System for accessing a large number of menu items using a zoned menu bar

• US 6,414,700 B1
• Filed: 07/21/1998
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Silicon Graphics Incorporated (Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kurtenbach, Gordon, Fitzmaurice, George W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US09/119,654
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 334/345.334, 334/333, 334/33, 334/340, 334/341, 334/342, 334/347, 334/348, 334/349, 334/352, 334/353, 334/354, 334/762, 334/765, 334/764, 334/803, 334/808, 334/810, 334/841, 334/840
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A system that includes a pop-up graphical user interface that includes menu bars overlapping marking menu zones. The interface pops up at the current position of the cursor when the space bar is held down. The menu bars are positioned around a central marking zone with the common menu bars located above the central zone and task specific menu bars located below the central zone. The common application menu bar is positioned outer most and the common window menu bar is located inner most. The menu bars are sized in a “stair-step” pattern and the commands therein are left and right justified to fill the menu bar evenly. The menu bar menu items are accessed just like menu bar items typically found at the top of windows. The menu bars mimic the menu bars that a user may need to use during tasks that users typically perform using the menu bars found in application windows. The zones are divided into a central zone and four outer zones where user customizable marking menus are activated when a mouse button is held down while the cursor is in one of the zones.

Claims

1. A display, comprising:

a first active layer of menu zones arranged in a pattern where a menu is displayed when a zone is activated; and

a second active layer of menu bars overlapping the zones where each of the menu bars comprises a list of menus and a menu is displayed when a menu bar menu item is activated and the zones being activatable between the menu bars.

2. A display as recited in claim 1, wherein a center of the zones is located at a current position of a cursor when the display is activated.

3. A display as recited in claim 1, wherein the display is activated while a single keyboard key is depressed.

4. A display as recited in claim 1, wherein said menu zones comprise marking menu zones.

5. A display as recited in claim 1, wherein said zones comprise a central zone and outer zones.

6. A display as recited in claim 5, wherein said outer zones comprise north, south, east and west zones.

7. A display as recited in claim 5, further comprising a space between said central zone and said menu bars where a cursor can activate said outer zones.

8. A display as recited in claim 1, further comprising zone boundaries between said zones delineated by lines of equal length forming a square.

9. A display as recited in claim 8, wherein the menu bars comprises:

common menu bars positioned above the center; and

task menu bars positioned below the center.

10. A display as recited in claim 8, wherein said menu bars comprise an interface specific menu bar positioned beside the center.

11. A display as recited in claim 1, wherein said zones cover an entire display.

12. A display as recited in claim 1, wherein said menu bars are arranged around a center of said zones.

13. A display as recited in claim 1, wherein said menu bars and zones are partially transparent for graphic objects displayed thereunder.

14. A display as recited in claim 1, wherein text of said menu bars comprises an anti-aliasing font.

15. A display as recited in claim 1, wherein common and window specific menu bars are hidden.

16. A display as recited in claim 1, wherein contents of a pane specific menu bar vary according to the view active at a time the display is involved.

17. A display as recited in claim 1, wherein an order of the menu bars is selectable by a user.

18. A display as recited in claim 1, wherein menu bars above and below a center are balanced.

19. A display as recited in claim 1, wherein the menu bars have an appearance and behavior of application/window menu bars.

20. A display as recited in claim 1, providing at least two levels of command access speed.

21. A display as recited in claim 1, wherein multiple commands can be issued each time the display is involved.

22. A display, comprising:

menu zones arranged in a pattern where a menu is displayed when a zone is activated; and

menu bars overlapping the zones where a menu is displayed when a menu bar menu item is activated and wherein said menu zones have one of a “

+” and

a “

x”

cross shape pattern.

23. A display, comprising:

menu zones arranged in a pattern where a menu is displayed when a zone is activated; and

menu bars overlapping the zones where a menu is displayed when a menu bar menu item is activated wherein said menu bars are arranged from top to bottom on both sides of a center in a stair-step pattern with items spaced to fill the bars.

24. A display, comprising:

a pop-up graphical user interface displayed at a current position of a cursor when a keyboard space bar is held down, said interface comprising;

marking menu zones arranged in an “

x”

cross where a marking menu is activated when a mouse button is held down, said zones comprise a central zone positioned under the current cursor position and outer zones having zone boundaries between said zones delineated by lines of equal length forming a square; and

menu bars overlapping the zones where a menu is displayed when a menu bar menu item is selected, said menu bars being arranged around said central zone, said menu bars are arranged from top to bottom on both sides of said central zone in a stair-step pattern with items spaced to fill the bars where text of said menu mars comprises an anti-aliasing font, said menu bars comprising;

common menu bars positioned above the central zone;

task menu bars positioned below the central zone; and

an interface specific menu bar positioned beside the central zone.

25. A display system, comprising:

a cursor control and selection input device;

a keyboard having an activation key;

a display;

a computer coupled to said input device, said keyboard and said display, producing a zoned menu bar graphical user interface on said display when the activation key is held down and selecting from the interface using the input device, the zoned menu bar graphical display comprising;

a first active layer of menu zones arranged in a pattern where a menu is displayed when a zone is activated; and

a second active layer of menu bars overlapping the zones where each of the menu bars comprises a list of menus and a menu is displayed when a menu bar menu item is activated and the zones being activatable between the menu bars.

26. A process, comprising:

displaying marking menu zones in which marking menus can be activated; and

producing menu bars with menu items overlapping the zones with menus activatable by selection of one of the items, the menu zones and menu bars comprising;

a first active layer of menu zones arranged in a pattern where a menu is displayed when a zone is activated; and

a second active layer of menu bars overlapping the zones where each of the menu bars comprises a list of menus and a menu is displayed when a menu bar menu item is activated and the zones being activatable between the menu bars.

27. A process, comprising:

displaying marking menu zones in which marking menus can be activated; and

producing menu bars with menu items overlapping the zones with menus activatable by selection of one of the items wherein said producing comprises;

creating menu bars with a bottom to top stair-step pattern; and

filling each menu bar with the commands of that menu bar by left and right justifying the menu items.

28. A computer readable medium comprising a process including displaying marking menu zones in which marking menus can be activated and producing menu bars with menu items overlapping the zones with menus activatable by selection of one of the items, the marking menu zones and menu bars comprising:

a first active layer of menu zones arranged in a pattern where a menu is displayed when a zone is activated; and

a second active layer of menu bars overlapping the zones where each of the menu bars comprises a list of menus and a menu is displayed when a menu bar menu item is activated and the zones being activatable between the menu bars.

29. A process of displaying a menu interface, comprising:

detecting a depression of a single key of a keyboard; and

displaying the menu interface under a current position of a cursor, the menu interface comprising;

a first active layer of menu zones arranged in a pattern where a menu is displayed when a zone is activated; and

a second active layer of menu bars overlapping the zones where each of the menu bars comprises a list of menus and a menu is displayed when a menu bar menu item is activated and the zones being activatable between the menu bars.

30. A display, comprising a pop-up graphical user interface presenting an appearance of multiple menu bars, the pop-up graphical user interface comprising:

a first active layer of menu zones arranged in a pattern where a menu is displayed when a zone is activated; and

a second active layer of menu bars overlapping the zones where each of the menu bars comprises a list of menus and a menu is displayed when a menu bar menu item is activated and the zones being activatable between the menu bars.