Notched slider control for a graphical user interface

• US 9,552,146 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maplebear Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schneider, Scott E.
• Primary Examiner(s): KEATON, SHERROD L
• Application Number:
  US12/168,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20100005420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,123 Days
• Field of Search: 715/833, 715/716, 715/784, 715/786, 715/772
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A slide track of a notched slider control can include a continuous path extending between two end points. A slider can be a graphical element able to move along the slide track. The end points can correspond to upper and lower extremes of a value range. Positions between the end points can represent values within the value range. The slide track can include at least one notch that is visually represented within the slide control as a deviation from a straight line segment having the two end points. The notch corresponds to a value within the value range. The notch can causes the slider to become fixed at a point along the slide track whenever a pointing device controlling the slider is moved in a direction of the deviation.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising a processor, a memory, and a display, wherein the display comprises a graphical user interface (GUI) slider control of a graphical user interface of the computing device, said graphical user interface comprising:

a slide track of the slider control comprising a continuous path extending between two end points, wherein a lower one of the two end points corresponds to a lower extreme of a value range, an upper one of the two end points corresponds to an upper extreme of the value range, and positions between the lower end point and the upper end point represent values within the value range, wherein said slide track is visually presented within the graphical user interface and comprises a plurality of notches, wherein at least two of said plurality of notches are positioned on opposing sides of the slide track, and each notch corresponds to at least two notch points each associated with a unique value within the value range, each notch visually represented as a series of four 90 degree turns in the slide track of the slider control;

a slider configured as a user selectable graphical element able to move along the slide track, wherein the notch causes the slider moving along the slide track to become fixed at a first notch point associated with the first 90 degree turn of the notch, wherein the first notch point of the notch is associated with a first value within the value range, and further wherein the notch causes the slider moving further along the slide track to become fixed at a second notch point associated with the third 90 degree turn of the notch, wherein the second notch point of the notch is associated with a second value within the value range, wherein the second value is greater than the first value;

a value indicator configured to visually present a current value based upon the slider position, wherein the current value presented within the value indicator is configured to dynamically adjust as the slider is moved; and

wherein said slide track is configured to permit movement of the slider responsive to approximately straight line movement of a pointing device along a reference direction from one of the two end points to the other that is unaffected by a notch, wherein said slide track is configured to impede motion of the slider responsive to approximately straight line movement of the pointing device that deviates from the reference direction and follows, wherein the impeding of motion follows the angle of and corresponds to a position of the slider at a notch.

2. The GUI slide control of claim 1, further comprising:

an interactive GUI element configured to accept user input, wherein said user input is able to effect a change in at least one of a placement and existence of at least one notch along the slide track.

3. The GUI slide control of claim 2, wherein the interactive GUI element is configured to permit a user to add a notch to the slide track that corresponds to a user designated value within the value range.

4. The GUI slide control of claim 2, wherein the interactive GUI element is configured to permit a user to remove a user selected notch from the slide track.

5. The GUI slide control of claim 1, further comprising:

a visual value indicator proximate to each notch, wherein said visual value indicator visually shows a value associated with said notch.

6. The GUI slide control of claim 1, wherein said track comprises two continuous lines that are approximately parallel to each other that form a groove along which the slider moves, wherein said approximately parallel positioning of the two continuous lines selectively deviates from each other at positions corresponding to the notch.

7. A method for preventing value overshooting for a slider control comprising:

visually presenting a slide track comprising a continuous path extending between two end points, wherein a lower one of the two end points corresponds to a lower extreme of a value range, an upper one of the two end points corresponds to an upper extreme of the value range, and positions between the lower end point and the upper end point represent values within the value range, wherein said slide track comprises a plurality of notches, wherein at least two of said plurality of notches are positioned on opposing sides of the slide track, and each notch corresponds to at least two notch points each associated with a unique value within the value range, each notch visually represented as a series of four 90 degree turns in the slide track of the slider control;

visually presenting a slider configured as a user selectable graphical element able to move along the slide track, wherein the notch causes the slider moving along the slide track to become fixed at a first notch point associated with the first 90 degree turn of the notch, wherein the first notch point of the notch is associated with a first value within the value range, and further wherein the notch causes the slider moving further along the slide track to become fixed at a second notch point associated with the third 90 degree turn of the notch, wherein the second notch point of the notch is associated with a second value within the value range, wherein the second value is greater than the first value;

receiving directional input from the pointing device;

impeding movement of the slider responsive to the received directional input at one of the first and second notch points to facilitate a selection of the value along the value range that correspond to the notch; and

configuring said slide track to permit movement of the slider responsive to approximately straight line movement of a pointing device along a reference direction from one of the two end points to the other that is unaffected by a notch, wherein said slide track is configured to impede motion of the slider responsive to approximately straight line movement of the pointing device that deviates from the reference direction and follows, wherein the impeding of motion follows the angle of and corresponds to a position of the slider at a notch.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the notch is visually presented as a deviation from a straight line connecting the two end points of the slide track, wherein directional input corresponding to a straight line motion in a direction corresponding to the slide track end points is configured to halt the slider at the notch.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

visually presenting an indicator of the value corresponding to the notch within the user interface to apprise a user of a value achieved when the slider is positioned at the notch.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing an interactive GUI element configured to accept user input, where said user input is able to effect a change in at least one of a placement and existence of at least one notch along the slide track.

11. A computer program product for preventing value overshooting for a slider control, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer usable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code configured to visually present a slide track comprising a continuous path extending between two end points, wherein a lower one of the two end points corresponds to a lower extreme of a value range, an upper one of the two end points corresponds to an upper extreme of the value range, and positions between the lower end point and the upper end point represent values within the value range, wherein said slide track comprises a plurality of notches, wherein at least two of said plurality of notches are positioned on opposing sides of the slide track, and each notch corresponds to at least two notch points each associated with a unique value within the value range, each notch visually represented as a series of four 90 degree turns in the slide track of the slider control;

computer usable program code configured to visually present a slider configured as a user selectable graphical element able to move along the slide track, wherein the notch causes the slider moving along the slide track to become fixed at a first notch point associated with the first 90 degree turn of the notch, wherein the first notch point of the notch is associated with a first value within the value range, and further wherein the notch causes the slider moving further along the slide track to become fixed at a second notch point associated with the third 90 degree turn of the notch, wherein the second notch point of the notch is associated with a second value within the value range, wherein the second value is greater than the first value;

computer usable program code configured to receive directional input from the pointing device; and

computer usable program code configured to impede movement of the slider responsive to the received directional input at one of the first and second notch points to facilitate a selection of the value along the value range that corresponds to the notch; and

wherein said slide track is configured by computer usable program code to permit movement of the slider responsive to approximately straight line movement of a pointing device along a reference direction from one of the two end points to the other that is unaffected by a notch, wherein said slide track is configured to impede motion of the slider responsive to approximately straight line movement of the pointing device that deviates from the reference direction and follows, wherein the impeding of motion follows the angle of and corresponds to a position of the slider at a notch.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the notch is visually presented as a deviation from a straight line connecting the two end points of the slide track, wherein directional input corresponding to a straight line motion in a direction corresponding to the slide track end points is configured to halt the slider at the notch.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to visually present an indicator of the value corresponding to the notch within the user interface to apprise a user of a value achieved when the slider is positioned at the notch.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to provide an interactive GUI element configured to accept user input, where said user input is able to effect a change in at least one of a placement and existence of at least one notch along the slide track.