Scroll bar with integrated advertisement

• US 6,339,438 B1
• Filed: 07/27/1999
• Issued: 01/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Day, Paul Reuben, Bates, Cary Lee, Santosuosso, John Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Jankus, Almis R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUNNINGHAM, GREGORY F
• Application Number:
  US09/361,715
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 345/112, 345/123, 345/124, 345/125, 345/973, 345/786, 345/787
• US Class Current: 715/787
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

An apparatus, program product and method display an advertisement on at least a portion of a scroll bar. Doing so permits advertisements to be presented to users with reduced impact on the available space on a computer display, thereby maximizing usage of the computer display and limiting any potential associated negative impacts on user productivity.

Claims

1. A method of displaying an image on a computer display, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a scroll bar on a computer display; and

(b) displaying an advertisement on at least a portion of the scroll bar;

wherein the scroll bar is a graphical user interface control.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scroll bar includes a scroll region and a puck.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying the advertisement includes displaying an advertisement within the scroll region.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying on the puck at least a portion of the advertisement in the scroll region that is overlapped by the puck.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying the puck on the scroll bar only when a user manipulated pointer is disposed over the scroll bar.

12. The method of claim 1 1, wherein displaying the advertisement on the puck includes:

(a) displaying a first graphical image on the puck;

(b) displaying a second graphical image on the puck in response to user input to initiate a drag operation with the puck; and

(c) redisplaying the first graphical image on the puck in response to user input to complete the drag operation with the puck.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the advertisement to be displayed on the scroll bar.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the scroll bar is configured to receive user input to select at least one value from a range of possible values for a variable.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the scroll bar is configured to receive user input to scroll through content displayed in a graphical user interface window.

4. A method of displaying an image on a computer display, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a scroll bar on a computer display, wherein the scroll bar includes a scroll region and a puck;

(b) displaying an advertisement on at least a portion of the scroll bar, wherein displaying the advertisement includes displaying an advertisement within the scroll region;

(c) updating the position of the puck on the scroll bar in response to user input; and

(d) updating the advertisement displayed within the scroll region based on the updated position of the puck.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein updating the advertisement displayed within the scroll region includes selecting among a plurality of images responsive to the updated position of the puck.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of images has a range associated therewith, and wherein selecting among the plurality of images includes comparing the updated position of the puck with the range associated with each of the plurality of images.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein updating the advertisement displayed within the scroll region includes displaying the advertisement within a portion of the scroll region that is not occluded by the puck.

10. A method of displaying an image on a computer display, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a scroll bar on a computer display, wherein the scroll bar includes a scroll region and a puck; and

(b) displaying an advertisement on at least a portion of the scroll bar, wherein displaying the advertisement includes displaying an advertisement on the puck.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein displaying the advertisement on the puck is performed in response to user manipulation of the puck.

14. A method of displaying an image on a computer display, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a scroll bar on a computer display;

(b) displaying an advertisement on at least a portion of the scroll bar; and

(c) determining the advertisement to be displayed on the scroll bar;

wherein the scroll bar is displayed with a window within which is also displayed a portion of content associated with the window, and wherein determining the advertisement to be displayed on the scroll bar includes selecting the advertisement based upon the window content.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

(a) a memory; and

(b) a program, resident in the memory, the program configured to display a scroll bar on a computer display with an advertisement displayed on at least a portion of the scroll bar;

wherein the scroll bar is a graphical user interface control.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the scroll bar includes a scroll region and a puck.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the program is configured to display an advertisement within the scroll region.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the program is configured to update the advertisement displayed within the scroll region in response to an update to the position of the puck.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the program is configured to update the advertisement displayed within the scroll region by selecting among a plurality of images responsive to the updated position of the puck.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of images has a range associated therewith, and wherein the program is configured to select among the plurality of images by comparing the updated position of the puck with the range associated with each of the plurality of images.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the program is configured to update the advertisement displayed within the scroll region by displaying the advertisement within a portion of the scroll region that is not occluded by the puck.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the program is configured to display on the puck at least a portion of the advertisement in the scroll region that is overlapped by the puck.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the program is configured to display the puck on the scroll bar only when a user manipulated pointer is disposed over the scroll bar.

24. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the program is configured to display an advertisement on the puck.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the program is configured to display the advertisement on the puck in response to user manipulation of the puck.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the program is configured to display the advertisement on the puck by selecting between first and second graphical images based upon whether a drag operation is being performed with the puck.

27. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the program is configured to determine the advertisement to be displayed on the scroll bar.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the scroll bar is displayed within a window within which is also displayed at least a portion of content associated with the window, and wherein the program is configured to determine the advertisement to be displayed on the scroll bar by selecting the advertisement based upon the window content.

29. A program product, comprising:

(a) a program configured to display a scroll bar on a computer display with an advertisement displayed on at least a portion of the scroll bar; and

(b) a signal bearing medium bearing the program;

wherein the scroll bar is a graphical user interface control.

30. The program product of claim 29, wherein the signal bearing medium includes at least one of a recordable medium and a transmission type medium.