Sticky functionality

• US 8,140,972 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2010
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Schlegel, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAUDHURI, ANITA
• Application Number:
  US12/707,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20100211910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 715/711, 715/762, 715/763, 715/765, 715/760, 715/764, 715/810, 715/862, 715/863, 715/865, 715/866, 715/856, 715/857, 715/858, 715/859
• US Class Current: 715/711
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

Manipulation of elements in a graphical user interface is aided by allowing the graphical user interface to treat certain mouse button actuation and releases as holding the mouse button in an actuated state. When predetermined conditions are satisfied, the graphical user interface will treat a mouse button actuation and release as if the mouse button were held in an actuated state. A user can then manipulate elements in the graphical user interface as if the user held the mouse button in an actuated state. The types of manipulation can include the moving of a window, the resizing of a window, moving an icon, and the scrolling through the visible portion of a window.

Claims

1. A method for manipulating an element of a user interface on a display device of a computer, comprising the following steps:

determining whether a cursor is positioned over one of a plurality of predetermined types of user interface elements displayed in the user interface;

determining whether an input device is actuated and deactuated under a predetermined condition while said cursor is positioned over one of said predetermined types of user interface elements; and

dragging said one element in response to movement of said cursor if said predetermined condition is met.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said predetermined condition is whether the amount of time that lapses between actuation and deactuation of said input device is no greater than a predetermined value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said predetermined condition is whether the distance traveled by the cursor between actuation and deactuation of the input device is no greater than a predetermined value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of predetermined types of user interface elements comprise predetermined components of a window.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said predetermined components comprise a title bar, a resize element, and a scrolling control element.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said input device comprises a button on a cursor control device.

7. The method of claim 1, further including the step of terminating said dragging step in response to subsequent actuation of said input device.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having recorded thereon a program that causes a computer to manipulate an element in a user interface displayed on a display device of the computer, the program causing the computer to execute the steps of:

detecting placement of a cursor over an element in the user interface;

receiving, for an input device in a first state connected to the computer, a control input containing an actuation of the input device to place the input device in a second state;

receiving, from the input device, a control input containing a deactuation of the input device to return the input device to the first state;

determining whether the actuation and the deactuation of the input device occurs within a predetermined amount of time;

receiving, from the input device, a control input containing an instruction to drag the element in the user interface in accordance with a movement of the input device; and

moving the element in the user interface in accordance with the movement of the input device when the actuation and the deactuation of the input device occurs within the predetermined amount of time.

9. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the program further causes the computer to perform an alternative operation of manipulating an element in a user interface on the display device of the computer, the program causing the computer to execute the steps of:

detecting placement of a cursor over a portion of a window in the user interface;

receiving, from the input device in the first state, a control input containing an actuation of the input device to place the input device in the second state;

receiving, from the input device, a control input containing an instruction to drag the element in the user interface in accordance with the movement of the input device while the input device is in the second state; and

moving the element in the user interface in accordance with the movement of the input device.

10. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the program further causes the computer to execute the step of:

determining whether the deactuation of the input device occurs at a location within a predetermined distance from the location at which the input device was actuated.

11. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the input device is one of a mouse, a trackball, a trackpad, and a pen.

12. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the element is one of a resize box, a scrollbar, a slider, a title bar, and an icon.

13. A computer system comprising:

an input device;

a display device;

a user interface displayed on the display device;

a processor for controlling manipulation of an element in the user interface; and

a memory device having recorded therein computer-readable instructions,

wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions recorded in the memory device to;

detect placement of a cursor over an element in the user interface;

receive, for the input device in a first state, a control input containing an actuation of the input device to place the input device in a second state;

receive, from the input device, a control input containing a deactuation of the input device to return the input device to the first state;

determine whether the actuation and the deactuation of the input device occurs within a predetermined amount of time;

receive, from the input device, a control input containing an instruction to drag the element in the user interface in accordance with a movement of the input device; and

move the element in the user interface in accordance with the movement of the input device when the actuation and the deactuation of the input device occurs within the predetermined amount of time.