Method for displaying hidden objects by varying the transparency of overlapping objects

• US 6,587,128 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2002
• Issued: 07/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kanevsky, Dimitri, Pickover, Clifford A., Zlatsin, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): dela Torre, Crescelle N.
• Application Number:
  US10/096,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20020089546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: 345/700, 345/701, 345/744-747, 345/764, 345/766, 345/768, 345/781, 345/782, 345/788-790, 345/794, 345/798-801, 345/835, 345/836, 345/848, 345/849, 345/852, 345/619, 345/620, 345/625, 345/660, 345/672
• US Class Current: 715/768
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

The dynamically sized window automatically adjusts its right border if the text on the line exceeds beyond the window size, thereby eliminating a need for a manual adjustment of the window size and/or scrolling through the window. Moreover, the present invention enables a capability to increase only the selective parts of the window that displays a longer line. Similarly, adjustments to the window are enabled for those windows having graphical pictures whose size exceeds the window size. Windows overlapping other windows may be made transparent so that the underlying window is visible.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects on a display terminal, the method comprising:

determining an object overlying a selected hidden object; and

graphically attributing a degree of transparency to the overlying object such that the selected hidden object can be viewed trough the overlying object having the degree of transparency, said attributing being performed automatically based on a predetermined criteria associated with the selected hidden object, said criteria computed based on statistical data of a user'"'"'s past behavior.

2. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 1, wherein said overlying object includes a GUI window.

3. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 1, wherein said selected hidden object includes a GUI window.

4. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 1, wherein said overlying object includes a GUI icon.

5. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 1, wherein said selected hidden object includes a GUI icon.

6. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of attributing further includes:

changing one or more pixel color values of said overlying object.

7. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of attributing includes:

graphically attributing a degree of transparency to portions of said overlying object.

8. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 7, wherein the portion includes a portion where the selected hidden object overlaps the overlying object.

9. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 7, wherein the portion includes a portion overlapping borders of the selected hidden object, such that the borders of the selected hidden object can be viewed through the overlying object.

10. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of attributing further comprises:

changing pixel color values of said overlying object and said selected hidden object such that each object has a different translucent color attribute.

11. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined criteria includes a degree of importance assigned to the selected hidden object.

12. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 1, wherein the steps of determining and attributing are performed when a user manually requests to view said selected hidden object.

13. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 1, wherein said overlying and hidden objects are displayed in a 3-dimensional form, the method further including accepting a user input via a force-feedback device for determining the selected hidden object.

14. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of dynamically adjusting a window shape on a computer screen, said adjusting step comprising:

determining a boundary of content displayed on a graphical user interface window; and

adjusting a graphical border of the graphical user interface window to fit the boundary of content displayed in the graphical user interface window.

15. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 14, the method further comprising the step of displaying the graphical user interface window having the adjusted border.

16. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 14, the method further comprising the step of reshaping the graphical user interface window by readjusting portions of window that no longer have contents displayed.

17. The method for enabling a view of one or more object hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 14, the method further comprising the steps of determining length of each line of text displayed in the graphical user interface window;

and adjusting length of the window to fit said each line.

18. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 14, wherein the adjusted graphical border includes ragged edges in accordance with the boundary of content.

19. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 14, method further comprising:

selecting a graphical user interface window for adjusting according to a predetermined criteria before the step of determining.

20. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 19, wherein the predetermined criteria includes user specified criteria.

21. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 19, wherein the predetermined criteria includes system automated criteria computed based on statistical data of user'"'"'s past behavior.

22. The method for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects as claimed in claim 19, wherein the predetermined criteria includes criteria specified in a document displayed in a window whose shape is being adjusted.

23. The method for dynamically adjusting a window shape on a computer screen as claimed in claim 14, wherein the step of determining a boundary of content includes accepting user input which specifies the boundary parameters.

24. The method for dynamically adjusting a window shape on a computer screen as claimed in claim 14, wherein the step of determining a boundary of content includes setting the border to values specified in a document displayed in a window whose shape is being adjusted.

25. The method for dynamically adjusting a window shape on a computer screen as claimed in claim 14, wherein the step of determining a boundary of content includes setting the border to a system evaluated value which is based on statistical data of past behavior.

26. The method for dynamically adjusting a window shape on a computer screen as claimed in claim 14, wherein the step of determining a boundary of content further includes retrieving threshold values which represent maximum and minimum size of a window;

and the step of adjusting further includes adjusting the border to be within the threshold values.

27. The method for dynamically adjusting a window shape on a computer screen as claimed in claim 14, wherein the step of adjusting further comprises:

adjusting a border of the graphical user interface window to a size based on one of the boundary of content displayed and a predetermined boundary setting.

28. The method for dynamically adjusting a window shape on a computer screen as claimed in claim 14, wherein the step of determining includes:

determining a boundary of a pictorial image displayed on a graphical user interface window.

29. The method for dynamically adjusting a window shape on a computer screen as claimed in claim 28, wherein the pictorial image includes an icon.

30. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for enabling a view of one or more objects hidden by one or more overlapping objects, the method steps comprising:

determining an object overlying a selected hidden object; and

graphically attributing a degree of transparency to the overlying object such that the selected hidden object can be viewed through the object having the degree of transparency, said attributing being performed automatically based on a predetermined criteria associated with the selected hidden object, said criteria computed based on statistical data of a user'"'"'s past behavior.

31. The program storage device as claimed in claim 30, wherein said overlying object includes a GUI window.

32. The program storage device as claimed in claim 30, wherein said selected hidden object includes a GUI window.