Method of scrolling a display window

• US 6,907,575 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2001
• Issued: 06/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Danger Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Duarte, Matias
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US09/948,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20030043207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 345/784, 345/786, 345/785, 345/767, 345/830, 345/829, 345/828, 345/817, 345/810, 345818-820, 345/864, 715/700
• US Class Current: 715/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A scrollable selection highlighter for viewing and selecting an element in a list of elements on a data processing device display. A selection highlighter may be stationary near the middle of the display while the list of elements moves in response to user input if the first and last elements in the list are not at the top or bottom positions of the display. If the first element in the list is at the top of the display, the selection highlighter may move above the middle position while the list of elements remains stationary. If the last element in the list is at the bottom of the display, the selection highlighter may move below the middle position while the list of elements remains stationary.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) for selecting logical elements from a list comprising;

a selection region on a data processing device'"'"'s display; and

a selection highlighter configured to move from one element to the next within said selection region responsive to a user input,

wherein if said selection highlighter reaches boundaries that define the selection region, said selection highlighter ceases to move and elements within said list move through said selection highlighter, thereby becoming highlighted,

wherein said selection region comprises a limited portion of said data processing device'"'"'s display such that a first set of one or more elements viewable on said display are outside of said boundaries of said selection region and a second set of one or more elements viewable on said display are within said selection region, and

wherein, when a first element in said list of elements is viewable at the top of said display, said selection highlighter moves outside of said selection region responsive to an upward-scrolling input, and when a last element in said list of elements is viewable at the bottom of said display, said selection highlighter moves outside of said selection region responsive to a downward-scrolling input.

2. The GUI as in claim 1 wherein said list of logical elements comprises a single-column menu and said selection region boundaries comprise upper and lower boundaries.

3. The GUI as in claim 1 wherein said list of elements is selected from a group comprising computer files, web page elements, and computer icons.

4. The GUI as in claim 1 wherein said elements in said list become underlined when selected by said selection highlighter.

5. The GUI as in claim 1 wherein text associated with said elements in said list become larger when selected by said selection highlighter.

6. The GUI as in claim 1 wherein graphical icons associated with said elements in said list become larger when selected by said selection highlighter.

7. A method for scrolling and selecting from a list of elements on a display comprising:

displaying a portion of a list of elements on a display, where the portion does not include a first element of the list of elements or a last element of the list of elements;

displaying a selection highlighter highlighting a displayed element within a selection region of the display, wherein the selection region is defined by a first boundary and a second boundary;

receiving a control signal to control the selection highlighter to highlight a different element bordering on the currently highlighted element; and

upon receipt of the control signal;

making the displayed portion stationary relative to the display and moving the selection highlighter, with respect to the displayed portion, in a first direction, where the first direction is toward the first element when the currently highlighted element is not bordering on the first boundary and the different element is closer to the first element than is the currently highlighted element;

making the displayed portion stationary relative to the display and moving the selection highlighter, with respect to the displayed portion, in a second direction, where the second direction is toward the last element, when the currently highlighted element is not bordering on the second boundary and the different element is closer to the last element than is the currently highlighted element;

making the selection highlighter stationary relative to the display and moving the list of elements, with respect to the selection highlighter, in the second direction, when the currently highlighted element is bordering on the first boundary and the different element is closer to the first element than is the currently highlighted element; and

making the selection highlighter stationary relative to the display and moving the list of elements, with respect to the selection highlighter, in the first direction, when the currently highlighted element is bordering on the second boundary and the different element is closer to the second element than is the currently highlighted element.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the size of the selection region is one element.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the portion is displayed vertically on the display.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first direction relative to the display is up.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the second direction relative to the display is down.

12. A Graphical User Interface (“

GUI”

) comprising;

a portion of a list of elements on a display, where the portion does not include a first element of the list of elements or a last element of the list of elements;

a selection region of the display, wherein the selection region is defined by a first boundary and a second boundary; and

a selection highlighter highlighting a displayed element within the selection region, wherein, upon receipt of a control signal, the selection highlighter highlights a different element bordering on the currently highlighted element through the following steps;

making the displayed portion stationary relative to the display and moving the selection highlighter, with respect to the displayed portion, in a first direction, where the first direction is toward the first element when the currently highlighted element is not bordering on the first boundary and the different element is closer to the first element than is the currently highlighted element;

making the displayed portion stationary relative to the display and moving the selection highlighter, with respect to the displayed portion, in a second direction, where the second direction is toward the last element, when the currently highlighted element is not bordering on the second boundary and the different element is closer to the last element than is the currently highlighted element;

making the selection highlighter stationary relative to the display and moving the list of elements, with respect to the selection highlighter, in the second direction, when the currently highlighted element is bordering on the first boundary and the different element is closer to the first element than is the currently highlighted element; and

making the selection highlighter stationary relative to the display and moving the list of elements, with respect to the selection highlighter, in the first direction, when the currently highlighted element is bordering on the second boundary and the different element is closer to the second element than is the currently highlighted element.

13. The GUI of claim 12, wherein the size of the selection region is one element.

14. The GUI of claim 12, wherein the portion is displayed vertically on the display.

15. The GUI of claim 14, wherein the first direction relative to the display is up.

16. The GUI of claim 14, wherein the second direction relative to the display is down.

17. A method for scrolling and selecting from a list of elements on a display comprising:

displaying a portion of a list of elements on a display, where the portion initially does not include at least a first element of the list of elements or a last element of the list of elements;

displaying a selection highlighter highlighting a displayed element;

receiving a plurality of first and second control signals in succession to control the selection highlighter to highlight a different element bordering on the currently highlighted element, and

upon receipt of the first control signal, making the selection highlighter stationary relative to the display and moving the list of elements with respect to the selection highlighter in the direction of the first element, wherein once the first element is displayed on the display, making the list of elements stationary with respect to the display, and making the selection highlighter move relative to the display towards the first element; and

upon receipt of the second control signal, making the selection highlighter stationary relative to the display and moving the list of elements with respect to the selection highlighter in the direction of the last element, wherein once the last element is displayed on the display, making the list of elements stationary with respect to the display, and making the selection highlighter move relative to the display towards the last element.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the portion is displayed vertically on the display.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first direction relative to the display is up.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the second direction relative to the display is down.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the first and second control signals are received via a scroll mouse.