Zoom-capable scrollbar

• US 7,380,216 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2000
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Feig, Ephraim, Chen, Jeane Shu-Chun
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chuong; Truc T
• Application Number:
  US09/725,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20020063737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,735 Days
• Field of Search: 345784-787, 345/777, 345/712, 345/833, 345855-859
• US Class Current: 715/786
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

A graphical user interface displays a coarse control scrollbar to provide a user with coarse resolution sequential data control and a magnified view scrollbar proximate to the coarse control scrollbar. The magnified view scrollbar provides the user with fine resolution sequential data control. When the cursor is on the scrollbar, an overlay is opened which is a zoomed version of the scrollbar. The zoom range of the overlay is adjustable and can either be preset by the user or set during the zooming operation. When operating the overlay, a menu is available which allows the user to choose between zooming up or down to select the desired position.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface method comprising:

displaying a coarse control scrollbar in a graphical user interface to provide a user with coarse resolution sequential data control;

displaying a magnified view scrollbar in the graphical user interface proximate to the coarse control scrollbar, the magnified view scrollbar providing the user with fine resolution sequential data control; and

displaying a directional menu to provide the user forward or backward sequential scrolling in a cascading fashion;

said method further including;

selecting a granularity level in a linear position register in response to selecting a level buffer; and

buffering a position value in the selected granularity level of the register.

2. A method for providing a nested resolution scrollbar in a graphical user interface of a computer having a memory, a display, and a pointing device, comprising the steps of:

dividing a maximum length entity by a minimum granularity unit to get a total number of minimum granularity units in the entity;

selecting a number of levels of resolution;

selecting a number of minimum granularity units for each level of resolution;

allocating a position buffer for each level of resolution;

allocating a window-size buffer for each level of resolution;

selecting a coarse scrollbar slider;

measuring the position of the scrollbar slider within the coarse window in units of the subsequent level of resolution; and

storing the value of the measured position of the scrollbar slider.

3. A method for providing a nested resolution scrollbar in a graphical user interface of a computer having a memory, a display, and a pointing device, comprising the steps of:

dividing a maximum length entity by a minimum granularity unit to get a total number of minimum granularity units in the entity;

selecting a number of levels Q of resolution, as resolution levels L1, L2, L3, L4;

selecting a number of minimum granularity units for a finest level resolution as a resolution number N1 units;

selecting a number of second level granularity units for a next most fine level as a resolution number N2units;

selecting a number of third level granularity units for a next most fine level as a resolution number N3 units;

selecting a number of fourth level granularity units for a next most fine level as a resolution number N4;

allocating Q position buffers in the computer memory, one for each resolution, for positions P1, P2, P3, P4;

allocating Q window-size buffers in the computer memory W1, W2, W3, W4;

selecting with the computer'"'"'s cursor a coarse slider S4;

measuring the position of slider S4 within the coarse window W4 in units of W3;

storing the value of measured position of S4 in the position buffer P4 and displaying slider S4;

select with the computer'"'"'s cursor a medium slider S3;

measuring the position of slider S3 within the medium window W3 in units of W2;

storing the value of measured position of S3 in the position buffer P3 and displaying slider S3;

selecting with the computers cursor a fine slider S2;

measuring the position of slider S2 within the fine window W2 in units of W1;

storing the value of measured position of S2 in the position buffer P2 and display slider S2; and

outputting an absolute position X of the cursor with respect to the beginning point of the coarse window, in units of the minimum granularity units, as X=P1 x P2 x P3 x P4.