Method for hollow selection feedback

• US 20050149882A1
• Filed: 03/01/2005
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jarrett, Robert J., Iwema, Marieke, Dresevic, Bodin, Jones, F. David, Davis, Shawna, Barker, Guy
• Granted Patent: US 7,870,501 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/860
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/203 Drawing of straight lines or curves

Abstract

An improved approach to highlighting a graphical object in a graphical user interface is disclosed. A body of a highlighted graphical object may, upon selection or highlighting, be changed to a transparent color, and a graphical outline, or “halo,” is added surrounding the original graphical object'"'"'s body. The halo may be in the same color as the graphical object originally was, preserving any meaning attributed to the color of the graphical object and simplifying the user'"'"'s ability to identify the selected object(s), as well as the ability to select the highlighted object for further processing. The highlighted graphical object may also be displayed with a bounding box to further identify the selected object(s). A moving version of the highlighted graphical object may be drawn during a moving process, in which the moving version has an appearance distinct from the original object.

Claims

1. A method for altering the appearance of a graphical object on a display, comprising the steps of:

generating a copy of said graphical object;

generating a first enlarged version of said graphical object; and

overlaying said copy of said graphical object upon said first enlarged version of said graphical object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of assigning said copy of said graphical object a color value.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said color value is a transparency value.

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

generating one or more additional enlarged versions of said graphical object; and

overlaying said copy of said graphical object, said first enlarged version of said graphical object, and said one or more additional enlarged versions of said graphical object.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said one or more additional enlarged versions of said graphical object are larger than said first enlarged version of said graphical object.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said one or more additional enlarged versions of said graphical object have color values different from a color value of said first enlarged version of said graphical object.