Variable speed cursor movement

• US 6,392,675 B1
• Filed: 02/24/1999
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pickover, Clifford Alan, Winarski, Daniel James, Becker, Craig Henry, McLean, James Gordon, Hocker, Michael David
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, KENT WU
• Application Number:
  US09/256,195
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 345/856, 345/858, 345/859, 345/861, 345/862, 345/156, 345/157, 345/701, 345/702, 345/145
• US Class Current: 715/858
• 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

A method, a front-of-screen graphical display system, and a computer program product for controlling the speed sensitivity of a GUI cursor. GUI objects, such as icons, occupy predetermined areas of the display. First and second preselected velocity settings are provided for the cursor. A determination is made whether the cursor is located within one of the object areas of the display. If, 1) the cursor is located outside one of the object areas, the speed sensitivity for movement of the cursor by the mouse is directly related to the first preselected velocity setting. If, 2) the cursor is located within one of the object areas, the speed sensitivity for movement of the cursor is directly related to the second preselected velocity setting. The second setting is the same as or slower than the first. Thus, outside the bounds of the object area, such as between objects, movement of the mouse moves the cursor at a first velocity, and, within the bounds of the object area, the same movement of the mouse moves the cursor at a second, slower velocity.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a display for displaying objects and for displaying a cursor, said objects occupying predetermined object areas of said display, and having a cursor movement interface for controlling movement of said displayed cursor, wherein said cursor movement interface is provided with one or more buttons, a graphical method for controlling movement of said displayed cursor at said display in response to said cursor movement interface, comprising the steps of:

providing a first preselected velocity setting for said cursor;

providing a second preselected velocity setting for said cursor;

determining whether said cursor is located within one of said predetermined object areas of said display;

responding to said cursor movement interface and to said determining step to move said cursor at said display at a speed sensitivity with respect to said cursor movement interface,

     1) if said cursor is located outside one of said predetermined object areas, directly related to said first preselected velocity setting, and,

     2) if said cursor is located within one of said predetermined object areas, directly related to said second preselected velocity setting; and

responding to operation of one of said one or more buttons to determine whether said object is located within an invalid drop area, and, if within an invalid drop area, to override said second preselected velocity setting and to move said cursor at said speed sensitivity directly related to said first preselected velocity setting.

2. In a computer system having a display for displaying objects and for displaying a cursor, said objects occupying predetermined object areas of said display, and having a cursor movement interface for controlling movement of said displayed cursor, a graphical method for controlling movement of said displayed cursor at said display in response to said cursor movement interface, wherein said computer system is arranged to selectively allow said cursor to drag one of said objects, comprising the steps of:

providing a first preselected velocity setting for said cursor;

providing a second preselected velocity setting for said cursor;

determining whether said cursor is located within one of said predetermined object areas of said display;

responding to said cursor movement interface and to said determining step to move said cursor at said display at a speed sensitivity with respect to said cursor movement interface,

     1) if said cursor is located outside one of said predetermined object areas, directly related to said first preselected velocity setting, and,

     2) if said cursor is located within one of said predetermined object areas, directly related to said second preselected velocity setting; and

responding to said drag operation of said cursor to determine whether said object is located within an invalid drop area, and, if within an invalid drop area, to override said second preselected velocity setting and to move said cursor at said speed sensitivity directly related to said first preselected velocity setting.

3. A front-of-screen graphical display system comprising:

a graphical display for displaying objects and for displaying a cursor, said objects occupying predetermined object areas of said display;

a cursor movement interface for controlling movement of said displayed cursor, wherein said cursor movement interface is provided with one or more buttons; and

a cursor speed control responding to said cursor movement interface, to first and second preselected velocity settings for said cursor, and to the location at said graphical display of said cursor with respect to said predetermined object areas, to move said cursor at said display at a speed sensitivity with respect to said cursor movement interface,

     1) if said cursor is located outside one of said predetermined object areas, directly related to said first preselected velocity setting, and,

     2) if said cursor is located within one of said predetermined object areas, directly related to said second preselected velocity setting, wherein said cursor speed control responds to operation of one of said one or more buttons to determine whether said object is located within an invalid drop area, and, if within an invalid drop area, to override said second preselected velocity setting and to move said cursor at said speed sensitivity directly related to said first preselected velocity setting.

4. A front-of-screen graphical display system comprising:

a graphical display for displaying objects and for displaying a cursor, said objects occupying predetermined object areas of said display, wherein said graphical display is arranged to selectively allow said cursor movement interface to drag one of said objects with said cursor;

a cursor movement interface for controlling movement of said displayed cursor; and

a cursor speed control responding to said cursor movement interface, to first and second preselected velocity settings for said cursor, and to the location at said graphical display of said cursor with respect to said predetermined object areas, to move said cursor at said display at a speed sensitivity with respect to said cursor movement interface,

     1) if said cursor is located outside one of said predetermined object areas, directly related to said first preselected velocity setting, and,

     2) if said cursor is located within one of said predetermined object areas, directly related to said second preselected velocity setting, wherein said cursor speed control responds to said drag operation to determine whether said object is located within an invalid drop area, and, if within an invalid drop area, to override said second preselected velocity setting and to move said cursor at said speed sensitivity directly related to said first preselected velocity setting.

5. A computer program product usable with a programmable computer processor having computer readable program code embodied therein for controlling the display of objects and the display of a cursor on a graphical display screen coupled to said computer processor, said objects occupying predetermined object areas of said display, said display of a cursor conducted in response to a cursor movement interface coupled to said computer processor, wherein said coupled cursor movement interface is provided with one or more buttons, comprising:

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to provide a first preselected velocity setting for said cursor;

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to provide a second preselected velocity setting for said cursor;

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to determine whether said cursor is located within one of said predetermined object areas of said display;

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to respond to said cursor movement interface and to said determining step to move said cursor at said display at a speed sensitivity with respect to said cursor movement interface,

     1) if said cursor is located outside one of said predetermined object areas, directly related to said first preselected velocity setting, and,

     2) if said cursor is located within one of said predetermined object areas, directly related to said second preselected velocity setting; and

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to respond to operation of one of said one or more buttons to determine whether said object is located within an invalid drop area, and, if within an invalid drop area, to override said second preselected velocity setting and to move said cursor at said speed sensitivity directly related to said first preselected velocity setting.

6. A computer program product usable with a programmable computer processor having computer readable program code embodied therein for controlling the display of objects and the display of a cursor on a graphical display screen coupled to said computer processor, said objects occupying predetermined object areas of said display, said display of a cursor conducted in response to a cursor movement interface coupled to said computer processor, wherein said computer processor selectively allows said cursor to drag one of said objects, comprising:

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to provide a first preselected velocity setting for said cursor;

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to provide a second preselected velocity setting for said cursor;

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to determine whether said cursor is located within one of said predetermined object areas of said display;

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to respond to said cursor movement interface and to said determining step to move said cursor at said display at a speed sensitivity with respect to said cursor movement interface,

     1) if said cursor is located outside one of said predetermined object areas, directly related to said first preselected velocity setting, and,

     2) if said cursor is located within one of said predetermined object areas, directly related to said second preselected velocity setting; and

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to determine whether said object is located within an invalid drop area, and, if within an invalid drop area, to respond to said drag operation of said cursor to override said second preselected velocity setting and to move said cursor at said speed sensitivity directly related to said first preselected velocity setting.