Pen-mouse system

• US 8,904,310 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2007
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Fitzmaurice, George W., Kurtenbach, Gordon, Buxton, William A., Pieke, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): PITARO, RYAN F
• Application Number:
  US11/754,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20070226657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,748 Days
• Field of Search: 715856-862
• US Class Current: 715/861
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/08 Cursor circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

The present invention is a system that provides a pen based computer user with a graphical user interface tool, a pen-mouse, that looks like and functions like a mouse but that is controlled by a limited input device such as a pen or stylus of the pen based computer. The pen-mouse is a tracking menu that tracks the position of the pen. A pen cursor that corresponds to the pen is allowed to be moved about within the pen-mouse graphic by the pen and the pen-mouse remains stationary. The pen-mouse is moved when the location of the pen encounters a tracking boundary of the pen-mouse. The tracking boundary typically coincides with the graphic representing the mouse. While moving within the pen-mouse, the pen can select objects within the pen-mouse body, such as buttons, wheels, etc. The selection of a button or other virtual control causes a corresponding computer mouse button function to be executed. The execution focus is directed at any object designated by a pen-mouse tracking symbol, such as an arrow, that is part of the pen mouse graphic. The pen-mouse can emulate functions or operations of a mouse including single button clicks, double button clicks, finger wheels, track balls, etc.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface of a computer, comprising:

the computer configured to execute;

providing a pen cursor tracking graphic configured to function as mouse pointing and mouse button emulation including left, middle and right buttons; and

enabling a function of the mouse pointing when detecting a location of a pen cursor to be outside a boundary of the pen cursor tracking graphic, while the mouse button emulation selectively tracks a position of the pen cursor based on a contact state of the pen cursor.

2. An interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphic provides an appearance of button controls.

3. An interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the pen cursor tracking graphic provides mouse pointing and mouse button clicking emulation.

4. An interface as recited in claim 1, the graphic provides a two-button click by locking one of the buttons and accepting input through another button.

5. A graphical user interface of a computer, comprising:

the computer configured to execute;

providing a graphic dragable by an input cursor and that is used to interpret left, middle and right events associated with the input cursor as mouse events, and

enabling a function of a mouse pointer when detecting a location of the input cursor to be outside a boundary of the graphic, while the graphic selectively tracks a position of the input cursor based on a contact state of the input cursor with a surface of a display.

6. An interface as recited in claim 5, wherein the graphic is dragable by the input cursor controlled by an input device.

7. A method, comprising:

producing, by a computer, a graphical user interface on a display that has an appearance of a computer mouse having left, middle and right buttons;

moving, by the computer, the graphical user interface on the display as a tracking menu responsive to movement and a contact state of a pen when a cursor moved responsive to the pen encounters a boundary of the tracking menu; and

interpreting input events by the computer initiated by the pen as left, middle and right button mouse events using the graphical user interface in correspondence with a location of the cursor relative to the boundary.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a display;

a pen type input transducer; and

a computer coupled to the display and transducer and providing a tracking menu having an appearance of a mouse with left, middle and right buttons on the display and interpreting transducer input events as left, middle and right computer mouse input events, and

wherein the tracking menu selectively moves with a cursor controlled by the pen type input transducer in correspondence with a location of the cursor relative a boundary of the tracking menu and a contact state of the pen type input transducer with the display.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage controlling a computer to execute an operation via a tracking menu having an appearance of a mouse with left, middle and right buttons on the display, the operation comprising:

interpreting transducer input events as left, middle and right computer mouse input events; and

selectively moving the tracking menu with a cursor controlled by the computer, where the interpreting and the moving are controlled in correspondence with a location of the cursor relative to a boundary of the tracking menu and a contact state of an input of the cursor with the display.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage controlling a computer to execute an operation by producing a graphical user interface on a display that has an appearance of a computer mouse with left, middle and right buttons, the operation comprising:

moving the graphic on the display as a tracking menu responsive to movement of a pen when a cursor controlled by the pen encounters a boundary of the tracking menu and a contact state of the pen, and interpreting input events initiated by the pen as left, middle and right mouse events, where the interpreting and the moving are controlled in correspondence with a location of the cursor relative to a boundary of the tracking menu.