the total number of records in the plurality of records.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising adjusting at least one of the lower bound, the upper bound and the size of the subset of data in response to user input directed to the popup window.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein adjusting at least one of the lower bound, the upper bound and the size of the subset of data includes setting the size of the subset of data to a maximum subset size in response to user input directed to a maximum size user interface control displayed in the popup window.

22. A method of accessing information from a server computer with a client computer, the method comprising:

(a) determining, in response to a request received by the server computer, a data set including a plurality of records that match the request;

(b) transmitting a subset of records from the data set to the client computer, the subset of records including starting and ending records;

(c) displaying a window on a computer display coupled to the client computer;

(d) displaying at least a portion of the data in the subset of records in the window, wherein the data in the subset of records represents that segment of the data set that is allocated to the window; and

(e) displaying a data set user interface control on the computer display, the data set user interface control including a scroll bar display element with a slider display element, the slider display element including first and second edges positioned respectively along the scroll bar display element to indicate relative positions of the starting and ending records in the data set.

23. A client apparatus, comprising:

(a) a memory; and

(b) a program, resident in the memory, the program configured to transmit a request to a server computer to determine a data set that matches the request, receive from the server computer a subset of data from the data set in response to the request, display within a window on a computer display at least a portion of the subset of data, and to display a data set user interface control on the computer display, the data set user interface control indicating a size of the subset of data relative to an overall size of the data set, wherein the subset of data represents that segment of the data set that is allocated to the window.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the program is further configured to initiate retrieval of a second subset of data in the data set in response to user input directed to the data set user interface control.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the data set user interface control includes a scroll bar display element with a slider display element, wherein the slider display element has a length relative to that of the scroll bar display element that indicates the size of the subset of data relative to the overall size of the data set.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the subset of data has lower and upper bounds, and wherein the slider display element has first and second edges positioned respectively along the scroll bar display element to indicate the relative positions of the lower and upper bounds of the subset of data in the data set.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the program is further configured to adjust both the lower bound of the subset of data and the size of the subset of data in response to user input directed to a first slider resize control disposed proximate the first edge of the slider display element, and to adjust both the upper bound of the subset of data and the size of the subset of data in response to user input directed to a second slider resize control disposed proximate the second edge of the slider display element.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the program is further configured to adjust the lower and upper bounds of the subset of data while maintaining the size of the subset of data in response to a user dragging the slider display element along the length of the scroll bar display element.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the program is further configured to display at least one parameter of the subset of data in a popup window in response to user input during positioning of a pointer over the slider display element.

30. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the program is further configured to adjust at least one of the lower bound, the upper bound and the size of the subset of data in response to user input directed to the popup window.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the program is further configured to set the size of the subset of data to a maximum subset size in response to user input directed to a maximum size user interface control displayed in the popup window.

32. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the program is further configured to display a second user interface control on the computer display, the second user interface control including a second scroll bar display element and a second slider display element, the second slider display element indicating a relative position of the portion of the subset of data that is displayed in the window, and the program further configured to display a second portion of the subset of data in the window in response to user input directed to the second user interface control.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the program is further configured to display the first and second scroll bar display elements alongside one another along an edge of the window.

34. An apparatus, comprising:

(a) a server computer configured to determine, in response to a request received by the server computer, a plurality of records that match the request, the server computer further configured to transmit a subset of records from the plurality of records, the subset of records including starting and ending records; and

(b) a client computer including a computer display, the client computer configured to receive the subset of records from the server computer, to display a window on the computer display, to display at least a portion of the data in the subset of records in the window, wherein the data in the subset of records represents that segment of the data in the plurality of records that is allocated to the window, and to display a data set user interface control on the computer display, the data set user interface control including a scroll bar display element and a slider display element, the slider display element including first and second edges positioned respectively along the scroll bar display element to indicate relative positions of the starting and ending records in the plurality of records.

35. A program product, comprising:

(a) a program configured to transmit a request from a client computer to a server computer to determine a data set that matches the request, receive from the server computer a subset of data from the data set in response to the request, display within a window on a computer display coupled to the client computer at least a portion of the subset of data, and to display a data set user interface control on the computer display, the data set user interface control indicating a size of the subset of data relative to an overall size of the data set, wherein the subset of data represents that segment of the data set that is allocated to the window; and

(b) a signal bearing media bearing the program.

36. The program product of claim 35, wherein the signal bearing media comprises at least one of a recordable media and a transmission-type media.

37. A user interface control configured to be displayed on a computer display to receive user input for accessing information displayed in a window displayed on the computer display, the window of the type having displayed therein at least a portion of a subset of data from a data set, wherein the subset of data represents that segment of the data set that is allocated to the window, the user interface control comprising:

(a) a scroll bar display element displayed on the computer display, the scroll bar display element including a scroll region; and

(b) a slider display element overlapping the scroll bar display element, the slider display element having a length, relative to that of the scroll region, that indicates the size of the subset of data relative to the overall size of the data set, wherein the user interface control is configured to display at least one parameter of the subset of data in response to user input directed to the data set user interface control.

38. The user interface control of claim 37, wherein the slider display element is configured to initiate display of a portion of a different subset of data from the data set in response to user input directed thereto.