Color and symbol coded visual cues for relating screen items to each other

• US 7,434,172 B1
• Filed: 09/01/1999
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wickham, Daina Edvina Pupons, Hamilton, David Brooks, Medl, Robert Edward, Christensen, Catherine, Gonzalez, Ricardo L.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/387,796
• Time in Patent Office: 3,324 Days
• Field of Search: 345/804, 345/805, 345/851, 345/853, 345/835, 345/839, 345/840, 345/737, 345/768, 345/779, 345/778, 715/838, 715846-847, 715802-804, 715/805, 715/765, 715/767, 715/837, 715705-712, 715/854, 715/966, 715/772, 715762-763, 715/839, 715/968, 715/817, 715/821
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

Described is a system and method for visually delineating a relationship between diverse, but related graphical objects in a graphical user interface. An icon that has a specified color scheme is associated with the diverse, but related graphical objects. When one of the related graphical objects is displayed, the icon is displayed within the displayed graphical object. The persistence of the icon with the specified color scheme in the displayed graphical objects them to to be recognized as related.

Claims

1. A computer-based method of graphically illustrating a progressive relationship between a series of related graphical objects comprising:

associating a first icon with a first graphical object, said first icon having a first color scheme;

displaying said first icon with said first color scheme within said first graphical object;

progressively displaying a series of graphical objects diverse from, but related to said first graphical object, said one or more related graphical objects reflecting an evolution of progression of development of said first graphical object, and

wherein said first icon with said specified color scheme is displayed within each of said related graphical objects, and said first icon associated with an evolution of progression of development of said first graphical object being distinguishable from a second icon associated with an evolution of progression of development of a second graphical object.

2. A computer-based method of graphically illustrating a progressive relationship between a series of related graphical objects as per claim 1, wherein the persistence of said first icon with said first color scheme between said related objects provides user assistance when traversing a series of graphical templates.

3. A computer-based method of graphically illustrating a progressive relationship between a series of related graphical objects as per claim 1, wherein said related graphical objects reflecting an evolution of progression of development of said first graphical object collectively comprise a user assistance wizard.