Graphical user interface for direct control of display of data

• US 20020154173A1
• Filed: 04/18/2001
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Dong Feng, Etgen, Michael P., Bailey, John H., Zegarra, Emilio F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,134,093 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/833
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/974 Slider control as on-screen object in operator interface

Abstract

A graphical user interface for direct control of data displayed in a window-based computing environment. A slider element is displayed which is variable in size according to user input. The slider defines a selected area of an image, which is then displayed. The scope of the selected area corresponds to the size of the slider. The resizable slider is then resized by a user'"'"'s direct manipulation, e.g. by a click-and-drag technique, to redefine the selected area, which is then displayed. The scope of the redefined selected area corresponds to the size of the resized slider. Accordingly, a user directly controls (by resizing the slider) the scope of data displayed in a window, and directly controls the presentation of data by translating the slider to define various selected areas. More than one independently resizable slider may intersect to define the selected area and provide independent control of scope in various directions.

Claims

1. A method for displaying in a display area a user-selected portion of an image, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a slider, said slider being variable in size according to user input;

(b) resizing said slider; and

(c) displaying a portion of said image, a scope of said portion of said image corresponding to a size of said slider as resized in step (b).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises the steps of:

(b1) accepting user input to resize said slider, said user input being accepted responsive to a user'"'"'s manipulation of an input device; and

(b2) displaying said slider as resized.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said user'"'"'s manipulation of said input device of step (b1) comprises a click-and-drag technique.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(d) displaying said image;

step (d) being performed before step (a).

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least a portion of said slider is displayed superimposed over at least a portion of said image in step (a).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said slider is translatable over said image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said portion of said image is displayed adjacent said image.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a visual momentum technique is used to relate said portion of said image to said image.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said visual momentum technique comprises displaying a pair of lines extending from said first portion of said image to said image.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said portion of said image is displayed enlarged relative to said image.

11. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

(e) displaying a second slider, said second slider cooperating with said slider to define said portion of said image, said second slider being variable in size according to user input;

wherein said portion of said image is defined responsive to said user'"'"'s resizing of said slider or said second slider.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of said second slider is displayed superimposed over at least a portion of said image.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said slider and said second slider cooperate to define said portion of said image as the intersection of said slider and said second slider.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said slider comprises a scroll box of a scroll bar.

16. The graphical user interface of claim 15, wherein resizing of said slider causes the portion of the data file displayed as an image in the display area to change.

17. The graphical user interface of claim 15, wherein said slider comprises a scroll box of a scroll bar.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said user input is provided by a click-and-drag technique.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said first portion or said second portion of said image is displayed adjacent said image.

15. A graphic user interface for displaying a user-selected portion of an image, said graphic user interface comprising:

a display area for displaying an image representing a portion of a data file; and

a slider, said slider having a size corresponding to a scope of said image, wherein said slider is variable in size according to user input.

18. A method for displaying in a display area a user-selected portion of an image, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying an image;

(b) displaying at least a portion of a slider superimposed over at least a portion of said image to define a first portion of said image, said slider being variable in size according to user input;

(c) displaying said first portion of said image;

(d) accepting user input to resize said slider; and

(e) displaying a second portion of said image, said second portion of said image being defined by said resized slider.

21. A system for displaying a user-selected portion of an image, said system comprising:

means for displaying a first slider, said first slider being variable in size according to user input;

means for resizing said first slider; and

means for displaying a portion of said image, a scope of said portion of said image corresponding to a size of said first slider as resized.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for displaying a second slider, said second slider cooperating with said slider to define said portion of said image, said slider being variable in size according to user input;

wherein said portion of said image is defined responsive to a user'"'"'s resizing of said slider or said second slider.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising:

computer readable program code for displaying a second slider, said second slider cooperating with said first slider to define said portion of said image, said second slider being variable in size according to user input;

wherein said portion of said image is defined responsive to a user'"'"'s resizing of said slider or said second slider.

23. A computer program product for displaying a user-selected portion of an image, said computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code embodied in a computer readable medium, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code for displaying a first slider, said first slider being variable in size according to user input;

computer readable program code for resizing said slider; and

computer readable program code for displaying a portion of said image, a scope of said portion of said image corresponding to a size of said first slider as resized.