Method of vertically compressing a large list of data to fit on a screen

• US 6,295,059 B1
• Filed: 12/10/1998
• Issued: 09/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lentz, James Lee, Poston, Ricky Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phu K.
• Application Number:
  US09/210,205
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 345/433, 345/439, 345/339, 345/349, 345/350, 345/355, 345/341, 345/357
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0414 Vertical resolution change
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/391 Resolution modifying circuits, e.g. variable screen formats

Abstract

A method and apparatus for compressing and expanding a list of displayed items are provided. The items are displayed by displaying rows of informative pixels. Compressing the items entails displaying the items with one or more rows of pixels less than were immediately displayed before. The rows of pixels are displayed in accordance with a bitmap of the displayed items in which rows are indicated as displayable or non-displayable. Thus, when the compressed items are to be expanded, the status of a row needs only be changed from non-displayable to displayable in the bitmap.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a list of items comprising the steps of:

storing a bitmap of said items into memory, said bitmap having a plurality of rows, each row being indicated as displayable or non-displayable; and

displaying the displayable rows of said bitmap.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of compressing said list of displayed items by changing the indication of a row of said bitmap from displayable to non-displayable.

3. An apparatus for displaying a list of items comprising:

a bitmap of said list of items, said bitmap including a plurality of rows, each row being flagged as displayable or non-displayable; and

a display for displaying said displayable flagged rows.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said list of displayed items is compressed by changing displayable flagged rows to non-displayable.

5. A computer program on a medium for having program code means for displaying a list of items comprising:

program code means for storing a bitmap of said items into memory, said bitmap having a plurality of rows, each row being flagged as displayable or non-displayable; and

program code means for displaying said displayable flagged rows.

6. The computer program of claim 5 further comprising program code means for compressing said list of displayed items by changing displayable flagged rows to non-displayable.