User-defined assistive GUI glue

• US 20040189714A1
• Filed: 03/28/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fox, James E., Leah, Robert C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,404,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for more enabling users to define one or more areas of a graphical user interface (“GUI”) as being “glue-like”. When the user moves a pointing device (e.g., a mouse, joystick, track ball, etc.) and as a result, the graphical pointer moves into a painted area, the speed at which the graphical pointer will then traverse the GUI is programmatically slowed. Upon exiting the painted area, the graphical pointer speed is preferably restored to its prior setting. In this manner, the user achieves user-specific, application-independent control over the speed at which the graphical pointer moves.

Claims

1. A method of providing user-defined assistive graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) glue, comprising steps of;

marking, by a user, one or more user-specific areas of a GUI, wherein the areas each include one or more graphical elements displayed on the GUI;

programmatically determining when a graphical pointer that corresponds to movement of a pointing device is located in one or more of the marked areas; and

programmatically slowing a speed of the graphical pointer, relative to movement of the pointing device, responsive to the programmatically detecting step, until programmatically detecting that the pointing device is no longer located in any of the marked areas.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying a visual indicator while the pointing device is located in any of the marked areas.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of sounding an audible indicator while the pointing device is located in any of the marked areas.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the programmatically slowing step slows the speed by a user-defined factor.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the programmatically slowing step slows the speed by a fixed percentage.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the programmatically slowing step slows the speed by one factor if the graphical pointer is located within a single one of the marked areas and by a different factor if the graphical pointer is located within more than one of the marked areas.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the marking step occurs in a setup phase and the programmatically detecting and programmatically slowing steps occur in an operational phase.

8. A method of adjusting, in a user-specific manner, a speed of a graphical pointer that correlates to manipulation of a pointing device, comprising steps of:

marking, by a user, at least one user-specific area on a displayed graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) where the speed of the graphical pointer should be slowed; and

programmatically moving the graphical pointer according to a first relationship when the graphical pointer is located in any of the marked areas, and according to a second relationship otherwise, wherein the first relationship and the second relationship both correlate manipulation of the graphical pointing device to the speed at which the graphical pointer moves and the speed for the first relationship is slower than the speed for the second relationship.

9. A system for providing user-defined assistive graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) glue, comprising;

means for marking, by a user, one or more user-specific areas of a GUI, wherein the areas each include one or more graphical elements displayed on the GUI;

means for programmatically determining when a graphical pointer that corresponds to movement of a pointing device is located in one or more of the marked areas; and

means for programmatically slowing a speed of the graphical pointer, relative to movement of the pointing device, responsive to operation of the means for programmatically detecting, until programmatically detecting that the pointing device is no longer located in any of the marked areas.

10. The system according to claim 9, further comprising means for displaying a visual indicator while the pointing device is located in any of the marked areas.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the means for programmatically slowing slows the speed by a user-defined factor.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the means for programmatically slowing slows the speed by one factor if the graphical pointer is located within a single one of the marked areas and by a different factor if the graphical pointer is located within more than one of the marked areas.

13. A computer program product for altering, in user-selected areas of a displayed application software interface, speed of a graphical pointer corresponding to movement of a pointing device, the computer program product embodied on one or more computer-readable media and comprising:

computer-readable program code means for marking, by a user, one or more user-specific areas of a GUI, wherein the areas each include one or more graphical elements displayed on the GUI;

computer-readable program code means for programmatically determining when a graphical pointer that corresponds to movement of a pointing device is located in one or more of the marked areas; and

computer-readable program code means for programmatically slowing a speed of the graphical pointer, relative to movement of the pointing device, responsive to operation of the computer-readable program code means for programmatically detecting, until programmatically detecting that the pointing device is no longer located in any of the marked areas.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising computer-readable program code means for displaying a visual indicator while the pointing device is located in any of the marked areas.

15. The computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising computer-readable program code means for sounding an audible indicator while the pointing device is located in any of the marked areas.

16. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the computer-readable program code means for programmatically slowing slows the speed by a fixed percentage.

17. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the computer-readable program code means for programmatically slowing slows the speed by one factor if the graphical pointer is located within a single one of the marked areas and by a different factor if the graphical pointer is located within more than one of the marked areas.

18. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the computer-readable program code means for marking operates in a setup phase and the computer-readable program code means for programmatically detecting and programmatically slowing operate in an operational phase.

19. A method of providing user-defined assistive graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) glue for controlling a speed of a graphical pointer that correlates to manipulation of a pointing device, comprising steps of;

marking, by a user, one or more user-specific areas of a GUI, wherein the areas each include one or more graphical elements displayed on the GUI and indicate where the speed of the graphical pointer should be slowed;

programmatically moving the graphical pointer according to a first relationship when the graphical pointer is located in any of the marked areas, and according to a second relationship otherwise, wherein the first relationship and the second relationship both correlate manipulation of the graphical pointing device to the speed at which the graphical pointer moves and the speed for the first relationship is slower than the speed for the second relationship; and

charging a fee for carrying out marking and/or the programmatically moving steps.