High density cursor system and method

• US 7,730,430 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2004
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Robertson, George G., Baudisch, Patrick M., Cutrell, Edward B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh; Ba
• Assistant Examiner(s): WIENER, ERIC A
• Application Number:
  US10/763,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20040150619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,321 Days
• Field of Search: 715856-862, 345/156, 345/157, 345/159
• US Class Current: 715/857
• 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: G09G 5/08 Cursor circuits

Abstract

A method for enhancing a mouse cursor is presented. During the mouse cursor update display cycle, a test on the current mouse speed is made. If the mouse cursor'"'"'s speed exceeds a predetermined threshold, an enhanced mouse cursor is generated and displayed on the computer screen. According to one embodiment, an enhanced mouse cursor is generated by increasing the size of a standard mouse cursor in proportion to the speed of the mouse cursor. According to an alternative embodiment, an enhanced mouse cursor is generated by interpolating the mouse cursor'"'"'s path and adding a motion-blur effect along the interpolated path. According to yet another embodiment, an enhanced mouse cursor is generated by interpolating the mouse cursor'"'"'s path and a plurality of mouse cursor images are displayed along the interpolated path.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing a mouse cursor displayed on a computer display, the method comprising:

obtaining a current mouse cursor speed;

determining whether the current mouse cursor speed exceeds a predetermined threshold, and if so;

generating a mouse path between an actual current mouse cursor location and an actual previous mouse cursor location;

determining at least one additional mouse cursor location on the generated mouse path; and

displaying, for each single frame and within each single frame, a mouse cursor image at each additional determined mouse cursor location on the generated mouse path, in addition to displaying a mouse cursor image at the actual current mouse cursor location and at the actual previous mouse cursor location.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the mouse cursor image displayed at each additional determined mouse cursor location on the generated mouse path between the actual current and the actual previous mouse cursor locations is an enhanced mouse cursor image on the computer display.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising sizing the enhanced mouse cursor image as a function of the current mouse cursor speed.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one additional cursor location is distributed along the mouse path in a non-linear progression according to the mouse cursor speed.

5. A method for enhancing a mouse cursor displayed on a computer display comprising:

employing a processor executing computer executable instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium to implement the following acts;

obtaining a current mouse cursor speed;

determining whether the current mouse cursor speed exceeds a predetermined threshold, and if so;

generating a mouse path between an actual current mouse cursor location and an actual previous mouse cursor location;

determining at least one additional mouse cursor location on the generated mouse path; and

displaying, for each single frame and within each single frame, a mouse cursor image at each additional determined mouse cursor location on the generated mouse path, in addition to displaying a mouse cursor image at the actual current mouse cursor location and at the actual previous mouse cursor location.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising sizing the mouse cursor image according to the current mouse cursor speed.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising generating a motion-blur effect for the mouse cursor according to the current mouse cursor speed along the generated mouse path.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one additional cursor location is distributed along the generated mouse path in a non-linear progression according to the mouse cursor speed.

9. A method for enhancing a mouse cursor displayed on a computer display, the method comprising:

obtaining mouse cursor information relating to the mouse cursor during the mouse cursor'"'"'s update display cycle, the mouse cursor information including the mouse cursor'"'"'s current speed;

generating a mouse path between an actual current location of the mouse cursor and an actual previous location of the mouse cursor;

determining at least one additional mouse cursor location on the generated mouth path; and

displaying, for each single frame and within each single frame, a mouse cursor image at each additional determined mouse cursor location on the generated mouse path, in addition to displaying a mouse cursor image at the actual current mouse cursor location and at the actual previous mouse cursor location.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising sizing the mouse cursor image according to the mouse cursor'"'"'s current speed.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the least one additional cursor location is located on the generated mouse path in a non-linear progression according to the mouse cursor'"'"'s speed.

12. A method for enhancing a mouse cursor displayed on a computer display, the method comprising:

obtaining a current mouse cursor speed;

determining whether the current mouse cursor speed exceeds a predetermined threshold, and if so;

generating a mouse path between an actual current mouse cursor location and an actual previous mouse cursor location;

determining at least one additional mouse cursor location on the generated mouse path; and

displaying, for each single frame and within each single frame, a mouse cursor image at each additional determined mouse cursor location on the generated mouse path, in addition to displaying a mouse cursor image at the actual current mouse cursor location and at the actual previous mouse cursor location, wherein the mouse cursor image displayed at each additional determined mouse cursor location on the generated mouse path between the actual current and the actual previous mouse cursor locations is an enhanced mouse cursor image on the computer display.