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

• US 6,915,492 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Alias Systems Corp. (Autodesk, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kurtenbach, Gordon, Fitzmaurice, George W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US10/178,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20030035012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 715/810, 715/841, 715/853
• 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:

five menu zones arranged in a pattern of a center zone, a north zone, a south zone, an east zone and a west zone, and where corresponding menus are displayed when a zone is activated; and

menu items overlapping the zones where corresponding ones of the menus are displayed when an item as indicated is activated with the menu items describing the item to be activated, and

where a marking menu is activated as one of the menus, the marking menu appears and items are not visible when the one of the items is activated.

2. A display, comprising:

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

a second active layer of GUI elements overlapping the zones where an action takes place when the GUI element is activated and the zones being activatable between the GUI elements; and

a first menu which is display activated by an input device where the first menu'"'"'s position is based on a location of a cursor for a second input device at a time of activation and where activation of the first menu'"'"'s menu items is performed by the second input device.

3. A display as recited in claim 2, wherein at least one of the GUI elements comprises a menu bar.

4. A display, comprising:

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

a second active layer of GUI elements overlapping the zones where the GUI elements identify the menus available in a zone and the zones being activatable between the GUI elements; and

a first menu which is display activated by an input device where the first menu'"'"'s position is based on a location of a cursor for a second input device at a time of activation and where activation of the first menu'"'"'s menu items is performed by the second input device.

5. A display as recited in claim at least one of the GUI elemnets comprises a menu bar.

6. A display, comprising:

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

a second active layer of GUI elements overlapping the zones where the GUI elements identify the menus available in a zone and the zones being activatable both between the GUI elements and in the GUI elements; and

a first menu which is display activated by an input device where the first menu'"'"'s position is based on a location of a cursor for a second input device at a time of activation and where activation of the first menu'"'"'s menu items is performed by the second input device.

7. A display as recited in claim 6, wherein at least one of the GUI elements comprises a menu bar.

8. A display, comprising:

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

a second inactive layer of GUI elements overlapping the zones where the GUI elements identify the menus available in a zone and the zones being activatable between the GUI elements; and

a first menu which is display activated by an input device where the first menu'"'"'s position is based on a location of a cursor for a second input device at a time of activation and where activation of the first menu'"'"'s menu items is performed by the second input device.

9. A display as recited in claim 8, wherein at least one of the GUI elements comprises a menu bar.

10. A display, comprising:

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

a second layer of GUI elements overlapping the zones where some or all of the GUI elements are not visible when a menu zone is activated and the zones being activatable between the GUI elements; and

a first menu which is display activated by an input device where the first menu'"'"'s position is based on a location of a cursor for a second input device at a time of activation and where activation of the first menu'"'"'s menu items is performed by the second input device.

11. A display as recited in claim 10, wherein at least one of the GUI elements comprises a menu bar.

12. A display, comprising:

a first active layer of GUI elements;

a second active layer of menu zones overlapping the GUI elements where an action takes place when the GUI element is activated and the first active layer of GUI elements being activatable between the GUI elements; and

a first menu which is display activated by an input device where the first menu'"'"'s position is based on a location of a cursor for a second input device at a time of activation and where activation of the first menu'"'"'s menu items is performed by the second input device.

13. A display as recited in claim 12, wherein at least one of the zones comprises a menu bar.