Operation picture displaying apparatus and method therefor

• US 6,362,842 B1
• Filed: 01/28/1999
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Norikazu, Matsuyama, Yohichiroh, Tahara, Yoshinori, Tomoda, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thomas T.
• Application Number:
  US09/238,808
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 345/339, 345/159, 345/163, 345/336, 345/145, 345/157, 345/358, 345/348, 345/352, 345/354
• US Class Current: 715/856
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects

Abstract

An icon/window which a user is selecting is precisely predicted to improve the operability of a GUI. This invention displays a GUI picture, including an icon/window and a pointer of a mouse or the like in a display screen of a computer, predicts an icon which the user is selecting based on the moving speed and the direction of movement of the pointer, and displays a tool tip or the like which indicate the function of the icon. This invention also predicts an operation which the user is effecting on the window based on the moving speed of the pointer and a distance between the pointer and a window, changes the display of the pointer from a conventional arrow head during the movement to a bidirectional arrow head appearing in changing the size of the window, for example, depending on the prediction, and further assists an operation to change the size of the window in response to clicking by the user.

Claims

1. An operation picture displaying apparatus, comprising:

operation picture displaying means for displaying two or more operation pictures on a display screen, each of said operation pictures being correlated to an operation of a computer;

pointer picture displaying means for displaying a pointer at a pointed position on said display screen in response to an external input pointing to an arbitrary position on said display screen;

moving direction/speed detecting means for detecting the direction and the speed of movement of said pointer on said display screen; and

operation picture selecting means for automatically selecting one of said operation pictures displayed on said display screen based on said detected moving direction and moving speed before the pointer reaches said selected operation picture.

2. An operation picture displaying apparatus as in claim 1 in which said picture selecting means selects only said operation picture displayed in the direction of movement of said pointer when the moving speed of said pointer exceeds a predetermined threshold speed.

3. An operation picture displaying apparatus as in claim 2 in which said picture selecting means cancels the selection of said selected operation picture when the moving speed of said pointer is below the predetermined threshold speed for longer than a predetermined threshold time.

4. An operation picture displaying apparatus as in claim 3 further comprising operation content displaying means for displaying a content of said operation correlated to said selected operation picture on said display screen.

5. An operation picture displaying apparatus comprising:

operation picture displaying means for displaying two or more operation pictures on a display screen, each of said operation pictures being correlated to an operation of a computer;

pointer picture displaying means for displaying a pointer at a pointed position on said display screen in response to an external operation pointing to an arbitrary position on said display screen;

moving speed/distance detecting means for detecting a moving speed of said pointer on said display screen and a pointer distance between said pointer and each of said operation pictures displayed on said display screen; and

operation picture selecting means for automatically selecting one of said operation pictures displayed on said display screen based on said detected moving speed and said pointer distance before the pointer reaches said selected operation picture.

6. An operation picture displaying apparatus as in claim 5 in which said operation picture selecting means selects one of said operation pictures which is within a predetermined distance range from said pointer only when said detected pointer distance is within said predetermined distance range and said detected moving speed is within a predetermined speed range.

7. An operation picture displaying apparatus as in claim 6 in which said operation picture selecting means cancels selection of said selected operation picture when said detected pointer distance is within said predetermined distance range and said detected moving speed exceeds an upper limit of said predetermined speed range or is below a lower limit of said predetermined speed range for longer than a predetermined threshold time, or when said detected pointer distance is outside said predetermined distance range.

8. An operation picture displaying apparatus as in claim 7 and further comprising pointer picture modifying means for modifying the picture of said displayed pointer in response to said operation correlated to said selected operation picture.

9. An operation picture displaying apparatus as in claim 7 and further comprising operation input means for inputting to said computer said operation correlated to said selected operation picture in response to an exterior input.

10. An operation picture displaying method, comprising the steps of:

displaying two or more operation pictures on a display screen, each of said operation pictures being correlated to an operation on a computer;

displaying a pointer at a pointed position on said display screen in response to an external input;

detecting a moving direction and a moving speed of said pointer on said display screen or a moving speed of said pointer on said display screen and a pointer distance between said pointer and each of said operation pictures displayed on said display screen; and

automatically selecting one of said operation pictures displayed on said display screen based on said detected moving speed and either said moving direction or said pointer distances before the pointer reaches said selected operation picture.

11. A computer readable recording medium storing a program which causes a computer to execute:

an operation picture displaying step of displaying on a computer screen two or more operation pictures each of which is correlated to an operation on a computer;

a pointer picture displaying step for displaying a pointer at a pointed position on said display screen in response to an external operation pointing to an arbitrary position on said display screen;

a moving direction/speed detecting step for detecting a moving direction and a moving speed of said pointer on said display screen; and

an operation picture selecting step for automatically selecting one of said operation pictures displayed on said display screen based on said detected moving direction and moving speed before the pointer reaches said selected operation picture.

12. A computer readable recording medium as in claim 11 in which only said operation picture displayed in the direction of movement of said pointer is selected in said operation picture selecting step when the moving speed of said pointer exceeds a predetermined threshold speed.

13. A computer readable recording medium as in claim 12 in which the selection of said selected operation picture in said picture selecting step is cancelled when the duration in which the moving speed of said pointer is below the predetermined threshold speed lasts longer than a predetermined threshold time.

14. A computer readable recording medium as in claim 13 and further comprising a operation content displaying step for displaying a content of said operation correlated to said selected operation picture on said display screen.

15. A computer readable recording medium storing a program which causes a computer to execute:

an operation picture displaying step of displaying two or more operation pictures on a display screen, each of which is correlated to an operation of a computer;

a pointer picture displaying step of displaying a pointer at a pointed position on said display screen in response to an external operation pointing to an arbitrary position on said display screen;

a moving speed/distance detecting step of detecting a moving speed of said pointer on said display screen and a pointer distance between said pointer and each of said operation pictures displayed on said display screen; and

an operation picture selecting step for automatically selecting one of said operation pictures displayed on said display screen based on said detected moving speed and pointer distances before the pointer reaches said selected operation picture.

16. A computer readable recording medium as in claim 15 in which one of said operation pictures which is within a predetermined distance range from said pointer is selected in said operation picture selecting step only when said detected pointer distance is within said predetermined distance range and said detected moving speed is within a predetermined speed range.

17. A computer readable recording medium as in claim 16 in which selection of said selected operation picture in said operation picture selecting step is cancelled when said detected pointer distance is within said predetermined distance range and said detected moving speed exceeds an upper limit of said predetermined speed range or is below a lower limit of said predetermined speed range for longer than a predetermined threshold time, or when said detected pointer distance is outside said predetermined distance range.

18. A computer readable recording medium as in claim 17 and further comprising a pointer picture modifying step for modifying a picture of said displayed pointer in response to said operation correlated to said selected operation picture.

19. A computer readable recording medium as in claim 17 and further comprising an operation input step for inputting said operation correlated to said selected operation picture to said computer in response to an external input.