INTERNAL SCROLL ACTIVATION AND CURSOR ADORNMENT

• US 20100058227A1
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mollicone, Laurent, Flynn, James R., Voss, Florian, Pond, Arwen E., Danton, Stephen M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,566,741 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/786
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

Mechanisms for allowing a user to scroll through a displayed viewer. Upon detected using input while the viewer is being displayed, the user input is identified is being a scrolling gesture. In response, a scrolling control is activated at an interior portion of the displayed viewer. In addition, when the user navigates the cursor to within a scrollable display, the cursor is adorned with a scrolling context emblem that represents scrolling options available for that viewer.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having thereon one or more computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method for allowing a user to scroll a displayed scrollable viewer, the method comprising:

an act of detecting user input during the act of displaying the viewer;

in response to the act of detecting, an act of activating a scrolling control at an interior portion of the displayed viewer, the scrolling control allowing the user to scroll the viewer in at least one scrollable direction of the viewer.

2. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-readable media is or are physical memory and/or storage media.

3. The computer program product in accordance with claim 2, wherein the scrolling control is activated at appropriate a portion of the viewer at which the cursor was positioned at the time of detection.

4. The computer program product in accordance with claim 2, wherein the viewer is scrollable in one direction, wherein the scrolling control permits the user to scroll in that one direction.

5. The computer program product in accordance with claim 4, wherein the scrolling control is a scroll bar that is oriented in appropriately the one scrollable direction, and that includes an extent the symbolizes the entire range of the viewer, and a thumb that symbolizes the currently viewed portion of the viewer, where scrolling occurs by the user moving the thumb within the extent.

6. The computer program product in accordance with claim 4, wherein the viewer is scrollable in the horizontal direction, wherein the scrolling control permits the user to scroll in the horizontal direction.

7. The computer program product in accordance with claim 2, wherein the viewer is scrollable in the horizontal and vertical directions, wherein the scrolling control permits the user to scroll in the horizontal and vertical directions simultaneously using a single control.

8. The computer program product in accordance with claim 7, wherein the signal control comprises a two-dimensional scroll map that includes a two-dimensional extent and a two dimensional scroll.

9. The computer program product in accordance with claim 2, wherein the viewer is scrollable in three dimensions wherein the display has the appearance of depth, wherein the scrolling control permits the user to scroll in any direction within the three-dimensions.

10. The computer program product in accordance with claim 2, wherein the act of activating a scrolling control comprises:

an act of identifying one or more directions that the viewer is scrollable in, wherein the type of scroll controlling control differs depending on the identified one or more directions.

11. The computer program product in accordance with claim 10, wherein the identified one or more directions may differ from viewer to viewer.

12. The computer program product in accordance with claim 10, wherein the identified one or more directions may differ depending on one or more properties of the viewer.

13. A computer program product comprising one or more physical computer-readable media having thereon one or more computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method for notifying the user of scrolling options and context within a displayed scrollable viewer, the method comprising:

an act of detecting that a cursor is within a scrollable viewer;

in response to the act of detecting, an act of adorning the cursor with a scroll context emblem representing a position of a currently viewed portion of the viewer within the entire scrollable context of the viewer.

14. A computer program product in accordance with claim 13, the method further comprising:

in response to the act of detecting, an act of identifying one or more scrollable directions possible of the scrollable viewer that the cursor is within; and

an act of selecting one of a plurality of possible scroll context emblem types to adorn the cursor with depending on the identified one or more scrollable directions.

15. A computer program product in accordance with claim 14, wherein the act of identifying identifies only a horizontal scrollable direction, wherein the selected emblem comprises an extent oriented horizontally, and having a thumb positioned therein that represents an appropriate position of a currently display portion of the viewer within an entire range of the viewer.

16. A computer program product in accordance with claim 14, wherein the act of identifying identifies only a vertical scrollable direction, wherein the selected emblem comprises an extent oriented vertically, and having a thumb positioned therein that represents an appropriate position of a currently display portion of the viewer within an entire range of the viewer.

17. A computer program product in accordance with claim 14, wherein the act of identifying identifies both a vertical and a horizontal scrollable direction, wherein the selected emblem comprises a two-dimensional extent represented the entire two-dimensional range of the viewer, and includes a two-dimensional thumb positioned therein that represents an appropriate position of a currently display portion of the viewer within an entire range of the viewer.

18. A computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the selected emblem moves with the cursor at least temporarily.

19. A method for allowing a user to scroll within a displayed scrollable viewer, the method comprising:

an act of displaying the scrollable viewer;

an act of an act of detecting user input during the act of displaying the viewer;

an act of determining the scrollable direction(s) of the viewer including determining whether the scrollable viewer has a scrollable horizontal direction, a scrollable vertical direction, or both a scrollable horizontal direction and a scrollable vertical direction; and

in response to the act of detecting, an act of activating a scrolling control at an appropriately a portion of the viewer that a cursor was positioned when the user input was detected, the scrolling control allowing the user to scroll the viewer in the determined scrollable direction(s) continuously along with the detected user input, wherein the type of scrolling control differs depending on the determined scrollable direction(s).