PEN-MOUSE SYSTEM

• US 20070226657A1
• Filed: 05/25/2007
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Fitzmaurice, George, Kurtenbach, Gordon, Buxton, William, Pieke, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,904,310 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• 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, comprising:

a pen cursor tracking graphic for providing mouse pointing and mouse button emulation.

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. A graphical user interface, comprising:

a dragable graphic dragable by an input cursor and that is used to interpret events associated with the input cursor as computer mouse events.

5. An interface as recited in claim 4, wherein the dragable graphic itself is dragable by the input cursor controlled by an input device.

6. A method, comprising:

producing a graphical user interface on a display that has an appearance of a computer mouse;

moving the graphic on the display as a tracking menu responsive to movement of a pen; and

interpreting input events initiated by the pen as mouse events.

7. An interface as recited in claim 6, wherein tracking menu movement is responsive to a cursor which is responsive to the pen.

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 the appearance of a mouse on the display and interpreting transducer input events as computer mouse input events.

9. A computer readable storage controlling a computer via a tracking menu having the appearance of a mouse on the display and interpreting transducer input events as computer mouse input events.

10. A computer readable storage controlling a computer by producing a graphical user interface on a display that has an appearance of a computer mouse, moving the graphic on the display as a tracking menu responsive to movement of a pen, and interpreting input events initiated by the pen as mouse events.